Health Awareness Days for 2022

Here is a list of health awareness days, weeks, and months for 2022 put together for us by the beautiful blogger Barbara who blogs at Back Pain Blog UK. Barbara is a prolific health blogger who writes an article almost each and every day about a variety of health topics including Fibromyalgia, Alternative Therapies, Chronic Pain, and Back Pain.

So here, all in one place, is everything you need to know about health awareness for each month in 2022.

Please keep in mind that many of the links go to worldwide awareness campaign sites and that others may take you to UK sites as Barbara is based in the UK. Your country may have different sites available for these days and in some cases different dates or even months.

JANUARY…

DRY JANUARY – 1^st - 31^st January 

LOVE YOUR LIVER MONTH – 1^ST – 31^ST January

INTERNATIONAL PAGET’S AWARENESS DAY – 11^th January

CERVICAL CANCER PREVENTION WEEK – 17^TH – 23^TH January

NATIONAL BLOOD DONOR MONTH – 1^ST- 31^st January

GOOD CARE MONTH 1^st - 31^st January

BLUE MONDAY – 17^th January

NATIONAL HUG DAY – 21^st January

FEBRUARY…

CONGENITAL HEART DEFECT AWARENESS DAY –  14^th February

TINNITUS AWARENESS WEEK – 7^th – 13^th February

NATIONAL HEART MONTH 1^st- 28^th February

RARE DISEASE DAY – 28^th February

WORLD CANCER DAY – 4^th February

TIME TO TALK DAY – 3rd February

EATING DISORDERS AWARENESS WEEK - 28^th February – 6^th March

 

MARCH…

PROSTRATE CANCER AWARENESS MONTH – 1^st – 31^st March

OVARIAN CANCER AWARENESS MONTH – 1^st – 31^st March

BRAIN AWARENESS WEEK – 14^th – 20^th  March

NO SMOKING DAY – 9^th March

WORLD SLEEP DAY – 19^th March

INTERNATIONAL DAY OF HAPPINESS – 20^th March

WORLD ORAL HEALTH DAY – 20^th March

 

APRIL…

BOWEL CANCER AWARENESS MONTH – 1^st – 30^th April

STRESS AWARENESS MONTH – 1^st – 30^th April

WALK TO WORKDAY – 1st April

EARTH DAY – 22^nd April

WORLD HEALTH DAY – 7^TH April

MS AWARENESS WEEK – 18^TH – 24^TH April

IBS AWARENESS MONTH – 1^ST – 30^TH April

 

MAY…

SPINAL CORD INJURY AWARENESS DAY – 14^th May

WORLD ANKYLOSING SPONDYLITIS DAY - 7^th May

WORLD RED CROSS DAY - 8^th May

INTERNATIONAL ME AWARENESS DAY – 12^th May

ACTION ON STROKE MONTH – 1^st – 31^st May

WORLD FIBROMYALGIA AWARENESS DAY -  12^th May

WORLD FIBROMYALGIA AWARENESS MONTH – May

SPONDYLOARTHRITIS (SpA) AWARENESS MONTH - May

NATIONAL OSTEOPOROSIS MONTH – 1^ST – 31^st May

DEAF AWARENESS WEEK – 4th – 9^th May

WORLD LUPUS DAY – 10^th May

ARTHRITIS CARE AWARENESS WEEK – 14^th – 21^st May

INTERNATIONAL NURSES DAY – 12^th May

ACTION ON STROKE MONTH – 1^ST – 31^st May

MENTAL HEALTH WEEK – 13^th – 20^th May

WORLD MS AWARENESS DAY – 30^th May

 

JUNE…

MEN'S HEALTH WEEK – 13^th – 19^th June

SCOLIOSIS AWARENESS DAY – 1^st  June

SCOLIOSIS AWARENESS MONTH – 1^st June – 30^th June

NATIONAL CARERS WEEK – 7^th - 13^th June

WORLD BLOOD DONOR DAY – 14^th June

DIABETES AWARENESS WEEK – 10^th - 17^th June

 JULY…

SARCOMA AWARENESS MONTH – 1^st July - 31^st July

SAMARITANS AWARENESS MONTH – 1^st July - 31^st July

GLAD TO CARE WEEK – 5^th July – 11^th July

 

AUGUST…

CYCLE TO WORK DAY – 15^th  August

CBD AWARENESS DAY 8^th August

 

SEPTEMBER…

WORLD SUICIDE PREVENTION DAY – 10^th September

PAIN AWARENESS MONTH – 1^st – 30^th September

MIGRAINE AWARENESS WEEK – 5^th – 11^th September

RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS AWARENESS WEEK – 13^th – 19^th September

KNOW YOUR NUMBER AWARENESS WEEK – 6^th  – 12^th  September

WORLD LYMPHOMA DAY – 15^th September

EUROPEAN MOBILITY AWARENESS WEEK – 16^th – 23^rd  September

BALANCE AWARENESS WEEK – 12^th – 18^th  September

ORGAN DONATION AWARENESS WEEK – 20^th – 26^th September

WORLD REFLEXOLOGY WEEK – 20^th – 26^th September

WORLD ALZHEIMERS DAY – 21^st September

WORLD HEART DAY – 29^th September

CLEAN AIR DAY – 7^th September

 

OCTOBER…

BREAST CANCER AWARENESS MONTH – 1^st – 31^st October

NATIONAL CHOLESTEROL MONTH – 1^st – 31^st October

LUPUS AWARENESS MONTH – 1^st – 31^st October

BACKCARE AWARENESS WEEK – 3rd – 7^th  October

NATIONAL BONE AND JOINT WEEK – 12^th – 20^th October

WORLD MENTAL HEALTH DAY – 10^th October

WORLD SPINE DAY – 16^th October

RESTART & HEART DAY – 16^th  October

WORLD OSTEOPOROSIS DAY – 20^th October

BREAST CANCER NOW WEAR IT PINK DAY – 23^rd October

WORLD MENTAL HEALTH DAY – 10^th October

 

NOVEMBER…

LUNG CANCER AWARENESS MONTH – 1^st – 31^st November

PANCREATIC CANCER AWARENESS MONTH – 1^st – 31^st November

WHITE RIBBON DAY – 25^th November

WORLD DIABETES DAY – 14^th November

DISABILITY HISTORY MONTH – 18^th November – 18^th December

WORLD COPD DAY - 18^th November

DECEMBER…

WORLD AIDS DAY – 1^st December

INTERNATIONAL DAY OF PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES – 3^rd December

INTERNATIONAL VOLUNTEERS DAY – 5^th December

HUMAN RIGHTS DAY – 10^th December

 Many thanks to Barbara at 

BACK PAIN BLOG UK…

LIVING LIFE IN CHRONIC PAIN – The latest news on health, lifestyle, wellbeing, treatments, reviews and tips on chronic pain. 

Fibro Friday week 397

 WELCOME to this week's Fibromyalgia link-up. Thanks for dropping by. It would be wonderful if you could leave a link to a fibromyalgia-related post here and visit some of the other links. You never know what you might find.

Fibro Friday week 396

WELCOME to this week's Fibromyalgia link-up hosted by Fibro Blogger Directory. We have thousands of articles about fibro here for you and you can access them by clicking Fibro Friday in the topics and then following the links. We would love you to join in this week.

Dizziness and fibromyalgia

Dizziness is a symptom that is often attributed to fibromyalgia but it is a complex symptom because it can have so many causes. It is also a symptom that may be overlooked, or not even mentioned to the doctor, because pain and stiffness and fatigue are just so much more demanding of our attention. 

I've collected information here on dizziness from a variety of sources including people who have fibromyalgia. 

DIZZINESS AND FIBROMYALGIA STATISTICS

Many people quote the statistic that 70% of people who have fibromyalgia have dizziness but they do not say where this statistic comes from. As far as I can work out it came from a study into 168 fibromyalgia patients that was done in 1996 at the Department of Audiology Karolinska Hospital, Sweden. Vertigo/dizziness was reported by 72% of these patients. The results of this study indicated "that central nervous system (CNS) dysfunction frequently occurs in patients with fibromyalgia, although proprioceptive disturbances might also explain some of the abnormalities observed."

CAUSES OF DIZZINESS IN FIBROMYALGIA

Celeste Cooper is a Registered Nurse, hospital educator, and nurse paralegal who has been living with fibromyalgia who has important recommendations for the symptom of dizziness:  

• Report this to your doctor and discuss the possibilities of the presence of these conditions, there are tests that can be done. 
• You must find out what is causing your dizziness. Dizziness is a symptom and can be caused by many conditions, but in FM the major culprits are hypothyroidism, Neurally Mediated Hypotension (NMH) or Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia (POTS). The presence of myofascial trigger points, causing chronic myofascial pain, located in muscles next to vital organs and blood vessels can also cause dizziness.
• Identify the cause of your dizziness to know how it is best treated. The treatment for all of the disorders is different. 
• Rule out other conditions such as hypoglycemia (low blood sugar), insulin resistance, impending stroke, etc.
• Once any life-threatening cause has been ruled out, be sure to check for myofascial trigger points in the area. They can be easily felt by a trained examiner, and treated. Myofascial Pain is present in most if not all FM patients. 

NEURALLY MEDIATED HYPOTENSION (NMH) IN FIBROMYALGIA

Dr Oz says One potential side effect of fibromyalgia is a problem called neurally mediated hypotension. It simply means that your blood pressure is a bit too low. If you stand for a long time, your head may start spinning.

The best way to avoid dizziness that comes from this problem is to avoid standing for long periods, if possible. When you can't avoid standing, walk around as much as you can. You can also try wearing compression stockings, which help to relieve hypotension.

POSTURAL ORTHOSTATIC TACHYCARDIA (POTS)

PoTS UK says that this condition is due to an abnormal response by the autonomic nervous system and is characterised by orthostatic intolerance (the development of symptoms when upright that are mostly relieved by lying down). These symptoms include lightheadedness, fatigue, and fainting.

STEROCLEIDOMASTOID TRIGGER POINTS

These are trigger points in the neck that can cause dizziness, vertigo and imbalance. They can also cause hearing loss and tinnitus. They are created by postures that cause the neck muscle to contract such as forward head posture. These trigger points can be released by specific massage techniques. You may be able to find a Myofascial Trigger Point Therapist near you through this database.

POSTURE AND DIZZINESS

Having poor posture and weak muscles can mean that when people with fibromyalgia do many daily activities such as driving or working on a computer they can cause the creation of the trigger points mentioned above. If your neck is tight or sore it may indicate you have these issues. A trained physical therapist can help diagnose and treat these issues and will usually give you exercises to improve your posture.

MEDICATIONS FOR FIBROMYALGIA MAY CAUSE DIZZINESS

According to Dr. Congdon, “Many fibromyalgia medications have dizziness – and sometimes loss of balance – as a common side effect. That’s why it is important to talk to your doctor if you are experiencing dizziness or balance trouble to see if one of your medications could be contributing.”

Specifically, she mentioned pregabalin (eg, Lyrica), gabapentin (eg, Neurontin), and zolpidem (eg, Ambien), which helps with sleep and may cause next-day dizziness. If you are taking any of these medications and experiencing issues with balance, talk with your doctor about possible alternatives. FROM PRACTICAL PAIN MANAGEMENT ARTICLE

RESEARCH INTO FIBROMYALGIA AND DIZZINESS

A 2019 study into Impaired Balance in Patients with Fibromyalgia Syndrome found that many of the participants experienced dizziness in their daily life. This impacted their balance confidence as they were scared of falling over. 

To evaluate disability due to vertigo the dizziness handicap inventory (DHI) was used. This is a useful multi-dimensional tool for quantifying self-perceived disability in patients with vertigo, dizziness, or instability, and its impact on activities of daily living. It contains 25 self-administered questions, with a total range of 0 to 100 points. A higher score indicates a greater degree of disability due to the vertiginous symptoms.

A 2002 study found that dizziness was the most common complaint of the patients in the study and that they had symptoms of vestibular ear disorders even though they did not have any clinically or audiologically detectable ear disease. 

OTHER DIZZINESS RELATED CONDITIONS

Pituitary Adenoma ~ What is Your Fibromyalgia Hiding?

One of the symptoms of having a pituitary adenoma is dizziness. Find out more about this condition and read Suzanne's story with it from diagnosis to treatment.  

Vestibular migraine is a nervous system problem that causes repeated dizziness (or vertigo) in people who have a history of migraine symptoms.

A day in the life with vestibular migraine.

Symptoms of vestibular migraine can differ slightly amongst those with the condition. Two of the most common are dizziness, which VeDA describes as ‘a sensation of lightheadedness, faintness, or unsteadiness’, and imbalance, which is ‘unsteadiness or loss of equilibrium that is often accompanied by spatial disorientation’.

Other symptoms of vestibular migraine in particular, and those that affect me, are motion intolerance (can’t stand being on a bus), vertigo attacks (which I am thankful to have few of nowadays), and issues with heights or simply looking at tall buildings. Cobblestone streets and uneven ground throw out my balance, and you will never catch me going on a rollercoaster! Claire describes her day with this condition. 

Meniere's disease is an inner ear disorder probably caused by a fluid buildup and a feeling of fullness and pressure in the ear. The symptoms include episodes of vertigo, hearing loss, and tinnitus (ringing in the ears). 

Recurrent positional vertigo is most often caused by benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV). BPPV has the sudden sensation that you're spinning or that the inside of your head is spinning. BPPV causes brief episodes of mild to intense dizziness. It is usually triggered by specific changes in the position of your head. This might occur when you tip your head up or down, when you lie down, or when you turn over or sit up in bed. (MAYO CLINIC) 

If this is the cause of your dizziness your doctor can guide you through some exercises that are called the canalith repositioning procedure.

Multiple Chemical Sensitivity (MCS)

MCS is something that many people with fibromyalgia have and one of the symptoms is dizziness. this is usually brought on by strong smells such as household cleaners, perfumes and petrol fumes encountered when pumping petrol to your car. 

LIVING WITH DIZZINESS

STAY HYDRATED

This can seem a bit simplistic but being dehydrated can cause dizziness and lightheadedness. Naturopath Janet McKenzie gives us a guide on how to determine how much water we should be drinking. 

EXERCISE

Dizziness is something many of us who live with fibromyalgia struggle with, but it can also be a symptom of other medical issues. As it affects our balance, exercising while we’re dizzy can throw us off balance and result in falls and injury. Terri talks about this and how to determine if we should exercise on any particular day. 

TIPS FOR SHOWERING WHEN WE ARE DIZZY

Showering can be difficult when we have fibromyalgia for a variety of reasons including dizziness. Shelley talks about the reasons why showering is a complex issue and some suggestions for what to do to prevent dizziness and other showering issues here.

THE RIGHT PILLOW MAY HELP PREVENT DIZZINESS

For years Bethan would experience vertigo, a feeling of spinning if her head fell off her pillow while sleeping. Now she has found the perfect pillow for her to prevent this.

10 TIPS TO STOP DIZZINESS

Sue has some helpful tips including home remedies and trigger point massage that you can try yourself. She also recommends finding out what kind of dizziness you are experiencing so you know which treatments may help.

WHAT DOCTOR SHOULD I SEE FOR DIZZINESS?

A specialist is needed to diagnose these issues. The following specialist's may be able to help:

• Audiologist
• An ear nose and throat specialist (otolaryngologist)
• Neurologist

ARTICLES IN SPANISH ABOUT FIBROMIALGIA  AND DIZZINESS

Mareos, falta de equilibrio y caídas durante los episodios agudos de Fibromialgia

Falta de equilibrio y Fibromialgia, un estudio demostró que las mujeres son más propensas a sufrirlo

Fibromialgia: averigua como prevenir y evitar los mareos, vértigo, caídas, caminar inestable