The GUAI DOC is a 501(c)3 nonprofit corporation with a threefold mission:
- Raise money for research into the diagnosis and treatment of fibromyalgia;
- Educate the medical community and the general public about the nature, diagnosis, and treatment of fibromyalgia and its related conditions;
- Aid fibromyalgics in their search for health.
Seven years ago a small group of fibromyalgics, all members of an online support group, were getting well following the Guaifenesin Protocol, the treatment regimen developed by R. Paul, M.D. and his assistant Ms. Marek. Although their success was obvious, the medical community required more rigorous evidence. There was an obvious and urgent need for credible research and education.
Fibromyalgia, often misdiagnosed, is not a new or rare disease. It is a debilitating and complex set of related symptoms and has been known by various names for over a century. Statistically, about five percent of the US population is affected. There are no specific diagnostic tests that “prove” its existence, although the condition has been recognized by the World Health Organization as a verifiable disease for many years. To achieve a diagnosis medical practitioners must rely on a process of elimination via established testing techniques. This degree of testing can eliminate a slew of conditions with similar symptoms, but in our era of constricted medical care that degree of analysis is an unaffordable luxury. Unfortunately, patients are often “dismissed” as merely depressed folks with psychosomatic complaints. Medical history is filled with tales of real, treatable diseases that were originally dismissed as histrionic imaginings.
Today’s diagnostic method consists of anecdotal reports offered to wise, informed, and compassionate physicians. The disease exists. There is no cure. However, like diabetes and other chronic illnesses, it can be treated and managed. R. Paul, M.D., Assistant Clinical Professor of Medicine, Endocrinology, UCLA, along with many other physicians across the US have successfully treated thousands of fibromyalgia patients using guaifenesin, an old and inexpensive drug with new uses. Although reams of anecdotal evidence exist on the success of guaifenesin in treating fibromyalgia, tightly controlled and credible research is required. This research could easily be done by a drug company, but since guaifenesin is no longer under patent and no company stands to profit from such a study, it has been difficult to interest any corporation in undertaking the project. Hence, this organization was born. Our most important contributors to this multi-year project are fibromyalgia patients, their friends and families.
This website is constantly evolving. Please let us know how we can improve it. We sincerely thank you for your donations, your help, and your concern.