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Mission

The aim of the Alessandra Graziottin Foundation for the cure and care of women NPO is:

A) to develop the culture of pain in Italy and abroad, at a scientific, clinical and popular level. Firstly, by focusing on pain in women, a pain that is an objective condition of physical, economic, social and domestic disadvantage;
B) to increase the diagnostic and therapeutic care of pain and of the syndromes characterized by pain, in medical services, to enlarge significantly the number of patients able to take advantage of effective antalgic therapies;
C) to train medical and paramedical staff in the therapy of pain in women, in the different specialities.

The method to develop the culture of pain, to make it considered and treated as a main factor of the disease, and not as an ancillary symptom, and to achieve the other institutional goals, includes:

A) the implementation of a website targeted to increase and spread the culture and the awareness of the biological truth of pain, in addition to its psychical implications. The website has the following sections:
1. medical, focused on the biological factors of pain, both in the pathologies pertaining to Obstetrics and Gynaecology, and in the other pain diseases of women. This section comprises scientific investigations and updates, for clinicians and other paramedical staff, and lay articles for people;
2. psychological, focused both on the role of depression and anxiety in amplifying pain perception, and on the personal and relational psychodinamic implications of th physical and psychic pain;
3. cultural, to study in depht how the pain is experienced, accepted and treated in different cultures and societies. This section deals with the religious and spiritual interpretation of pain perception as well, to encourage an integrated glance at the complexity of pain also from an existential point of view;
4. participative, through:
• the creation of a virtual community of patients and their relatives. Tha aim is to share the experience of pain, develop a solidarity network and give visibility to the truth of impact of pain in the personal and relational life, and of the state of neglect into which pain is often relegated in our country and abroad. This virtual community will contribute to develop the potential of support and care characteristic of the self-help groups, through personal stories, focus groups and open debates;
• the creation of a network of volunteers, specifically trained in helping patients to cope with pain;

B) the organization of courses and meetings to improve the culture of pain and the attention to its biological truth, both in physicians – mainly Obstetricians and Gynaecologists – and in paramedical staff, to enlarge significantly the number of medical professionals specifically trained on this topic in Italy and abroad. Our training effort concentrates on:
1. chronic pain, typical of vulvar vestibulitis, vulvodynia, interstitial cystitis, irritable bowel syndrome, endometriosis, dyspareunia, vaginismus, proctalgias, pelvic chronic pain, post partum pain and all the other pain diseases in Obstetrics and Gynaecology, particularly in the oncologic area;
2. cephalagias, fibromyalgias, arthralgias, auto-immune and rheumatic syndromes;
3. all the other female pain diseases;
4. iatrogenic pain;

C) the assignment of scholarships to promote the experimental and clinical research about the cure of pain, and the awareness about it;
D) the creation of a network of associations to boost the synergies on these aspects at a scientific and clinical level, as well as among volunteers;
E) publicity and cultural events;
F) the publication and distribution of scientific and popular books, booklets and electronic media, through traditional bookstores and websites.

The Alessandra Graziottin Foundation pursues all these targets also by:
- the management of other websites and other application softwares allowed by network and mobile communication technologies;
- the cooperation with other scientific, cultural and self-help websites, both Italian and international;
- the cooperation with Insitutions, Hospitals, Universities and Scientific Societies on research, didactic and clinical projects;
- the cooperation with volunteer associations;
- any publishing activity, both scientific and popular.