Fibromyalgia: It Hurts All Over

[Guest guest]

Here is some info about Fibromyaglia.

Steph

Healthy Woman Newsletter from ABCNEWS.com:

Fibromyalgia: It Hurts All Over

By Roz Puleo and Amy Malick

Fibromyalgia is a syndrome that baffles many. Before 1990, it did not

even have a name, yet many doctors were seeing an increasing number of

patients with its hallmark symptoms: muscle pain throughout many areas of

the body, fatigue, insomnia, headaches, diarrhea and abdominal pain.

Today, about 4 million Americans have fibromyalgia, making it the No. 2

two most common chronic pain condition behind osteoarthritis. Ninety

percent of these 4 million are women, and most are Caucasian.

Fibromyalgia is often frustrating to both doctors and patients because

very little is known about its causes.

Some speculate that fibromyalgia is caused by an injury or trauma to the

body. There have been reports of people who have developed fibromyalgia

after getting into car accidents or after having surgery.

“Fibromyalgia is a condition where there is a breakdown of the body’s

buffering system that helps people deal with stress. They become

hypersensitive to everyday stresses that most people are capable of

dealing with, " says Dr. Luc Jasmin, an assistant professor of neurosurgery

at the University of California at San Francisco.

“This is not to say that stress causes fibromyalgia, but it is why stress

can make it worse,” says Jasmin.

Research is still trying to undercover possible causes of fibromyalgia,

which many believe is a nervous system disorder that stems from the brain

and spinal cord. “There are a few theories. It seems that the ones that

attribute the cause to the central nervous system have the most merit.

However, some researchers are trying to see if genetics may play a role,”

says Jasmin.

Without a direct cause, doctors continually struggle to find effective

treatments for these patients. “We as doctors are trained to treat a

localized disease, and it is very distressing when we cannot.

Fibromyalgia is a multi-systemic condition that does not have one good

treatment, because it affects so many systems in the body,” says Jasmin.

NO CAUSE, NO CURE, ANY COMFORT?

With all the vague information surrounding this condition, is there

anything patients can do to make themselves feel better?

First, find a doctor who will take you seriously. “Some doctors believe

that fibromyalgia is all in the patients’ heads. It is not. Any doctor

who tells you that is simply not doing his/her job,” says Jasmin.

Many believe the best way to treat fibromyalgia is through self-care

techniques like exercise, stress management and sleep management.

“At this point in time, self-management is the most effective approach to

relieving the symptoms of fibromyalgia in most patients”, says

Rooks, PhD, director of the Be Well! Tanger Center for Health Management

at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston whom conducts research

on the effects of exercise on fibromyalgia. Rooks’ research has shown

that through a gradual progression of exercise, people with fibromyalgia

can manage their symptoms and improve their quality of life.

Rooks recommends patients with fibromyalgia begin an exercise program

slowly. “Even four minutes of easy walking can be highly beneficial to

someone with fibromyalgia who is just beginning to exercise. In fact,

doing too much can cause pain. It is always safer to start gradually and

slowly work up. "

Taking steps to minimize your body’s reactions to stress through

relaxation can be helpful in reducing symptoms. Exercise is an effective

way to minimize the body’s reaction to stress. If possible, try to avoid

stressful situations.

Because sleep disturbances are also common in those with fibromyalgia, it

is important to try to get yourself on a regular sleep schedule.

Establish a nightly routine that gets you to bed at the same time each

night, which over time may improve the quality of your sleep.

“People with fibromyalgia can do a lot more to manage their health than

they think. Regular exercise, stress reduction and sleep management can

lead to improved function and reduced pain in many cases, “ says Rooks.

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