What is Fibromyalgia?
What are the symptoms of this disease?
How is it diagnosed?
What causes it?
How is it treated?
Is it true that Fibromyalgia may just be in a
person’s head?
How can I locate a Fibromyalgia specialist?
How can Fibromyalgia affect my daily life?
Is there any way to alleviate some of my symptoms?
How can we help a family member who has
Fibromyalgia?
How common is Fibromyalgia?
Is Fibromyalgia curable?
What is Fibromyalgia?
Fibromyalgia is a chronic disorder characterized by widespread muscular
skeletal pain, fatigue, and multiple tender points. "Tender points" refers
to tenderness that occurs in precise, localized areas, particularly in the
neck, spine, shoulders, and hips. Fibromyalgia is common and disabling and
affects up to 4% of the population. The disease if often misdiagnosed, may
run in families and may lie dormant until triggered by an infection,
injury, stress, or sleep disturbance. It is closely related to chronic
fatigue syndrome, irritable bowel syndrome and migraines.
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What are the symptoms of this disease?
- Ache all over
- Sleep poorly
- Wake up stiff
- Tired all day
- Prone to headaches, memory and
concentration problems
- Dizziness
- Numbness and tingling
- Itching
- Retain fluid
- Abdominal or pelvic pain and diarrhea
- Anxiety
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How is it diagnosed?
Fibromyalgia is difficult to diagnose because many of the symptoms are
similar to that of other diseases. A physician will review a patient's
medical history and make a diagnosis of Fibromyalgia based on chronic pain
persisting for more than 3 months. A person may be considered to have
Fibromyalgia if he or she has widespread pain in combination with
tenderness in at least 11 of 18 specific tender point sites.
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What causes it?
The cause of Fibromyalgia is still unknown, but research is currently
being conducted to identify probable causes. Over the years researchers
have discovered several important aspects of the disease: (1) Fibromyalgia
may be linked to an abnormality of deep sleep; (2) Fibromyalgia is also
associated with certain immune system changes; (3) It does not appear to
be contagious; (4) In some, Fibromyalgia develops with no apparent cause
while in others, the disease appears after a traumatic accident, emotional
trauma, overworking, hormonal changes, sexual or physical abuse during
childhood, or a viral disease.
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How is it treated?
- Medication to improve sleep patterns
- Adequate sleep hours
- Daily exercise
- Avoidance of over exertion and stress
- Treatment of any existing sleep
disorders
- Patient education
(Medication by itself is of little value in treating Fibromyalgia.)
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Is it true that Fibromyalgia may just be in a person’s head?
That was thought to be the case many years ago, because there was no clear
medical definition of the syndrome, and doctors often failed to
acknowledge the pain and fatigue that patients were feeling. Thus,
patients were told that their symptoms were "all in their heads." New
discoveries have proved this to be false.
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How can I locate a Fibromyalgia specialist?
If you think you have Fibromyalgia, it is very important to select a
doctor who has experience with this syndrome. You will likely be referred
to a rheumatologist, however not all rheumatologists are familiar with
Fibromyalgia. Before seeing you’re a doctor, ask if they have treated
patients with this disease. It may be in your benefit to contact a local
Fibromyalgia association to obtain a referral.
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How can Fibromyalgia affect my daily life?
You may have difficulty doing some of your daily activities such as work,
housekeeping, childcare, or hobbies, because of your pain or lack of
energy. Participation in a self-help group can help Fibromyalgia sufferers
to feel less isolated, and to find out how others cope with this disease.
Contact a regional association to find out if there is a group located
near you.
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Is there any way to alleviate some of my symptoms?
- Exercise
- Relaxation and breathing techniques to
manage your stress
- Heat and massage to relieve muscular
pain
- Moderate doses of analgesics (such as
Aspirin, Ibuprofen, Tylenol, Advil, etc.) may provide some relief from
pain and muscle stiffness
- Antidepressants may help some patients
reduce their pain, depression and inability to sleep
Alternative therapies include:
- acupuncture
- biofeedback
- chiropractic
- homeopathy
- hypnotherapy
- mental imaging
- naturopathy
- osteopathy
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How can we help a family member who has Fibromyalgia?
The best help that you can give your family member is to listen,
understand, and show respect and compassion.
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How common is Fibromyalgia?
It is estimated that as many as six million Americans have been diagnosed
with the condition. Fibromyalgia is six to eight times more common in
women than men and normally affects people between ages 20 and 50,
although some children have been diagnosed with the disorder.
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Is Fibromyalgia curable?
Although there is currently no cure for Fibromyalgia, symptoms can be
controlled by comprehensive treatment plans that may include education,
medication, exercise and stress management.
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