Sunday 14 August 2011

What is Fibromyalgia?

By Donald Duvall








For many weeks, you've ached from head to toe . You've no energy, cannot concentrate, can't recall the last time you had a sound night's sleep. You have been to the doctor a considerable number of times, but all she can tell you is what you don't have. You've heard about fibromyalgia, perhaps read up about it or even chatted to somebody that has been diagnosed with this confusing disease . Yet nobody can tell you whether you have it.

Sound familiar? If that's the case, welcome to the world of an illness with several faces .

Fibromyalgia - A Demon with Lots of Faces

Fibromyalgia is a widely misunderstood health condition. For well over a century, it's been known by many alternative names, and that was not until the 1970s that the term" fibromyalgia " was coined.

The name came from the patient's accurate experience of the illness . "Fibro" represents the fibroid tissues that are influenced (i.e. Ligaments and tendons), while "Myo" represents the muscle-bound system and "Algia" means "pain" - which is also the dominant incarnation of this health condition. Essentially,fibromyalgia means being experiencing discomfort nearly everywhere.

Connie Ludtke R.N, at Mayo Clinic observes that people think fibromyalgia is not a genuine medical problem or that it is "all in your head." It's frequently thought of as a "garbage-can diagnosis:" if doctors can't find anything else wrong with you, they say you have fibromyalgia. She goes on to mention that there are categorical criteria that you must meet to be diagnosed with this condition, including tender, upsetting points above and below the waist on either side of the body .

An illness, A Bundle of Symptoms or a Product of your Mind

While there's still alot that remains unknown about fibromyalgia, clinical research has brought a more all-inclusive understanding in just the past couple of years. In particular, findings show that when an individual is afflicted with fibromyalgia, their brain and spine process pain signals differently, making them react more strongly to touch and pressure, and experience a heightened sensitiveness to touch and pressure. Fibromyalgia is a real physiological and neuro-chemical condition.

The North American Varsity of Rheumatology (ACR) has made the diagnosis process for this condition more easy for both patient and specialist, by developing many factors for diagnosing the disorder. According to standards established by the ACR, An individual is believed to suffer fromfibromyalgia if he has experienced wide ranging agony for no less than 3 months, in combo with sensitiveness in at least eleven of 18 stipulated tender point sites. Though this would most likely not be as classic as an Xray or blood test, it does at least give some direction that can lead to a comparatively trusty diagnosis.

As for treating
fibromyalgia well, now that is another story!









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