Understanding fibromyalgia is often as confusing as the symptoms them self. Modern medicine has a poor understanding of the condition because it does not take a holistic (whole system) view. Instead it treats the symptoms as unrelated. Because fibromyalgia does not show up on current lab tests, the common practice is to disbelieve the patient instead of the inaccuracy of the test. The patient is either ignored as being crazy, or at best is given stop gap measures such as pain killers and sleeping pills.
The good news is that fibromyalgia is fairly easy to diagnose, and is treatable. This article will cover pathology; while others in the series cover diagnosis and treatment.
Current Medical Model of Fibromyalgia
The current trend in modern medicine (allopathic care) is to treat fibromyalgia as a rheumatoid arthritic condition with markers for muscle and joint pain and poor sleep patterns. Cause is idiopathic (unknown) although it is thought to be viral based. Diagnosis often uses tender point exams which are only marginally accurate. Treatment is usually painkillers and serotonin reuptake inhibitor sleeping pills. This type of treatment is masking of the symptoms; symptoms are still there but suppressed.
Holistic Model of Chronic Pain and Fatigue
Holistic mean taking a whole system view. Fibromyalgia affects so many systems of the body that this is essential. Instead of treating just the symptoms, effort is made to address the causal factors. Treatment can either fall under control or cure. Control is that the imbalance is corrected, but the underlying cause is still there. Many people are happy with this route. The second part is cure, where the causal factor is eliminated. This route takes more work but is possible. Both control and cure will be addressed in part 3.
Cause of Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue
Common consensus according to holistic and energy medicine practitioners, is that fibromyalgia is caused by a virus that lays dormant in the body until triggered. Triggers for this might include an unrelated infection such as mononucleosis, use of immune suppressing drugs such as Prednisone, or trauma like a car accident. Anything that can compromise the immune system long enough for the virus to take over can be a trigger. The virus seems to reside in the liver and then affect all other areas of the body, especially the endocrine glands.
It should also be noted that myofascial pain syndrome (MPS) and chronic fatigue syndrome (CFIDS) are seen as similar conditions and more than likely have the same cause, and just differ in their presentation and severity. Fibromyalgia is the most discussed condition in this article, as it includes the symptoms of MPS and CFIDS combined. All information presented for fibromyalgia applies to MPS and CFIDS.
Identifying Sources of Chronic Fatigue and Pain will help diagnose fibromyalgia, and Resolving Chronic Pain and Fatigue will help find the remedies to regain health.
References
Green Pharmacy, James Duke, 2002, ISBN-13 978-0312981518
From Fatigued to Fantastic by Jacob Teitelbaum, ISBN-10 1583332898
Fibromyalgia and Chronic Myofascial Pain: A Survival Manual, Devin Starlanyl and Mary Ellen Copeland, 2001, ISNB-13 978-15722422388
The DHEA Breakthrough, Stephen Cherniske, 1998 ISBN-13 978-0345426468
Fibromyalgia; A Return to Harmony
