Posted by admin
From the Latin fibra (fiber), the Greek words myo (muscle) and algos (pain), fibromyalgia is a chronic rheumatic condition characterised by widespread muscle and joint pain, fatigue and sleep disturbances. Because it manifests with a set of generic symptoms, it is commonly misunderstood and misdiagnosed. Basically your body aches all over and even after a night of sleep it is common to feel fatigue due to lack of restful sleep. There are a set of tender points which systematically are painful to touch and depression is also an associated symptom.
Other reported symptoms include:
-
dry mouth
-
abdominal pain
-
headaches
-
light sleep
-
stiffness
-
hypersensitivity to temperature
-
difficulty to concentrate
-
irritable bowel syndrome
-
incontinence
-
numbness in the fingers and feet
In order to successfully diagnose fibromyalgia Doctors rely on patient histories and an accurate manual tender point examination according to standard criteria of the American College of Rheumatology. Eighteen Tender points in characteristic locations are tested. If eleven 11 or more of these points are in pain and widespread pain lasting for more that three months is present, then it can be possibly be diagnosed as fibromyalgia. Other diseases such as lupus or rheumatoid arthritis have an overlap of symptoms, making the diagnosis even more difficult.
In the case of positive diagnosis for fibromyalgia, it should be accepted that although it’s a non-progressive situation, unfortunately there is no cure and it can be expected that pain can condition your lifestyle and that’s why it’s so important to manage correctly your habits, empower you with pain management skills and develop sustainable relief for the syndrome. One of the most important elements in fighting fatigue is to follow a fibromyalgia diet where your body will be better prepared. Some substances like citrines, chocolate and caffeine seem to worsen the condition and should be avoided. Others, as wholenuts can relieve the symptoms. Follow a healthy and conscious plan and live a happy life.
Technorati Tags: chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia diet, FMS
Posted by admin
Nowadays Fibromyalgia is developing a status in society, starting to be observed like a real and truly painful condition. However, research studies have not yet proven the specific role in the syndrome of some general choices related with everyday’s life like… food.
However, common sense tells that a healthy nutrition plan is able to change life and in this ambit FMS can not be different. For those who suffer from FMS every advantage is one more step to recovery and like this a balanced food choice will help strengthen the immune system, reduce fatigue and prevent secondary diseases.
Muscle debility as a primary symptom in FMS patients, just for starting, reveals for instants how important should be for people with this illness, to respect in every meal an adequate amount of protein. At the same time, healthful foods like those high in immunity boosting antioxidants and phytochemicals are also of fundamental role, once could help to achieve higher levels of body energy and minimize fatigue.
In the United States the general ideal diet composition is 40-30-30 ratio of carbohydrates proteins and fat. However this diet could not be just for people who share days with FMS and chronic fatigue, once not all carbohydrates are created equal and this will imply a subjective choice of carbohydrates low in the glycemic index.
Along with foods that are high in sugar, fat and cholesterol, some FMS patients also avoid others like tomatoes, white potatoes, eggplant and pepper that could aggravate pain and increase inflammation.
To be avoided in theses cases are also chocolate, sodas, tobacco or peanuts. For peanuts, there’s the particularity that may cause acid reflux. In the same list we can adjudge spicy foods that very usually upset the stomach.
It is also important to retain that the portion of fats in a FMS patient diet should be composed by “good fats” like cold water fish, raw nuts, vegetable oils and avocados.
Variety and moderation are also two good “friends” at the table.
Always remember to drink water (around eight glasses per day) in order to flush toxins out of the body.
And how is it possible to forget effort and pain during food preparation?
Taking time to prepare a healthy meal could be very painful for people who suffer from FMS. For situations like this, support groups often recommend good advices like: a good posture when cooking; rest breaks during the meal preparation; purchase pre-sliced frozen organic vegetables and invest in some kitchen gadgets that can make preparation easier.
Technorati Tags: chronic fatigue, Diet, fatigue, fibromyalgia, fibromyalgia diet, FMS, food, health, pain management
Posted by admin
We all know about pain… however, just some of us are “messengers” of a chronicle condition that invites pain to be present in everyone’s life.
Since when FMS have been a presence among world society?
Since when people suffer from the symptoms of that strange disorder?
Throughout history, people have reported illnesses with strikingly similar symptoms pointed in to the straight direction of the FMS “abyss”. Physical pain reports can even be found as far back as the old testament biblical times, but only since the XIX century this disorder has been identified by a variety of names such as hysterical paroxysm, muscular rheumatic fibrositis. The present term fibromyalgia was first coined in 1976, in an effort to describe its primary symptom.
Physicians recognized and wrote about a condition they then called muscular rheumatism and some in the medical profession thought (and may still think) as something of psychological nature. All over time there have been a multitude of theories as to what FMS is and what causes patients complains. Those ones were for a long time ignored as real, once the particular characteristic of this physical suffering remains the invisibility.
As the term of the illness implies, it was logically thought to be a muscle problem, as muscle pain seemed to be the primary symptom. But as research studies could find nothing wrong in the muscles, for a while FMS was theorized as an autoimmune disorder. However, once again, research revealed no disturbance of the immune system.
Turns not so difficult to realize why for most of the past two hundred years FMS was thought to be a psychiatric or psychosomatic disorder.
In 1824, tender points were described by a doctor in Edinburgh and in 1880 another doctor described the same condition and then called it neurasthenia. During 1904 Pathologist Ralph Stockman first reported evidence of inflammatory changes in the fibrous, intra-muscular septa (a thin that divides two soft masses of tissue) on biopsies from patients. In the same year William Gower introduced the term fibrositis in his description of low back pain. Subsequent studies of muscle biopsies have failed to reproduce Stockman’s findings of inflammation and the term fibrositis is therefore considered a misnomer.
In 1913 a physician named Luff talked in the British Medieval Journal about the factors of fibrositis, noticing that the symptoms grew worse when the barometric pressure lowered and rain was approaching. Luff’s article also referred temperature variations, fevers, infections and vehicle accidents, drawing the connection between “growing pains” in children and fibrositis. For the subsequent years terms as fibrositis, fibromyositis, psychogenic, psychosomatic or muscular rheumatism have all been used as description of the syndrome. Yet the term fibrositis has been most resilient and eventually became synonymous with idiopathic local or diffuse muscle-skeletical pain of any type.
To be continued…if you like this article please check back in a couple of days for Part II.
Technorati Tags: cfs, fatigue, fibro, fibromyalgia, fibrositis, FMS, pain, pain history
Posted by admin
an FM awareness video I made.
Duration : 0:5:18
Read the rest of this entry »
Technorati Tags: fibro, fibromyalgia, fm, FMS
Posted by admin
WINNER OF THE PANDORA ADVOCACY CONTEST 2007
The story of a young girl named Holly Fraser, who has to endure a life with the incurable disease Fibromyalgia.
more info can be found at
http://www.diagnosesupport.com
http://www.pandoranet.info/advocacyvideocontestwinners.html
©2005 elfling productions
http://www.elfling.co.uk
Duration : 0:2:59
Read the rest of this entry »
Technorati Tags: diagnose, Easter, elfling, fibro, fibromyalgia, FMS, Fraser, Holly, Nick, support
Posted by admin
A short film to try to raise awareness of Fibromyalgia, and the myriad symptoms it brings…
Duration : 0:2:7
Read the rest of this entry »
Technorati Tags: awareness, education, fibro, fibromyalgia, FMS, hope
Posted by admin
A short video presentation by Scottish Doctor David Mickel suggesting the potential cause of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) and Fibromyalgia. Dr Mickel has designed a treatment called Mickel Therapy - the success of this treatment is spreading worldwide. See www.mickeltherapy.com for more details.
Duration : 0:10:52
Read the rest of this entry »
Technorati Tags: cfids, cfs, chronic, fatigue, fibro, fibromyalgia, FMA, FMS, health, m.e., medicine, muscle, pain, post, syndrome, treatments, viral
