Then...: Seeing a casual mention of fibromyalgia in a national magazine recently caused me to reflect upon just how far we have come in the past 10 years. When I was first diagnosed in 1996, it was challenging to find any information about fibromyalgia (FM). And much of what little I did find, we now know to be incorrect.
Ten years ago a significant percentage of doctors did not know what fibromyalgia was and, of those who had heard of it, many questioned whether it was a real, physical illness or merely a psychological disorder. FM sufferers were often thought to be depressed or, even worse, hypochondriacs.
Now...: Today, thanks to the determined, dedicated work of medical researchers and FM advocates (most of whom have fibromyalgia themselves), the newly diagnosed patient has access to a wealth of information and support. Following are just a few of the advances made in the past 10 years:
- Researchers have discovered that FM is not a muscular or autoimmune disorder as originally thought, but rather is a malfunction of the central nervous system, which causes increased sensitivity and pain amplification.
- Research has uncovered several neurotransmitter, hormonal and chemical imbalances in FM patients that contribute to the pain amplification problem.
- New brain-imaging techniques have revealed that people with FM have decreased blood flow to specific areas of the brain that deal with pain sensitivity and cognitive functioning.
- Advances in genetic research are beginning to show evidence that some people may have a genetic predisposition to FM.
- A Google search of the word “fibromyalgia” resulted in a list of 11,600,000 sites.
- Another Google search for “fibromyalgia support” yielded 4,740,000 sites.
- A book search on Amazon.com, listed 357 books on fibromyalgia.
Source:
10 New Truths About Fibromyalgia, Fibromyalgia AWARE, May-August 2005, 47-49.
