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Getting To Know Fibromyalgia
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Fibromyalgia is a truly mysterious disease that causes lots of pain to its victims. According to reports, around five million adults, mostly women, in the United States alone suffer from this disease, including the famous Lady Gaga. The disease is prevalent in people from ages 18 to 30.
The word fibromyalgia actually means “muscle and tissue pain,” coming from the Latin term “fibro,” meaning fibrous tissue, the Greek word “myo,” meaning muscle, and another Greek term “algos,” meaning pain.
It is actually the second in the list of illnesses, which affect your bones and muscles.
Fibromyalgia is hard to diagnose, and the causes of why this disease appears are still unknown to doctors. The reason for the mystery is the fact that the two major symptoms of the disease are very common. In order for the doctors to conclusively determine that the condition of their patient is actually fibromyalgia, they have to rule out other possible causes of pain and fatigue first. In addition, there is no single test, nor a single defined process to diagnose the disease. However, doctors who are familiar with fibromyalgia have the acquired ability to diagnose it based on a number of factors, which includes widespread pain that lasts for more than three months and there is already no other logical explanation left for the pain.
What Causes the Occurrence of Fibromyalgia?
Physicians and researchers are still unsure of the causes of this disease. They have generally grouped them to be: genetics, trauma, and illness. Some have said that most likely, many factors contribute to the condition, which is probably why it is so hard to diagnose in the first place.
There is a growing theory that fibromyalgia pops up due to a problem between the brain and spinal cord, and how these two process pain signals from the body’s nerves. This theory adheres to the thought that under certain changes and broken interactions between the brain and the spinal cord, an increased level of brain chemicals appear to signal pain.
On the other hand, some have said that genetics might play a role in causing fibromyalgia. Lastly, there are those who believe that undergoing through a physically or emotionally traumatic event may trigger the condition.
Aside from causes, studies have also shown that some people are at higher risk. They are mostly women with mood disorders (like anxiety or depression), with arthritis or/and infection, those who are physically or emotionally abused or who do not exercise on a daily basis.
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Photo credit: bigstock.com
What Happens to People Inflicted with the Disease?
According to a few studies that have been made about it, this chronic disorder causes the person to feel pain throughout the body. It usually affects muscles, but in some cases, the pain extends to joints or the skin. When you have fibromyalgia, pain is magnified and therefore, the receptors in the brain develop a clear picture of the pain, which causes them to overreact to anything painful. You feel pain in the back of the head, tops of shoulders, upper chest, hips, knees, and outer elbows. Below is a list of symptoms that was written throughout the time spent with fibromyalgia victims:
- Muscle pain such as but not exclusive to: burning, twitching, or tightness
- Low pain threshold especially when felt in tender points
- Trouble concentrating and remembering
- Insomnia
- Fatigue
- Anxiety or depression
How to Cure Fibromyalgia?
There is actually no specific drug to cure the disease itself. Because of the mystery surrounding the causes of this disease, all that people can do now is to fight the symptoms. When curing the disease, your primary goal is to manage the pain level and at the same time, try to improve your life alongside the pain.
Aside from the prescribed drugs that you can take, there are natural remedies that can help manage the pain that you are experiencing. Some of these include physical therapy, massage therapy, meditation, acupuncture, yoga, exercise for at least eight hours of sleep per day, and a balanced and healthy diet. The primary consideration of all of these remedies is to reduce stress, which triggers the onset of the pain.
Help Spread the Word About the Disease
Even though that fibromyalgia is a difficult disease to diagnose, but to avoid a lifetime of pain and suffering, it is imperative on our part to prevent the disease from happening. With the right changes in one’s dietary requirements and sleeping patterns, the probability of getting this disease lowers considerably.
READ ALSO: 11 Symptoms Of Fibromyalgia Infographic
Spreading awareness about this disease is imperative, especially since it is hard to diagnose. There are many ways to help people know more about this disease especially in this era where social media is a fast and easy way to reach out to a lot of people.
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