Fibromyalgia, or FMS, used to be called fibrositis. Per Dr. Leon Chaitow N.D., D.O., M.R.O., even now when the word ‘fibromyalgia’ is used in medical writing it is often accompanied by the word ‘fibrositis’.
The similiarities between Fibromyalgia, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Irritable Bowel Syndrome are the following:
- Age of onset: Young Adult
- Primary sex: Female
- Cause: Chronic
- Chronic: Yes
- Pathology: None
- Disabling: Frequently
According to Dr. Chaitow, in addition to these similar, identical factors, all these conditions are also frequently characterized by:
- Pain
- Fatigue
- Headaches
- Disturbed sleep patterns
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Numbness and tingling in the arms, hands, feet
- Bowel disturbances (alternating constipation and diarrhea)
- Affected by the weather, activity, stress
- Many painful and sensitive areas to be found on palpation in all of them.
Of course, those of us who suffer with FM and/or CFS, know that there are many, many more symptoms that could be added to this. I really love how Dr. Chaitow talks about FM and CFS – he doesn’t sound like a doctor and you can tell through his words that he has true compassion for those of us who are suffering daily. Please read his wonderful words…
“By virtue of their ill-defined natures, these conditions have become a refuge, one could say a dumping ground, for a host of undiagnosed and apparently undiagnosable health problems. The majority of medical practitioners seem either to be UNAWARE of the reality of the cuases, nature and appropriate care of such problems or ARE OPENLY DISBELIEVING AS TO THEIR VERY EXISTENCE.”
How true that is. Can you think if how many doctors you have been to see over the years until one actually believed you were truly sick? He says more…
“These are often patients dubbed ‘heart sink’ because of their emotional effect on the doctor, as the patient enters the room, yet again clutching a list of symptoms and requests for help. All to often classified as ‘neurotic’ with their symptoms ascribed to ‘depression’, this is a truly miserable population of people, who OFTEN FEEL PROFOUNDLY MISUNDERSTOOD BY THOSE AROUND THEM as well as let down by the medical profession who is either disinterested, dismissive or perfunctory in its prescribing of antidepressant medication.”
Aren’t you just loving this doctor? That describes what I have been through with getting help and I’m sure it is the same story for those reading this too. This next part really gets me…
“To have to endure this sort of emotional and social isolation as well, as the cluster of demoralizing symptoms with which they are burdened, is clearly enough to depress anyone, and it is the experience of most practitioners and therapists involved in working with such patients that any apparent depression is usually a RESULT, RATHER THAN A CAUSE, OF THEIR PROBLEMS. These are a growing army of these walking around, the ‘vertically ill’ who are too sick to function adequately but are commonly not quite sick enough to become ‘horizontally ill’, actually bed bound, although this is all too often an outcome in severe examples.”
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