In the past year, some of the biggest headlines in pain management have been about fibromyalgia (chronic bodywide pain in joints, muscles, and tendons) and CFS, two conditions that strike women at as much as six times the rate of men. After years of failing to take these conditions seriously, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other groups have recently mounted aggressive public-information campaigns alerting women to the prevalence of these conditions and the importance of accurate diagnosis and treatment. Experts have also made dramatic gains in finding treatments that work by focusing on the sleep problems and physical weakness that seem to fuel these diseases.
Marly Silverman of Pompano Beach, Florida, was diagnosed with fibromyalgia and CFS more than 10 years ago. “It felt like acid chemicals going through my veins,” she says, describing the excruciating pain that forced her to quit her job as vice president of a bank after fruitlessly seeking treatment from a variety of specialists. Today, Silverman manages her pain with a plethora of remedies, including painkillers, antispasmodics (muscle relaxants), and lidocaine patches for localized pain. To speed research into these complex and mysterious illnesses, Silverman founded PANDORA, a patient advocacy and research organization that cosponsors a national conference on the latest research into these and related neuroendocrine immune conditions.
In studying other immune-triggered conditions such as Crohn’s Disease—which also affects women at two to six times the rate of men—experts have made a similar breakthrough. Instead of treating digestive symptoms such as gas, diarrhea, and constipation (common in Crohn’s and IBS), experts realized the culprit might be an underlying food sensitivity, most likely to wheat gluten, milk protein, or one of several other common allergens. What happens, integrative pain specialist Deborah Metzger says, is that an overreactive immune system protests against the irritating foods, causing systemic inflammation throughout the body. She says that in recent years she’s had great success by putting patients on the Sugar Busters diet, which eliminates sugar, white flour, and other suspect foods. Metzger’s advice: Find a doctor who will analyze all aspects of your lifestyle rather than just medicate pain symptoms.
By Melanie Haiken
Comments (3)
i have been to every specialist under the sun to no avail, i have had fibromyalgia for as long as i can remember. I am on disability because i cant function, i was also diagnosed with severe hypo-thyroidism which their still trying to regulate my medication i think it’s finally at the right dose, i think! they have been switching my dose for the last 8 mo. every month so im hopeful that they finally have it somewhat regulated. i have gained a significant amount of weight 54lbs. in the last year i’ve never been this big in my life nobody has an answer now i really am depressed , because i feel so horrible everyday of my life anyone outthere feel as i do PLEASE E-MAIL ME im so desperate for answers im really looking for a DR. HOUSE !!!!!!!
Boy, do I know how you feel! I’m 62yrs old, and for a big chunck of my life doctors blamed my ‘pain & fatigue’ on hormones, being a housewife, too busy, or my all-time favorite= “Its in your head”!!!! That was my families & husbands favorite one too. Like you, I’ve tried all kinds of meds, doctors & procedures; nothing worked. All my tests were ‘normal’ or close to it. That brought accusations of “being lazy”. While my medical mystery isn’t solved, Ihave come to realize that NO ONE can possibly know how I feel. I spend a lot of time on the internet learning all I can about my body, what might be wrong & how I, with a good doctors help, repair myself. I still don’t have THE ANSWER, but I’ve learned about many things that aren’t contributing to my problems. I know the almighty Healer will direct me to that help. Watch “mystery Diagnosis” on Discovery Channel; there are a lot of us searching….the ANSWER will be found!!!!! Take care & remember; you aren’t alone!!!!!
I stopped with Doctors when the last one treated me like I was a drug addict wanting drugs. As I cried in his office, my daughter straigtened him out. I have since been diagnosed w/fibro. I still can function w/o pain meds but some days are really bad. I have researched fibro & natural treatments. I have learned that my emotions play a large part in the management of my pain and I take magnesium every morning and amytriptyline every night. If I start to get upset or anxious, the pain kicks in. I have learned de-stressing techniques such as slowing my breathing and focusing on relaxing my body. For now it’s working. My mother on the other hand, is in a wheelchair at 60 yrs old. Her doctor has her so medicated that she doesn’t know where she is most of the time. She was diagnosed w/fibro about 25 yrs ago. My daughter is 18 & shows signs of fibro also.
I am amazed that doctors can do open heart surgery but cannot find a treatment or cure for fibro. Until then, I am trying to listen to my body’s signals.