|
|
|
| Tuesday May 13 2003 06: 02 PM
|
Fibromyalgia: Not All in Your Head
Thanks to brain-scan technology, this ‘imaginary’ ailment of 6 million people is proving to be very real
By Anne Underwood
NEWSWEEK May 19 issue —
.
.
.
MATALLANA, 48, OF Orange, Calif., went to 37 doctors over the course of one year before she received a diagnosis of fibromyalgia—a condition involving pain throughout the body, heightened sensitivity to touch, and fatigue.
.
.
.
Until recently, doctors didn’t believe fibromyalgia pain was real. They thought it was “all in the heads” of sufferers, who happened to be mainly
women. When Dr. Muhammad Yunus of the University of Illinois began studying it in 1977, colleagues warned him, “You’ll ruin your career.
These women are just crazy.” But the fact that doctors couldn’t find a cause or a cure for some 6 million sufferers didn’t mean that the pain wasn’t there. In the past few years scientists have used powerful brain scans to prove that it is.
.
.
.
The challenge now is to explain why. Recent tests suggest that people who develop the syndrome start with a genetic predisposition. The disease runs in families, and researchers have identified at least one gene that appears to be involved. But lifestyle and temperament also play a part. Often patients are workaholics who push themselves to the limit, despite years of escalating pain. Then a trigger—a car accident, a viral infection—pushes them over the edge and knocks their nervous systems out of whack. .
.
.
© 2003 Newsweek, Inc. [BTW, when I had to "detox" /go "cold turkey" due to some meds not reacting well with some herbal supplements, I found that with no "buffer" i.e. Rx, to wear clothing actually hurt -- to blow gently on the arm, sent me to the ceiling...so I am thankful for the meds that I do have, but it's a far cry from normal for me...toes and fingers are crossed that this time they may be on to something...dare to dream?]
|
|
