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Fibromyalgia Is Not A Muscle Problem - Fresno Expert Explains @ Yahoo! Video...

Besides taking medicine prescribed by your doctor, there are many things you can do to minimize the impact of fibromyalgia on your life. These include:    * Getting enough sleep – Getting enough sleep and the right kind of sleep can help ease the pain and fatigue of fibromyalgia. (See “Tips for Good Sleep”.) Even so, many people with fibromyalgia have problems such as pain, restless legs syndrome, or brainwave irregularities that interfere with restful sleep.     * Exercising – Although pain and fatigue may make exercise and daily activities difficult, it’s crucial to be as physically active as possible. Research has...

    * Keep regular sleep habits. Try to get to bed at the same time and get up at the same time every day – even on weekends and vacations.    * Avoid caffeine and alcohol in the late afternoon and evening. If consumed too close to bedtime, the caffeine in coffee, soft drinks, chocolate, and some medications can keep you from sleeping or sleeping soundly. Even though it can make you feel sleepy, drinking alcohol around bedtime also can disturb sleep.    * Time your exercise. Regular daytime exercise can improve nighttime sleep. But avoid exercising within 3 hours of bedtime,...

Fibromyalgia can be difficult to treat. Not all doctors are familiar with fibromyalgia and its treatment, so it is important to find a doctor who is. Many family physicians, general internists, or rheumatologists (doctors who specialize in arthritis and other conditions that affect the joints or soft tissues) can treat fibromyalgia.Fibromyalgia treatment often requires a team approach, with your doctor, a physical therapist, possibly other health professionals, and most importantly, yourself, all playing an active role. It can be hard to assemble this team, and you may struggle to find the right professionals to treat you. When you do, however,...

Research shows that people with fibromyalgia typically see many doctors before receiving the diagnosis. One reason for this may be that pain and fatigue, the main symptoms of fibromyalgia, overlap with many other conditions. Therefore, doctors often have to rule out other potential causes of these symptoms before making a diagnosis of fibromyalgia. Another reason is that there are currently no diagnostic laboratory tests for fibromyalgia; standard laboratory tests fail to reveal a physiologic reason for pain. Because there is no generally accepted, objective test for fibromyalgia, some doctors unfortunately may conclude a patient’s pain is not real, or they...

The causes of fibromyalgia are unknown, but there are probably a number of factors involved. Many people associate the development of fibromyalgia with a physically or emotionally stressful or traumatic event, such as an automobile accident. Some connect it to repetitive injuries. Others link it to an illness. People with rheumatoid arthritis and other autoimmune diseases, such as lupus, are particularly likely to develop fibromyalgia. For others, fibromyalgia seems to occur spontaneously. Many researchers are examining other causes, including problems with how the central nervous system (the brain and spinal cord) processes pain. Some scientists speculate that a person’s genes may regulate...

Scientists estimate that fibromyalgia affects 5 million Americans age 18 or older. For unknown reasons, between 80 and 90 percent of those diagnosed with fibromyalgia are women; however, men and children also can be affected. Most people are diagnosed during middle age, although the symptoms often become present earlier in life. People with certain rheumatic diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus (commonly called lupus), or ankylosing spondylitis (spinal arthritis) may be more likely to have fibromyalgia, too. Several studies indicate that women who have a family member with fibromyalgia are more likely to have fibromyalgia themselves, but the exact reason...

Original Article: http://www.4women.gov/faq/fibromyalgia.cfm How common is fibromyalgia? Who is mainly affected?FM affects as many as 1 in 50 Americans. Most people with FM are women (about 80-90%). However, men and children also can have the disorder. Most people are diagnosed during middle age. FM can occur by itself, but people with certain other diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis and other types of arthritis, may be more likely to have FM. Individuals who have a close relative with FM are more likely to develop FM.What causes fibromyalgia?The causes of FM are not known. Researchers think a number of factors might be involved....

Original Article: http://www.disabilitysecrets.com/social_security_disability_fibromyalgia.html At the moment, there is no entry in Social Security Disability 's Listing of Impairments manual for the condition known as Fibromyalgia, also known as fibromyositis and Myofacial Pain Syndrome (The disability listing's, of course, provide the approval criteria for a number of different impairments ranging from amputations to seizure disorder).Nevertheless, many claimants with fibromyalgia apply for disability, and many go on to win their cases. For this reason, the fibromyalgia disability claimant who's been denied should not give up on their case. Instead, they should pursue their disability claim through the appeals process, keeping in mind how...

Original Article: http://www.niams.nih.gov/Health_Info/Fibromyalgia/default.asp Questions and Answers about FibromyalgiaFibromyalgia syndrome is a common and chronic disorder characterized by widespread muscle pain, fatigue, and multiple tender points. The word fibromyalgia comes from the Latin term for fibrous tissue (fibro) and the Greek ones for muscle (myo) and pain (algia). Tender points are specific places on the body – on the neck, shoulders, back, hips, and upper and lower extremities – where people with fibromyalgia feel pain in response to slight pressure.Although fibromyalgia is often considered an arthritis-related condition, it is not truly a form of arthritis (a disease of the joints) because it...