do you think fibro is being over diagnosed?
do you think that docs use fibro as a crutch when they can't find a culpret?
i read somewhere that 1 in 4 are diagnosed with fibro. could this be true? if it is won't the s.s.d. go broke?

kat

I've found that doctors (and I've certainly seen my share) have been rather apprehensive to label me with Fibro -even the doctors that "believe" in it. I always kid around that it's another episode of "stump the doctor". Even with all the diagnoses of different diseases I have, they still can't identify some things as being related to any of the diseases so far.

Considering a lot of diseases seem to be on the rise - ie Alzheimers, certain cancers, etc makes me really wonder if there is a correlation between all the crap we put in our bodies...

FM is not an actual disease. It is a disorder.
Fibro means fiber or tissue, myalgia means pain.
Tissue pain is not a disease. You may actually have a disease causing the tissue pain, though, and this needs to be discovered.

The word fibromyalgia is being used as a diagnosis, when it really is a symptom.

In most cases patients are made out to be mental rather than to find the true source of the problem.
Doctors that give the symptoms a name, FM, and do not find out the cause are not serving the patient.
Many many issues can cause the FM symptoms. Don't settle for getting a name, insist on finding the source so you can get proper treatment!

scbagrrrl:
"Considering a lot of diseases seem to be on the rise - ie Alzheimers, certain cancers, etc makes me really wonder if there is a correlation between all the crap we put in our bodies."

I agree with you!

Anti-aging researchers are proving that diets are inadequate/wrong.

Prepared/fast/refined foods with added nutrients they took out to begin with just do not feed the body.
Taking supplements do not make up for what we don't eat. Many people have no idea what real food is, or ever eat it.

For instance, people used to know that fish oil fed the brain and everyone got their daily dose of cod liver oil. Now researchers are finding that giving people fish oil is stopping the progression of dementia and even reversing it.

Antioxidants and enzymes found in fresh fruits and vegetables are disease preventer/fighters, but most think a bagel/muffin for breakfast is healthy fare.
Then they want doctors to fix their health problems.
Doctors do not give health, and have no power to heal. They manage symptoms.

We have to give our bodies what it takes to be healthy, ourselves.

Hi all

This discussion is really interesting. Thanks, friend, for reminding us that fibro isn't a disease. It's the name for a motley crew of symptoms reflecting bodily dysfunction, possibly a complex set of causes which most doctors neither have the time, energy nor expertise to unravel. katkat, where I live, fibro is little known and understand, well, at least, among general practitioners (as opposed to the few specialists like rheumies). So initial battles to get diagnosed were frustrating for me. What I do know is that many of my symptoms are seemingly peculiar to me, and I believe the rheumy accorded me an FM diagnosis cause that was the closest fit. I doubt his diagnosis and still do, cause "fibro" in itself is a symptom - it merely describes a state but does not account for it. (Ironically, I trooped to the doc's office asking him to "check" for fibro). So, there I was, feeling relief to get a name, yet hankering to get down to the root (what did having FM mean?? What was causing mine?? Awry hormones? Let's control the deviant hormones?). The doctor wasn't exactly very keen to tread up that path. So, keeping good faith, these days, I focus less on the root and more on doing what I can to get relief, and for me, this has been a combination of almost-daily exercise (I alternate swimming, aerobics and running), pain meds (where necessary), eating more fruits and veges and stuff that I think my body needs, including vitamins, etc, and cutting down on foods with artificial sweeteners or preserved food. I've since noticed a discernible increase in my strength and stamina which I attribute to regular and strenuous exercise (which does wonders for my mental health too!), although pain in my hands and feet I still get (the "root cause" is causing this!!). Some battles for me now are wondering about this "root cause". friend, you've just reminded me that if my pain doesn't improve, it's time to pay for some serious detective work at the doctor's office. I realise maybe with the independence and improvement that comes with a lifestyle change, I forget I owe it to myself to get to the root (although we shldn't start obessesing abt the illness). But yes, I believe exercising and eating better helps us to treat the root problem in ways we can only imagine (well, I'm optimistic - now if only I could give up coffee, which I just CAN'T being the sleepyhead that I am... well, for someone who can have like 6 dreams, several bad, in one night, it's no wonder!). http://www.healthboards.com/ubb/smile.gif