I too have wanted to know what causes Fybromyalgia. In another post someone mentioned about the Epstein Virus link to FM. I remember coming across this same idea myself. In my crusade to figure out why I was so tired and achy everywhere I started reading extensively on any illness or disease that might cause these types of symptoms. My symptoms were chronic fatigue, brain fog, low body temp, joint pain, moody, etc. I did end up getting diagnosed with Hashimoto Thyroiditis which caused me to be hypothyroid thus explaining a great deal of my symptoms as well as having FM. What really caught my attention was that many diseases, especially autoimmune diseases, all seem to in one way or another have commonalties such as the Epstein Virus. I think it's possible that FM is caused by a bacteria or virus...one so small that it invades our cells, meaning it resides within the cells rather than among our cells. Our immune system detects that these cells are infected or abnormal and starts the process of trying rid the body of the defective cells, much like how cancer cells are eliminated. Since the bacteria or virus is inside the cells our immune system must creates antibodies against our own organs or tissues with the infected cells just as it does for rheumatoid arthritis and Hashimoto Thyroiditis. In essence, that is what an autoimmune disease is...If this theory is correct it would make sense that our body would create an antibody against a part of our body that the enemy resides in order to eradicate it. To my understanding, antibodies can only destroy entire whole cells. Maybe this bacteria or virus that is invading our cells will spread to another region of the body thus triggering another autoimmune disease. Anyone who has an autoimmune disease has been told that they are at an increased risk of developing other autoimmune diseases. In my humble opinion I believe everyone's Fybromyalgia symptoms varies so drastically is because the extent to which each person has been infected by the bacteria or virus is different. Maybe in a person who eats well and has a great immune system is able to hold off these attacks more effectively then a person who smokes or has a poor diet. Mine may have started in my thyroid while yours might have started in your joints. I also believe that we can in many ways heal our own bodies if we allow it and we stop poisoning it with chemicals, pollution, preservatives, etc. I think there is a reason why we feel so good after fasting for 5 days. The body is going ..."YEAH....finally I can breath"...give yourself a chance to unload some toxins. The biggest problem with this is most of us are just not self disciplined enough to follow this good advice. Not even me. I know I shouldn't be eating a huge bowl of ice cream no matter much calcium it claims to have. And if this theory about FM being caused by a bacteria or virus is true then there is a plethora of things we can do to help our bodies combat this. Garlic is the first thing that pops in my mind. It's one of the most potent anti-bacterial & anti-virus things we can put in our bodies. Our medical experts have not been able to develop a drug that is effective against virus' yet. Garlic is also a natural chelater, helps remove heavy metals from the body. I know I'm snagging this and that from the tons of literature I've read and jamming it all into one post but I'm just trying to share the best of the best of what I've read because I do want everyone out there to look deeper into their illnesses and look in places that maybe they overlooked before. Two books I do recommend is "Prescription for Nutritional Healing" & "Get Healthy Now" by Gary Null. I actually keep a yellow highlighter with my books and when I read about anything in them I Highlight it in the index and parts on the pages that are important. It really helps when later on I go back to reread about something and I can jump right to the spot that I need because it's been highlighted. I mainly highlight foods, vitamins, minerals, and herbs that are essential for what ever problem I happen to be reading about. I hope this information will be of some use to someone out there. Please feel free to comment. Take Care Everyone!
__________________
«◊Ŵëb◊§piŋŋër◊»
Last edited by webspinner; 02-06-2004 at 09:32 PM.
Webspinner, I think your input is very helpful and insightful and true. But why don't the doctors know this stuff? I haven't been officially diagnosed with fibro yet, but I am close. After this weeks MRI of my lumbar spine and the EMG, I think that's what they will say. Mine all started with what I think was lyme disease in September. I took a prolonged antiobiotic routine and ended up with these symptoms that mirror fibromyalgia. It would prove that your theory is correct, but none of the eight doctors I have seen seem to understand or know anything about this.
There has been some speculation about a bad batch of polio vaccine given to us "oldies" in grade school. I had the vaccine on a sugar cube and that seems to be one of the things being considered. Also, how our brain perceives pain is different from the non-fibromyalgic population. And on and on.....not enough growth hormone in our systems, (5HTP) etc. Hereditary? (My sister is now being ruled out for other diseases and it looks like she might have fibro now also.) Food allergies? Viruses? Bacterial? Hypoglycemia? Hypothyroidism? Cellular dysfunction? Lack of a protein for cellular synthisization? Build up of lactic acid in the muscles, not enough ATP (cellular energy being made by our cells)?
Maybe we all suffer from some mild form of Mad Cow Disease since our animals have been fed Rumin (SP?) plus other animal parts at the feedlots. I heard it can take up to 15 years to show up but if it did we are suppose to get very ill.....(silly thought??)
I have read so much and printed out pages of speculative causes. Eventually one ends up just getting more confused and angry because the answer hasn't been found yet. The cause will lead to the cure, but when?? Probably not in my lifetime, what is left of it, lol.
We are all wanting the cause and the cure because this is now becoming an epidemic since the guidelines for diagnosing Fibromyalgia in 1999 became active and more doctors are using that to confirm the syndrome. MistyMisty
I also have my own theory on why doctors supposedly don't know seem to know about this and many others things. This is controversial and may offend some professionals in the medical industry and I apologize up front but what I'm about to say has a great deal of merit. Ok..here goes...
The medical industry is a business. A very profitable business. Now this statement is not going to directly answer the question of why doctors don't seem to know what causes fibromyalgia but rather give a generalized idea of why they wouldn't disclose or pursue a cure. I'm going to use an example that seems to have nothing to do with FM but you will see at the end how it does.
The example:
A recent study found that babies fed soy-based formula had 13,000 to 22,000 times more isoflavones in their blood than babies fed milk-based formula. It is estimated that an infant exclusively fed soy formula receives the estrogenic equivalent of at least five birth control pills per day. What are the effects of soy products on the hormonal development of boys? Male infants will naturally undergo a “testosterone surge” during the first few months of life, when testosterone levels may be as high as those of an adult male. During this period, the infant is programmed to express male characteristics after puberty, not only in the development of his sexual organs and other masculine physical traits, but also in setting patterns in the brain characteristic of male behavior. Deficiency of male hormones impairs learning and the ability to perform visual discrimination tasks...such as would be required for reading...and retards the development of spatial perception, which is normally more acute in men than in women. Learning disabilities, especially in male children, have reached epidemic proportions. Soy infant feeding floods the bloodstream with female hormones that could inhibit the effects of male hormones. In the US, one percent of all girls now show signs of puberty, such as breast development or pubic hair, before the age of three; by age eight, almost 15 percent of white girls and just under half of African-American girls have one or both of these characteristics. Other problems that have been anecdotally associated with children of both sexes who were fed soy-based formula include extreme emotional behavior, depression, asthma, immune system problems, pituitary insufficiency, thyroid disorders and irritable bowel syndrome. Why have parents not been alerted to the potential dangers of soy formula? The formula industry is large and powerful, able to influence the outcome of scientific research and wage successful publicity campaigns. A good example is a recent University of Iowa study, funded by the formula industry and published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, comparing the reproductive health of adults who had been fed soy- or milk-based formula as infants. The survey found that the soy group had higher levels or reproductive disorders, asthma and allergies. Females of the soy group were more likely to be sedentary and to have taken weight loss medications. YET THE AUTHORS OMITTED THESE FINDINGS AND CONCLUDED THAT“. . . the findings of the current study are reassuring about the safety of soy infant formula.” The University of Iowa study was widely reported in the press as a vindication of soy formula.
end of example.
Now you can see why the doctors may not have an interest in knowing what cures FM. There's a lot of money to be made on a patient with FM. It's plain and simple. You are worth more money in pain then not in pain. This is not just about FM. This is all diseases and cancers and illnesses.
The next time you go to your doctor’s office and you're sitting in the examining room waiting for the doctor to come go ahead and take a peak inside of some of the cabinets. Most doctors have stock piles of samples of formulas, allergy medicines, etc. Where do you think these samples come from? They are donated by these huge corporations to millions of doctors as a means of marketing their product. As an incentive for the doctors to promote their products the corporations may (or may not ) make monetary donations or donate equipment the doctor might need in his or her office. Most of us will not think twice about using a product the doctor recommends. Now ask yourself, why is the doctor recommending a particular product. Is he or she recommending it based on what is best for me or is there some other means of influence that has nothing to do with my health?
This is why I have taken it upon myself to search for my own answers. There are so many great websites out there dedicated to natural healing. The cure zone is one of the best I have found. I implore everyone to take charge of their health and educate themselves to maintain the best health they can. Take care.
Fybromyalgia Causes 
Linear Mode
