Fibromyalgia, also known as fibromyalgia syndrome or Atlantis syndrome, is an insidious disease, as it is not easy to diagnose it, and it can be treated by means of both pharmacological and natural treatments.
The term fibromyalgia was created in 1976 from the combination of the Greek terms “myo” (muscle) and “algos” (pain). The prefix “fibro” stands for fibrous tissues, such as tendons and ligaments. It is a disease that causes chronic widespread muscle pain and stiffness, and although the term fibromyalgia comes back to few decades ago, this disease was known also in the 19th century, when it was called fibrositis. Fibromyalgia can be defined as a rheumatic disease that affects muscles. This disease causes an increase in muscle tension that affects all the muscles of the body.
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It is not easy to diagnose fibromyalgia because it does not cause alterations in laboratory tests and is not detectable by X-rays. In addition to this, people affected by this disease do not look like ill people, and very often relatives and doctors do not believe they are sick. Also for this reason fibromyalgia has been recently defined, although it was known also in the 19th century, and researchers are constantly studying to find the most suitable treatments, which can be both pharmacological and natural. As said above, the term fibromyalgia was first used in 1976, while the diagnostic criteria have been developed only in 1990; the "Copenhagen Declaration", in which the diagnosis of fibromyalgia was internationally accepted, was held in 1994. The main techniques used to recognize this disease are anamnesis and the touching of 18 “tender points”: a patient affected by fibromyalgia must feel pain in at least 11 of these points.
But what are the main symptoms of this disease? Among the disorders that most frequently affect those who suffer from fibromyalgia there is muscle pain, which can be both widespread and localized (especially in the neck, shoulders, back and legs), and which is caused by the muscle tension caused by the disease. Another consequence of the muscle tension is stiffness, which limits movements and can give a feeling of swelling of joints. Suffering from an excessive muscle tension also means that muscles are never at rest, and this cause tiredness and fatigue even after little efforts. Moreover, patients affected by fibromyalgia might wake up and feel like they have not rested enough.
As said above, to treat fibromyalgia there are both natural and pharmacological treatments. As far as natural therapies are concerned, you can do stretching, aerobic and other types of exercises. In order to recover from lost sleep massages and staying in warm places are also very important, while to treat other types of symptoms physiotherapy and the application of anti-inflammatory creams and oils can be very useful. You can also decide to stay in some spa (for example in Abano Terme, in Italy). As far as the pharmacological therapy is concerned, there is not a universally recognized treatment, but some medicines are notably effective. This is the case of some types of antidepressants, NSAIDs (Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs), muscle relaxants and calcium, magnesium, vitamins and trace minerals supplements.
