Posted on 10/02/2025 5:38:15 PM PDT by DoodleBob
There have long been medical conditions for which people will suffer symptoms even when doctors have no idea what is causing the illness. Scientists will refer to these as idiopathic, meaning that there is no apparent or known cause. Fibromyalgia is one such disorder, alongside chronic fatigue syndrome and certain types of epilepsy, that is considered idiopathic.
To some people, this may be misinterpreted as to mean "not real" or, even worse, "all in one's head." But this is clearly not the case.
Fibromyalgia is a very real medical condition that affects around four million Americans, according to statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Despite the fact that its cause has not yet been identified, fibromyalgia has characteristics and symptoms that are consistent among those who suffer from the disorder.
Chronic widespread pain is the primary symptom of fibromyalgia. Most people will also experience moderate to severe fatigue, sleep disturbances, cognitive impairment, and sensitivity to touch, light, and sound.
For reasons unknown, fibromyalgia affects women far more than men and is often seen in families, particularly first-degree relatives like parents, siblings, and children.
One of the reasons why people often question the existence of fibromyalgia is that it doesn’t have a single, identifiable cause, such as an infection, tumor, or congenital defect. And, while genetics are believed to play a part, scientists have yet to uncover any genetic anomaly that could explain the spectrum of symptoms experienced with fibromyalgia.
As such, fibromyalgia cannot be defined by its cause but rather by symptoms for which there are no other explanations. With no blood test or imaging test able to confirm the condition, doctors have to exclude all other possible conditions before a diagnosis can be made. Even then, a person must meet certain diagnostic criteria…
(Excerpt) Read more at verywellhealth.com ...
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They even made up a pill to treat it. Lyrica.
For what it is worth, 100% of my observations of people suffering from this are:
Female
“Middle” aged
Sedentary
Overweight
Hopelessly addicted to those extra large fountain sodas of high fructose corn syrup.
magnesium deficiency.
A disease of the female mind...
your list needs to include
“and a little bit neurotic”
A psychogenic illness. The pain is very real, but triggered by the brain incorrectly sensing danger in the vexations and vicissitudes of everyday life.
For my ex, “Fibromyalgia” was eventually the great excuse to keep four separate opioids going.
I was originally diagnosed with Fibromyalgia in my mid 30s. The “drugs” used to treat it caused horrible side effects. I stopped both after only 1 dose.
I went to a chiropractor who also offered holistic/homeopathic remedies. Turns out, I didn’t have Fibromyalgia; I had systemic candidas. Changed my diet, used a system cleanse, and in 3 days 8 years of pain went away.
I had always been a picky eater as a child. My younger self knew instinctively what my body could process. As a married adult, I expanded my diet to accommodate my husband...only to later learn my body could not break down those foods and started storing them as toxins.
Swollen joints, digestive issues, chronic fatigue, blinding migraines, it was a real slog getting through every day with two toddlers, a house, and a full-time job.
Accidents, illness, injury, certain antibiotics, food allergies, and pregnancy can all impact the candida in our system. I firmly believe most women suffering from Fibromyalgia have systemic candidas instead. The symptoms overlap completely. One can be fixed with an easy diet change an $40 in system cleanses, the other requires pharma meds for a lifetime.
My battle with candidas and the medical industry prepared me to question EVERYTHING later in life, including my daughter’s condition and Fauci’s ridiculous sputterings about COVID.
Thank you. That’s very informative.
Not to sound like a looney lefty, but it’s telling that most of the critics on this thread seem to be guys. Indeed, how curious that conservatives bemoan women who become men and visa versa - that is, the sexes are different - yet a “woman problem” is considered a DSM-V condition.
There are medical pains and problems that guys get that women can’t fathom. The same holds true in reverse. To deny that is to skip down the slippery slope of “we are all the same.”
It’s 2025, I’m surprised this is still a question.
Everyone I know who learned to practice medicine through the 80’s-90’s would know how to diagnose FM.
Easiest thing ever.
If you think you have a patient with FM, you send them to a Rheumatologist for a consultation.
If the specialist sends the patient BACK to you, it’s FM.
EZPZ.
[it’s medical humor, not everyone gets it]
Can FM be put in same catagory as Autism?
They are not diabetics, do not drink and do not have any of the other normal causes.
Yet they have it.
And the various medical tests which are not based on their word alone prove that they have it.
Idiopathic does not mean imaginary.
It means they do not know what causes it.
Possibly.
Your posts are the most rational I've seen on this thread. That one, and the one about multiple causes being potentially at play.
Being sedentary and overweight can be a consequence of fibromyalgia, not a cause.
It doesn't matter if soda is sweetened with pure cane sugar, the acid in the soda quickly breaks down the cane sugar into fructose and glucose, making it chemically identical to HFCS. Someone who drinks a lot of sugary soda has more problems than fibromyalgia, but it has nothing to do with the sugar(s) used.
My GF has it. Going keto keeps it a bay.
CFS/ME has the added complication of a neurotropic viral infection, usually a herpes virus such as varicella zoster. In such instances, the myalgic encephalomyelitis can be regarded as an aspect of a cryptic shingles attack.
Treatment is simple but not always easy. Supplements of Vitamin D3 and magnesium L-threonate are essential, along with collagen peptides and a general vitamin and mineral supplement. Liposomal Vitamin C is also helpful. This combination works but may cause pain due to the inflammation that accompanies the body's rebuilding and replacement of impaired mitochondria and cells. In time, the pain eases.
Notably, the treatment described improves circulation. This will usually redress the paleness and cold hands that is often a feature of these disorders.
Yes, that is what idiopathic means.
Many years ago physicians did not know the cause of things like epilepsy, MS or even cramps. The fallback response was that it was stress or imaginary. They would even remove the woman's uterus to try to stop the symptoms - that brought about historectomies.
It’s not like its new. In the middle of the last century, there was something called “PPP Syndrome”. For P*** Poor Protoplasm.
AI even can list some of the symptoms:
Poor circulation
Excess body fat
Poor muscle tone
Fragile skin
Prematurely aged appearance
General weakness
Sound familiar?
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