Fibromyalgia is a syndrome characterized by pain and intense sensitivity to muscle pressure and is often accompanied by fatigue, exhaustion, weakness, depression and difficulty concentrating even other syndromes such as irritable bowel syndrome. [1].The syndrome is common in the population (up to 6.6%) and more common in women compared to men [2]It is probably a nociplastic type of pain that differs from neuropathic neuropathic pain and pain due to tissue damage [3] but despite advances in treatments and recognition of disability caused by the disease in recent years, the mechanism behind fibromyalgia syndrome is still not understood Various events that occur during life such as mental traumas, physical injuries and viruses [4] and diseases can be a trigger for the onset of the syndrome, however often no trigger can be found
Diagnosis:
The initial diagnosis of the syndrome is made clinically based on the findings of the physical examination, while the levels of inflammation in the blood and tests for inflammatory or rheumatic diseases are usually normal. [5]
Treatment:
The most common treatment is symptomatic, based on painkillers such as lyrica, symbalta, tramadol and antidepressants such as ciprofloxacin, dietary supplements, exercise and complementary therapies.Analgesics are an important means of improving the patient's quality of life in the short term, however they cause many side effects, sometimes addictions, their effectiveness decreases over time, do not solve related problems such as fatigue and depression and have not been shown to be beneficial over time [6]. The various medications developed may relieve the pain but do not lead to recovery. This is why about 90% of fibromyalgia sufferers eventually turn to complementary medicine. [5] There are various complementary methods for the treatment of fibromyalgia that work in part, [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] while no single method is known to be good for all patients.
How do we treat pain?
At QRUF we do not treat pain. We help your body to treat the source of the pain. The disappearance of the source will lead to the disappearance of the pain. Our method involves integration between the conventional understanding of body processes based on knowledge of anatomy, physiology of the body and pathology of diseases with complementary methods. Unlike pain clinics where chronic pain is sometimes treated as a disease by itself, we see pain only as a symptom , mediated by pain receptors, pain-conducting nerves and cerebral pain maps, where finding the location of the disorder causing the pain helps us find the source. Whether it is a bacterium that secretes painful toxins , a virus that attacks the muscular or nervous system, an immune system reaction that damages the brain pain maps or even general sensitivity of the body as a result of a previous traumatic event, we have solutions.
[1]Sarzi-Puttini P, Giorgi V, Marotto D, Atzeni F. Fibromyalgia: an update on clinical characteristics, aetiopathogenesis and treatment. Nat Rev Rheumatol. 2020 Nov;16(11):645-660. doi: 10.1038/s41584-020-00506-w. Epub 2020 Oct 6. PMID: 33024295.
[2]Marques AP, Santo ASDE, Berssaneti AA, Matsutani LA, Yuan SLK. Prevalence of fibromyalgia: literature review update. Rev Bras Reumatol Engl Ed. 2017 Jul-Aug;57(4):356-363. English, Portuguese. doi: 10.1016/j.rbre.2017.01.005. Epub 2017 Feb 8. PMID: 28743363.
[3] Mary-Ann Fitzcharles, Steven P Cohen, Daniel J Clauw, Geoffrey Littlejohn, Nociplastic pain: towards an understanding of prevalent pain conditions, The Lancet 397, 2021-05, עמ' 2098–2110 doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(21)00392-5
[4]Mohammad, Ausaf MBBS, MRCPI*; Carey, John J. MBBChBAO, MS, FACR, FRCPI, CCD†; Storan, Eoin MBBChBAO, MRCPI‡; Scarry, Margaret RPN-RGN H Dip in Hepatology Nursing‡; Coughlan, Robert J. MBBChBAO, FRCPI†; Lee, John M. MBBChBAO, FRCPI§ Prevalence of Fibromyalgia Among Patients With Chronic Hepatitis C Infection, Journal of Clinical Gastroenterology: May/June 2012 – Volume 46 – Issue 5 – p 407-412 doi: 10.1097/MCG.0b013e3182485528
[5]Siracusa R, Paola RD, Cuzzocrea S, Impellizzeri D. Fibromyalgia: Pathogenesis, Mechanisms, Diagnosis and Treatment Options Update. Int J Mol Sci. 2021 Apr 9;22(8):3891. doi: 10.3390/ijms22083891. PMID: 33918736; PMCID: PMC8068842.
[6]Helen Gaskell, R Andrew Moore, Sheena Derry, Cathy Stannard, Oxycodone for pain in fibromyalgia in adults, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 2016-09-01 doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD012329
[7]Trond Haugmark, Kåre Birger Hagen, Geir Smedslund, Heidi A. Zangi, Mindfulness- and acceptance-based interventions for patients with fibromyalgia – A systematic review and meta-analyses, PLOS ONE 14, 2019-09-03, עמ' e0221897 doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0221897[8]John C. Lowe, Results of an Open Trial of T 3 Therapy with 77 Euthyroid Female Fibromyalgia Patients, Clinical Bulletin of Myofascial Therapy 2, 1996-08-10, עמ' 35–37 doi: 10.1300/J425v02n01_04
[9]Alfonso Javier Ibáñez-Vera, José Ramón Alvero-Cruz, Jerónimo Carmelo García-Romero, Therapeutic physical exercise and supplements to treat fibromyalgia, Apunts. Medicina de l'Esport 53, 2018-01, עמ' 33–41 doi: 10.1016/j.apunts.2017.07.001
[10]I. R. Bell, D. A. Lewis, II, A. J. Brooks, G. E. Schwartz, S. E. Lewis, B. T. Walsh, C. M. Baldwin, Improved clinical status in fibromyalgia patients treated with individualized homeopathic remedies versus placebo, Rheumatology, Volume 43, Issue 5, May 2004, Pages 577–582, https://doi.org/10.1093/rheumatology/keh111
[11]Electroacupuncture in fibromyalgia: results of a controlled trial. British Medical Journal 1992; 305 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.305.6864.1249 (Published 21 November 1992) Cite this as: British Medical Journal 1992;305:1249
[12]Amit Prabhakar, Jennifer M. Kaiser, Matthew B. Novitch, Elyse M. Cornett, The Role of Complementary and Alternative Medicine Treatments in Fibromyalgia: a Comprehensive Review, Current Rheumatology Reports 21, 2019-05, עמ' 14 doi: 10.1007/s11926-019-0814-0
