Word: fibromyalgia
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...Fibromyalgia is a mysterious illness with a long name and a bad reputation. For years, patients who went to their doctors complaining of inexplicable pain, stiffness and fatigue were told that they were depressed or stressed out and their symptoms were psychosomatic. More recently, fibromyalgia has been linked to chronic-fatigue syndrome and the aftereffects of Lyme disease, which in some medical circles is enough to give any ailment a bad name...
...reputation is undeserved. Fibromyalgia is a real medical syndrome that is being taken more seriously these days, thanks to a study out of the University of Alabama that has found what may be the underlying causes: a reduced blood flow to the parts of the brain that process pain and twice the normal level of a brain chemical called substance P, which helps nervous-system cells send pain messages to the brain. Not only do patients now have scientific support to prove they're not crazy but doctors also have more reason to take their complaints seriously...
Antidepressants have been used for the past 20 years as adjuvants in pain relief. The most effective appear to be the tricyclics, and they're prescribed for a broad spectrum of pain, including headaches, arthritis, chronic low-back pain, fibromyalgia, cancer pain and diabetic nerve pain, though they can in some people lower blood pressure, create confusion and cause constipation and urine retention...
...panel found acupuncture effective in treating painful disorders of the muscle and skeletal systems, such as fibromyalgia and tennis elbow--even more effective, in some cases, than conventional therapies. It was judged to be a "reasonable option" for the relief of postoperative pain and low-back pain. And it won qualified endorsement as a supplement to standard remedies for drug addiction, carpal-tunnel syndrome, osteoarthritis and asthma...