Fibromyalgia is still a mystery. Experts still don’t know why it happens, how to cure it, or if there is a cure for it. It seems to affect women more than men, and they don’t know why this is so. They often can’t give proper diagnoses, because they often don’t know that you have it.
So what is known about fibromyalgia? We know it’s not arthritis. Arthritis affects the skeletal system, and fibromyalgia involves your muscular system. We know it’s a chronic condition that lasts a long time and can possibly afflict you for your entire life.
People between the ages of 20 and 50 are prone to developing it. Four to six million Americans are afflicted with it. It keeps you from getting a good night’s sleep. Luckily, we also know that it’s a progressive disease.
There is hope though, for the millions who are suffering with the constant pain and muscle stiffness. Researches are ongoing to find the reason for the disease, and once it has been found, then we can start to find a cure.
The underlying cause of Fibromyalgia is slowly starting to emerge as related to disturbances in the endocrine system and the autonomic nervous system, particularly, the stress response of both those systems.
The crossing over of the nervous system with the endocrine system, referred to as ‘neuroendocrine axis’, has been studied closely in relation to the sleep disturbances found in most fibromyalgia patients. Studies have shown that fibromyalgia patients have their non-REM sleep phase disturbed by alpha waves that shouldn’t be there, often keeping them from moving to stage 3 and stage 4 of sleep.
Insulin growth factor is released during those stages of sleep. A third of Fibromyalgia sufferers have low levels of that hormone because they often don’t reach those stages.
Studies where disturbed non-REM sleep was artificially created have shown that they can actually produce some of the symptoms of fibromyalgia. With alpha waves intruding when they shouldn’t, it is no wonder that so many fibromyalgia patients are experiencing ‘non-refreshing’ sleep night after night.
Other endocrine and neurological abnormalities they’ve found include elevated levels of certain neurotransmitters in the cerebrospinal fluid that enhance pain perception, up to three times higher than normal levels. Fibromyalgia patients also tend to have lower than normal cortisol production.
While all that may sound a bit technical, the bottom line is researcher are making progress in the area of finding a cause for fibromyalgia. No one knows how long it may take to pinpoint it exactly, but it should give hope to those suffering from it. Of course, then they’ll have to begin work on how to cure it.
But if you suffer from fibromyalgia pain, you’ve landed on the right page. It’s not necessary for you to continue hurting while you wait on scientists to develop a cure. You can join today the ever-growing number of people my fibromyalgia program has already helped.
The fibromyalgia program is not complicated, and does not entail complicated exercises. Only a few simples techniques are needed and it only takes a few minutes a day to perform. Fibromyalgia sufferers have been able to reclaim their lives, and you can too!