Fibromyalgia is a chronic dibiltating syndrome with no known cause or cure. The word Fibromyalgia can be broken down and is easier understood as : fibro-, fibrous tissues, mya-, muscle, algia-, pain, aka muscle and connective tissue pain. It is pain all over the body for no specific reason or cause. It is chronic, unending pain, loss of sleep, concentration, coordination and many, many other problems in one's life. It seriously disrupts relationships, the ability to work, socialize and function on a normal daily fashion. It is NOT something dreamt up in one's head. It IS a REAL medical disorder. It is not fun. It is not exciting. It is not something you would wish on enemies. Well, I take that back, sorta... I wish my enemies one day to prove to them it is real and it is NOT an attempt to seek attention, sympathy or whatever. Walk a mile in my shoes... It'll take a long time to muster up that mile! Evidence from research conducted in the past thirty years have proven there are abnormalities within the central nervous system that affect brain regions in Fibromyalgia patients. These studies show a correlation, but not a cause. Some research suggests that these abnormalities in the central nervous system might be the result of childhood stress, perhaps prolonged or severe stress. Of course, we need many more studies and more than anything, we need a cure! Through the centuries the illness we now call Fibromyalgia has been thought to be a musculoskeletal disorder, a form of Rheumatism and even a psychiatric illness. We who suffer have come to the conclusion that no one really knows what it is, where we got it or what will make it go away. Theories abound as to the cause. From stress, to abuse, to the chemicals in our foods, soaps clothes and cars. We just don't know and that makes the suffering that much worse. Imagine going through your every day feeling like you've been in a bar fight with a rabid bull... only, there's no bar, no fight and no bull. There are medications that seem to "help" if you call it that. We now have Lyrica, Neurontin, Cymbalta and a few others. They are no cure for sure! Sometimes we just need a hug. But, hugs hurt. So, we have a saying between fellow sufferers... we wish each other "gentle hugs" and sadly, that's about all we can tolerate. There are many, many places on the internet to get signs and symptoms of Fibromyalgia. Thankfully, there are also many, many support networks out there too! For more information on Fibromyalgia, please visit: http://www.fmaware.org/site/PageServer http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fibromyalgia http://www.fibromyalgia.com/ http://www.fibrofactpage.com/ | 
