Fibromyalgia: Unexplained Pain
In 1992, fibromyalgia was recognized as a disease by the World Health Organization (WHO). Today , fibromyalgia affects 4% of the population and nearly 90% of these are women.
It is known as the ‘invisible disease’ because it affects all soft tissues of the musculoskeletal system and is not easily diagnosed through medical examinations. Fibromyalgia cannot be seen with the eye. It does not stain the skin or show visible wounds that identify the disease. It’s a lonely, desperate pain.
So today we want to give you some basic guidelines so that you can confront this disease with strength by improving your quality of life as much as possible.
Fibromyalgia: The Real Disease No One Can See
If a person can’t get out of bed because they feel like ‘burning needles’ are poking their joints, this isn’t a fake or an excuse for not going to work. The suffering of those who suffer from fibromyalgia is amplified by the social misunderstanding and the feeling of being invisible in a world that only believes in what it sees.
The main problem with FM (fibromyalgia) is the controversy over its origin: is it psychological or biological? Here are the main conclusions that experts indicate:
Possible Origins of Fibromyalgia
It is necessary to first clarify that there is no medical evidence for the link between fibromyalgia and psychiatric disorders.
Some authors report that approximately 47% of fibromyalgia patients suffer from anxiety, but it should be borne in mind that this psychological dimension can also be understood as a response to the pain associated with the disease itself .
According to a study published in the journal Arthritis & Rheumatology , fibromyalgia patients experience an increased sensitivity to everyday sensory stimulation.
Using MRIs, researchers found that when exposed to visual, tactile, olfactory or auditory stimuli, the brain areas related to sensory integration are stimulated more than normal.
People with fibromyalgia have an increased number of blood vessels in the sensory nerve fibers, so any stimulus or change in temperature results in severe pain.
Something to keep in mind is that any emotional factor will increase the sensation of pain in these nerve fibers. A stressful situation will result in overstimulation and pain. As a result of this feeling of pain and the chronic fatigue, a person may feel helpless and fall into depression.
We therefore end up in a vicious circle in which a disease of organic origin is reinforced by the psychological factor. It is therefore worth controlling the emotional dimension of fibromyalgia in order to weaken or at least “control” its etiological origin.
Nothing makes sense in my life anymore, nothing interests me and nothing surprises me, I feel empty… Loneliness makes its way through my body and my mind… Read more
Psychological Strategies to Cope With Fibromyalgia
Chronic pain is part of our social reality and fibromyalgia (FM) is an extreme example of this. Now that we know that factors such as stress or sadness will amplify the distress, it is important to introduce some fundamental strategies that can help us cope with the disease.
