Over four-million people in the United States suffer from the condition of fibromyalgia, a condition that causes widespread pain and irritation in targeted points of the body– usually in the back and arms. These pains, when left untreated, can often cause patients to have nightly insomnia and general frustration in daily activity. However, while these conditions affect roughly 2% of the United States adult population, diagnosis of the condition of fibromyalgia remains an elusive prospect for physicians who desire to find an effective treatment for their patients.
The mysterious nature of this disabling condition continues to frustrate physicians and patients across the United States. As a matter of clarification, the condition of fibromyalgia is real and is recognized and has an entry in the 10th edition of The International Classification of Diseases which is seen as one of the most reputable sources for diagnosis of disability. For all intents and purposes, fibromyalgia is a legitimate condition and often results in chronic debilitating pain for the affected patient. Those who claim they’ve experienced the pain of fibromyalgia and seek medical attention or treatment are often met with skepticism from their physicians or treatment centers who have no clinical method of diagnosing the condition or finding the cause other than subjective information from the patient.
As Joseph Bernstein MD said about patients of fibromyalgia: “They leave us feeling ignorant because we do not understand them and feeling impotent because we cannot cure them. They hector us for notes certifying their disability without providing the usual signifiers of legitimacy” (2016). Although an understandable frustration mounts between doctor and patient, it is the physician’s responsibility to find an effective treatment that will alleviate the alleged pain their patients are experiencing. And although diagnosis of the cause is frustrating for physicians, Bernstein also concedes that, “we have to be open to the possibility physicians can be part of the problem . . . Perhaps we find ourselves on a pedestal of wisdom we do not deserve”. Although there is not enough known about the condition, it is important that doctors maintain a healthy level of patience and tolerance for the claims of their patients.
Meanwhile, patients need to understand that little is known about what causes fibromyalgia. Most of the time, doctors who specialize in treatment of pain conditions will examine the body for signs of a cause. If a physician can locate and diagnose a condition’s cause, they will better know how to treat it. The issue with fibromyalgia is that there are no apparent physical signs for the cause of fibromyalgia. While there is no clinical method of diagnosing the physical cause of fibromyalgia, many have turned to finding a psychiatric cause for fibromyalgia.
Speculation for a psychiatric origin of the disability is not new and mental illness has been determined by some physicians to be the primary cause of this debilitating pain. Because the condition cannot be diagnosed by conventional pain management clinical diagnostics, Dr. Bernstein concedes that, “ . . . it is possible that fibromyalgia is more psychiatric than musculoskeletal”, and that perhaps “ . . . patients have been encouraged to anchor their lives around their misery. Yet none of these factors make fibromyalgia any less real”. Dr. Bernstein’s claim that perhaps patients are “encouraged” to center their lives around the pain suggests that he may believe that the conditions of fibromyalgia are driven by psychosomatic means– psychosomatic meaning a physical manifestation of symptoms from mental distress.
Perhaps it is the mental distress– the depression, anxiety, or stress– that is causing a manifestation of widespread pain. Physicians Fatmanur Kocak and Emine Eda Kurt have determined in a 2018 study that “[i]ndividuals with fibromyalgia often have comorbid anxiety, depression, and/or other pain syndromes”. These determinations suggest that some who suffer from fibromyalgia may wish to seek psychiatric attention; however, this does not detract from the physical pain that patients experience.
While the search for the causes of fibromyalgia continues, doctors and patients look for effective treatment, both pharmaceutical and non-pharmaceutical. In the end, patients and doctors want a treatment that works to treat the pain and a solution may be found with the unique and proprietary Neurofunctional Pain Management protocols offered by Relatyv.
Because all pain experienced in the body is related to the central nervous system, treatment must also target the pain signaled throughout the central nervous system. The symptoms of fibromyalgia are a result of its association with the central nervous system. We now know that fibromyalgia routinely manifests in patients who may have been diagnosed with anxiety or depression. However, these conditions affect the body in different places and different ways, even different for individual patients, and result in unmitigated pain.
Along with solutions to several conditions of pain, Relatyv offers a solution to the pain associated with fibromyalgia. Because pain conditions are a result of the firing of nerves in the central nervous system, the method of relieving pain is the is largely similar to other chronic pain conditions, which makes Relatyv one of the best options for patients seeking non-medication based treatment. Relatyv uses a proprietary treatment protocol called Neuralgesia, which is combination of high pulse electrical stimulation and specialized hydration to create an effective and enduring pain relief. Relatyv is the industry pioneer of Neurofunctional Medicine, and Neurofunctional Pain Management and these concepts are the basis of the Neuralgesia treatment protocol.
Patients often report relief of pain and improvement in just one visit. Patients that complete a full course of therapy may be able to find pain relief for several months without the need for medications, surgeries, or invasive procedures. The mission of Relatyv is to relieve pain, restore health, and magnify quality of life without medications, surgery, or invasive procedures. Let Relatyv help you on your journey of pain relief.
