How Fibromyalgia Research is Advancing the Understanding of the Disease
Fibromyalgia is not a very well understood disease. Until very recently, it was not even considered a disease. Some doctors called it a psychosomatic condition; others said that it was a manifestation of another condition. It wasn’t until the last few decades that fibromyalgia research was started and the condition began to be a little more understood.
Fibromyalgia research has largely focused on the cause of the condition and how it affects the body. We know that it causes pain, fatigue, depression, and an overall sense of unwell, but it’s not known how fibromyalgia picks a victim. We don’t yet understand if there are preexisting conditions that lead to the development of fibromyalgia, if it is hereditary, or if there is some other cause.
The advancements so far in fibromyalgia research have brought us several medications that can be used to control or reduce the symptoms. The effects of these medications are temporary and will wear off as soon as the medication treatment ends, but they can provide some measure of relief from the constant pain that most fibromyalgia sufferers live with.
Other facets of fibromyalgia research have focused on the links between pain and certain behaviors or conditions. Sleep, gender, stress, and overall pain sensitivity have been the subjects of fibromyalgia research recently. Researchers hope to determine what, if any, factors can contribute to the decrease of pain for sufferers. By figuring out what precedes the pain, fibromyalgia research studies hope to figure out how to prevent it.
One of the most promising fibromyalgia research studies currently being conducted has to do with pain tolerance and coping methods, and how attitude can predict how one will handle the condition. This study may help to define the link between emotions and physical pain.
Slow but Steady
It may seem to some that fibromyalgia research is moving along at a very slow pace. Indeed, there have not been any remarkable breakthroughs so far that will immediately change the lives of all sufferers. No cure has been found, and no miracle medication has been shown to relieve all symptoms for all patients. No fibromyalgia gene has been isolated as a result of fibromyalgia research. However, the research continues every day. Every day that researchers are studying the disease and its sufferers, we get a little closer to understanding this complex condition.
One day we may be able to prevent or cure fibromyalgia. For now, fibromyalgia research continues; the researchers who are dedicated to finding out all they can about this disease are constantly bringing us closer to the day when we can be free from fibromyalgia.
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