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already has hidden anomaly in the cance-
llation of their ability to respond to certain
stimuli. Most likely, an abnormal response
to factors that produce stress can play an
important role in this process.
In some studies, it was found that the ner-
vous system of people with fibromyalgia
have a low level of some important pain-re-
gulating substances (particularly serotonin).
The increase of a pain-producing substan-
ce in the nervous system has also been
detected (substance P). Although there are
many promising data, these are still under
investigation.
How is it diagnosed?
The fibromyalgia diagnosis is made based
on the symptoms of the patient and the
information that the physician finds when
making an exploration, which are basically
the following:
•
Painful spots in several parts of the
body.
•
Analysis and x-rays of this disease
serve mainly to rule out other diseases
that could be associated fibromyal-
gia which is characterised by normal
diagnosis tests, both x-rays as well as
laboratory tests.
What is the treatment for fibromyalgia?
There is no definitive cure and it could be
difficult to treat, often requiring a work team
including, besides a physician, a physiothe-
rapist, psychologist, etc.
It is necessary to avoid factors that aggra-
vate the symptoms: Don’t adopt force and
unnatural postures (be careful about seats
at work and at home), avid lifting or holding
weights for which the person’s muscles are
not prepared and avoid being overweight
since this puts pressure on muscle-tendon
structures.
Anxiety and depression are not the cause of
fibromyalgia but when these are associated
with this disease, treatment is more difficult.
Therefore, it is necessary to detect these
problems and, if such is the case, seek the
help of a psychiatrist.
Analgesics, muscle relaxants, antidepres-
sant drugs, anxiolytics, under strict medial
control and in different circumstances su-
rrounding this disease are usually neces-
sary and are part of the medical arsenal for
its treatment.
What can I do to try to feel better?
There are many things that you can do to
improve, including:
•
Take the prescribed medication.
•
Sleep enough.
•
Exercise
•
Eat well
•
As far as possible, try to live an orga-
nized and relaxed life and avoid stres-
sing situations.
.


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