Dear Fibromyalgia

Year: 2022

Fibromyalgia and Nurses

“Women never have a half-hour in all their lives (excepting before or after anybody is up in the house) that they can call their own, without fear of offending or of hurting someone”, Florence Nightingale

Florence Nightingale is famous as the woman who developed modern nursing. From May 6-12th we celebrate ‘National Nurses Week’ in honor of her birthday which was on May 12th, 1820. However, her birthday is now also celebrated as ‘International Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Fibromyalgia Awareness Day. It is thought by many to have fibromyalgia that Ms.Nightingale suffered from most of her adult life.

The critics of Nightingale have speculated that she feigned illnesses, was bi-polar, mentally ill, and suffered from depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder, they were all due to various types of so-called ‘hysteria’ which commonly demeans women and highly sensitive persons. My view is that she developed full-blown fibromyalgia after the trigger of contracting a fever in Crimea while experiencing the horrific hospital and nursing conditions of war. But, it is not as simple as that.

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For her to have developed fibromyalgia she needed the following personality and psychological characteristics: a highly sensitive person throughout her life, and plagued with anxieties and past trauma. The war and finally the fever depleted her energy and her overwhelmed central nervous system. She could no longer work as effectively with the anxieties she had faced. While the terms ‘shell shock’ and PTSD seem to be different from fibromyalgia, they are basically of the same anxiety family.

This view is held by many and it fits with my view that fibromyalgia is socially induced, in highly sensitive people (particularly women) whose central nervous system is in a state of chronic hyper-arousal. Dr. Kevin White calls fibromyalgia the ‘Nightingale Disease’, and while I agree that many of the systems within the body eventually break down from this constant state of overstimulation of the CNS, I do not agree with him that it is in and of itself an actual disease, rather a dis-ease.

However, no one has yet to ‘prove’ any particular theory about fibromyalgia, which is frustrating for both patients and health care providers. We can only continue to speculate, hoping for more concrete answers. Needless to say, I believe my theory is worth contemplating about fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue.

A review of the hundreds of comments I have received over the years on many blogs and other forms of research/interviews I have conducted has been interesting to observe that many of the commentators are nurses.

This fits in with my view that it is caregivers, primarily women, who are highly sensitive, working in highly stressed situations, coupled with anxieties, who often say of their lives that they are ‘burned out’ from a lifetime of caring for others. I continue to be amazed at how many nurses suffer from fibromyalgia brought on by a personal history of stress/anxiety and usually precipitated by a crisis, an accident, surgery, or something as seemingly simple as a root canal!

I refuse to think of Florence Nightingale as a malingerer considering all that she accomplished over her lifetime, like the many women I hear from daily who accomplish so much, caring for others, wanting to make an improvement in the lives of others while continuing to face their own challenges with pain and fatigue.

Today I celebrate nurses.

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06/30/2022
I have Fibromyalgia again

I have had Fibromyalgia since mid-2006, acquired during a long bout with a viral infection in my central nervous system. I used Neurontin, Percocet, Cymbalta, and Lyrica in the following 4 years to manage my pain. While on Lyrica I slept a lot and ballooned up like a, well, balloon! I did get off of Percocet, though, and had no pain. Despite that wonderful result, I went off Lyrica and back to Neurontin, using Tramadol and Flexeril for pain. Then it just went to Flexeril, and only when I was working. I had, through diet, exercise, state of mind, what have you, got my Fibro to a pretty manageable place. Life was looking up. I had plans to pursue a master’s degree and was working as a makeup artist more and more. We even decided to get a puppy life was so grand and on such an upswing (plus Yorkie was bored), so we rescued Porkie. And then I entered what one would call a manic phase, although never having been a diagnosed bi-polar, and had 2 strokes centered around the purging of haunting memories of a youth unaddressed. I was put on Prednisone to manage the treatment of the rare and serious Vasculatitis that had caused the strokes and preceded to turn into a complete manic speed freak. That was really interesting. But I had NO pain on Prednisone and I was flexible and could snap-crackle-pop myself into place and my muscles were not tight and painful. I have weaned down and tomorrow I take my last little dose and I am off it. And I can barely move.

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I feel like a 27-year-old trapped in the body of a 93-year-old. It hurts just to be. I can barely make it through my morning walks and can hardly stretch, any part of my body is tight and in pain. Just the thought of getting up from a chair was an excruciating vision of screaming feeling. So much damn feeling! I have completely deconditioned, although how I am not sure, and have no stamina and am so constricted and just in freaking pain! It is interesting, this turn of events. This wonderful place life has deposited me again. When I got through the worst of Pancreatitis I had a plan and was going to march forward in my life. Then I got CFS that led to Fibromyalgia and I had to get that monster under wraps. It took everything I had and then just when, once again, I am on the cusp of re-building, I stroke twice. And that bumps me back to the beginning of Fibromyalgia, with a mentality of having just come off some pretty high doses of energy-pumping steroids and a deep and powerful frustration for how many times can one woman start over?

I have faith I will get the mean and ugly Fibro dragon back in her cave, for with all I have been through there is very little that can keep me down. But I am tired of this! I feel like a port city that keeps getting hit with devastating, tragic, and wreckage-producing natural disasters. I just want to feel good again, but have to be patient. I will feel good again, it is just gonna take some time and a lot of work…

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06/30/2022
Fibromyalgia and the tendency toward anxiety

“When anxious people anticipate something bad about to happen- such as being confronted with creepy pictures of snakes or spiders- their right frontal insulas go into overdrive”, Blakeslee and Blakeslee

Many of us with fibromyalgia can remember childhood as the beginning of a lifetime of fear, and anxiety. Since there might have been a significant childhood episode that triggered this dis-ease called fibromyalgia, it stayed with us while other troublesome events in our lives piled these generalized feelings one on top of the other.

It is as if we accumulate and store anxieties in our psyche (frontal insula of the brain) until we can’t differentiate between everyday events that aren’t fearful and those that are. We feel things too deeply. Our empathy capacity is filled with overload. We cannot respond healthily to any form of drama or excitement.

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While there are some of the beginning signs of this in childhood, such as a tendency to have symptoms such as fainting, hyperventilating, or to have panic attacks, it appears as though we are usually able to live a normal life until a major crisis brings us full on to fibromyalgia, generally in middle age. Rather than this being a beginning, it is usually the end of the lifelong tendency headed for the finale. A central nervous system that can no longer keep the brain from responding to this build-up of anxieties in highly sensitive persons is the way I describe fibromyalgia.

While I have repeatedly written about the treatment for this devastating syndrome (NOT A “DISEASE”!) I cannot claim to know of a permanent solution. Meditation, avoiding stress and anxiety, light exercise, movement, talk therapy, massage, and undertaking a ‘hobby’ that is repetitive, creative, and new to you are all strategies for a better quality of life, but there isn’t a cure.

Talk therapy is extremely important, particularly with an experienced professional. Understanding our ‘triggers’ is especially helpful. People with fibromyalgia have too much empathy and we must learn how to reign it in as it seems to pour out of our bodies, or more appropriately stated, pours pain into our bodies. In the book The Body Has A Mind of Its Own by Sandra Blakeslee and Matthew Blakeslee, the authors write:

Research now shows that your brain is teeming with body maps- maps of your body’s surface, its musculature, its intentions, its potential for action, and even a map that automatically tracks and emulates the actions and intentions of other people around you.

Given that we respond not only to our own fearfulness and anxieties but that we respond to that of others it is little wonder that we are acutely aware at all times of that which is going on in the world around us, which is extremely overwhelming these days.

Consider an alternative: rather than focusing on the dreadful news of the day, the despair of so many who are suffering, political leaders who lack empathy, massacres, and the fearfulness/anxieties of many, ourselves included, should we not focus on a few brief moments on the beauty of the season? We have to learn to live in the moment and tend to our own pain.

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06/29/2022
Fibromyalgia and Living in a Chaotic World

“Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear-not absence of fear”, Mark Twain

All of us with fibromyalgia suffer from repressed emotions and are coping with overstimulation and sensory processing sensitivity. Never has it been so challenging as it has been in the past months with the chaos in the world that we hear of almost no stop in the media. What is to be done?

We can’t continue to watch the news on a regular basis without feeling the brunt of worldwide fear, anxieties, hatred, rage, and turmoil. We also can’t hide in isolation from outside influences. We are situated betwixt and between our own personal lifelong anxieties and fearful of the volatile and chaotic nature of current politics.

I have grappled with the knowledge that we with fibromyalgia have certain personality characteristics in common while at the same time there are many differences among us. Many of us are introverts and need to be around people on our own terms; we crave peace and quiet. Others are extroverts and at the same time are easily overstimulated. But, we all have in common our anxiety, hyper-vigilance, and an overly emphatic, highly sensitive nature.

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For those reasons, we are sensitive to injustice. We are intuitive about the good and the bad in others and quick to judge ourselves, particularly if we believe we are not courageous. We live in fear we will be found lacking in strength of character, deriding ourselves over even mentioning our chronic symptoms of pain and fatigue.

Living with a chronic dis-ease usually changes our lifestyle and abilities. While in my previous life I was ‘out there fighting for issues of social justice: women’s rights, LGBTQ issues, race, labor, and worker’s groups, I can no longer dredge up the energy, nor do I have the physical ability. From these marginalized groups of people, I would find kindred spirits as they too would no doubt suffer from fibromyalgia in great numbers.

But I leave the struggles to the younger generation although this generation has little to hope for and so little to believe in. My thoughts go to my grandchildren and the chaos they have inherited.

Given that people with fibromyalgia have exceptionally sensitive (some would say pathologically so) central nervous systems, our inner turmoil leads to flare-ups along with depression and anxiety. Thinking about those who are suffering in war-torn countries and no doubt have developed PTSD, who live hopelessly with terminal diseases and despair, who face living potential massacres, even in their schools, I have little compassion for myself living in a peaceful country with universal health care.

I live in a country that is ranked 6th on the international index of democracies. I am so privileged to be Canadian. I am white, heterosexual, and not poor. Yet, happiness isn’t a natural state for me. I don’t trust it. My fury at injustice must be turned to self -gentleness and I must stop imagining the darkest possible scenario.

Currently, the volume in my central nervous system is turned up high. So, hope is not an easy trait to develop. Then I watch those younger and more fit people who are resisting injustice and I experience a surge of willingness to detach from the bonds that keep my central sensitization in a state of upheaval and anxiety. I am practicing letting go and living with a bit of hope.

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References:

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Official Fibromyalgia Blogs

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Fibromyalgia Stores

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06/28/2022
Fibromyalgia and foot pain

” When things get really bad, just raise your glass and stamp your feet and do a little jig”, Leonard Cohen

As I have been limping along these past few months following hip surgery I began to have foot pain, a condition I had never had before. I was speculating about the cause. Too little walking of late? Plantar fasciitis? Shifting from soft sponge shoes (GoWalk) to sneakers that are heavier? Shuffling after the surgery? The possibilities are endless. No one can tell me what the issues are that inhibit my walking and cause almost shock-like pain in arches and the top of my foot.

Once more I was in a quandary and begin thinking it was just a fibromyalgia symptom. Why not? I find myself blaming all my woes on this devilish syndrome…not a disease but a dis-ease of the central nervous system. It affects all my muscles, joints, and body parts so the feet are not immune. This is a dangerous state of mind. One can have other conditions that cannot be blamed on fibromyalgia. But, the puzzle persisted. Should I try other shoes?

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I have been having reflexology which is very soothing and comforting. Foot massages are lovely and I do them myself. Nonetheless, pain in the arches and tops of feet persists. I cannot find any research on fibromyalgia and foot pain. Then alas! I was referred to the Chronic Pain Clinic where I met with a wonderful registered nurse and a phenomenal physician who explained to me (once more!) about degenerative disc disease and lumbar spine pain.

I learned (once more!) about pain from these discs which can radiate down the legs and feet. Aha! Aging is not for cowards. One thing leads to another and it is a matter of extrapolating, yet joining together the dots of the body’s complex, yet wonderful central nervous system and its relationship to the brain and even the feet. I suffer from low back pain and of course, those bulging discs radiate pain down the legs and feet, made worse by the hyper-aroused central nervous system.

The staff at the Clinic tell me that the majority of their clients have fibromyalgia. When I gave the physician my short version of fibromyalgia he said it was “well stated”.

As written eloquently in the most recent blog

Do we need more of an understanding of the physiology of pain (and other symptoms) of this fibromyalgia syndrome (central sensitization)? For those of us suffering from chronically overstimulated nerves ( in lay language) all we want is to find ways to live a better quality of life.

So, once more the treatment: meditation, walking, light yoga/chi gong/tai chi, avoiding stimulating foods like sugar, alcohol, caffeine, talk therapy addressing past traumas which are responsible for these conditions, and avoiding stressful situations or those which are too stimulating. In short, a change in lifestyle while recognizing that our central nervous systems are not going to ‘recover’ completely.

So, what about my sore feet now that it is established that my spine, which does have some abnormalities (ah, but we all have this degenerative disc disease as we age!) is sending messages to my brain that walking hurts my feet? Well, there is some degree of help through paravertebral blocks which may temporarily help with leg and foot pain, but I was advised that fibromyalgia clients do not do as well as others with disc disease, for all the reasons cited above.

Nonetheless, I am happy there is the possibility I will be walking for longer periods of time without foot and back pain! I will walk for short periods of time like 15 minutes, several times a day, and sometimes supplement this with my trekking sticks. “Hope springs eternal in the human breast” (Alexander Pope).

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References:

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06/27/2022
Fibromyalgia: the mosaic of treatments

“To conquer fear is the beginning of wisdom”, Bertrand Russell

I believe that those of us with central sensitization, that is, fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue, or to call it by another name -“post-traumatic stress disorder”, all suffer from chronic anxiety/ fear. These terms are, in my view, interchangeable. They can keep us imprisoned without recourse and in a state of hopelessness. In fact, the US Department of Health and Human Services has developed a new name that can even be part of our repertoire, that is, “Systemic Exertion Intolerance Disorder”.

In short, more diagnostic criteria are available for health professionals who are interested in tagging us. It is true that we have little energy along with our other challenges, but are we just a collection of symptoms?

For almost a decade now I have been writing about how those of us with these conditions, have options regarding a better quality of life. Yet, in spite of my preaching, I find myself, like others, often recounting yet another symptom of central sensitization almost ignoring the gestalt. Note for example the hundreds of comments or ‘hits’

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I have on the two most popular blogs 1) itching and 2) tingling and numbness of arms. One would never have imagined that these two symptoms would be so problematic! Yet, those of us who suffer from specific symptoms focus on them often to the exclusion of what can be done to improve our daily lives.

The intent here is to gather together the ways in which we can begin to take control of our lives in lieu of medicalizing our very existence. After all, I have often written that central sensitization is not a disease but a dis-ease.

This is a summary of the mosaic of treatments:

1) Talk therapy: We have become highly sensitive persons either because we were born with that characteristic or developed it early in life. We have had a past trauma that has resulted in repressed emotions that need to be attended to by a professional therapist.

2) Mild to moderate exercise, in particular walking.

3) Mindful Meditation.

4) Bodywork involving touches, such as massage, reflexology, chiropractic, Jin Shin, physiotherapy, or osteopathy.

5) Movement therapy such as chi gong, yoga, and tai chi.

6) Avoiding over-stimulating and stressful situations as much as possible.

7) Taking on a new, repetitive, creative undertaking that will help us change our brain: drawing, painting, quilting to name a few.

8) Avoid caffeine and other foods that are too stimulating.

9) Do not over-medicate. If possible medical marijuana through oils or other edibles is a good alternative, especially in regard to sleep.

It must be our intent to change our brain. Unless we embrace the concept of neuroplasticity ( that is, the capacity of our brains to change) and understand that it is up to us to become the masters/ mistresses of our own fate we will live forever in fear and hopelessness, dwelling on symptoms.

On a personal note: I must practice what I preach. It isn’t easy.

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References:

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06/26/2022
Fibromyalgia and Skin Problems: Clothing that Causes Itching

“I base most of my fashion sense on what doesn’t itch”, Gilda Radner

There isn’t anything more comforting to me than cloth that is soft and soothing. Mostly, it is cotton that gives me a feeling of being in a cocoon. Since the most popular blog on this busy website is about itching it has brought to mind the ways in which we can reduce the itching and scratching (the “Itchy & Scratchy Show” from The Simpsons is brought to mind) of fabric that does not bring comfort.

In an effort to “change my brain” regarding pain, I followed the advice of experts many years ago and took on a project which was creative and new to me. In addition, it is somewhat repetitive, also part of the triad of characteristics that make up this endeavor. Quilting was my choice of a new project/hobby. Never a sewer it was indeed a steep learning curve but it brought me into the realm of fabrics.

I found myself in shops that were new to me as I walked among the bolts of material that were either comforting or irritating to the touch. It was then that I finally understood why I have never been a fashion queen. I am only at ease in soft, cotton fabrics, otherwise, my body is ‘itchy and scratchy. Rashes, tingling, and burning will develop if the clothing I wear is not soothing to the touch.

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When my oldest son was a toddler he would take a piece of new clothing and rub it against his face and if he did not like the feel of it he would say it was ‘picky’ and would not wear it. It seems as though this is hereditary but maybe not! Raised in the 1970s he and his two brothers were a product of that terrible acrylic, flashy and scratchy clothes for boys. Nylon, rayon, and other non-natural fabrics were the bane of their existence.

Raised in the 1950s myself I remember the unpleasant sensations of the crinoline skirts, tight waistbands, itchy dresses, and uncomfortable high-heeled shoes. I would itch after wearing a crinoline and anything tight, in particular nylon stockings and later panty-hose. High-heeled shoes were another pain-evoking dilemma for me.

Currently, I am embarking on making a quilt for a friend from African fabric which has been in her home for many years from her working days in Africa. The dyed (done by hand) material is soft and enticing. I could imagine the lovely draping and amazing feel of the soft fabric on my skin.

I am certain that all the itching and subsequent skin problems that we ‘fibromyalgia persons’, (mainly women) experience are no doubt exacerbated by irritating fabric against the skin, make-up that is poisonous, and shoes that affect our feet in later life. Is it little wonder that more women than men experience itching and scratching until the skin erupts? Added to this is the pressure women are under to dress fashionably which usually means uncomfortably.

The fashion industry is the second greatest polluter of the environment after oil. Not only is it responsible for pollution of the earth but it also pollutes our sensitive bodies. Do try a day without makeup and nail polish (poisonous substances have been found in nail polish that can affect the endocrine system and potentially the reproductive system, The research in this area is ongoing).

Spend a week in soft, loose,non-irritating clothing, avoid chemicals in the form of hair dyes and makeup, give up the heeled shoes, and note for yourself if it helps with the itching and rashes. Above all, it is our central nervous system that will enjoy the vacation from what is considered fashionable ( note: uncomfortable). It is primarily men who determine women’s fashion although as it is often said: women dress for other women, not for men!

This could be more complex in the area of transgender and fluid orientations nonetheless, for all humans comfort is paramount. We can all redefine what is fashionable and how we present ourselves to the world if we demand clothing that is healthy for our bodies and not made from toxic fabric.

Taking care of our skin, the largest organ of the body will reduce the amount of itching and rashes we experience as persons with fibromyalgia – the dis-ease of the central nervous system.

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References:

Fibromyalgia Contact Us Directly

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Official Fibromyalgia Blogs

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Fibromyalgia Stores

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06/25/2022
The many faces of fibromyalgia

“What’s in a name?”, Shakespeare

The nomenclature of Fibromyalgia can be known as: “Central Sensitization”, “Post Traumatic Stress Disorder”, “Cycles of Over-Exertion-Relapse”, and “Chronic Fatigue Disorder”, and now a new term: “Systemic Exertion Intolerance Disorder”- all with the same characteristics. What’s to be done so that we can explain ourselves to others while so many labels of these invisible syndromes abound?

In fact, do all these terms mean the same thing? Are they bio–psycho–social in nature yet present with symptoms that are almost identical? The more I read, live with, and experience these conditions the more certain I am that they are linked under the umbrella of “medically unexplained symptoms”, referred to as MUS. It appears to me that there is less understanding of the linkages than ever before as new labels appear. How can we separate the ‘bio’ from the ‘psycho’ ‘social’? Are they all neurological conditions?

Fibromyalgia (FMS) and Chronic Fatigue (CFS) are no doubt, identical twins. It is rare to have one without the other. Pain, malaise, sleep disorders, brain ‘fog’, digestive disorders, anxiety, fatigue, dizziness, and pain affected by exertion, among a host of other symptoms affect the person to such an extent that the central nervous system becomes overly sensitized/ hyper-aroused. Extreme reactions to a vast array of environmental situations or over-exertion plague the person with FMS and CFS and are known triggers that bring on a flare-up.

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But wait! People with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) experience these same symptoms: physical pain, sleeping difficulties, dizziness, fatigue, digestive disorders, triggers that are known as flashbacks, hyper-arousal of the central nervous system, anxiety, and depression make up the countless list of challenges that face the person with PTSD. Is this condition a cousin, a sibling, or a triplet of FMS and CFS?

So what’s with this label of Systemic Exertion Intolerance Disorder (SEID)? Who is this new relative? Ah, but this is the identical twin to CFS! It’s a ‘Cycle of Over- Exertion-Relapse‘ (COER) syndrome that is common among those with FMS, PTSD, and CFS. Are they all siblings or quints?

Now to the next ‘syndrome’ ( a list of symptoms that do not in and of themselves make up an actual disease). This appears to be the biggie these days- Central Sensitization (CSS). Is this the mother who has spawned these neurological offspring? Her personality is highlighted by a history of anxiety, depression, pain, fatigue, psychological trauma, heightened pain affected by movement, and over sensitivity of the central nervous system.

Is this the term that makes these conditions more acceptable to those in the health professions? It sounds more ‘scientific’ and medical. It fits a ‘bio’ interpretation and covers the ‘psycho’ and ‘social’ aspects of the other siblings. Is the psycho the result of a Highly Sensitive Person (HSP) that can make many uncomfortable, and therefore to be avoided? The ‘social’ is something we have to live with every day and not a welcome one for the health professionals with whom we have contact.

As can be seen, I have more questions than answers. But, there is little doubt that whichever label we identify with we are HSPs with a hyper-aroused central nervous system, and there are millions of people facing the same kinds of daily challenges.

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References:

Fibromyalgia Contact Us Directly

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Official Fibromyalgia Blogs

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Fibromyalgia Stores

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06/24/2022
Hypnosis for Fibromyalgia

“With hypnosis, we can help people modulate perceptions in ways that are therapeutically helpful”, David Spiegel

For those of us with chronic pain and/or a myriad of other distressing physical and psychological conditions the practice of ‘changing our brains’ through relaxation and exercise regimes can be overwhelming. Mindfulness meditation is one way that we can work with our minds to improve our daily lives, but it takes time and discipline.

What if there is a quicker way for therapists to teach us how to bring about relief from those challenging symptoms of fibromyalgia such as pain, and chronic fatigue? The medical community is finding that hypnosis can be effective in that regard, although to this point there is little if any evidence-based research on the effects of hypnosis for those of us with fibromyalgia. Nonetheless, it sounds promising.

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Note the work of Drs. Herbert and David Spiegel: Adriana Barton in the Globe and Mail, June 12, 2017 (Section L) writes of the “growing scientific support for hypnosis”. She quotes Dr. David Spiegel’s description as a “very powerful means of changing the way we use our minds to control perception and our bodies”.

Hypnosis is being used in Belgium, Canada, and the US, among a host of other countries for a variety of conditions. Barton discusses the work of ” Dr. Leora Kutner, a pediatric psychologist who specializes in clinical hypnosis, a technique for leveraging the brain’s healing abilities during a trance state”.

Given the ways in which those of us with fibromyalgia, PTSD, and other chronic pain disorders rehash our anxiety-ridden experiences that are stored in our memories, it is hopeful that we could turn to an approach that might release us somewhat from the past. Most of us are hurting deep down in our psyches and if we can discover ways to relinquish some of these painful memories we could at least try to ‘change our brain’ through hypnosis.

The past is always with us. Sometimes we carry it easily but other times it drags around behind us. While those of us with fibromyalgia crave stability and certainty it is of course unrealistic. Change is inevitable, yet even small change can occur very rapidly and bring with it triggers that instigate a flare-up. It could be even as simple as a weather change or the excitement of a family gathering that can act as a trigger.

The question is how we manage these events in our daily lives. If hypnosis can help us with the challenges we face on a day-to-day basis as uncomfortable or stressful memories flood our minds, what better non-invasive way to try a new approach? It doesn’t appear to be hocus pocus. The jury is out with regard to whether or not it will be found to be effective for fibromyalgia.

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References:

Fibromyalgia Contact Us Directly

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Official Fibromyalgia Blogs

Click here to Get the latest Chronic illness Updates

Fibromyalgia Stores

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06/23/2022
Is the cause of fibromyalgia both a nature/nurture conundrum?

” There are many other (besides testosterone) behavior-eliciting hormones fundamental for human well-being, including estrogen and progesterone in females”, Carl Sagan

The question arises about why fibromyalgia is more prevalent in highly sensitive women and men. The debate about nature/nurture has not yielded specific answers and for a while, I have thought of it as a moot point. As a nurse/sociologist I have leaned toward the impact of the social environment in early childhood.

But, as some science in human sexuality suggests there is a relationship between levels of testosterone in utero and the extent to which specific traits are manifested after birth. I am now even more confused. However, I continue to believe that both what happens to the development of the fetus and afterward in the environment are both relevant, although to what degree each plays a more significant role may never be known.

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Does fibromyalgia occur as a result of an anxious mother who could not easily handle stress/anxiety because she was not herself exposed to enough testosterone, thereby depleting the fetus of ‘enough’ testosterone? If this fetus had more exposure to testosterone would she then be more qualified for the more mechanically oriented occupations like science and math, as has been suggested?

A Google controversy has brought forth arguments from both sides regarding sexism versus science. The neuroscientist Debra Soh, writing in the Globe and Mail, August 9, 2017, A11, states: “Contrary to what detractors would have you believe, women are on average, higher on neuroticism and agreeableness, and lower in stress tolerance”.

My initial reaction, given the state of the world in 2017 was that women and highly sensitive men are indeed more anxious and less able to effectively handle the chaos and instability that men (mostly) with high levels of testosterone have created. One need only to watch the news to notice the continued presence of men raising havoc in the world.

What have testosterone levels done to those of us with low levels of the hormone? Are we, in general, neurotic, anxious, and passively agreeable as Soh suggests? Has that resulted in syndromes of medically unexplained syndromes (MUS) such as fibromyalgia, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, and PTSD to name a few?

Did we develop these syndromes because we have less testosterone or is it because we cannot tolerate the ways in which women, visible minorities, the LGBTQ, the poor, and other disadvantaged groups are being treated? It may be these conditions are the result of both a nature/nurture issue, but seriously, is it because we have less testosterone as a result of our mothers not being exposed to enough of it? There are more questions than answers.

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06/22/2022