A recent study found that that fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome (also known as myalgic encephalomyelitis) may actually be the same diseases
When you go to your doctor with specific complaints, the doctor usually does a lot of tests to try to find a cause. When all of the tests come back normal, the doctors rarely tell you that they don’t know why you feel so bad. Instead they give your muscle pain a fancy name such as myalgic encephalomyelitis. You say “thank you” and leave without knowing anything more than before you came to the doctor.
The Study
These researchers analyzed the cerebrospinal fluid in 15 patients with chronic fatigue syndrome, 15 patients with fibromyalgia and a control group with no complaints. The patients had an average age of 41. The researchers chose to study spinal fluid because many previous studies have shown no difference in any blood tests between the two conditions. They identified about 2,100 proteins and 1,800 were the same for both conditions. The researchers felt that the slight difference in some proteins would not lead to any significant effects that would divide them into two diseases.
My Recomendations
Even though doctors may not know the causes of chronic fatigue syndrome or fibromyalgia, if you have these symptoms, there is plenty you can do to help alleviate them. Patients who suffer from fibromyalgia or chronic fatigue syndrome are at significantly increased risk for heart attacks
• a plant-based diet
• regular sleep lasting at least eight hours a night
• avoiding smoke and alcohol
• an exercise program that is safe for you
When you exercise, you are not supposed to work through pain. When you start to hurt, stop exercising immediately and try again on the next day.
