Because there is no definitive test for fibromyalgia, and because many of the predominantly female patients complain of depression, it is not unusual for fibromyalgia patients to be treated with anti-depressants. You can imagine how frustrating it is to go to doctor after doctor for years and be told that the problem is all in your head. When fibromyalgia is untreated or ineffectively treated, symptoms can be devastating to the sufferer. Unfortunately, even when fibromyalgia is diagnosed, Western medicine has no effective treatments to cure the problem. It is recognized that insomnia is the common denominator of fibromyalgia patients, so sleeping medications are almost always prescribed.
Exercise is recommended, and pain medications or trigger point injections are often used.
Recently, growth hormone injections have been tried on the grounds that insomniacs don t produce as much of this substance as people who sleep normally, but results have been inconclusive. Before I discuss the traditional Chinese medicine approach to fibromyalgia, let me tell you about Donna. The way her fibromyalgia developed and the way it was treated are very typical. Eight years ago, Donna worked as an office manager and had three young children. Then her husband died, and her children began to have problems adjusting at school.