Please get additional information from one of these sources. We have listed some in the bibliography. Fibromyalgia isn't new. It was described by William Balfour, a surgeon at the University of Edinburgh, in the early 1800s. For many years it was called by different names, including chronic rheumatism, myalgia, and fibrositis.
Most physicians lack the training to diagnose and treat it.
It is incorrect and a disservice to the patient to lump all soft tissue chronic pain conditions as fibromyalgia. Diseases have known causes and well-understood mechanisms for producing symptoms. FMS is a syndrome, which means it is a specific set of signs and symptoms that occur together. This does not mean fibromyalgia is any less serious or potentially disabling than a disease. Rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, and other serious afflictions are also syndromes.