| For years after I started practicing medicine, I | | | | correlation between small bowel bacterial |
| was extremely frustrated by not being able to | | | | overgrowth, irritable bowel syndrome and |
| help the many patients who came through my | | | | fibromyalgia symptoms. Furthermore, the |
| door with complaints of fatigue and painful | | | | symptoms seem to improve by treating the |
| muscles. | | | | bacterial overgrowth. |
| It's not that I didn't believe them - how could I | | | | The best approach is to search for things that |
| not! I firmly believe that most people have better | | | | have gone wrong in the entire body system and |
| things to do with their time and lives than come | | | | that are manifesting as the symptoms of |
| to a doctor over and over again for the same | | | | fibromyalgia or chronic fatigue. (In a nutshell, this |
| symptoms. But there was obviously something | | | | "entire body system" view is a large piece of |
| missing in my many years of diligent training. The | | | | what Functional Medicine brings to the table.) |
| "aha" moment came for me when I found myself | | | | Sometimes there has been an event that |
| sliding into a "mystery disease" of my own. | | | | preceded the onset of fibromyalgia, such as |
| Fibromyalgia is technically defined as widespread | | | | trauma. Other times, there might have been a |
| pain lasting for more than three months along | | | | preceding infection or a particularly stressful time |
| with tender points. Chronic fatigue syndrome is | | | | period. Or there may be a picture of mitochondrial |
| similar but with predominant fatigue, variable pain | | | | energy production challenges or toxicity issues. |
| and other symptoms. With fibromyalgia, patients | | | | These indicators may differ from person to |
| often describe foggy thinking, poor sleep, | | | | person. |
| numbness, irritable bowel syndrome, TMJ, rashes, | | | | Conventional testing often shows no detectable |
| headaches or muscular twitching. We are | | | | abnormalities, and sadly, the usual approaches to |
| developing more and more ideas about chronic | | | | fibromyalgia and its related conditions can produce |
| fatigue and fibromyalgia, and it may be that they | | | | incomplete relief, despite everyone's best efforts. |
| are due to a variety of things that may differ | | | | The good news is that functional medical testing is |
| from person to person. | | | | often much more useful, and the vague and |
| We know that improving sleep improves | | | | variable symptoms make people with fibromyalgia |
| fibromyalgia. And various approaches have been | | | | and chronic fatigue good candidates for a |
| used in general, from antidepressants to seizure | | | | Functional Medicine, "whole person" approach to |
| medications, such as gabepentin to guafenesin, | | | | diagnosis and management. |
| and even acupuncture. But taking the "Functional | | | | Whatever the cause, there is real hope for |
| Medicine" approach broadens our thinking more. | | | | reducing the symptoms of fibromyalgia and |
| Another possibility is an overgrowth of bacteria in | | | | helping those who suffer to rediscover their |
| the small bowel. Some studies have shown a | | | | vibrant, joyous health and lives. |