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9: A Novel Holistic Explanation for the Fibromyalgia Enigma: Autonomic Nervous System Dysfunction

Summary: This article discusses scientific evidence supporting the notion that all fibromyalgia (FM) features can be explained on the basis of autonomic (sympathetic) nervous system dysfunction. On this basis, a holistic approach for FM treatment is proposed. My first argument is that FM is a multi-system illness. This means that FM symptoms are not limited to the muscles as the name fibromyalgia may suggest. It is obvious that this illness also produces dramatic manifestations in different organs and systems of the body. The most frequent associated complaints are: fatigue, sleep disorders, morning stiffness, headache, a numbness and tingling feeling in the extremities, restless legs, anxiety, dryness in the mouth, cold-clammy hands, irritable bowel, mental fogginess, and cystitis. So, any valid theory attempting to explain FM mechanisms should first give a coherent explanation for the presence of these disparate symptoms in the same patients. When we started our FM research at the National Cardiology Institute of Mexico, our working hypothesis was that all of the above-mentioned features could be explained on the basis of autonomic nervous system dysfunction. Full Article: FMPartnership.org