Self-help Articles

by Richard B. Patterson, Ph.D.

Fibromyalgia, a brain chemical disorder that must be one of medicine's least understood conditions, is not hard to diagnose if a doctor knows what to look for.

The American College of Rheumatology has established two criteria for a formal FM diagnosis: chronic pain all over your body, and the presence of at least 11 of 18 fibromyalgia tender points in specific places on the body.

If you want to know if you meet the formal criteria for FM, you need to see a doctor who knows how to do a tender point examination. A phone call to the Fibromyalgia Network at (800) 853-2929 will get you a list of fibro-aware doctors in your area.

The criterion of 11/18 tender points is mainly for research purposes. You cannot be accepted into a clinical trial if you have fewer than 11 TPs, but you can still have FM.

If you have chronic, widespread pain and any number of tender points, you would do well to adopt the "fibromyalgia lifestyle"--careful nutrition, avoidance of simple sugars, alcohol, and caffeine; a regular program of exercise; and a regimen that promotes restful and restorative sleep.

These modifications will stand you in good stead if you don't have FM, and if you do have it they will change your life much for the better. Your fibromyalgia tender points, as well as your overall symptom picture, can improve.

About the Author:

Richard B. Patterson, Ph.D. is a clinical psychologist in private practice in El Paso, TX. He is the author of three books on psychology and spirituality.