Fibromyalgia has now been recognized as a distinct disease entity by the World Health Organization and the American College of Rheumatology, and more physicians and researchers have become interested in studying it. In 1999, the American National Institutes of Health spent $4.7 million on fibromyalgia research, up from $3.1 million in 1998, and three times the funding provided in 1993. …

Fibromyalgia is often misunderstood, and even misdiagnosed, when symptoms first appear. It is difficult to diagnose because fibromyalgia’s main symptoms, including widespread musculoskeletal pain, fatigue, sleep problems, mood disorders, headaches, brain fog and Irritable Bowel Syndrome, often overlap many other conditions. The term fibromyalgia means pain in the fibrous tissues of the body; muscles, ligaments and tendons. It is usually …