Some good information

Believe it or not, the following article is from Wikipedia, and it has some good general information about Fibromyalgia (FMS). It states, in part, relating to the diagnosis of FMS:

Fibromyalgia is considered a diagnosis of exclusion, and laboratory testing should be completed to rule out other similar conditions such as endocrine disorders, arthritis, and Polymyalgia Rheumatica. Most physicians use a diagnostic technique of palpitating tender points, specific spots on the body that are usually very pressure-sensitive in individuals with the disorder. This technique was developed by the American College of Rheumatology as a means of confirming the diagnosis for clinical studies, and required participants to have 11 of 18 identified tender points. While many fibromyalgia patients express pain on palpation, patients with a high pain tolerance may not feel any pain during this exam. In recent years this has caused researchers to rexamine this diagnostic criteria but it has not yet been entirely abandoned. There is stated evidence that chronic fatigue syndrome is the same disorder as fibromyalgia in individuals with high pain tolerance.

Another method of diagnosis is a specialized technique called mapping that is a gentle palpitation of the muscles to detect lumps and areas of spasm that are thought to be caused by an excess of calcium in the cytosol of the cells. This is especially useful to physicians who believe fibromyalgia can be reversed. This theory of the cause of fibromyalgia is known as the Guaifenesin Protocol.

This is one of the more informative articles on FMS that I have read on a non-medical website. The people who wrote this really did their research and not write it off as a "bogus" medical problem (like a lot of doctors still do, unfortunately).

--MorelaterZ--