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Once shrouded in mystery, both Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome have captured physicians' attention as more and more patients, especially women, present with symptoms that lead to one of these diagnosis.

What is Fibromyalgia?
Fibromyalgia is a neurologic syndrome of reduced neurotransmitter function. There is chronic pain emanating from the spinal cord out to the muscles. This chronic pain occurs because there is a reduction in spinal cord serotonin and gamma amino butyric acids (GABA) levels in the spinal cord. Those two neurotransmitters regulate pain, as well as mood.

Some Symptoms of Fibromyalgia include:
. Chronic muscle pain, spasms, or tightness.
. Moderate or severe fatigue and decreased energy
. Insomnia or waking up feeling just as tired ?as when you went to sleep.
. Stiffness upon waking or after staying in ?one position for too long.
. Difficulty remembering, concentrating, and performing simple mental tasks ("fibro fog").
. Abdominal pain, bloating, nausea, and ?constipation alternating with diarrhea ?(irritable bowel syndrome).
. Tension or migraine headaches.
. Jaw and facial tenderness.
. Sensitivity to one or more of the following: odors, noise, bright lights, medications, certain foods, and cold.
. Feeling anxious or depressed.

FACT: 80%-90% ?of those diagnosed ?with fibromyalgia are women.
Women who have a family member with fibromyalgia are more likely to develop fibromyalgia themselves (American College of Rhemuatology, 2004).

How is Fibromyalgia diagnosed?
To begin, there is a standard Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire (FIQ) that patients fill out, which measures the current health status of the patient. This questionnaire quantifies daily function and pain of the patient. In addition to the chronic pain, there are disorders of mood, sleep, and energy, which is described as brain fog (fibro fog).  A combination of these symptoms and the questionnaire answers lead to the diagnosis of Fibromyalgia.

I'm So Tired!
How do I know if my tiredness is normal ?or possibly something more?
Tiredness is a sign that there is something wrong. That doesn't mean that you have Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. Improper sleep, lack of exercise, reduction in endurance, not taking the right supplements and vitamins could all lead to tiredness. The human body requires 40 essential vitamins and minerals daily. That's how Mother Nature designed it. Whether you believe in vitamins and minerals or not, your body requires them. If you are not getting essential vitamins and minerals in a scientifically absorbable form, your function will decrease and you will be fatigued. Medical reasons for fatigue are thyroid disease, autoimmune dysfunction due to leaky gut syndrome and chronic adrenal dysfunction.

Could It Be?
Does Extreme Fatigue mean I have Chronic Fatigue Syndrome?
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome is diagnosed when all of the usual medical reasons-lack of sleep, vitamin deficiency, thyroid and autoimmune dysfunction and adrenal dysfunction-are ruled out.  If all of the above is normal on blood testing evaluation, then doctors usually look for an environmental toxin, such as lead or mercury, as a cause of Chronic Fatigue.

The main Symptom ?of CFS is severe fatigue that lasts for ?6 months or more. Other symptoms may include:
. Feeling unwell for more than ?24 hours after physical activity
. Muscle pain
. Memory problems
. Headaches
. Pain in multiple joints
. Sleep problems
. Sore throat
. Tender lymph nodes

Dr. Joseph Hickey: Born and raised in Peekskill, NY, Dr. Joseph Hickey completed his undergraduate study at the University of Notre Dame in 1973. A graduate of the New York Medical College, he performed his medical internship at Jackson Memorial Hospital, a University of Miami affiliated hospital in Miami, Florida. His residency was completed at Montefiore Hospital, The Albert Einstein College of Medicine in the Bronx. From 1980 to 1994, Dr. Hickey practiced Internal Medicine in private practice in Peekskill. During that time, he was also a Clinical Instructor of Internal Medicine at New York Medical College and was instrumental in creating various community programs. In 1994, he relocated to Hilton Head where he has a solo practice, The Hickey Wellness Center, a primary care, internal medicine facility.