17/01/2019
We’ve spoken to a few people over the last 24hrs who have all made similar comments:
“I haven’t seen anything online about new Fibromyalgia treatments or any new research. Or heard anything from my GP or Doctor. Therefore there isn’t anything new and you can’t help me”
Let us take a few moments to explain this why this seemingly rational statement, might be misleading.
So firstly there is A LOT of information available on the internet. But terms of medical information, some of the really detailed or very new stuff is restricted to health care professionals only. Or the information is behind a ‘paywall’. An example would be MedicinesComplete.com run by the Royal Pharmaceutical Society. But there are many others, especially in regard to medical research.
Secondly, this new information or research is not always cleared labelled as “...this might improve the symptoms of this type of Fibromyalgia…”. It could relate to an enzyme, a gene, a newly discovered side-effect of some medication, or a better understanding of a body part or body function. It takes someone to read and understand the information, then use it with the medical condition they are treating.
Finally, Fibromyalgia is a multifaceted condition with potentially dozens of causes and symptoms. Yet GPs, as their name (General Practitioner) suggests, are not specialists in any one area. So it's unreasonable to expect they’ll know all the latest information on a very specific condition they might come across once or twice a year.
Think of it like a 1000 piece jigsaw puzzle. Someone with Fibromyalgia is trying to complete the puzzle with 50 pieces and no picture. A GP has 10,000 pieces and only half the picture. Whereas someone who has studied this specific condition has 1000 pieces and, when they meet a new patient, puts them together to create a picture of how that person can start getting relief from their symptoms.
If anyone has any questions I'll try to answer them as best I can.