Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue: The Holistic Perspective

Abstract

Fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) and chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) are not new conditions, but they are receiving more attention as more research is conducted. These two conditions are primarily women's health problems. In some instances, there may be a genetic predisposition for these conditions. The impact of FMS and CFS can be devastating both physically and emotionally. The treatment plan must be interdisciplinary and holistic and include alternative therapies if the client and family are to be truly supported and helped in coping with these chronic conditions.

Dignity not fully upheld when seeking health care: Experiences expressed by individuals suffering from Ehlers–Danlos syndrome

“…When the cause of a patient's problem is unknown, health-care professionals may question the patient's own story [8,9,12]. In this study, there were feelings of inferiority among the participants, when health care professionals indicated that they had inflicted their injury or illness on themselves.…”

“…According to an earlier research [8][9][10][11][12], this questionnaire included a special requirement for, in narrative form, collecting experiences of care situations when dignity was not fully upheld.…”

“…Also experiences of being met with scepticism and distrust are reported. Å sbring and Närvinen [10], Lillrank [11] and Kenner [12] stress that these women have reported negative experiences during medical encounters. They are questioned, judged not to be ill but suffering from an imaginary illness, and given a psychiatric diagnosis.…”