ABSTRACT
Fibromyalgia (FMS) and chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) are two common names for an overlapping spectrum of disabling syndromes. It is estimated that FMS alone affects 6 to 12 million Americans, causing more disability than rheumatoid arthritis.1 The prevalence of CFS/FMS is rapidly increasing, likely having increased by 200% to 400% in the last 10 years alone,2-5 the stress placed on our systems as our diets worsen and chemical exposures in the environment increase. Fortunately, although we still have much to learn, effective treatment is now available for the large majority of these patients.6,7
CFS/FMS represents a syndrome, a spectrum of processes with a common end point. Because the syndromes affect major control systems in the body, there are myriad symptoms that initially do not seem to be related. Recent research has implicated mitochondrial and hypothalamic dysfunction as common denominators in these syndromes.8-11 Dysfunction of hormonal, sleep, and autonomic control (all centered in the hypothalamus) and energy production centers can explain the large number of symptoms and why most patients have a similar set of complaints.
