Fibromyalgia may be best understood as a change in the way the brain and spinal cord listen to the body. Fibromyalgia is a complex disorder characterized by chronic widespread pain and tenderness, sleep disturbances, chronic fatigue and difficulty with concentration and memory. In addition, there are a number of other conditions that are commonly associated with fibromyalgia including Restless Legs Syndrome, Irritable Bowel Syndrome and such neuropsychiatric disorders as Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Depression.

Fibromyalgia is considered a stress-related disorder because it frequently begins or worsens during periods of stress, whether emotional or physical, e.g., an accident or severe infection. For additional information, we invite you to explore the links on our Resources page.

To gain a more complete understanding of what the latest research reveals about the cause of fibromyalgia we invite you to view the video Fibromyalgia: Show Me Where It Hurts featured for purchase on this web site.

Generally speaking, fibromyalgia is diagnosed by a qualified healthcare provider based upon the presence of tenderness to light touching or pressure on at least eleven of eighteen characteristic 'tender points.' Medically, in order to be considered fibromyalgia, the pain must have been present for at least 3 months and be distributed on both the left and right side of the body and above and below the waistline. It is possible that you may have 'fibromyalgia-type' pain and not meet the diagnostic criteria. There are other conditions that may be associated with chronic widespread pain and fatigue that are not fibromyalgia. Your qualified healthcare provider should be able to evaluate these conditions. The personalized plan of care provided by our Personal Treatment Plan service of this web site will offer additional insights.

You are not alone. It is estimated that between 2 - 10 % of the population has fibromyalgia, or fibromyalgia-type symptoms. In the United States alone it is estimated that 6 million or more people may be living with this disorder.

The genetics of fibromyalgia are currently an area of intense research focus. There is an increasing body of evidence that fibromyalgia may have a genetic component. This means, if other members of your family have the condition, you may be at increased risk of developing it. Likewise, if you have fibromyalgia, your offspring may be at increased risk of developing it as well. As of this date, there is no specific linkage. In all probability the development of fibromyalgia results from a combination of genetic predisposition and environmental risk factors, such as exposure to stress.

No. While fibromyalgia may develop following a serious infection such as the flu, meningitis or mononucleosis, you cannot 'catch' fibromyalgia from another person.

In reality, fibromyalgia is a change in the brain and spinal cord's level of sensitivity that results in the development of hyper-sensitivity.

Fibromyalgia is a disorder of the central nervous system that involves a change in the release of certain chemicals (called neurotransmitters) that can result in the development of hyper-sensitivity to stimulation such as light touch. Fibromyalgia is not a mental illness. Some people with fibromyalgia may also have a mental illnesses, though, just as people with diabetes, high blood pressure and acne may!

Fibromyalgia is increasingly being recognized as involving a disturbance of cognition, i.e. memory and concentration -referred to as 'fibro-fog'. The leading theories regarding fibromyalgia involve the same sort of changes in the central nervous system that result in the development of chronic widespread pain. Stress is known to seriously impact an area of the brain known as the hippocampus. The hippocampus plays a critical role in learning and memory, pain perception, and the ability to handle stress. The hippocampus also controls the brain's ability to manufacture and release a chemical called dopamine, which also plays a critical role in pain perception and in memory and concentration. For more details, please see our video Fibromyalgia: Show Me Where It Hurts.

Fibromyalgia is characterized by a hyperactive sympathetic nervous system, commonly known as the 'fight-or-flight' system. Another common finding is excessive nocturnal brain activity. Both of these may result in disturbed sleep. In addition, there are conditions associated with fibromyalgia that are characterized by poor sleep such as sleep disordered breathing (e.g. Obstructive Sleep Apnea, Upper Airway Resistance Syndrome). Many of the treatments that are effective for the treatment of fibromyalgia are known to improve sleep, whereas if you have Obstructive Sleep Apnea or any other form of sleep-disordered breathing it is critically important that you be evaluated by your healthcare provider and receive treatment. Our comprehensive assessment and personal care plan, provided as a service through the Personal Treatment Plan section of this web site may help you determine what works best.

Diet and nutrition play a critical role in fibromyalgia. Some studies have reported that eliminating such chemicals as monosodium glutamate (also known as MSG or 'aji-no-moto') and aspartame (an artificial sweetener) from your diet may be especially helpful. Some patients find that their symptoms improve with a glass or two of wine or other alcohol, while others are extremely sensitive to the by-products of fermentation, such as yeast or tannic acid, which can lead to migraines. Some people with fibromyalgia are sensitive or allergic to certain foods. Food sensitivities may be a sign of a condition called 'small intestinal bowel overgrowth', which has been increasingly linked to the development of Irritable Bowel Syndrome. Our comprehensive assessment will help determine whether you suffer from such a condition, which may in turn be amenable to treatment. We hope to provide additional information and resources on diet and nutrition on this web site in the near future.

For many people who suffer from fibromyalgia the symptoms can be severe enough to be overwhelming and therefore significantly impact their ability to lead a productive lifestyle. Every individual is different. While many people who develop fibromyalgia are able to continue to be employed outside the home and/or contribute to the maintenance of their families, others find that they are simply unable to continue life at the level of activity that they had prior to the development of their disorder. The decision to apply for disability status should not be taken lightly and is best done in collaboration with a qualified healthcare provider. For further information on disability and fibromyalgia, we invite you to explore the links provided on our Resources page.

It is possible to feel better! We strongly recommend that you complete the Personal Treatment Plan found on this web-site. Then take your personalized plan of treatment to your primary healthcare provider who should help you implement our recommendations. Our program allows you to complete a review of your experience with fibromyalgia and associated symptoms. This can be completed at your own pace and in the privacy of your own home.

Following your completion of the personal information section, you will be provided with a comprehensive medical history that your personal healthcare provider may choose to incorporate into your medical record, along with a complete set of recommendations that may include both prescriptions and over-the-counter supplements that we believe have the best potential to improve your condition. When appropriate, you may also receive recommendations for treatments of other conditions besides fibromyalgia that you may be experiencing, as well recommendations for additional laboratory testing and/or medical imaging procedures that may provide additional insight into the cause of your pain and fatigue. We anticipate that by following our recommendations, you may see significant improvement in your symptoms associated with fibromyalgia.

When you complete our Personal Treatment Plan, you can print out your personalized plan of treatment that will include suggestions for both over-the-counter supplements and for prescription medications. While the over-the-counter products may be purchased without a prescription, we strongly recommend that all treatments suggested by our program be used under the supervision of your personal healthcare provider.

The suggestions offered in your personal plan of care are based entirely on the clinical strategies developed by Patrick B. Wood, MD in his fibromyalgia specialty clinic. In Dr Wood's experience the medications and supplements we suggest have all been demonstrated to be remarkably effective in relieving the symptoms of fibromyalgia. While it would be ideal to be able to offer treatments that are based on well-designed, controlled research trials, the current reality is that very few medications that may be effective for the treatment of fibromyalgia have been studied in this manner. In fact, there is currently no medication that is approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) specifically for the treatment of fibromyalgia.

The treatment plans offered by Angler Biomedical Technologies, LLC are based on a comprehensive model of what fibromyalgia really is - a change in the way the brain and spinal cord listens to the body. While your experience of fibromyalgia is likely a little different from the next person's, the recommendations we offer are all aimed at reversing the biological basis of chronic widespread pain.

Yes! As with any treatment plan, there will be variances due to your unique behavioral and biological profile. That is why we offer the Personal Health Journal. With the Health Journal you can track changes in your symptoms. This will help you determine the effectiveness of your treatment plan. One advantage to our plan is that it is personalized to your particular symptom profile. Even if one trial of medication and/or supplements fails to make a meaningful difference in your symptoms, don't lose hope - there are literally hundreds of combinations of medicines and supplements that may yet prove effective in relieving your symptoms.

Most suggestions offered by our plan of care require trials of medication for at least 30 days, assuming that you tolerate the medication's side effects. Indeed some may require trials of up to 90 days. While it is possible that you may improve very rapidly, multiple trials of medications may be required before you find a combination that works well for you.

The reason it may take a longer period of time to see a difference than you might expect is that, in almost every case the strategies we recommend are intended to correct the problems present in the central nervous system (spinal cord and brain) that resulted in the development of fibromyalgia. This is very different from taking something that simply masks your pain, such as strong pain medications. If those worked, would you be here in the first place?

The first milestone on the journey to feeling better is to determine whether you tolerate the recommended medication. Many people with fibromyalgia are highly sensitive to a medication's side effects. So getting the dose adjusted to an effective level may take time. Once you have determined that you can tolerate a medication, it will take time for the benefits of it to become apparent. Most individuals report that their pain simply fades over time rather than vanishing overnight. Before deciding it may be ineffective we feel it is critically important that you give each recommendation time to work.

While we cannot promise that you will be 'cured' of fibromyalgia, we do believe that by employing our suggestions you may experience significant improvement of you symptoms. In fact, many of the patients in Dr Wood's private clinic have experienced dramatic results that have enabled them to return to productive lifestyles.

Please see the links under Resources to find information on other organizations and resources that are available to fibromyalgia patients and their health care providers.

While he would be delighted to meet each one of you in person, the current reality is that Dr. Wood's medical practice is a University-based clinic with limited space available and there exists a high demand for his services. In order to expand our reach, Angler Biomedical Technologies, LLC intends to implement a program of certification for health care providers that will train these professionals in the practice of Dr. Wood's philosophy of care. If successful, we will post a listing of other health care providers who have undergone this training and now share our philosophy of care. Please visit our web site often to stay current with the latest developments.

We offer a variety of educational tools in the Resources and FAQ sections of this web site to increase your understanding of the nature of fibromyalgia. In addition, we are also planning to provide a reference index that describes the medications and supplements that are typically used in our personalized plans of care.

Our intake questionnaire for our Personal Treatment Plan is very thorough and is comparable to any physician's intake questionnaire. We strive to incorporate all the information you provide in order to formulate your personalized plan of care. But as with any medical advice, we highly recommend you coordinate your personalized plan of care with your primary health care provider who should be familiar with your allergies, associated medical conditions, and personal history. While we strive to be thorough in our programmed assessment, there is no substitute for a good provider-patient relationship built on mutual respect and trust.

While the majority of medications and supplements that we typically recommend are well-tolerated, some are known to produce side effects. Generally speaking, these side effects may subside over time. However, we also provide information about how to handle side effects if we believe a particular medicine is important enough to try even if you do experience some unpleasant effects. On the other hand, no medication is 100% free of side effects in every individual, and there are medical conditions that can actually make certain medicines unsafe. This is among the many reasons we urge you to coordinate your plan of care with your primary healthcare provider.

Among the most important principles informing our treatment strategies is the understanding that the mind and the body are intimately connected. This is especially true in fibromyalgia and related disorders. While fibromyalgia is by no means a form of 'mental illness', it is well established that mental stress and psychiatric illnesses can make fibromyalgia worse. We, therefore, make every effort to take your mental health and psychiatric well-being into account in our assessment and plan of care.

It is an unfortunate reality that fibromyalgia remains a controversial subject. The mission of our company includes the development and promotion of solid working relationships with health care providers. In doing so, we hope to empower health care providers with the tools to make informed decisions regarding treatment options for their patients with fibromyalgia. Whenever possible, we also provide references from the relevant scientific and medical literature to support our recommendations. In the unfortunate event that your primary care provider is unwilling to consider the recommendations offered by our plan of care, you may need to consider finding a provider who is willing to work with you as a person.

We hope to provide to both individuals with fibromyalgia and healthcare providers with insight into the most current research finding regarding fibromyalgia. By building rapport with your provider, you will hopefully find that this person is interested in discovering the latest information regarding this mysterious disorder. On the other hand, if your provider remains skeptical about your condition, you may want to explore your options regarding other healthcare providers in your community.

Our treatment plans routinely include many natural supplements. Upon completion of the health questionnaire found on this web site you will be provided with information on non-pharmaceutical treatment options as well as medicines and supplements that you may evaluate for effectiveness. Above all, it is critical that you strive to maintain aerobic fitness as an aspect of your journey to wellness.

There are a number of strategies that we have developed to help overcome the pain associated with exercise. Alternatively, you may also find that once you begin to implement your personal plan of care you may experience much less pain. This may make it easier to start exercising - but start you must, and keep going. Some people find that light aerobics in a warm pool to be a good way to get started. You will need to explore the resources available to you in order to decide what is right for you. Simply walking for a minimum of 30 minutes three times a week is a great strategy. If you find that walking that far is difficult to impossible, then build up slowly. We strongly recommend that you consult with your primary healthcare provider before starting any regular exercise program.

Angler Biomedical Technologies, LLC recommends that you complete the Personal Treatment Plan. Using the report provided by this program will provide a starting point for any consultation with your primary healthcare provider. Implementation of an individualized plan of care that is tailored to your particular medical profile should be the result. Among the many resources we provide to healthcare providers is a highly informative medical history that he or she may incorporate into your medical record, along with a set of treatment recommendations.

While fibromyalgia has traditionally been considered a rheumatologic disorder, we believe that any qualified health care provider can successfully manage a patient with fibromyalgia so long as they are willing to take the time and are open to new insights regarding the true nature of this disorder.

We believe that by using web-based programming, we have the opportunity to effectively and efficiently benefit the greatest number of individuals. In addition, we hope that by being able to complete a medical information sheet at your own pace in the comfort of you own home, you will be able to give as much information as is necessary to accurately tailor a plan of care to your particular needs.

Angler Biomedical Technologies, LLC is very concerned with the privacy of the individuals who look to us for help. In order to make full use of the resources represented by our site, you will be required to acknowledge that some of the information gathered by our program will be used for research purposes only. Such research may further improve the medical and scientific understanding of this disorder. Please note that all information gathered in this manner will be stripped of personally identifying information - under no circumstance will this ever result in a violation of your privacy. Please see our Privacy Policy for complete details.

No. Our primary goal is to empower people living with fibromyalgia to overcome their disorder and, hopefully, return to a productive life-style. Applying for disability is a highly personal decision, and successful application generally requires documentation of physical limitations and work capacity assessment, neither of which is available through our web-based program.

The name 'Angler' originated from a fraternity of creative individuals who collectively referred to themselves as the Fisher Kings. Their inspiration derived from the Arthurian legend of one whose quest it was to heal the wounded land. In addition, the philosophy of our company is to meet the needs of as many people as possible and empower them to live a Life Beyond Pain™. We believe that the ability to help others is a gift from our Creator, who has commissioned us to become "fishers of men." Not to mention the fact that our members all come from a long line of fisher folk!