The Times may not be willing to publish Mary's comments, but I am.
I doubt this will ever be published, so I thought I might as well share it with Co-Cure's readers:
To the Editors, New York Times:
In a front-page article, the Times doubted the existence of the disease "fibromyalgia" - at least, doubted that it was anything more than the somatic expression of personal problems.
This type of article makes me wonder what sources the Times would consider to be authoritative in news stories, as the front page has traditionally been the locale for news, not opinion.
According to the Arthritis Foundation, "Fibromyalgia (fye-bro-my-AL-jah) is a syndrome characterized by long-lasting widespread pain and tenderness at specific points on the body. .... This condition is referred to as a syndrome because it’s a set of signs and symptoms that occur together with no known cause or identifiable reason. Although considered an arthritis-related condition, fibromyalgia is ... considered a rheumatic condition because it impairs the joints and/or soft tissues and causes chronic pain. Fibromyalgia is an especially confusing and often misunderstood condition. Because its symptoms are quite common and laboratory tests results generally are normal, people with fibromyalgia were once told that their condition was “all in their head.” However, medical studies have proven that fibromyalgia does indeed exist, and it is estimated to affect about two percent of the U.S. population today." But where the private doctors your author consulted are in disagreement with the Arthritis Foundation, your reporter sides with his personal sources.
Let's go to the federal government, then. Surely there should be some type of authoritative information there.
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, fibromyalgia is one of five basic categories of Arthritis.
See <http://www.cdc.gov/arthritis/arthritis/types.htm >
"Fibromyalgia is a syndrome predominately characterized by widespread muscular pains and fatigue. The causes of fibromyalgia are unknown; however researchers hypothesize that genetics and physical and emotional stressors are possible contributory factors to the development of the illness. There are difficulties in diagnosing fibromyalgia, since its clinical picture can overlap other illnesses and there are no definitive diagnostic tests. Patient education, pharmacologic agents, and other nonpharmacologic therapies are used to treat fibromyalgia. Exercise has been found to improve outcomes for people with fibromyalgia."
The reader is referred to the NIH for more information.
See <http://www.niams.nih.gov/Health_Info/Fibromyalgia/default.asp >
"Fibromyalgia syndrome is a common and chronic disorder characterized by widespread muscle pain, fatigue, and multiple tender points. ... Tender points are specific places on the body—on the neck, shoulders, back, hips, and upper and lower extremities—where people with fibromyalgia feel pain in response to slight pressure. ... Like arthritis, however, fibromyalgia can cause significant pain and fatigue, and it can interfere with a person's ability to carry on daily activities. Also like arthritis, fibromyalgia is considered a rheumatic condition.... [which] means a medical condition that impairs the joints and/or soft tissues and causes chronic pain."
There is considerably more material at the NIH's website on fibromyalgia. The article failed to mention any of this.
The author's opinion that "the disease does not exist" would have been more appropriate on the opinions page than the news section. I personally found it worrisome that a male author and a few male physicians would be so quick to dismiss a disease syndrome that primarily impacts women, and that the Times would in turn be so quick to embrace these particular opinions on the subject.
Perhaps it is time to change the Times' slogan to "All the opinions that are fit to print."
Mary M. Schweitzer, Ph.D.
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