Fibromyalgia has undergone several name changes over the years due to our evolving understanding of the condition. It all began around the 1600s when it was referred to as “Muscular Rheumatism.” In the early 1900s, there was a belief that inflammation in the muscles was the cause of the pain, leading to extensive studies on inflammation. However, these studies eventually revealed that inflammation wasn’t the root cause.
By the 1970s, the name was changed to fibromyalgia, which translates to “muscle pain.” Yet, because all the studies yielded negative results and the cause of the pain remained elusive, many women who suffered from this condition were unjustly told, “It’s all in your head.”
It wasn’t until the early 2000s that research finally shed light on the differences in brain activity between individuals with fibromyalgia and those without it. Studies showed that the brains of people with fibromyalgia reacted much more intensely to pain signals. For all those women (as this illness predominantly affects women) who had been dismissed by the medical system for so long, this discovery validated their suffering. Instead of receiving the help they needed, they were unfairly dismissed and even ridiculed.
This serves as a reminder not to dismiss people’s experiences too hastily. Sometimes, we may be missing crucial facts and failing to see or understand the full story.
The pain is real! 
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