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HOUSTON BUSINESS REVIEW

Health Tip: Understanding Fibromyalgia
By Mike Alexander Sr.

Mike is involved with several organizations including the National Association of Health Underwriters, Independent Insurance Agents Association, East End Chamber of Commerce, Better Business Bureau and the National Association of Small Business Owners, to name a few. Mike is a licensed Risk Manager and highly regarded in the insurance industry.

For more information on ABM and Mike Alexander, visit their site here.

As an insurance executive one of my biggest goals is to keep people healthy. That's great for the client, my companies, and for the economy in general. With that, I'm continuously looking for quality information that you can use in order to stay healthy.

Fibromyalgia is a chronic medical condition characterized by widespread muscle pain, fatigue, and multiple tender areas known as "trigger points". Fibromyalgia is considered to be an arthritis-related condition, but it is not truly a form of arthritis because it does not affect the joints (knees, shoulders, wrists, etc.) per se. Nor is it associated with inflammation as in arthritis. In fact, doctors do not yet know what causes fibromyalgia but the leading theory is that the pain receptors in the brains of people with this condition are more sensitive to pain signals. Thus, those with fibromyalgia appear to have an exaggerated response to pain. Something that would be only a minor annoyance to someone without this condition could be severely painful to someone with fibromyalgia. Chronic sleep disturbances, previous injuries, deconditioning and psychological stress have also been suspected as playing a role in its development.