James Stoxen, head of Team Doctors (chiropractors to the stars) has enjoyed many decades untroubled by fibromyalgia symptoms, thanks to hardcore barefoot running. Reasoning that a musculoskeletal disorder can be beaten in the gym, his lectures on themes around “Walk and Run For Life via Lever Mechanisms or Spring Mechanisms” are in demand. Moving into mainstream, we’ve learnt that conferring of a medical degree doesn’t assure granting of insight into conditions. In the book pictured, Brandon advises ab crunches for fibromyalgics to help in dealing with stress. Hopefully this workout won’t be prescribed by Dr Ruse when he does his intern years. Dr Amand of the Fibromyalgia Treatment Centre can never be accused of insensitivity to the condition – he suffers from it. His book “What your Doctor may NOT tell you about Fibromyalgia” mixes empirical data and patient narrative with theoretical postulations, and their organisation’s commitment to investigate FM can never be challenged. Although their research points to an immunological disorder (Pubmed ID 18535166) the rheumatologists to whom patients are referred are in disagreement. Seems it’s officially not a disease but a functional somatic syndrome, classified under ICD9 in the ‘Unspecified myalgias’ family of diseases under soft tissue disorders.

The treatment? Obvious to everyone (but me) are anti-depressants. Even more mind-numbing are the runarounds a patient endures under the ‘multi-disciplinary approach’. In making FM everyone’s problem it has ended up being no-ones responsibility. This ripens the opportunity for regular announcement of miracle breakthroughs, since instant solutions certainly look better than longterm prospects under the regulated healthcare system.