The Fibro Follies

Here’s a fascinating article by Rich Carson of ImmuneSupport.com that explores whether stress-induced damage to the hippocampus, resulting in a shortfall of dopamine, is to blame for fibromyalgia. It’s called alternatively the “hippocampus” or “dopamine hypothesis” and it strikes many in the field as promising.

A quote:

Specifically, the hippocampus is extremely sensitive to stress, and in fact is the brain organ that enables us to respond to environmental stressors in a way that helps us avoid danger. The best example of the beneficial stress response is when our ancestors crossed paths with a saber tooth tiger - an immediate “fight or flight” response was mandatory to ensure survival. Studies have shown that chronic stress, however, can contribute to a disruption of normal hippocampus function. The hippocampus plays a major role in pain perception and memory formation, and it is involved in controlling the production of that crucial brain neurotransmitter, dopamine. Dopamine abnormalities have been linked to “restless legs syndrome,” increased pain, and feelings of self doubt, anxiety, and problems with memory formation.

Carson goes on to note that Mirapex(tm), the brand name of Praminexole, which is approved for treatment of Parkinson’s disease, met with some success in a double-blind study of how it impacted fibromyalgia. Another drug, ropinrole, which also impacts dopamine and has been approved for restless legs syndrome treatment, also benefitted fibromyalgia patients in a similar study.

So, is it all stress? What they’re really saying here is not that it’s all in your head - I think that should be made clear. It might be in your brain, though; the theory suggests that it’s actually stress-induced physiological changes that serve as the causative factor.

It certainly bears more investigation, and I’m thrilled, as I commented on the that article at ImmuneSupport.com, that progress is being made at all. It’s a far cry from even a decade ago, when we were still arguing over whether it even existed at all!