Fibromyalgia Should Be Officially Recognised
Fibro Doctors along with countless sufferers of fibromyalgia, can be safe in the knowledge that, slowly but surely, fibromyalgia is finally getting the recognition it needs. This is highlighted by a recent article in Dutch News. The latter included a quote by the Dutch Health Council, which stated that: “Fibromyalgia, a chronic health condition in which victims experience pain and tenderness throughout the body, as well as fatigue and trouble sleeping, should be recognised as a health issue” [1].
Moreover, Dutch News reports that: after receiving a petition, the Dutch Health Council conducted an assessment of the scientific research associated with fibromyalgia. This petition (which was signed by close to 57,000 individuals), was submitted to the Dutch Health Ministry. However, the aforementioned signatories were only a fraction of the reported 340,000 fibromyalgia sufferers in the Netherlands. (This figure was given by the Patients’ Association, FES).
Classification
At the time of writing, the Netherlands does not classify fibromyalgia as an illness. This is due to the fact that, to date, no biomedical cause for fibromyalgia has been determined [1]. In the UK, sufferers can have a consultation with a Fibro Specialist, who will give them an accurate diagnosis, and then put them on a Holistic Personalised Treatment Plan which incorporates both conventional and state-of-the-art treatments and therapies, including injectables and nerve blocks. Moreover, if someone in the UK is deemed to have fibromyalgia, and as such, it is negatively affecting their ability to work, then they could be entitled to government benefits [2].
Going back to the situation in the Netherlands: although no biomedical cause has been established thus far, it does not make fibromyalgia any less serious. So to that end, the Dutch Health Council has stated that it should be recognised as a health issue. Moreover, and very importantly, if Fibromyalgia achieves formal recognition in the Netherlands: when it comes to accessing whether a fibromyalgia sufferer is unable to work, insurance companies and the healthcare sector will be forced to take this condition seriously [1].
Receiving Treating For Fibromyalgia
Although the general consensus is that there is no definitive cure for fibromyalgia, scientists
advise that various psychological, biological, and social mechanisms, could play a role in its development [1]. There is no question that many fibromyalgia sufferers in many parts of the world, frequently come up against a wall of doubt that their condition actually exists. For example: “Deborah Ferraz, diagnosed with fibromyalgia in 1997, told Dutch News she is very relieved by the council’s recommendations. “I always get the feeling that I am not believed and people think it is something between my ears,” she said. “It is an invisible illness and I wish sometimes that it showed on the outside” [1].
And on the same note, many sufferers in the UK have felt the same. – This is particularly the case when they visit a GP, who in the majority of cases, has not had the years of training and in-house hospital/clinical practice that a Fibromyalgia Doctor who specialises in pain, has undertaken. Moreover, Fibromyalgia Consultants are always up-to-date on the latest cutting-edge research on fibromyalgia and innovative treatments and therapies. – The latter of which can ameliorate the patient’s condition, and help them get their lives back on track.
What Does the UK Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) Say?
The DWP states that it: “recognises Fibromyalgia as a real and potentially significantly disabling condition. Where a clinical diagnosis of Fibromyalgia has been made [for example, by a Fibro Doctor], full account will be taken of its functional effects when determining benefit entitlement” [2].
References
[1]. Dutch News (2024). “Fibromyalgia should be officially recognised: health council.”
https://www.dutchnews.nl/2024/03/fibromyalgia-should-be-officially-recognised-health-council/
[2]. UK Parliament (2019). “Recognition of fibromyalgia as a disability.”
https://researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk/documents/CDP-2019-0003/CDP-2019-0003.pdf
