title: Traditional Chinese medicine in diagnosis and treatment of fibromyalgia syndrome.
abstract: Fibromyalgia Syndrome (FS) is known for the difficulties arising from classification. The accompanying pain in skeletal muscles, myofascial peri-articular structures and a number of polymorphic symptoms cannot be separated into complexes of symptoms. The application of principles of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) helps in analyzing the symptoms of FS to detect a leading syndrome and thereby establish an individual therapy. Medical histories and objective examinations of 25 patients with FS and 22 patients with vertebrogenic pain syndromes were analyzed according to TCM. A questionnaire was used to determine the leading constitutional type according to the 5-elements-theory. Analyses of the results showed that 83% of patients with FS were of constitutional type of the element earth. The following syndromes were found to be important in FS: 1) liver-Qi-stagnation, 2) Yin and blood deficiency of the liver, 3) Yang-weakness of the spleen and kidney, 4) Yin-weakness of the kidney. Applying TCM for FS allows for separating a group of symptoms and thus individual therapy. The determination of the constitutional type according to the 5-elements-theory may be used for a better understanding of the disharmony pattern.
authors.affiliation: Klinik of Orthopaedics and Traumatologie, Bethlehem Hospital, Stolberg, Germany.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Aliyev
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Vieth
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Geiger
mesh_terms: D005356:Fibromyalgia / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000534:rehabilitation; D006801:Humans; D008516:Medicine, Chinese Traditional; D008875:Middle Aged; D013577:Syndrome; D016711:Yang Deficiency / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000534:rehabilitation; D016710:Yin Deficiency / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000534:rehabilitation