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S P I R I T O F W O M E N FA L L 2 015 w w w. s p i r i t o f w o m e n . c o m
C H R O N I C C A R E
Spirit of Women affiliated hospitals offer local
fibromyalgia resources. Find your nearest Spirit of
Women affiliated hospital on pages 12-13.
O
ften misdiagnosed and misunderstood,
fibromyalgia is a disease that can be hard to pin
down right away, say medical professionals.
"Patients are always searching, thinking, 'This
has to be something more than fibromyalgia,'"
says Tina White, a certified nurse practitioner at OSF Saint
Francis Medical Center in Peoria, Ill. "Healthcare providers don't
always acknowledge that fibromyalgia really exists," she adds.
But for 5 million Americans, most of them female, it is all too
real. The telltale signs of the disorder are ailments that also can
be associated with other diseases. Many are symptoms that most
of us experience at one point or another in our lives, such as pain
and fatigue, with a combination of memory and mood issues.
tips
for easing
fbromyalgia
symptoms
By Margaret
Littman
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