For every man afflicted with fibromyalgia, there are eight women suffering with the condition. The following contains a couple possible reasons why I believe fibromyalgia afflicts women more than men.
Biologically, there are a number of hormonal differences between the two genders. Some of these differences may possibly contribute to the increased number of women afflicted. I have not done much studying in this area and the research articles that I have read did not venture into this area.
The increased levels of hyaluronic acid found in people with fibromyalgia suggests an environment that may be lower than normal in water. Women, by design, have less water in the total body composition than men. This may partly attribute to the difference in the number of women afflicted compared to the number of men. Since water is key to all processes in the body, having lower levels of water may increase the chance of developing the condition.
If you recall from the page, "Factors which harm our intestinal flora:", birth control pills negatively impact "friendly" bacteria in the digestive system. And, from the "Drugs that deplete Vitamins" page, oral contraceptives deplete many important vitamins and minerals in the body. For many women with fibromyalgia, having taken "the pill" may have contributed to them developing the condition. If there had been a birth control pill designed for men, maybe we would see a greater number of men with fibromyalgia today. (But then the men would never remember to take it so it is probably a moot point.)
At a couple places in this presentation we saw how stress effects acid release in the stomach and also how stress and truama negatively impact the intestinal flora. (Possibly due to the acid release in the stomach)
I believe that a greater number of women may be afflicted with fibromyalgia than men because women tend to carry more stress than men. Women, more so than men, seem to be right brained. The right hemisphere of the brain is the more intuitive, creative, and emotional side of the brain. It is also the more negative side of the brain, the side that does all the worrying.
I recall watching a comedy routine where the female comedian told how women were always asking men one thing: "What are you thinking?" and the standard reply from the man: "Nothing". As the comedian went on to point out, the men are not lying. We, that is to say, men, generally do not have much on our minds. The fact that the woman asks the guy what he is thinking about has the underlying implication that the woman was thinking about and wondering what the guy is thinking. And, probably stressing about it.
Generally speaking, men use the "left brain" more than the right. That may explain why TV programming geared for the male audience is more the "Home Improvement / Tool Time / Sports / Wrestling" variety. Nothing too stressful. While TV programming directed toward a female audience is geared toward an emotional "right brain" appeal; Soap operas, talk shows.
I have always enjoyed the insight that Dave Barry has on subjects in his articles. The link below points to one article in particular that I think explains much about the difference in perception that men and women experience.
For the longest time fibromyalgia has been considered an "It's all in your head" syndrome. The physical condition itself is very real; The pain is very real. But the stress, which may be partly responsible for the onset of this condition in a number of people, originates in the head.
There is a saying "perception is reality", if you wish to change the reality of a situation, change your perception. Two people can experience the same event, one person may find the event stressful whereas the other may not experience much stress at all. The difference that likely contributed to what each experienced was their individual perception of the event.
To help reduce your stress levels, practice meditation and prayer. Have faith that things will be well and the chance that things will be well increases. And an added benefit to this is that your stress level will reduce.
One of my favorite lines from a movie comes from "Shakspeare in Love" when William is worried about the outcome of his play. Everything that was planned seemed to be falling apart. Those he asked assured him that all will be well. He asks "How?", and the reply is "I don't know. It's a mystery".
There are many mysteries in life. Have faith that all will be well, and you improve the probability that things will be well.
Truamatic issues and memories from the past that have not been resolved still effect the physical body. Just as the visualization of the lemon, mentioned earlier, produced the physical reaction in the body, negative thoughts, or unresolved issues continue to negatively effect the health of the physical body. Long after the event has passed, the unresolved memory of the event continues to effect the physical body.
To tell if a past event has been resolved in your own mind, bring the thought to the conscious mind, do you notice any negative effect from thinking about it? ill feelings, anger, hatred, sadness, guilt, muscle tension ... If you do, the issue is still unresolved and may still be affecting you at a subconscious level.
Have you ever had the experience where you could not remember something and then hours later, usually late at night after you've gone to bed, the answer pops into your brain. When you could not recall it earlier in the day, you probably thought you just dropped it. However, the mind was still working, processing the query, looking for the answer.
Unresolved issues act in a similar manner. You may think that you are through with them because they are not in the conscious mind but, being unresolved the brain is still at work processing the data, trying to resolve things. At a subconscious level the brain is still at work and as a result it is still effecting the physical body, causing stress.
If the above applies to you; Learn how to resolve issues and let them go.
Well that should be enough of my philosophical BS (Belief System) for now. Take what you want, leave the rest. Above all, do not stress over it.
Related Links |
| Right Side of Brain Does The Work For Worriers |