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Informational Links
Migraine (pronounced "Mee-grain" but also, and especially in American English, "My-grain") is a neurological disease, of which the most common symptom is an intense and disabling episodic headache. Migraine headaches are usually characterized by severe pain on one or both sides of the head. Absent serious head injuries,
stroke, and tumors, the recurring severity of the pain indicates a vascular headache rather than a tension headache. Migraines are often accompanied by photophobia (hypersensitivity to light), phonophobia (hypersensitivity to sound) and nausea.
Fibromyalgia (FM or FMS) is a chronic syndrome (constellation of signs and symptoms) characterized by diffuse or specific muscle, joint, or bone pain, fatigue, and a wide range of other symptoms. It is not contagious, and recent studies suggest that people with fibromyalgia may be genetically predisposed. It affects more females than males, with a ratio of 9:1 by ACR (American College of Rheumatology) criteria.
Fibromyalgia is seen in 3% to 6% of the general population, and is most commonly diagnosed in individuals between the ages
of 20 and 50, though onset can occur in childhood. Because the nature of fibromyalgia is not well understood, some physicians
believe that it may be psychosomatic or psychogenic. However, properly targeted dietary therapy as a primary intervention can have a tremendous impact on the symptom frequency,
often to the point of complete symptom remission. The disease itself is neither life-threatening nor progressive, though the
degree of symptoms may vary greatly from day to day with periods of flares (severe worsening of symptoms) or remission.
Irritable Bowel Syndrome In gastroenterology, irritable bowel syndrome ( IBS) or spastic colon, is a functional bowel disorder characterized by abdominal pain and changes in bowel habits which are not associated with any abnormalities seen on routine clinical testing. It is fairly common and makes up
20–50% of visits to gastroenterologists. Lower abdominal pain, and bloating associated with alteration of bowel habits and abdominal discomfort relieved with defecation are the most frequent symptoms. The abdominal pain type is usually described in a patient as either diarrhea-predominant ( IBS-D), constipation-predominant ( IBS-C) or IBS with alternating stool pattern ( IBS-A). In some individuals, IBS may have an acute
onset and develop after an infectious illness characterised by two or more of the following: fever, vomiting, acute diarrhea, positive stool culture. This post-infective syndrome has consequently been termed "post-infectious IBS" ( IBS-PI).
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