AN AYURVEDIC APPROACH TO FIBROMYALGIA THROUGH VATIKA JWARA

Fibromyalgia is a commonly experienced disorder characterised by chronic widespread pain, stiffness, paresthesia, disturbed sleep and easy fatiguability, along with pain over multiple tender points which are widely and symmetrically distributed. It can occur at any age, but the prevalence increases in women above 70. The diagnosis of fibromyalgia is done using The American College of Rheumatology criteria for Fibromyalgia, which contains two sets of scales -The widespread pain scale and the symptom severity scale. The two factors that have been constantly reported are disturbed non-restorative sleep and pain sensitisation. The ACR criteria define 18 tender points. These points are remarkably constant in location. The pain is often felt in muscles, but the muscles show no histological or metabolic abnormalities. In ICD -11 classification, Fibromyalgia is currently coded as an Inclusion term under MG30.01 Chronic widespread pain. The definition of Fibromyalgia has been repeatedly revised since it was first recognised as a rheumatic disease by WHO in 1992. In Ayurveda, it can be co-related with Vatika Jwara, which, i.e. resulted from the accumulation of Ama.