http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/14/health/14pain.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0
I find it interesting that you quoted an almost 7 year old NYT hit-piece on "Big Pharma" to make your point. It almost looks like the very doctor that wrote the diagnostics has walked away from it entirely, if one were to take the carefully selected quotes Alex Berenson used to fit his news article to his own template.
Reality, however, is a bit different.
As to the question of whether or not fibromyalgia is a real condition or a diagnosis for chronic malingerers, I submit these quotes which are a little more recent:
Is Fibromyalgia Real or Imagined?
Written by Kristeen Cherney | Published on April 11, 2014
Medically Reviewed by George Krucik, MD, MBA on April 11, 2014
Fibromyalgia is an established medical condition marked by excessive fatigue and chronic pain. According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), it affects about one out of 50 Americans.
Fibromyalgia isn’t imaginary, but it may be mistaken for other underlying causes with similar symptoms, such as depression.
Just because there’s no cure doesn’t mean that fibromyalgia is an imagined condition.
http://www.healthline.com/health/fibromyalgia-real-or-imaginedFibromyalgia misconceptions: Interview with a Mayo Clinic expert
By Mayo Clinic Staff
Jul. 12, 2012
In this interview, Connie A. Luedtke, R.N., the nursing supervisor of the Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Clinic at Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn., discusses some common misconceptions about fibromyalgia.
The top misconception is that people think fibromyalgia isn't a real medical problem or that it is "all in your head." It's sometimes thought of as a "garbage-can diagnosis" — if doctors can't find anything else wrong with you, they say you have fibromyalgia.
There's a lot that's unknown about fibromyalgia, but researchers have learned more about it in just the past few years.
http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/fibromyalgia/in-depth/fibromyalgia/art-20048097And what of the good Doctor? Does he think it's all a bunch of hooey? If he does, it would be awfully odd of him to be speaking of
tweaking the diagnostics in 2010. But, if that doesn't satisfy you, feel free to
peruse his own words on the Fibromyalgia Perplex as he speaks to, and defends, his own work.
Bottom line? This does not excuse the behavior of layabout DUmmies, but it does put the absolute that "
fibromyalgia is also commonly referred to as a bogus condition, like fatigue syndrome, made up to get approved for government checks" in a bit of a different light. Especially considering the testimony of members of this board.
