From David Nye, M.D.--

"1) Medication to improve deep sleep.
2) Regular sleep hours and an adequate amount of sleep.
3) Daily gentle aerobic exercise and stretching.
4) Avoidance of over exertion and stress.
5) Treatment of any coexisting sleep disorders.
6) Patient education.

Medication by itself is of little value in treating fibromyalgia. Successful treatment demands the patient's active involvement in treatment as well as lifestyle changes. Each of the six parts of treatment above is important. If any one is omitted, the chance of significant improvement is considerably reduced."

And from THE FIBROMYALGIA NETWORK:

"Traditional treatments are geared toward improving the quality of sleep, as well as reducing pain. Because deep level (stage 4) sleep is so crucial for many body functions, such as tissue repair, antibody production, and perhaps even the regulation of various neurotransmitters, hormones and immune system chemicals, the sleep disorders that frequently occur in fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue patients are thought to be a major contributing factor to the symptoms of this condition. Medicines that boost your body's level of serotonin and norepinephrine -- neurotransmitters that modulate sleep, pain and immune system function--are commonly prescribed. Examples of drugs in this category would include Elavil, Flexeril, Sinequan, Paxil, Serzone, Xanax and Klonopin. A low dose of one of these medications may be of help. In addition, nonsteroidal, anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) like ibuprofen may also be beneficial. Most patients will probably need to use other treatment methods as well, such as trigger point injections with lidocaine, physical therapy, acupuncture, acupressure, relaxation techniques, osteopathic manipulation, chiropractic care, therapeutic massage, or a gentle exercise program."

My good friend "turnip" has put together a great page with lots of links to sites explaining alternative treatments. She has agreed to let me include it here for you:

TURNIP'S SITE

TENNIS BALL THERAPY (FOR PAIN)--from an article by James Nelson Riley, PhD

Two tennis balls are tethered in tandem so that they are touching one another. Two balls can be placed in the toe of a sock which is then knotted tightly. Recline on your back, on the floor or sofa. Place the device under your head so that the entire weight of your head rests on the two balls. They should be symmetrical with respect to midline. They are placed about midway "up" the back of the head. This is in a slight depression above the bony prominence, which is in turn just above the attachment of the main neck muscles. The level is slightly above that of the ear openings.

Allow the weight of your head to rest flexibly upon the device. Relax comfortably. You may shift position slightly in order to maintain symmetry and comfort, but do so gently and gradually.

This is a good "shotgun" technique for enhancing tissue and fluid motion, especially relaxing connective tissues throughout the body, and for restoring flexibility of autonomic nervous system response. The only contraindications are in situations in which even slight and transient increases in intracranial pressure are to be avoided: impending cerebrovascular aneurism or hemorrhage -- as in acute stage of stroke or cranial trauma."

Additional notes by Devin Starlanyl, M.D.--"If you have extremely sore TrPs, start tennis ball acupressure by leaning against a chair, sofa or wall. The TrPs will let you know where they are -- they hurt. The use of a single tennis ball is helpful also. Lying on your belly with the tennis ball under you, you can get the sore abdominal and thigh TrPs. You can do the same on your side -- just be very gentle with the hip area. The gluteus minimus TrPs are often VERY sore. Don't overdo at first, and expect some post-exercise soreness as usual."

EVER HEARD OF PROLOTHERAPY?"

Former U.S. Surgeon General Endorses Little Known Treatment for Chronic Pain Called Prolotherapy, Says Dr. Ross A....PRNewswire 25-NOV-98

CLEARWATER, Fla., Nov. 25 /PRNewswire/-- While the medical industry searches for drugs and surgical procedures to eliminate chronic pain, a therapy introduced over half a decade ago is becoming popular among medical practitioners in the United States. It's called "Prolotherapy" and a strong proponent is former U.S. Surgeon General C. Everett Koop, M.D.

When Koop was forty years old, he was diagnosed in two separate neurological clinics as having incurable pain. It was then that he learned of Prolotherapy and sought the help of an expert practitioner for treatment. His condition, once considered "incurable," ceased to be a problem. Now, he publicly recommends Prolotherapy and tells his personal experience with it in the first-ever book for lay people devoted exclusively to the subject by one of the nation's premier practitioners, Ross A. Hauser, M.D. The book is entitled "Prolo Your Pain Away!: Curing Chronic Pain With Prolotherapy" (Beulah Land Press, 1998).

Prolotherapy is a simple procedure used to treat such conditions as arthritis pain, back pain, migraines, neck pain, sports injuries, TMJ, tendonitis, fibromyalgia, sciatica, herniated discs and loose joints. It is a safe technique that stimulates the body's healing mechanisms to grow new ligament and tendon tissue. It involves the injection of natural substances at the site where ligaments and tendons attach to the bone, thus stimulating the ligaments and tendons to proliferate at the injection site.

"Prolotherapy works because it addresses and corrects the root cause of chronic pain: ligament and tendon weakness," says Dr. Hauser. A board-certified Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation practitioner, he incorporated Prolotherapy into his practice along with other natural treatments of patients with chronic diseases in 1992.

High-profile proponents of Prolotherapy who have benefited from treatment lend their endorsements in Hauser's book. These include NHL Hall of Famer Stan Mikita, NBA guard Kendall Gill of The New Jersey Nets, and Harold A.Wilkinson, M.D., Ph.D., professor and former chairman of the Division of Neurosurgery at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center.

Despite the fact that only a small percentage of medical practitioners are familiar with Prolotherapy, it has received acceptance by both insurance companies and medical boards. Prolotherapy is relatively inexpensive to receive, when compared to traditional chronic pain treatments.