Can a 44 year old male have fibromyalgia ? What are the symptoms and is there a cure?

Yes a 44 year old male can have fibromyalgia. Symptoms can vary. Pain aching in almost any part of your body. Feels like you have the body flu, fatigue, insomnia. I've listed a site below from the national fibromyalgia association. I've had this dreaded disease 12 years now. Source(s): http://www.fmaware.org/

Yes.....Women are affected by fibromyalgia seven times more commonly than men. People typically first develop symptoms in their 20s or 30s. In the U.S., about 5 million people, or 2% of the population, have fibromyalgia.
http://www.webmd.com/fibromyalgia/arthri...
Yes they can.

Introduction
You hurt all over, and you frequently feel exhausted. Even after numerous tests, your doctor can't find anything specifically wrong with you. If this sounds familiar, you may have fibromyalgia.

Fibromyalgia is a chronic condition characterized by widespread pain in your muscles, ligaments and tendons, as well as fatigue and multiple tender points 鈥?places on your body where slight pressure causes pain. Fibromyalgia is more common in women than in men. Previously, fibromyalgia was known by other names such as fibrositis, chronic muscle pain syndrome, psychogenic rheumatism and tension myalgias.

Although the intensity of your symptoms may vary, they'll probably never disappear completely. It may be reassuring to know, however, that fibromyalgia isn't progressive or life-threatening. Treatments and self-care steps can improve fibromyalgia symptoms and your general health.

Signs and symptoms
Signs and symptoms of fibromyalgia can vary, depending on the weather, stress, physical activity or even the time of day. Common signs and symptoms include:

Widespread pain. Fibromyalgia is characterized by pain in specific areas of your body when pressure is applied, including the back of your head, upper back and neck, upper chest, elbows, hips and knees. The pain generally persists for months at a time and is often accompanied by stiffness.
Fatigue and sleep disturbances. People with fibromyalgia often wake up tired and unrefreshed even though they seem to get plenty of sleep. Some studies suggest that this sleep problem is the result of a sleep disorder called alpha wave interrupted sleep pattern, a condition in which deep sleep is frequently interrupted by bursts of brain activity similar to wakefulness. So people with fibromyalgia miss the deep restorative stage of sleep. Nighttime muscle spasms in your legs and restless legs syndrome also may be associated with fibromyalgia.
Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). The constipation, diarrhea, abdominal pain and bloating associated with IBS are common in people with fibromyalgia.
Headaches and facial pain. Many people who have fibromyalgia also have headaches and facial pain that may be related to tenderness or stiffness in their neck and shoulders. Temporomandibular joint (TMJ) dysfunction, which affects the jaw joints and surrounding muscles, also is common in people with fibromyalgia.
Heightened sensitivity. It's common for people with fibromyalgia to report being sensitive to odors, noises, bright lights and touch.
Other common signs and symptoms include:

Depression
Numbness or tingling sensations in the hands and feet (paresthesia)
Difficulty concentrating
Mood changes
Chest pain
Dry eyes, skin and mouth
Painful menstrual periods
Dizziness
Anxiety

Causes
Doctors don't know what causes fibromyalgia. Current thinking centers around a theory called "central sensitization." This theory states that people with fibromyalgia have a lower threshold for pain because of increased sensitivity in the brain to pain signals. Researchers believe repeated nerve stimulation causes the brains of people with fibromyalgia to change. This change involves an abnormal increase in levels of certain chemicals in the brain that signal pain (neurotransmitters). In addition, the brain's pain receptors (neurons) 鈥?which receive signals from the neurotransmitters 鈥?seem to develop a sort of memory of the pain and become more sensitive, meaning they can overreact to pain signals. In this way, pressure on a spot on the body that wouldn't hurt someone without fibromyalgia can be very painful to someone who has the condition. But what initiates this process of central sensitization isn't known.

It's likely that a number of factors contribute to the development of fibromyalgia. Other theories as to the cause of fibromyalgia include:

Sleep disturbances. Some researchers theorize that disturbed sleep patterns may be a cause rather than just a symptom of fibromyalgia.
Injury. An injury or trauma, particularly in the upper spinal region, may trigger the development of fibromyalgia in some people. An injury may affect your central nervous system, which may trigger fibromyalgia.
Infection. Some researchers believe that a viral or bacterial infection may trigger fibromyalgia.
Abnormalities of the autonomic (sympathetic) nervous system. Part of your autonomic nervous system 鈥?the sympathetic, or involuntary, system 鈥?controls bodily functions that you don't consciously control, such as heart rate, blood vessel contraction, sweating, salivary flow and intestinal movements. It鈥檚 thought that sympathetic nervous system dysfunction occurs in people with fibromyalgia, particularly at night, which leads to fatigue, stiffness, dizziness and other signs and symptoms associated with the condition.
Changes in muscle metabolism. For example, deconditioning and decreased blood flow to muscles may contribute to decreased strength and fatigue. Differences in metabolism and abnormalities in the hormonal substance that influences the activity of nerves may play a role.
Psychological stress and hormonal changes also may be possible causes of fibromyalgia.

There is more info on the web site! Good Luck and God Bless!
mayoclinic.com

Here is the link where I found this info: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/fibromy...
Yes it is possible for you to have it at your age. Here is some info that might help. If you want more info just do a google search on treatment for fibromyagia. Lots of sites and lots of info. good luck buddy.

THE MORE YOU DO, THE MORE YOU CAN DO.

Fibromyalgia

Fibromyalgia can be debilitating in all of its forms. This condition also has a remarkably wide range of symptoms and intensities and can be difficult to detect and treat. A major problem today is that people with this condition are often so medicated with such a wide variety of pharmaceuticals that they begin to have more complicated problems from their medication while finding little or no relief from the fibromylagia. The Bridge program has helped many to manage this condition with little or no medication and some have even eliminated their symptoms completely. Proper diet, movement, massage, acupuncture, traditional medication, supplements and herbs are all used appropriately in the intensive and comprehensive program. Again, the basic tenet of our program is to help your body balance and in so doing, help your system to regain its health.

DO I HAVE FIBROMYALGIA?

That is not an easy question. In the United States, some 3% to 5% of adult women meet the strict diagnostic criteria of the American College of Rheumatology for fibromyalgia, but as many as 15% to 20% of adult women may have fibromyalgia-like symptoms. Fibromyalgia syndrome is often difficult to diagnose, and typically a diagnosis is reached through the time-consuming and expensive process of ruling out other illnesses that have similar symptoms. In addition, many physicians consider fibromyalgia to be the result of aging and other normal body processes and do not regard it as a distinct clinical disorder. The resulting reluctance on the part of some physicians to attribute their patients' symptoms to a specific illness has added considerably to the distress of many fibromyalgia patients. One fairly new and promising test is a patented blood test called the Anti-Polymer Antibody Assay, or APA Assay. Researchers found anti-polymer antibodies in approximately one-half of all patients who were diagnosed with fibromyalgia and in more than 60% of the fibromyalgia patients with severe fibromyalgia symptoms. Patients with diseases frequently confused with fibromyalgia, including rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, and systemic sclerosis/scleroderma, had a much lower incidence of these antibodies than did the fibromyalgia patients. This may be a place to start, but note that even those that had severe fibromylagia, only 60% showed the anti-polimer antibodies in their blood.

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Chronic Pain/Neck Pain/Back Pain

The Bridge takes a whole person approach instead of a symptomatic approach. By addressing many aspects, not just a singular focus we have experienced wonderful success. There is a common misconception that "pain" takes place at various injury or illness sites and the rest of the body must simply accept the duration and intensity of the signal. The Bridge teaches that most pain is actually interpreted and perceived by the brain and can come from a variety of stimuli. Imagine being an amputee and still having pain in your missing limb! It's a very common phenomenon and provides us with clues as to how the body deals with and circulates the pain signal whether the original "cause" is still sending the signal or not. The Bridge teaches how to access your personal system to calm or eliminate these chronic signals for relief with as little medication to the brain as possible. The key is learning to be productive, happy and at peace within the limits of your system. This is generally one lesson that is internalized beautifully and our graduates take great pride in doing things that many have told them they would never be able to do again. One of our recent graduates came to the program after multiple failed back surgeries. At that time, she was getting by on $700 per month of disability. One and a half years later, she is taking in 10 times that per month doing what she loves and is starting her own designer line of shoes. Congratulations M.S.!

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Depression/Anxiety

This is one of the most common conditions in our society today and one of the most highly medicated with little long-term success. While "chemical imbalance" is often used to validate this condition, the reason for the imbalance is often not addressed. The Bridge attempts to address the cause of this imbalance and restore control to the guest and his or her system. This has been done repeatedly and successfully over the last four years with guests of the program. They continue to manage very well today with very little or no medication. We can't help you until you come.

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Failed Surgery

Most of the time surgery works well and the patient recovers. In a small percentage however, the pain continues or becomes worse and the patient is left on their own to find solutions. While this can be difficult, hope is not lost. Our current record is 11 failed back surgeries in one patient. This patient showed little improvement during the three-week program but as he took the program home and continued it, he was able to return to work full time within 8 months for the first time in many, many years! The body wants to recover and can, we simply must treat it appropriately in every way possible to elicit greater health.

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Surgery Avoidance

For many, surgery simply must be done, but for others it becomes an "option" that may or may not help their condition. For these, we recommend our program highly. The cost of a surgery, possibility of complications, rehab time, risk of failure, and time out of work and life can be extensive. The cost of our program in time and money is very small by comparison and many have been helped to avoid surgery completely.

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Stress and Anxiety

Stress and Anxiety are difficult to overcome and resist long-term medication. The Bridge provides techniques to manage these conditions that are by themselves effective, but it also does much more. The Bridge addresses the cause or thought processes that are responsible for these symptoms and conditions and helps to reconcile them. We all have an "autopilot" of sorts and there are times when it does not serve us well.

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Weight Control

There is a stunning fact about weight loss in the United States. You are more likely to survive cancer than you are to lose 20 pounds and keep it off for five years. Why? Weight loss is not easy to maintain successfully for a variety of reasons. Emotions, past trauma, metabolism, genetics, diet, exercise, stress, age, gender, hormones, and medications of all types can affect weight gain and loss. Because of the complete approach at The Bridge, our clients have been very successful with weight loss and maintenance. The average overweight male in the program can expect to lose nearly a pound a day and the average overweight female can expect to lose almost a half of a pound per day. Please note, any calorie-reducing program can elicit weight loss but it takes a complete approach to find out why the weight came on in the first place and how to keep it from returning in the future. To support your effort long term, you will be given recipes, cooking classes, emotional tools, and personal instruction that will be tailored to your system. Of course you must provide the initial effort, but after your three weeks at The Bridge, your system will have a great start in the right direction and you will have valuable tools to keep you on your path to health and recovery.

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Secondary Gains

There are some people who are simply getting too much out of being ill to recover. This doesn't mean that anyone wants to be sick or likes being sick or is trying to be sick, it simply means that there are dynamics and sticking points that come from being sick that are difficult to release and overcome. These secondary gains can be difficult to see but are understood to greater degrees throughout the program. Regardless of the depth of your conditions or their reason for existing, there is hope and you can improve.

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Adult Onset Diabetes

For those who have contracted diabetes as adults there is hope to manage or completely reverse your condition. We have had great success in this area with the majority being dramatically reduced or insulin free by the time they leave the program. Since diabetes carries some complications, you will be working closely with our doctor(s) and in many cases yours. If there was a time in your adult life that your body was managing without insulin, you may still have the potential. Proper diet, exercise, sleep, and other techniques are used to manage or eliminate this potentially debilitating condition. You will also be given appropriate tools and taught how to integrate and continue the program when you return home.

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Prescription Drug Dependence

There are times that the best attempts at healing leave both patient and doctor at a loss of what to do next. It is usually under these circumstances that medications are prescribed for the comfort and function of the patient. While this solution may work well short-term, it can be devastating over time. Doses must be increased, side effects can become worrisome, and then other medications are used to ease the effects of still others. What about the patient and their delicate system? Some medications and necessary for function and life but many others are not and can create dependence and a loss of life. Marriages can suffer, jobs can suffer, families and relationships can be damaged and any semblance of normal living can disappear. The mission of The Bridge is not to negate medicine; our doctors are certified M.D.'s and D.O.'s with great experience in pharmaceuticals. The mission of The Bridge is to try every way possible to allow your body to function beautifully on its own. You will bring all of your medication as if you were not going to adjust for the three-week program. Our goal is to help you heal and feel good enough to take as much of it as you can back home. Our success speaks for itself.

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Hypertension / High Blood Pressure

High blood pressure affects millions of Americans but it often doesn't have to. Sleep, proper diet, exercise, and supplements are used in concert at The Bridge to regulate your blood pressure. Although it can seem complicated, when the body is treated correctly, it generally can reduce blood pressure and be healthy. The body regulates pressure in three basic ways: chemical receptors, pressure receptors and by volume and viscosity control. The Bridge works with your system to regulate its pressure with as little medication as possible and in many cases, none at all. You will be under our doctor's care for these adjustments but it is not uncommon for guests with medication and hypertension to leave our program with reduced medication or medication free while having normal blood pressure.

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Lupus

A painful, complex autoimmune disease, Lupus affects millions of people across the country and world, but 9 out of 10 are women. Lupus is a disease that can affect many parts of the body. One person with lupus may have swollen knees or other joints and unexplained fever. Another person may be tired all the time or have kidney trouble. Someone else may have skin rashes or lose the hair on their scalp. Lupus can also involve the lungs, heart and/or the brain. Usually, one person doesn't have all the possible symptoms. While it can be difficult to manage in some forms, it is generally very responsive to our treatment plan. You will be shown how to eat properly by our PhD Dietician, and shown how to reconcile your other systems to alleviate the pain and other symptoms of this condition. The body is a very delicate system and very often when balance is restored, conditions like lupus simply cease to manifest themselves. We have helped others and can help you.

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The Bridge Health Recovery Center 877-885-9567 info@thebridgerecoverycenter.c...