After having read thousands of posts here, and also my own experience in the area of chronic ailments, I am inclined to think that many of these conditions are related. There is definite cross-over between bfs and fibro; not the least of which is the non-specific nature of both. I view them as different manifestations of the same catalyst. I also am inclined to think that CFS could be included in this group; and probably many others. Somehow the Western world has become afflicted with these benign ailments that in some case can seriously affect the quality of a persons life. It is due in part to our lifestyles, in my opinion, and also due to the fact that we have become disenfranchised from ourselves. We no longer identify ourselves as part of a community, which has lead to individualism, which has in turn lead to isolation, in many cases. Our hearts were born speaking a wonderful language, but over the years we have forgotten our mother tongue. Our hearts speak to us often, but we can only understand some of what they say, as our learned language has taken over prominence. Separated, as it were, from our roots, we are susceptible to the impressions that are outside, and hence, our true natures are forever stymied in their attempt to find fulfillment. Once I was over the fear of bfs my twitches subsided quite a bit, and some days I would not be aware of twitching at all. I regretted those days. I wanted to still twitch, because it gave me a sense of identity, it allowed me to experience life in a different, more important, way. It also allowed me to remain part of a community, a community that allowed me to be me. Over the years the inevitable happened and I no longer saw myself as a "twitcher," but I never lost the awe in which I viewed how special it was to be alive at this very moment. Now the journey is to relearn my mother tongue, and reacquaint myself with things I had long forgotten. It's truly amazing to rediscover a zest in some area that you thought you had long since put to bed. It doesn't have to be anything grand, either, it can be as simple as biking, or watching birds, or perhaps it is writing that book you've always felt inside.In a real sense, when we learn to love our lives, again, we defeat our ailment, because a directed heart and bfs can't exist on the same plane. Basso
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