Fibromyalgia and Lupus: We all have our own aches and pains but I am worried about a friend.

[u4ic]

3. I have the former

I am not in the US so I can't help with support groups, however the things that have helped me the most with pain are a gluten free diet, getting aspartame completely out of my system (I used to chew gum with it, made a difference stopping it), and what's helped me the most, acupuncture. There are community acupuncture clinics in most cities; it's affordable for most (usually around $20/session).

It does not bring instant results, but in the long term, can be of great benefit to some. I went from not being able to walk at all to hiking small distances after almost a year of treatment (once a week appt's). I can't tell you how amazing that was - and still is!