Fibromyalgia is a diagnosis of exclusion (I was chasing a fibro diagnosis at one point for a 'mystery illness').

There's also lots of evidence that at times, it's caused by infectious agents such as Lyme Disease or Chlamydia pneumoniae. Some other diseases/syndromes that may fall into a similar category AT TIMES include: MS, chronic fatigue immune dysfunction, and ALS are sometimes associated with Lyme or other infectious diseases, bacterial or viral.

Regardless of cause, good nutrition (such as avoiding sugar) is important. There doesn't seem to be a one-size-fits-all lifestyle changes solution to the disorder. It's obvious that there's a huge genetic component to the way that these 'causes' create the fibromyalgia, CFS, MS sorts of disorders, so everyone will have different reactions to changes in environmental factors and nutrition.

here's a good writeup by a Lyme doctor about some of the lab workups he might do for a fibromyalgia patient. If this seems at all similar to what your friend is going throuhg, this guy's blog is a FANTASTIC '101' primer on the science of chronic lyme treatment. Start in his May entries and work your way backwards. The recent comments by various medical and veterinary professionals to his recent entries are really interesting too.

lymemd.blogspot.com/2008/06/...lgia.html


Here's his discussion of another infection, chlamydia pneumonae, that can be one of the many causes of diseases like fibromyalgia:
lymemd.blogspot.com/2008/05/...what.html
(ignore what I said about interesting comments, this one just has patients venting)

excellent nutrition is vital