I showed and still have all of those symptoms, but I also have a few other things damaged (bone/nerve/Meniere's). My doctors give me something for pain, to sleep, dizzyness, nausea, IBS, use Bio-Freeze by the gallon, etc., etc., etc.

I have the tender points and mostly it just a hurt all over daily. I feel like my Grandmother when she use to say "I hurt from the tips of my toes to the top of my head".

Is it hereditary, or do they know? I just have mainly always contributed it to all the other cr@p going on within me.

So the only way they still diagnose it is to rule everything else out?

I just thought if there was a new test to diagnose it I'd like to take it to find out for sure. Guess I'll save myself some money for the meds until they come up with something.

Thanks for the info.

Natural Remedies

1. Tea Bag Treatment: Try applying a cold compress of rosemary tea to increase circulation, which helps reduce swelling around the eyes.

Make tea by bringing a half-cup of fresh rosemary and a quart of water to a boil.

Steep for 20 minutes, then strain and chill.

Soak a washcloth in the tea, ring out extra liquid anal place over eyes for 15 to 20 minutes, once a day, as needed.

2. Acupressure: Another circulation-boosting treatment is acupressure.

This is an easy exercise that you can also do every day.

Close your eyes and gently press your ring finger underneath one eye, moving from the inside corner to the outside corner.

Do this 10 to 15 times.

Then repeat on the other eye.

3. Cold compress: Close your eyes and cover them with a cold washcloth for about five minutes.

Repeat several times throughout the day.

That will help constrict your blood vessels, minimizing darkness, and it may help minimize tissue swelling and eliminate some of the darkness.

4. Moisturizer: To minimize the appearance of bags, plump up skin with moisturizer, one that contains vitamin C, an antioxidant that protects skin cells from damage and supports collagen production; licorice (or fennel) extract, an anti-inflammatory; and stabilized oxygen, a form of hydrogen peroxide that promotes circulation.

5. Diet: Eat a whole-foods, plant-based diet, drink plenty of water (eight 8-ounce glasses daily), and avoiding alcohol, coffee, tea and caffeinated soft drinks also go a long way in preventing bags, circles and wrinkles.

6. Spread on the sunscreen: Use a sunscreen especially made for the face with a sun protection factor (SPF) of at least 15, but preferably 20, "all day every day," to keep the sun's rays from darkening the skin under your eyes.

7. Eight hours of sleep: is a must for all of us, especially for people having dark circles under the eyes.

8. Freeze some parsley in ice cubes: Use the parsley cubes instead of eye creams to diminish dark circles and puffiness.

Parsley is packed with chlorophyll which helps fade darkness, while the ice cubes reduce the swelling.

9. Potato/Cucumber combinations are helpful: Close your eyes and cover eyelids with slices of raw potato or cucumber for 15-20 minutes.

Wash with warm water and apply a cream.

Grate a cucumber, squeeze to take out its juice and refrigerate.

Make a mixture of lemon juice, lanolin cream and cucumber juice and apply around the eye for 10-15 minutes.

Dip some cotton in a 1:1 mixture of potato and cucumber juices.

Put the cotton on your eyelids and keep for 20 minutes. Wash your eyes with cold water.

10. Lemon/Tomato combinations are helpful: Apply a mixture of lemon and tomato juice(equal parts) on the black circles 2 times a day.

Make a paste out of the following: 1 tsp. tomato juice, 1/2 tsp. lemon juice,a pinch of turmeric powder, and1 tsp. of flour.

Apply around eyes. Leave on for 10 minutes before rinsing.

11. Apply a paste of turmeric powder with pineapple juice for dark circles under the eyes.

12. Apply crushed mint around the eye.

13. Massage with almond oil: under and around eyes at bed time daily for 2 weeks and see the improvement.

Almond helps to remove dark circles, and is an excellent "skin food".

14. Vitamin E: Rub the area with a powdered Vitamin E capsule and wipe off with a mixture of honey and egg white.

15. Put hot and cold cloths: alternatively under eyes for 10 minutes.

Then apply some almond oil on the dark surface before going to bed.

16. Smooth Puffy Eyes with Egg White: Astringent egg white tightens your pores and reduces puffiness.

Additionally, its high concentration of the B vitamins promotes circulation and reduces inflammation.

Check with the farm that produces your eggs to make sure they have been tested for Salmonella, a bacteria that can cause serious infections, cautions Annie Berthold-Bond, the Rhinebeck, N.Y.-based author of Better Basics for the Home (Three Rivers Press, 1999).

Use your fingers to dab 1/2 teaspoon of one raw egg white onto the clean, dry skin around your eyes, avoiding your eyes themselves.

Leave it on until it dries, about 15 minutes.

Then rinse the area well with warm water and wash your hands with soap and water.

Neofate--thanks. I will print that out and give it to her. Heredity is probably her deal. Thank you so much

"I even had black eyes" I read this quote from earlier and was interested if having the dark rings around eyes could be indicative of FM.

Wow Pillar, your poor Mom. Is all of that for FM? Sorry if I'm being too personal. I've had a lot of those medications in the past. Just not the fentanyl - does she get that for her FM or something else? I've heard of Dr's giving the Fentanyl for FM before... I really hope my pain never gets that bad.

Mirapex is for RLS - I tried it once and it gave me horrible headaches. I took Sinemet(sp?) for a while as well, until I started having real bad, weird nightmares. My RLS, however, has seemed to fade away since I started doing yoga and really stretching my legs. In fact, this is the first time in a long while I've thought about my RLS! *knocking on wood now*