Martinez-Lavin, Manuel, Infante, Oscar, Lerma, Claudia · Seminars in arthritis and rheumatism · 2008 · DOI
This article proposes a new way to understand fibromyalgia, ME/CFS, and similar conditions by applying complexity theory—the study of how complex systems work. Instead of looking for a single cause or structural damage, the authors suggest these illnesses result from the body's systems losing their ability to adapt flexibly to stress. This perspective could help explain why these conditions involve so many different symptoms affecting different body systems.
This work challenges the prevailing medical paradigm that requires structural damage for disease recognition, which is particularly relevant since ME/CFS patients often face dismissal when imaging and standard tests appear normal. Adopting a complexity theory framework could legitimize these conditions medically and redirect research toward understanding systemic dysfunction rather than searching for single biomarkers.
This article presents a theoretical hypothesis rather than empirical findings, so it does not prove that complexity theory actually explains ME/CFS or that the proposed mechanisms are correct. It does not present new experimental data, patient cohorts, or quantitative evidence supporting the hypothesis. The absence of specific mechanisms or testable predictions limits what can be concluded from this conceptual framework alone.
About the PEM badge: “PEM required” means post-exertional malaise was an explicit required diagnostic criterion for participant inclusion in this study — not that PEM was studied, observed, or discussed. Studies using criteria that do not require PEM (e.g. Fukuda, Oxford) are tagged “PEM not required”. How the atlas works →
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Primary citation
Martinez-Lavin, Manuel, Infante, Oscar, & Lerma, Claudia (2008). Hypothesis: the chaos and complexity theory may help our understanding of fibromyalgia and similar maladies.. Seminars in arthritis and rheumatism. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.semarthrit.2007.04.003
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-martinez-lavin-2008-hypothesis-chaos,
author = {Martinez-Lavin, Manuel and Infante, Oscar and Lerma, Claudia},
title = {Hypothesis: the chaos and complexity theory may help our understanding of fibromyalgia and similar maladies.},
journal = {Seminars in arthritis and rheumatism},
year = {2008},
doi = {10.1016/j.semarthrit.2007.04.003},
note = {PubMed: 17570473},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/martinez-lavin-2008-hypothesis-chaos},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-27. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/martinez-lavin-2008-hypothesis-chaos
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