Exhaustion. Pain. Anxiety. Depression.

People who develop fibromyalgia have to go through the five stages of grieving before they can accept their disorder and start to live again, said Iris Weverman, a registered physiotherapist who owns and operates Iris Weverman Physiotherapy in Toronto.

Since there's no cure for the disorder, Weverman said she teaches coping methods to make fibromyalgia patients live their best life. She does this by encouraging them to do the things they love to do in different ways.

"A young lady I saw today, she loves to play piano but said she can't do it anymore, so I told her, 'Why not? Could you not just play for three minutes and then stop for five minutes, then play for three more minutes'?"

Weverman also suggests her patients exercise and links them to other health practitioners such as podiatrists, nutritionists or psychotherapists.

"They need help bio-chemically with nutrition and medication and vitamins and supplement, they also need help with support because some of them have some serious problems," she said.

Weverman also makes sure her clients regulate their sleep.

"During sleep is when you repair your body, so if they don't get the proper sleep, they're not going to revitalize their body," she said.

Scarborough resident Devi Adeken was diagnosed with fibromyalgia 13 years ago.

She is currently on a vigorous nutrition-based treatment, using vitamins to relax and build the muscles, and was told to walk as much as she could.

Adeken said she manages her disorder by controlling the amount of stress within her life and eating well.

"It's about reinventing yourself, seeing yourself and life in a very different way than the old me. It's a daily battle to try and keep going and keep my head above water, it's a daily battle."