Fibromyalgia and Me

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If you know that you have fibromyalgia, it’s important to find the right fibromyalgia treatment options for you. Here are some treatment options that you should discuss with your doctor in order to improve your health.

Fibromyalgia, also known as soft tissue rheumatism,non-articular rheumatism and fibrositis, is a condition that affects tendons, muscles and ligaments. It is a very common disease that gives rise to a widespread pain in all joints that connect the bones. Fibromyalgia sufferers are therefore subject to regular chronic fatigue and sleep trouble as a result of swelling of joints and tissues or pain . These people are so much affected by this condition so the researchers in the medical community have searched for the cause of this problem but have not found the source of the problem.

Fibromyalgia affects about 6 million people in the United States. This represents five percent of the US population . Such a condition produces intense pain throughout the body of the victim of this awful syndrome and the risk of having fibromyalgia also increases with age. Fibromyalgia symptoms are very similar to arthritis except there are no outward signs such as swollen joints.

The symptoms of fibromyalgia can also be reduced when heat is applied. It also helps in relaxing stressed muscles and reducing pain or swelling. Taking a hot shower or applying hot compress or can give patients temporary relief from widespread pain. While fibromyalgia can affect the lives of the patients significantly but an early fibromyalgia treatment can enable some patients lead a healthy and normal life.

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This seems to be a burning question for millions of Americans who are affected by this chronic disease. Before you learn the answer to that question, you need to understand what this disease is all about.

Fibromyalgia Syndrome Explained

According to the American College of Rheumatology the fibromyalgia syndrome is characterized by two main symptoms. The first symptom would be accentuated pain all over the body continuously for more than three months and the second would be localized and sharp pain in minimum 10 to 20 points anywhere in your body.

Other symptoms of the fibromyalgia syndrome that you may find with this disease are chronic fatigue, sleeping problems, tingling sensation in legs, hands and face, constant headaches, stomach ache often combined with either diarrhea or constipation.  Some people also experience a burning sensation in their muscles. Yet others may complain about blurred vision, pain in the heels and even hearing problems.

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To date, there is no identified cause or cure for fibromyalgia. This syndrome consists of a cluster of symptoms including moderate to intense pain in trigger points on the body, sleep disturbance, chronic fatigue, depression,lowered immune system, inability to concentrate, anxiety, and peripheral neuropathy – a condition that causes burning ,aching and twitches in the hands and feet. For most patients,medications for fibromyalgia do bring about symptom relief . A few times the only way to determine if a medication will help relieve fibromyalgia symptoms is by trial and error by the treating physician. If it works, then use it! but if it does not, try something else until symptom relief is obtained.

Through years of experimentation, the best fibromyalgia medication has been fairly standardized. A few medicines are considered as mainstream treatments, and some are still very hotly debated. Normally,the last word rests with the patient unless a certain medication is contraindicated due to drug interactions and drugs that may provide temporary relief but actually harm the patient in the long run.

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The factors of risk that are considered to facilitate the occurrence and the development of fibromyalgia are stress, depression, inadequate sleeping patterns, inappropriate diet and unhealthy lifestyle.

Although many people who are exposed to all of these factors of risk don’t develop neurological conditions, statistics indicate that all patients diagnosed with fibromyalgia have suffered from depression at certain stages of their lives and many of them have developed the disorder on the premises of insomnia, unhealthy lifestyle and inappropriate diet.

So exactly how important is a good fibromyalgia diet?

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A new law that went into effect July 1 says patients no longer need a physician referral before receiving acupuncture treatments.

The upshot for a profession that only became legal in the state within the past 10 years is that acupuncturists should benefit from a boost in business. Competition is expected to increase as well, as the favorable conditions could prompt more of them to seek licenses in Indiana.

The referral requirement has been a thorn in the side of the profession, so to speak, for several years, said Mitchell Harris, president of the Indiana Association of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine, the locally based trade association that lobbied for the change. He also operates Indy Acupuncture & Health Services Inc. in Broad Ripple with his wife, Erica.

“This law is the beginning of a lot more business,” he said, “because a lot more people will be able to experience acupuncture.”

Harris and his colleagues had little trouble convincing lawmakers the permission slip had run its course, particularly because their counterparts at the Indiana State Medical Association did not stand in the way.

Dr. Jon Marhenke, president of the ISMA, acknowledged acupuncture has benefits for certain patients and even is aware of a handful of physicians in the state who practice the therapy.

“It’s not a pill or treatment used in Western medicine, but it certainly can play a role in chronic pain situations,” he said. “It’s a real option for people to consider.”

The practice of inserting and manipulating fine, filiform needles into specific points on the body originated in China and can be traced as far back as the Stone Age. The aim is to relieve pain, although it’s used for other ailments such as allergies, anxiety, sleep disorders and infertility.

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Reflexology is a form of alternative medicine that is very similar to acupressure therapy as it coordinates major organs of the body with specific pressure points on an individual’s feet as well as hands. This is a form of ancient medicine that got its start in Greek culture. The Greeks referred to the reflexology at that time as “pressure treatment.” Soon after the Greeks began practicing it, the ancient Indians caught onto the trend and began practicing it as well. In its early years, reflexology was also referred to as zone theory or zone therapy. Reflexology in the US first showed itself in the year 1913 when William H. Fitzgerald took the human body and proceeded to divide it into ten vertical zones. He noted that all of the organs of the body correspond to pressure points on the hands as well as the feet. Applying pressure to these points was supposed to bring relief to areas of the body that were in need of healing.

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fibromyalgia treatment consists of several methods each of which is designed to ease the discomfort of symptoms for the sufferer and to improve one’s quality of life.

Chiropractic care is one of the more useful treatment options for fibromyalgia sufferers. The fact it’s not a disease and cannot be pinpointed in any one area of the body, but a combination of symptoms and triggers means it cannot be treated by medical surgery or by curing drugs.

So how can chiropractic care help a fibromyalgia sufferer? Well, one of the biggest impacts chiropractic can have is improving a person’s posture. Can you remember the last time you went to a chiropractor and were given advice about your posture habits?

Treating Fibromyalgia With Good Posture

Bear in mind, maintaining good posture habits will not cure your fibromyalgia. Used in combination with various other treatment methods, the impact on subduing your symptoms can be very effective.

So what do we mean by practicing good posture management. Well, posture and ergonomics covers a range of daily activities.

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Cranial Electrotherapy Stimulation (CES) is a treatment for brain disorders I have not heard of, but apparently it has been in use for quite some time. Cranial electrotherapy stimulation is also known as electrosleep therapy, cranial-electro stimulation, neuroelectric therapy and transcranial electrotherapy. The basic idea behind cranial electrotherapy stimulation is that you attach clips to your earlobes and run a 80 to 600 microAmperes current through them. Apparently this can alter brain functioning and may improve conditions associated with specific brain disorders such as depression and anxiety. Currently it appears that cranial electrotherapy stimulation is only FDA approved to treat insomnia, depression and anxiety. These two PDF files (here and here) discuss the evidence that shows this actually does something. This page discusses its use for the treatment of insomnia. Another article about this technology can be found at Brain Blogger. I’m still somewhat skeptical of this treatment. It seems to be marketed as something of a snake oil to cure all your ills. Some companies in the past have made some dubious claims about cranial electrotherapy stimulation being able to improve IQ and other such nonsense. I’m not sure if many of the studies had an adequate sham control either.

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The newly formed Advisory Council on Fibromyalgia Education (ACFE) comprised of internationally recognized clinicians and researchers and developed to identify and provide solutions to educational gaps and barriers in the area of fibromyalgia syndrome issued a statement stating that several significant gaps exist in the identification, diagnosis and management of fibromyalgia patients.

“The gaps and barriers identified among healthcare providers include a substantial lack of awareness about the disorder and a lack of confidence in the ability of the physicians to diagnosis it. As a result, misdiagnosis, fragmentation of patient care, and an increased cost of care are plaguing the management of fibromyalgia syndrome,” said I. Jon Russell, MD, PhD, Associate Professor of Medicine at The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio and Director of the University Clinical Research Center. “Each of these barriers contributes to poor patient care and outcomes. Ideally, the management of patients with fibromyalgia syndrome should be individualized, multimodal, multidisciplinary, and should be expected to extend over weeks to months with a continuum of care during that time,” added Dr. Russell.

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