Fibromyalgia, Fact or Fiction?
According to the American College of Rheumatology,
Fibromyalgia is described as a "central sensitization syndrome" caused by neurobiological abnormalities which act to produce physiological pain and cognitive impairments as well as neuro-psychological symptomatology.
Lots of big words that don’t mean much!
The term ‘fibromyalgia’ was introduced in 1976. This word is derived from the Latin root fibro (fibrous tissue) and the Greek roots myo (muscles) and algos (pain).
So in other words, the name means painful muscles and ligaments. It does not tell us what has caused the pain or how to treat it!
It is basically a diagnosis given by doctors when they do not know what else to call it, and the main stay of medical treatment is to put sufferers on pain medications such as opioids, anti-depressants (Pozac), and anti-convulsants (Lyrica).Let’s take a look some of the complaints associated with fibromyalgia.
This is quite an extensive and varied list of symptoms and encompasses a variety of conditions.
Fibromyalgia Syndrome Signs and Symptoms:
- Recognised pressure pain points
- A heightened response to painful stimuli
- Chronic fatigue
- Sleep disturbance
- Joint stiffness
- Bladder and bowel issues
- Difficulty swallowing
- Numbness and tingling
- Cognitive dysfunction
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Post traumatic stress
- Brain functional and structural changes
In addition, many other associated symptoms have been described:
- Difficulty falling asleep, frequent waking, and feeling unrefreshed on rising in the morning.
- Co-existing restless legs syndrome.
- Alternating bouts of diarrhoea and constipation, and also experience bloating, cramping, and an increased urge to defecate. Is this Irritable Bowel Syndrome?
- Fatigue worse in the morning and early evening. Chronic fatigue is often said to co-exist.
- Cognitive symptoms including mood and anxiety disorders, confusion and forgetfulness, an inability to concentrate and recall simple words and numbers, and the transposition of words and numbers.
- Weight fluctuations. Problems with sugars.
- Allergy symptoms. Foods or environment.
What I am trying to explain here is that fibromyalgia is not a syndrome in itself. It is a group of symptoms that are common to a large variety of ailments. The job of the astute practitioner is to explore the underlying triggers to resolve your pain.
The Energy Factory in the Cell Needs the Correct Fuel to Run Effectively.
In the diagram below is a picture of the energy cycle in the cell. Yes it’s complicated, but what I want you to observe are the vitamin and minerals in the blue rectangles that have to be there for each stage of energy production. Mg=magnesium, B vitamins, Fe=iron, Mn=manganese, etc.
Many people don’t realise, diets high in carbohydrates or comprising takeaway foods are often missing essential nutrients to run the energy factory in the cells. Muscles get tired and knot up, energy wains. Our brain can’t work properly leading to sleep disturbance, brain fog or a lack of concentration.
This is where the smart practitioner becomes the detective to find out what is missing and why essential nutrients are not getting to their mark. How good is your diet?
To discover effective home treatment remedies to calm the pain of fibromyalgia, register for my FREE webinar: How to live a life Without pain