Relieving your Pain from Fibromyalgia

Fibromyalgia is a debilitating and devastating disease characterized by chronic pain. Natural fibromyalgia treatments can provide some relief to those living through it daily.

Fibromyalgia (FM) is a functional somatic disorder characterized by the insidious onset of chronic, widespread musculoskeletal pain. Chronic fatigue is a commonly associated condition, which generally presents with debilitating and unrelenting exhaustion. Both conditions commonly present with other chronic ailments like headaches, depression, memory loss, brain fog and sleep disturbances. It’s estimated that around 2% of the population is affected with fibromyalgia.

In the world of medicine, FM is a relatively new disease and there’s a lot of controversy surrounding etiology. Some theories link fibro with anatomical changes in the brain, and more specifically, changes in volume of gray matter. Other proposed causes include mitochondrial dysfunction and an increased level of oxidative stress causing injury to peripheral nerves. Still, the question remains…What causes variable volumes of gray matter? Why do some people have increased levels of oxidative stress? The problem is, scientists don’t have a definitive answer yet. The root of fibromyalgia could be genetic, environmental or a part of the aging process.

Symptoms of Fibromyalgia:
•    Widespread muscle and skeletal pain, which diffuse tender points
•    Chronic fatigue
•    Headaches
•    Sleep disturbances
•    Memory loss
•    Cognitive delays
•    Reduced ability to complete activities of daily living

Possible causes of Fibromyalgia:
•    Altered brain anatomy resulting in abnormal volumes of gray matter
•    Mitochondrial dysfunction
•    Increased oxidative stress
•    Chronic infection
•    Abnormal immune functioning
•    Increased systemic inflammation

Fibromyalgia treatments are difficult to implement for a number of reasons, but mostly because the etiology is not yet fully understood. Analgesic drugs and antidepressants are commonly prescribed, but really only yield short-term relief. Therefore, it’s important to pursue natural fibromyalgia treatments. A combination of pharmaceutical and natural remedies is the best approach to effectively managing chronic pain long-term.

Fibromyalgia has devastating effects on the lives of those dealing with it. The pain and fatigue can be so huge, that even basic daily activities are unmanageable. The most important of all the proposed fibromyalgia treatments is to offer an understanding ear. Some doctors don’t believe fibro is a real condition. But this message has to stop. The pain is real, and the impact on quality of life is severe. Listen to the stories of these affected individuals to gain an understanding of what they live through on a daily basis.

Fibromyalgia treatments that have been suggested include:

•    Optimizing lifestyle risk factors by managing diet and exercise
•    Aerobic exercise
•    Thai Chi
•    Meditation
•    Acupuncture/Electroacupuncture
•    Magnesium
•    L-Carnitine
•    CoQ10
•    SAMe

Fibro has been associated with other lifestyle risk factors like smoking, obesity, high blood pressure and high blood sugar. Therefore, optimizing diet and exercise to minimize these risks is an important step. Exercise has also gained recognition as a helpful tool to alleviate muscle stiffness and pain. Mild intensity aerobic exercise (like walking) on a daily basis may help with pain management. Acupuncture, and other manual therapies may be helpful in reducing pain and providing temporary relief of symptoms. Finally, supplementation is an important part of fibromyalgia treatments. Magnesium helps to relax tight muscles, while L-Carnitine, CoQ10 and SAMe work to correct mitochondrial dysfunction and reduce oxidative stress.
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How to Relieve Pain from Fibromyalgia

Fibromyalgia (FM) is a functional somatic disorder, characterized by the insidious onset of chronic pain (Kim et al, 2015). FM generally presents with widespread musculoskeletal pain, causing debilitation and severe impacts on health-related quality of life (Rusu et al, 2015). In addition to muscle pain, fibromyalgia is characterized by a low overall pain threshold, muscle stiffness, chronic fatigue, headaches, sleep disturbances and memory loss (Cerda-Olmedo et al, 2015). Many people suffering from this condition have difficulty working and carrying out activities of daily living (Rusu et al, 2015). The global prevalence is estimated to be between 2-8%, with a greater proportion of females to males affected (Cera-Olmedo et al, 2015).

The cause of Fibromyalgia is still not fully understood, although many theories have been proposed. For example, altered cytokine (immune marker) profiles and autoantibodies have been shown in FM patients (Cera-Olmedo et al, 2015). There is also evidence of anatomical changes in the brain of those experiencing chronic pain. Specifically, reduced gray matter has been noted in certain areas including the basal ganglia and thalamus (Kim et al, 2015). Furthermore, increased gray matter has been reported in the cerebellum (Kim et al, 2015). Other theories focus on mitochondrial dysfunction and increased oxidative stress (Sanchez-Dominguez et al, 2015). Specifically, disruptions in the mitochondrial chain activities and increased levels of oxidation are suggested to play a role in peripheral nerve damage, leading to diffuse pain (Sanchez-Dominguez et al, 2015). Whatever the cause, the abnormalities in FM patients may be a product of genetic make-up, aging or environmental factors (or a combination of all) (Kim et al, 2015).  Furthermore, a link has been suggested between chronic infection and fibromyalgia (Cera-Olmedo et al, 2015).  The diagnosis of FM is purely clinical, meaning it is based on presenting symptoms and health history (Cera-Olmedo et al, 2015).

Fibromyalgia treatments are difficult to implement for a number of reasons, but mostly because the etiology is not yet understood. Short-term benefits have been found with pharmacological interventions, but long-term resolution has not been demonstrated (Wang et al, 2015). First-line medications include analgesics and antidepressants, which are associated with risk of adverse events with chronic use (Wang et al, 2015). Furthermore analgesic tolerance is a real concern whereby long-term ingestion of the same dose of medication is no longer effective.

Natural fibromyalgia treatments are important to implement because they are safe and free of adverse effects. Specifically, a combination of pharmaceutical and natural therapies is an ideal approach to the management of this condition.

Natural fibromyalgia treatments include lifestyle modifications, exercise, mind-body work, acupuncture and nutraceutical supplementation. Lifestyle risk factors for chronic disease, including smoking, obesity, poor diet, high blood pressure and unregulated blood sugar are commonly associated with fibromyalgia (Rusu et al, 2015). Therefore, treatments should begin with nutritional counselling, smoking cessation and healthy weight management to minimize these risks.

Exercise has been shown to be an effective tool for relieving symptoms of pain and stiffness. Mild-moderate aerobic exercise at 30-45 min, 4 days per week is a suggested guideline (Wang et al, 2015). Walking is a great way to implement a consistent exercise routine. Thai Chi is also beneficial in the treatment of FM (Wang et al, 2015). Not only does it help to alleviate physical pain, but it also benefits mental-emotional wellness through a heavy meditative component.  

Regular meditation sessions help manage the emotional pain associated with fibromyalgia (Porter et al, 2010). Daily breathing exercises are an easy way to begin the process, and can benefit feelings of depression and sadness.

Acupuncture is useful in providing immediate pain relief (Porter et al, 2010). It works by stimulating a release of natural endorphins and opiate chemicals that decrease the perception of pain in the central nervous system. Acupuncture also works by triggering sensory pathways to the brain that inhibit pain through neural transmission along the spinal cord. If needling is too aggravating, acupressure (which is the application of local pressure where an acupuncture needle would be inserted) is a gentler alternative.

Other fibromyalgia treatments include supplementation with magnesium, L-carnitine and S-Adenosylmethionine (SAMe) (Porter et al, 2010). Magnesium is important in relieving muscle hypertonicity, while L-carnitine and SAMe target mitochondrial functioning and cellular methylation pathways.

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