Fibromyalgia is a syndrome: it’s a collection of symptoms. Symptoms are things like trouble sleeping, headaches and other uncomfortable things.
There can be many causes for FMS or “fibro.” If you can start getting rid of one cause at a time, it can become way less bothersome.
Cold therapy is usually the treatment of choice for muscles that are uncomfortable but some people with fibro cannot tolerate the cold. They prefer heat. But if you feel a little worse with heat, that means it’s not the right treatment for you, either.
I had a client diagnosed with Fibromyalgia who, at first, could only tolerate very light touch and who had a hard time lying on the padded treatment table for more than 30 minutes total.
Basically, she started having weekly massage (which she only has now when she feels the need) and when she started feeling well enough eventually started doing tai chi (which she now does several times a week.)
Massage and tai chi helped her attain better posture and more balance and strength so her symptoms became less.
She was able to reduce and then get off all of her pain meds and now takes them only rarely if she needs to. And now she takes a much lighter dose when she does feel the need.
When doctors give the diagnosis of fibro, they typically mean, “I am acknowledging that you have pain. I don’t know why.”
The good news is you aren’t going to die. Fibro is a syndrome, not a disease.
Well, just like most every other syndrome we get, there can be reasons. And when we get rid of the reasons, we feel better.
It’s important to know that bodies heal all the time. 🙂 We just have to give them what they need.
Typical causes of Fibro include trauma or injury, dietary deficiencies, infections or illnesses and posture.
I have a strong feeling that most of these can be reversed. If you get rid of the possible causes and you will be on the road to getting rid of your fibromyalgia naturally.
Kathryn,
Enjoyed this article as I personally know several people diagnosed with fibro, and as I read about how common it has become, I can’t help but believe that we again have a new affliction draped across the general population much like depression. Those two diagnoses alone reap tremendous profits for physicians and especially for the Big Pharma.
Personally, I feel too many people accept a prescription approach too readily – with that in turn presenting many problems of its own. More does need to be studied about the causes of such afflictions and doctors should encourage lifestyle changes rather than suggest medications as a first treatment. No money in that though.
Thanks for an article, Kathryn, that encourages another approach to this all too common diagnosis.
Thank you, Heidi. Even among doctors, there is no agreement. Some believe it is “something” and others believe it is a collection of symptoms. The really good news about getting a diagnosis of Fibromyalgia is that it means you aren’t going to die from it (although sometimes you may feel like you will.) It’s given after all the others like MS and Lupus are ruled out.
Yes, we (they) should be looking for causes and not simply prescribing meds. On the other hand, the causes that the medical community/research find often still miss the real cause. For example, “it’s a pinched nerve.” Yes, but WHY is the nerve pinched?
Kathryn
The Pain Relief Coach
An insightful article. Thanks so much
Thank you, Rosie. I appreciate you taking the time to comment. 🙂
Kathryn
The Pain Relief Coach
Fibromyalgia is painful, and it disrupts your life style. Like you said your not going to die from it. My primary wanted to give me pain medications, I opted not to take them . Rather find alternate methods for pain management, such as massage . Everyone is different.