From sufferer to survivor to thriver. Live with #Fibromyalgia from this day on. This video is made for awareness regarding Fibromyalgia. It explains how we suffer, we are not lazy, or making excuses, we live with pain to varying degree’s day in and day out,…
Researchers Find Main Source of Pain in Blood Vessels
Researchers have found the main source of pain in Fibromyalgia patients, and contrary to what many believe, it does not stem from the brain. The findings mark the end of a decades-old mystery about the disease, which many doctors believed was conjured in patients’ imaginations. The mystery of Fibromyalgia has left millions of sufferers searching for hope in pain medications. Up until recently, many physicians thought that the disease was “imaginary” or psychological, but scientists have now revealed that the main source of pain stems from a most unlikely place- excess blood vessels in the hand.
The discovery may lead to new treatments and perhaps even a total cure in the future, bringing relief to as many as 5 million Americans thought to have the disease. To solve the Fibromyalgia mystery, researchers zeroed in on the skin from the hand of one patient who had a lack of the sensory nerve fibers, causing a reduced reaction to pain. They then took skin samples from the hands of Fibromyalgia patients and were surprised to find an extremely excessive amount of a particular type of nerve fiber called arteriole-venule (AV) shunts.
Up until this point scientists had thought that these fibers were only responsible for regulating blood flow, and did not play any role in pain sensation, but now they’ve discovered that there is a direct link between these nerves and the widespread body pain that Fibromyalgia sufferers feel.
The breakthrough also could solve the lingering question of why many sufferers have extremely painful hands as well as other “tender points” throughout the body, and why cold weather seems to aggravate the symptoms. In addition to feeling widespread deep tissue pain, many Fibromyalgia patients also suffer from debilitating fatigue.
Neuroscientist Dr. Frank L. Rice explained: “We previously thought that these nerve endings were only involved in regulating blood flow at a subconscious level, yet here we had evidences that the blood vessel endings could also contribute to our conscious sense of touch… and also pain,” Rice said. “This mismanaged blood flow could be the source of muscular pain and achiness, and the sense of fatigue which are thought to be due to a build-up of lactic acid and low levels of inflammation fibromyalgia patients. This, in turn, could contribute to the hyperactivity in the brain.”
Current treatments for the disease have not brought complete relief to the millions of sufferers. Therapies include narcotic pain medicines; anti-seizure drugs, anti-depressants and even simple advice such as “get more sleep and exercise regularly.” Now that the cause of Fibromyalgia has been pinpointed, patients are looking forward to an eventual cure. Other expressed frustration about how much they had suffered already:
“When are they ever going to figure out that things are never “all in your head?” said one commenter. “Whenever something doesn’t fit in their tiny little understanding, they belittle the patient and tell them they are crazy. People have suffered through this since they were invented. Prescribing SSRIs for everything is not the answer any more than a lobotomy or hysterectomy was.”
The announcement has the potential to unlock better future treatments and undoubtedly has patients all over the world rejoicing that the mystery of Fibromyalgia has finally been solved.
By: Rebecca Savastio
Source: Redorbit
Source: Womenshealth.gov
Source: Yahoo News
HEALTH: #fibromyalgia #chronicpain #holistic #Evolve101
Myofascial Pain Syndrome (MPS) And Fibromyalgia
Source: fibromyalgia-symptoms.org
“Many of those already suffering from the pain of fibromyalgia also suffer from myofascial pain syndrome. Myofascial pain syndrome is another form of chronic pain that can affect the entire body, particularly the face and jaw. Myofascial pain can add to the already annoying symptoms of fibromyalgia, and can contribute to disability and a poor quality of life if not diagnosed properly. If you think that you may be suffering from myofascial dysfunction, visit with your health care provider to discuss your treatment options.
What is Myofascial Pain Syndrome?
Myofascial syndrome is a pain disorder that affects the muscles and fascia throughout your body. Fascia is like a web that surrounds the bones, tissues, organs, and blood vessels throughout the body. Myofascial pain syndrome can attack and cause degeneration of certain areas of the fascia, resulting in chronic pain and a variety of other symptoms.
Pain usually originates in specific areas of the body, called myofascial trigger points (TrPs), which feel like tiny nodules under the skin. These trigger points commonly develop throughout the body, typically where the fascia comes into contact with a muscle.
Myofascial pain syndrome is a very common illness, and most people will develop at least one trigger point in their body at some point in their lives. The majority of these people will not develop severe symptoms and will be able to continue on with their normal routines. However, about 14% of the population will develop a chronic form of the syndrome, resulting in persistent pain and discomfort.
Myofascial pain disorder is very common in fibromyalgia sufferers. It was once thought that myofascial pain syndrome was actually a kind of fibromyalgia. However, this is now known not to be the case. It is possible to have both fibromyalgia and chronic myofascial syndrome, and therefore it is important to be diligent when analyzing your symptoms. If you notice myofascial syndrome symptoms, record them and report them to your doctor.
Signs and Symptoms of Myofascial Pain Syndrome:
The most common sign of myofascial pain is the presence of palpable trigger points in your muscles. Trigger points are areas of extreme tenderness and sensitivity, and usually form in bands of muscle underneath your skin. They are similar to the tender points caused by fibromyalgia, only trigger points can be felt beneath the skin. When touched, trigger points will produce pain and twitching in the muscles. Often, pain is felt in an area distinct from the trigger point that is actually affected – this is called referred pain.
The pain of myofascial syndrome is typically a dull ache, but can also produce a throbbing, stabbing, or burning sensation. Pain is often located in the jaw area, though any part of the body can be affected. One-third of myofascial pain sufferers report localized pain, while two-thirds report having pain all over their bodies.
Myofascial pain can also produce a variety of other symptoms, many of which may appear unrelated. These include:
* numbness in the extremities
* popping or clicking of the joints
* limited movement of joints, particularly the jaw
* muscle weakness (manifested in dropping things)
* migraine or headache
* disturbed sleep
* balance problems
* tinnitus and ear pain
* double vision or blurred vision
* problems with memory
* unexplained nausea, dizziness, and sweating
Aggravating Factors
Symptoms are often aggravated by specific factors. Stress and anxiety contribute to muscle tension and can irritate trigger points. Changes in the weather, including sudden coldness, high humidity, or extreme dryness can also exacerbate symptoms. Physical activity can also trigger symptoms.
Causes of Myofascial Pain Syndrome
There are numerous proposed causes of myofascial pain:
Muscle and Skeletal Problems:
The causes of myofascial pain dysfunction syndrome can be numerous and depend upon the individual. Generally, myofascial pain is caused by some sort of trauma to the muscles and skeleton in the body. Overworking of the muscles can cause damage to certain areas resulting in the development of a trigger point. Poor posture can also trigger myofascial pain in certain individuals. Skeletal abnormalities, such as having different sized feet, toes, or legs, can also contribute to the development of myofascial pains. Frequent exposure to cold weather may also increase the risk of developing chronic myofascial pain syndrome.
Chronic Fibromyalgia Pain:
People with fibromyalgia may get myofascial pain syndrome as a result of their fibromyalgia pain. Compensating for pain can often cause reduced movement or an unhealthy posture, leading to the formation of trigger points. The severe pain caused by fibromyalgia also causes muscle contractions around tender points, referred to as guarding. Eventually these muscle contractions cause trigger points to form in addition to the tender points of fibromyalgia.
Depression Associated with Fibromyalgia:
The depression associated with fibromyalgia may also cause myofascial pain to develop. At least 30% of fibromyalgia patients suffer from depression, which causes low levels of serotonin in the brain. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter responsible for regulating mood and pain in the body. Depression may interfere with the process of regulating pain, causing MPS.
Effects of MPS on Fibromyalgia:
Having both myofascial pain syndrome and fibromyalgia can be quite trying at times. Symptoms of MPS and fibromyalgia are very similar, making it difficult for medical professionals to properly diagnose many people. Without proper diagnosis, a patient may not receive appropriate treatment, causing his or her symptoms to become even worse. In addition, myofascial pain can often contribute to the pain caused by fibromyalgia, making life much more difficult to enjoy.
Author
10 Symptoms of Gluten Intolerance with information on how to test and advice on treatment. By Dr. Amy Myers…
More than 55 diseases have been linked to gluten, the protein found in wheat, rye, and barley. It’s estimated that 99% of the people who have either gluten intolerance or celiac disease are never diagnosed.
It is also estimated that as much as 15% of the US population is gluten intolerant. Could you be one of them?
If you have any of the following symptoms it could be a sign that you have gluten intolerance:
A video by Dr. William Davis, author of the book Wheat Belly
I have found the single best ways to determine if you have an issue with gluten is to do an elimination diet and take it out of your diet for at least 2 to 3 weeks and then reintroduce it. Please note that gluten is a very large protein and it can take months and even years to clear from your system so the longer you can eliminate it from your diet before reintroducing it, the better.
The best advice that I share with my patients is that if they feel significantly better off of gluten or feel worse when they reintroduce it, then gluten is likely a problem for them. In order to get accurate results from this testing method you must elimination 100% of the gluten from your diet.
Eliminating gluten 100% from your diet means 100%. Even trace amounts of gluten from cross contamination or medications or supplements can be enough to cause an immune reaction in your body.
The 80/20 rule or “we don’t eat it in our house, just when we eat out” is a complete misconception. An article published in 2001 states that for those with celiac disease or gluten sensitivity eating gluten just once a month increased the relative risk of death by 600%.
Still unsure?
Seek out an integrative practitioner or functional medicine physician to help to guide you.
#OtwaySmith #Fibromyalgia
There are many approaches taken toward the treatment fibromyalgia, ranging from pharmaceutical medicines to food elimination to sleep therapies to acupuncture and massage. They range in cost as much as they range in effect. Of course, everyone is interested in convenience and savings, but there are sufferers of fibromyalgia who would pay their last dime for even a little temporary relief.
Thankfully, there are some effective home remedies for alleviating fibromyalgia pain that make living with the condition at least a little more manageable. These remedies for reduction fibromyalgia aches and pains are advantageous because they do not come with any of the adverse side effects of pharmaceutical medications, and they can be applied in the convenience and privacy of home, using ingredients you find at your favorite supermarket, or that you may already have in your pantry.
Not only are they tasty food ingredients, but they seem to possess a special set of healing properties all their own. One sweet and one tart, mixed together in warm water they make a delicious, soothing concoction. This mixture is thought to be effective against fibromyalgia pain because honey has a high amount of potassium.
The presence of vinegar is unmistakable when it is right under your nose. Its aroma is not nearly as subtle as the potential it has to alleviate joint and muscle pain from fibromyalgia. Warm approximately two cups of vinegar and gently massage it where you feel pain gathering in your muscles and joints. Vinegar has already been used for generations to treat persistent pain in joints and muscles, though it isn’t always the first remedy that comes to mind because, remarkably, it is so easy to access.
Curcumin, also called turmeric, is known for its anti-inflammatory properties that lend to the treatment of fibromyalgia pain. For a sweet and spicy indulgence just before bedtime, throw a dash of turmeric powder into a glass of cold milk and enjoy! Its anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant agents will help you minimize muscle discomfort and rest well in the night.
Employ the right use of the right foods to adjust the alkaline in your blood back to a healthy level and ultimately reduce pain levels. Using organic cider vinegar, fresh lemons and lemon juice, cream of tartar and fresh, tart cherry juice in your recipes will help.
Make teas from dandelion, red clover and burdock roots to help cleanse your bloodstream and boost your immune system. For the best results, you should drink four to six cups each day. For fibromyalgia related depression, St. John’s wort is an herb supplement that has shown itself to be effectively uplifting when used regularly.
Use a pleasant, soothing mixture of panaway and wintergreen oils to massage away the pain of fibromyalgia from muscles and joints.
Simmer fresh, ripe cherries in a mixture of butter and unrefined brown sugar from tree sap. Start by melting 2 to 3 tablespoons of butter, careful not to scorch it, to a liquid. Add 10 to 12 ripe cherries, and as they start to caramelize, add 2 to 3 tablespoons of the brown sugar and simmer until the mixture is golden brown. It’s almost too sweet to endure!
For variation—or just to level out the sweetness—separately prepare 4 or 5 tablespoons of oatmeal with milk instead of water. As the oatmeal nears completion, add the cherry mixture and boil together a minute or two.
Radish and cranberry juices, though stout, offer effective relief of fibromyalgia muscular pain.
Raw papaya is another anti-inflammatory food that will help minimize fibromyalgia pain. For an interesting variation, make a tea using 8 to 10 ground papaya seeds boiled in a cup of water. Then, simply strain and enjoy!
Consume 2 to 3 teaspoons of ginger juice to alleviate fibromyalgia achiness. What’s better? Soak your body in a warm bath drawn with 4 to 5 ounces of ground ginger powder.
While we know about some effective—and sometimes delicious—home remedies for managing fibromyalgia pain, an equally important method of management is found in knowing how to avoid aggravating the symptoms to begin with. Counteractive methods can be somewhat effective, but preventative measures are an even better way to minimize fibromyalgia aches and pains.
Abstain from salt, white sugar and white flour as much as you possibly can. There are more far reaching health benefits to this idea than merely minimizing fibromyalgia achiness. But don’t do without sweetness altogether! Substitute unrefined brown sugar or raw cane sugar for refined white sugar and enjoy them in moderation. Substitute whole grain flour for enriched white flour and avoid yeasts altogether! Try seasoning your foods with spicy accents like pepper, cumin or turmeric and avoid salt as much as you can.
You already know that tiredness and chronic fatigue over time will take its toll on you. Know when to step away from work and home responsibilities, and dedicate time to yourself regularly to meditate and unwind.
Starting even a light exercise regime, at first, is difficult because it requires you to face up to the pain head on. Walking, aerobic exercise and yoga are actually very effective ways to decrease fibromyalgia pain over time. They are not quick fixes for immediate relief, but like the effort, the results are long lasting.
Equal in importance is getting enough bodily rest and restorative sleep. It is not always an easy feat, as sleep deprivation is a common symptom of fibromyalgia to begin with. Do your best to develop healthy sleeping habits, like going to bed early every night and getting out of bed at the same time every day. Adequate rest is crucial to your ability to manage your fibromyalgia. If necessary, consider seeing a professional who can help you learn and develop healthy sleeping habits.
Re-Blogged from http://www.chronicbodypain.net/easy-home-remedies-for-fibromyalgia-pain/
#OtwaySmith #Fibromyalgia
#OtwaySmith #Fibromyalgia
BY: Kristin Thorson (Fibromyalgia Network Editor)
“Do you understand what causes your fibromyalgia pain and can you easily explain it to others? According to a study by Robert Ferrari, M.D. and a team of primary care physicians, these two questions are the source of frustration among most people diagnosed with fibromyalgia.
“Fibromyalgia patients have long been described as having a disorder that lacks face validity,” writes Ferrari. “The feeling or implication that one’s symptoms, especially pain, is described as ‘medically unexplained’ is of concern to patients, to the point of being offensive.”
Why shouldn’t you be a bit unnerved when your condition is put in the “medically unexplained” category? It implies your illness is poorly defined, despite three FDA-approved drugs for treating fibro and more than 20 years of active research on this condition.
“Patients have indicated exactly this: while the diagnosis may confer some legitimacy, it does not improve their understanding of their own illness, nor help them explain their illness to others,” writes Ferrari. Based on this perception, he compared a group of 104 fibromyalgia patients to a group of 272 “other” chronic pain conditions. This latter group had either rheumatoid arthritis, whiplash-associated disorder, osteoarthritis, tendinitis, bursitis, or back pain.
Ferrari found people with fibro were four times more likely to have trouble understanding and explaining their pain to others than people in the group of “other” disorders. Admittedly, the diagnosis of fibromyalgia has been controversial and patients are stigmatized for having such a wide range of symptoms. However, many patients in the “other” group had ill-defined or difficult-to-describe conditions as well.
“Whiplash is a highly controversial disorder,” notes Ferrari, “and rheumatoid arthritis patients have only ‘autoimmune’ and ‘inflammation’ to rely on for explanation.” Despite the complexity of these terms, rheumatoid arthritis patients feel confident understanding their pain and explaining it to others. Ferrari found patients with tendinitis, bursitis, and back pain often view their pain as a form of arthritis, which is what they told others. While this belief is incorrect, it sure makes life easier.
“It is not accuracy and proper explanation that matters in one’s sense of understanding,” claims Ferrari. Perhaps people with fibromyalgia have too many symptoms and too much information about their likely causes, which makes it more difficult to put into a few words, like “arthritis” and “inflammation.” For whatever reason, people tend to automatically understand these two words mean serious pain.
Attempts to explain your fibromyalgia in terms of everything that is going wrong in the nervous system and the muscles could be overwhelming. After all, scientists are still trying to iron out the details of what causes fibromyalgia pain and other symptoms. Although describing your fibro in terms of current research findings may be more accurate, it could also be an added burden you don’t need. Maybe if you just said you had widespread arthritis (even though you know this is not the case), life would be easier.
Knowledge is power for helping you adapt and understand why certain treatments may reduce your fibromyalgia symptoms. But when it comes to everyone else, view the explanation of your fibro on a need-to-know basis, with less info being the easiest for most people to grasp.” -Kristin Thorson
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It’s estimated that fibromyalgia affects approximately 10 million people in the United States. Fibromyalgia is classically characterized by chronic pain, particularly muscle pain, fatigue, sleep disturbances, brain fog or cognitive impairment, depression and painful tender points throughout the body.
Conventional medicine has yet to uncover the cause of fibromyalgia and only offers management of symptoms through pain medications and antidepressants.
Functional medicine, on the other hand, looks to find the root cause of fibromyalgia and other chronic diseases, treating the problem at the root level to restore the patient to health. As a functional medicine physician, I’ve helped many patients recover from fibromyalgia. Below are the top ten root causes of fibromyalgia I see in my clinic.
1. Gluten intolerance
Gluten has been liked to more than 55 diseases and is often called the “big masquerader.” The reason for this is that the majority of gluten intolerance symptoms are not digestive in nature, but are instead neurological, such as pain, cognitive impairment, sleep disturbances, behavioral issues, fatigue and depression.
2. Candida overgrowth
Candida is a fungus, or yeast, and a very small amount of it lives in your intestines. When overproduced, Candida breaks down the wall of the intestines and penetrates the bloodstream, releasing toxic byproducts into your body and causing a host of unpleasant symptoms such as brain fog, fatigue, digestive issues and pain. Virtually every one of my patients with fibromyalgia has had Candida overgrowth.
3. Thyroid
It’s vital that your doctor check all six blood markers to accurately measure your thyroid gland’s function. It’s also imperative that your doctor use the optimal levels rather than the standard reference range when assessing and diagnosing thyroid disorders. Getting my patient’s thyroid levels into an optimal range typically alleviates their fatigue, brain fog, sleep disturbances and depression.
4. Vitamin deficiencies
Magnesium, vitamin D and B12 deficiency are the most common vitamin deficiencies I see in those who have been diagnosed with fibromyalgia. I’ve had several patients completely reverse their fibromyalgia symptoms with magnesium alone. The best way to measure magnesium is a red blood cell (RBC) magnesium level, which can be tested through any conventional lab.
5. Small Intestine Bacterial Overgrowth (SIBO) and Leaky gut
There are more bacteria in us and on us then there are of our own cells. When these bacteria get out of balance through use of antibiotics or a sugar-rich diet, we can lose our ability to digest and absorb nutrients, particularly B12. Gluten can cause SIBO and leaky gut and SIBO and leaky gut can lead gluten and other food intolerances. It’s a catch-22 and a vicious cycle. You must “fix the gut” first in anyone with fibromyalgia.
6. Mycotoxins
Mycotoxins are very toxic substances produced by molds. Conventional environmental mold testing only tests for levels of mold spores and does not test for mycotoxins. I use a urine mycotoxin test in my clinic to determine if someone has been exposed to toxic molds.
7. Mercury toxicity
I recommend that all my patients find a biological dentist and have their mercury amalgam fillings removed. Mercury is toxic to our bodies and can be one piece of the puzzle for those with fibromyalgia. I then recommend heavy metal testing using a pre- and post-DMPS urine challenge test.
Adrenal fatigue is a result of the chronic stress. Chronic pain is a stress to the adrenal glands, though it’s typically not the initial adrenal stressor. The initial stressor is usually something such as food intolerances, Candida, mercury toxicity, vitamin deficiencies or mycotoxins. My goal is to support the adrenals with adaptogenic herbs while we search for the root cause of the stress and correct it.
9. MTHFR mutations
This is a genetic test you can get though any conventional lab. The more mutations you have to the MTHFR gene the less able you are to methylate and detoxify toxins, such as mercury and lead. The more mutations you have at this gene the higher your requirements for methyl-B6, methyl-B12 and folinic acid in order to keep your detoxification pathways working properly.
10. Glutathione deficiency
Glutathione is the most critical part of our body’s detoxification system. Glutathione gets recycled in our body — unless our toxic burden gets too high, or we lack GSTM1 and GSTP1, the enzymes needed to recycle and produce glutathione. Taking glutathione or the precursors (NAC, alpha lipoic acid, milk thistle) often help dramatically with fatigue.
As you can see from the above list, many of these causes are interrelated, and often there’s no single root cause of fibromyalgia. Because getting to the root can be complex, I recommend that you find a functional medicine physician in your area to help uncover the root cause for you. You don’t need to suffer needlessly or mask your symptoms with pain medications and antidepressants.
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