Fibromyalgia Relief

6 Fibromyalgia Pain Relief Strategies

2007-10-24T13:47:00.000-07:00

6 Fibromyalgia Pain Relief Strategies

Treating the pain associated with Fibromyalgia can be a difficult task since cures that help one person might not help you. Here is a list of popular and common pain remedies that should help your symptoms.

1. Entering into a consistent and relaxing exercise routine is one of the easiest and most beneficial ways of dealing with Fibromyalgia. Not only does exercise help keep you fit and trim, it also helps with blood flow throughout the body. It can also help normalize sleep patters and reduce the amount of time it takes for your body to recover from injury. Please remember to never start an exercise routine without consulting a doctor first.

2. A low carb and high protein diet is another popular way to help relieve Fibromyalgia pain. Not only will eating right help your body overall, by eliminating high amounts of saturated fat, refined white sugar, caffeine and alcohol, you can eliminate many common symptom triggers. Combine that with a beneficial exercise routine, and you will be well on your way to a healthier body and less pain.

3. As any long time sufferer of Fibromyalgia can tell you, nothing feels better than a good heating pad. Pads help with circulation and also help to loosen up muscles and joints that can ache during severe bouts of Fibro flare-up. There are many different pads you can use, cordless and the old-fashioned plug-in kinds. There are also chemical heating pads that you can you and even wear under your clothes during the day. Some of these pads can last up to 8 hours.

4. The use of topical pain medications is another popular way to deal with Fibromyalgia. But a quick trip to your local drug store reveals an overwhelming choice in pain relief rubs. The industry standard is, of course, Bengay. But if you’ve tried it and didn’t care for the results, there are literally a dozen other choices available. And if none of the name brand medications seem to do the trick, there are also a slew of homeopathic remedies and all-natural creams that many sufferers swear by.

5. Meditation might not be a cure-all for pain, but it can help relieve a lot of stress that can be a major trigger for Fibromyalgia symptoms. Meditation is a very personal, and for most a private practice. Most people require a quiet place, maybe some soothing music and the ability to completely relax. Meditation can also give a big boost to self-confidence by putting practitioners in the mindset that they can control their Fibromyalgia, and thus their pain, as well.

6. A final helper for pain is deep tissue massage. By helping to stimulate blood flow in the joints and muscles that are aching, symptoms and pain can be reduced. This works much the same way as a heating pad, but many Fibromyalgia sufferers swear by the deeper and more complete relief of a massage. You may need to experiment with this option. Try and find a massuse who has dealt with fibro patients before as initially the pain can stop you continuing with the massage.

Fibromyalgia can be a painful and debilitating ailment. Luckily, there are many non-drug methods of dealing with the chronic pain caused by this condition. You may have to try several methods before you find one that is right for you, but there is hope for everyone with Fibromyalgia.

For more information on overcoming Fibromyalgia symptoms please visit
EliminateFibromyalgia.com

5 Diet Tips For Fibromyalgia Patients

2007-10-23T16:01:00.000-07:00

5 Diet Tips For Fibromyalgia Patients

With all of the controversy that surrounds Fibromyalgia, it can be hard to
find a physician who will diagnose you correctly, much less prescribe
treatment options that will be of benefit to you. Secondary diagnostic
options like the Internet and networks of educated and caring friends, can
be of help in treating your Fibromyalgia Symptoms.

One sure way of treating your Fibromyalgia, and many sufferers agree, is
changing your diet. There are no ironclad recipes of foods to include and
foods to avoid. The big key here is knowing that what works for some,
doesn’t work for everyone. It may take time and experimentation to figure
out the right diet modifications for treating your Fibromyalgia.

Here are 5 Diet Tips for treating your Fibromyalgia.

1. Keep Your Diet Balanced:

There is no formal aggreement as to the best diet for treating
Fibromyalgia. First on the agenda of any sufferer is to get the body in as
optimum condition as you can physically. Just cut down on foods with
high amounts of fat and try to eat more veggies and fruit. Drinking more
water helps flush everything through your system. Eliminate or cut down
dramatically on junk food. Eating right to begin with makes it easier to
make any further changes in your eating habits to affect the help you
need combatting your Fibromyalgia.

2. More Protein And Less Carbs:

Even people who don’t suffer from Fibromyalgia should heed this advice.
Lean proteins, like skinless chicken, lean beef and fish, are a great and
healthy way to fuel your body. These healthy foods help keep energy
levels high and will even help manage hypoglycemia. The bad stuff,
carbs, help the body to make insulin, which in small doses is ok, but if
your body produces too much, it can lead to your system storing
unwanted fat. This isn’t a healthy thing for anyone. It is even unhealthier
for those suffering from Fibromyalgia.

3. Caffeine Avoidance:

Almost an impossiblity these days when you consider the popularity of
coffee and soft drinks. Caffeine is a diuretic and can exacerbate IBS
symptoms that are usually associated with Fibromyalgia. Having no
caffeinated pop and also no chocolate or coffee is an important factor in a
diet suited to controling Fibromyalgia. If you just can’t live without these,
try to limit them to the best of you ability or you can or go for caffeine-free
varieties.

4. Eliminate Alcohol Consumption:

It is commonly known that combining many common prescription
medications and alcohol can be very bad for you, even alcohol on its own
can make your symptoms worse. Alcohol can aggravate the stomach and
can trigger digestive tract and bowel problems. Eliminating Alcohol can
take away a big factor in the aggravation of your Fibromyalgia.

5. Eliminate of Reduce Refined White Sugar:

Reducing or eliminating refined white sugar from your diet falls under the
category of sound medical advice to anyone. For Fibromyalgia sufferers,
it’s an exceptionally good idea. Not only does sugar disrupt sleep patters
if too much is injested, it can also harm your immune system. Tests have
shown that Fibromyalgia patients report less symptoms and fewer severe
symptoms when they reduced or eliminated their sugar intake.

Coping with and treating your Fibromyalgia can be a chore, especially
when some doctors won’t even admit the condition exists. There are
significant steps you can implement at home to decrease your
Fibromyalgia symptoms by changing your diet for the better. While some
may get different results, these tips will hopefully have you on your way to
a healthier tomorrow with your Fibromyalgia condition.

You Can Find Simple, Safe, All Natural Ways to Cure Your Fibromyalgia At EliminateFibromyalgia.com

7 Keys To Stress Reduction - How To Reduce Your Fibromyalgia Symptoms

2007-10-23T14:36:00.000-07:00

7 Keys To Stress Reduction - How To Reduce Your Fibromyalgia Symptoms

Stress and pain are halmarks of Fibromyalgia Symptoms. Without doubt,
some kind of a stressful event is what usually triggers Fibromyalgia flare
ups. Stress often shows up after a serious illness, some kind of
emotional or mental shock or with PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress
Disorder).

Experts think there is most likely a genetic tendency toward
Fibromyalgia, and many people believe that stress unmasks the disorder.
Many think that Fibromyalgia is a central nervous system disorder in
which either pain-sensing nerves are extremely sensitive, or the brain is
excessively sensitive to pain impulses. Those with Fibromyalgia have
poor functioning of the HPA axis—hpyophysis-pituitary-adrenal
axis—this is the body’s way of responding to stress with neurochemicals
like adrenalin and serotonin. We really don’t know how the pain sensors
and abnormal stress responses are related, but we do know that those
people with Fibromyalgia experience more pain when they are stressed
than not.

Just being dealt with having Fibromyalgia is stressful enough. having to
deal with continual pain, fatigue and mental cloudiness is very stressful.
Being limited and not being able to accomplish things is stressful,
especially if it affects your work or employment status. Those issues can
lead to financial stress as well.

Most people don't understand what you
are going through and expect you to behave “normally” this issue can be
another point of stress. Coping with a chronic disease or Illness and the
lifestyle changes that result is full of stress. Adding anything more to the
stress load tends to tip the scale and cause the Fibromyalgia symptoms
to be much worse.

Reducing Stress is a critical part of managing your Fibromyalgia.

Here are 7 Key Ways that may help alleviate some of your stress.

1. Taking Good Care Of Yourself:

Eating a good nutritious diet and getting the right kind and right amount
of exercise are important. Establishing regular sleep habits and learning
to relax effectively are all part of taking good care of yourself. You must
take care of yourself or you are doomed to feeling worse and able to do
less with your Fibromyalgia.

2. Being Fully Aware of You Body:

People who cope with chronic pain, as in Fibromyalgia, become used to
ignoring their bodies; it’s one way they deal with the pain symptoms. If
you discover how to recognize your body’s cues that you are becoming
stressed and tense, you can use a relaxation technique or exercise early
before stress becomes a bigger problem. Take a break hetre and there.
Take a moment, sit quietly and pay attention to how you are feeling.
Identify where you feel stress first. Did your shoulders tighten up? Did
you get heartburn? Once you learn this technique, you can periodically
scan to see if your body is showing the stress tension symptoms.

3. Modify Your Thinking:

Try to out think or out smart yourself. You know youself better than
anyone else. Get to know what your triggers for stress are and be smart to
avoid those ares of your life if you can. This will take practice, but it gives
you a chance to respond to the flare ups in your Fibromyalgia cause by
stressfull situations instead of reacting to them.

4. Create A Stress Journal:

There are two purposes for this. You can identify stressful situations or
incidents that will help you clarify what is stressful to you. This will help
you avoid repeating these situations or be better prepared to deal with
them if they are unavoidable. Journaling about a stressful event also
helps de-stress or calm down after the event has occurred.

5. Use Stress Management Techniques:

Use techniques like visualization, meditation and breathing to relieve your
Fibromyalgia stress. These techniques decrease the level of
neurochemicals circulating in your body, and help decrease both stress
and pain symptoms.

6. Massage, Stretching and Physical Therapy:
Stretching and massage can help decrease muscle tension and stress,
and help minimize pain. Physical therapy can be of tremendous help to
those with stressfull pain. Proffessional Therapists know more that you
do about relief techniques. Learn from the experts if you can about new
ways to reduce your stress.

7. Specialized Counselors For Pain Management:

Talk to a specialist if you can. Many counselors who specialize in stress
management and pain treatment are just a phone call away. He or she
can help lead you on the right track to managing stressful events.
If you learn to decrease your stress, you will most likely experience less
fatigue and pain from your Fibromyalgia.

Creatively changing your lifestyle so that you are taking good care of yourself can definately help prevent flare-ups and give you a better quality of life.

For Simple, Sale, All Natural Ways to Cure Fibromyalgia Vist EliminateFibromyalgia.com

Fibromyalgia - Exercise Equals Relief

2007-10-23T12:53:00.000-07:00

Fibromyalgia - Exercise Equals Relief

The most effective pain relief treatment for Fibromyalgia is exercise.
Which seems totally strange, because most people suffering from
Fibromyalgia hurt far worse and are much more fatigued after exercise,
and they may feel bad for days. The key is choosing the right quantity of
the right types of exercises.

For the people who are new to exercising with the limitations of
Fibromyalgia, it may be useful to enlist the help of a physical trainer,
therapist or exercise physiologist to create a plan specialized for you.
Each person with Fibromyalgia has varying exercise capabilities, so you
need a personalized program designed just for you.

An additionally important concept related to exercise is your “baseline.”
Each person has a different one. A "baseline" is the level of exercise that
you can maintain over a period of time. This simply means that the pain
you get while exercising with Fibromyaglia doesn’t interfere with your
lifestyle. You also must remember that there will always be good days
and bad days. You shouldn't quit or reduce your exercising because of a
bad day. (Keep in mind you may want to moderate it a bit if you have a
bad flare-up that lasts days or weeks.)

You should always begin exercise training with stretching weather you
have Fibromyalgia or not. Stretching helps lubricate ligaments and joints,
reduces stiffness and keeps ligaments and tendons from shortening over
time. Stretching must be a gentle process and it should feel good to
warm up with stretching.

Mild aerobic activity, such as walking, for a few
minutes before stretching is a good way to warm up before you get
started with your petrsonalized exetrcise routine.

Low-impact, easy aerobic exercise that should be done daily is the next
step. Aerobic exercise has many benefits to your health. It specifically
helps reduce Fibromyalgia pain symptoms because it greatly improves
flexibility, helps your body to release endorphins and reduces stress.

For excellent Low Impact Exercise you could try Walking or Bicycling. You
should start at a level suitable to you current physical status and increase
your level of exercise gradually. If you get tired after a few minutes of
walking, start at that point and increase your time by a minute or two
every few days or each week.

Water aerobics and swimming are especially good activities for people
with Fibromyalgia. The buoyancy of you body in the water helps to
supports your sore muscles and gives you the ability to exercise with less
pain. A double benefit of swimming is the gentle stretching along with
aerobic exercise.

The following exercise programs emphasize slow, gentle movements that are ideal for people
with Fibromyalgia. They are: Tai Chi and Qi Gong and Yoga. All three of
these exercises programs include breathing and focusing, which helps to
decrease stress. These programs also make you more aware of your
body and you'll learn to recognize signs of stress more easily.

Pilates works well and is another exercise system where you work with
your body through stretching and toning. Pilates is a gentle way to tone
you body and is great for people with Fibromyalgia because it is a
non-weight bearing exercise, like chair aerobics.

Those with Fibromyalgia can add strength training slowly as they build up
their tolerance to exercise. Resistance bands give plenty of strength
training for a beginer. It is important to note that Strength training should
be undertaken carefully and gently. It is recommended to get help from an
exercise professional before adding it to your exetcise routine. There are
a bunch of benefits to strength training. I can be a very beneficial addition
to your exercise, especially when you are on the feeling side of life.

No matter if we are talking about exercise or sleep, pacing yourself and
staying in a routine are a must if you have Fibromyalgia. A regular bedtime
schedule or going to bed and getting up at the same time every day helps
with sleep. Exercising is the same way . . . doing it at the same time every
day helps with exercise. Your body begins to respond to the routines you
put in place.

You must pace your exercise too. This means starting at a low level,
increasing slowly, and incorporating rest periods into your exercise
program. You should exercise, then rest, then exercise some more and
over time, you can shorten the rest periods and/or lengthen the exercise
periods. Keeping rhythm and pacing make a big difference in how much
exercise you can tolerate.

It is always recommended that you consult your doctor before starting
any new exercise regime.

To find out more on why exercise can be so beneficial please visit Eliminate Fibromyalgia.com

Getting Diagnosed With Fibromyalgia

2007-10-10T23:45:00.000-07:00

Getting Diagnosed With Fibromyalgia

The first step in getting your suspected Fibromyalgia diagnosed is to find a physician, nurse practitioner or other health care provider who is knowledgeable and compassionate. Maybe it should be the other way around . . . compassionate and knowledgeable.

The only sure way to find the right health care provider is by trial and error. You can narrow the field by talking to other people, especially people with Fibromyalgia or who suffer some kind of chronic pain, and asking for recommendations. Rheumatologists are specialists in treating fibromyalgia, but many times an internist or family doctor is just as knowledgeable and helpful as a specialist.

Make an appointment with your chosen health care provider and tell him or her your story. Describe your pain and other symptoms and tell her how long you have had them. Answer their questions, and get a sense for how you are being treated. If you feel disrespected, or that you are not being taken seriously, make an appointment with a different health care provider. Keep going until you find a professional that you can relate to.

Diagnosing and treating Fibromyalgia is a partnership between you and your healthcare provider, and you need to be able to work together on this. You can expect that a health care provider who is knowledgeable about Fibromyalgia will take a health history, perform a physical examination, do some blood work and perform a point tenderness test. That’s the minimum.

The blood work will usually be to make sure there aren’t other problems, like rheumatoid arthritis, causing your symptoms. The real “test” for Fibromyalgia is trigger point tenderness. The doctor will press on 18 specific areas of your body to test for tenderness. If you have achiness all over and are unusually tender over 11 or more of these trigger points, they will usually conclude that you have Fibromyalgia.

Even this is a bit tenuous, though, because, as you know, the pain of Fibromyalgia comes and goes. There are many other trigger points over your body that may be tender. The ones that are used for diagnosis were chosen by researchers as the ones most commonly affected.

Until recently, there have been no diagnostic tests for Fibromyalgia, other than trigger point tenderness. A few tests are beginning to be used now, though. Your doctor may or may not order these tests; they are not widely used yet and their usefulness hasn’t been proven.

The tests are:

1. Cytokine levels, which are often abnormal in people with Fibromyalgia.

2. APA assay (antipolymer antibody). APA levels are thought to be elevated in people with Fibromyalgia.

3. Sleep study. This may be done both because most FMS patients have sleep abnormalities, so an abnormal sleep test makes the diagnosis clearer, and to identify and treat specific sleep problems.

4. MRI or PET scan. People with Fibromyalgia have abnormalities in both MRI and PET scan. ? EEG. Some researchers have discovered EEG abnormalities in people with fibromyalgia.
As more research is done, better, more definitive tests for Fibromyalgia may become available. That would be a huge benefit for both patients and health care providers, because diagnosing fibromyalgia would be easier and more certain.

For more information on overcoming Fibromyalgia symptoms please visit Eliminate Fibromyalgia .

Fibromyalgia Symptoms Explained

2007-10-10T23:29:00.000-07:00

Fibromyalgia Symptoms Explained

Fibromyalgia is a syndrome (fibromyalgia syndrome, or FMS), or a cluster of problems. People who have fibromyalgia suffer with pain, either all over or in particular places, have sleeping problems, are overwhelmingly tired and may have many other symptoms.

Five to ten per cent of the population has Fibromyalgia. Most of them are women, but men and children do experience the symptoms, too.

Pain is the most distinguishing characteristic of Fibromyalgia. Medically, it’s described as generalized musculoskeletal aches, pain and stiffness. For the pain to be diagnosed as Fibromyalgia, it has to be present in all four body quadrants (arms and legs) for at least 3 months, and there has to be pain when pressure is applied to at least 11 of the 18 identified trigger points.
That’s the medical description.

Here is how people with Fibromyalgia describe it.

“I can hardly move because of the pain I’m in. I’m fighting to stay mobile.”

“There is no way to describe the pain. You live with it on a daily basis.”

“What people don’t realize is that I am in pain all the time, every day.”

“Sometimes you think, no big deal, it’s just pain. It’s not life threatening. Sometimes you wish it was. At least there’d be an end in sight.”

The pain waxes and wanes, varying in intensity. People have good days and bad days. Some days it’s not too bad; some days it’s pretty much disabling. The pain of Fibromyalgia often gets worse on cold or humid days, when you haven’t slept well, when you are too inactive or too active, when you are stressed or when your hormones change.

The second most disabling characteristic of Fibromyalgia is fatigue. Recent findings suggest that the fatigue is due to a stage four sleep disorder called alpha EEG anomaly. During deep stage four sleep, the brain has bursts of awake-like activity, so there is not enough undisturbed deep sleep for the body to get sufficient rest.

In addition to alpha EEG anomaly, many FMS sufferers also have sleep apnea, upper airway resistance syndrome, bruxism (teeth grinding during sleep), limb movement and jerking and restless leg syndrome. All of these contribute to the fatigue of Fibromyalgia.

Again, this is how Fibromyalgia sufferers describe their fatigue.

“The fatigue is worse than the pain.”

“Some days going to the bathroom feels like a ten-mile hike.”