Many of us suffer from this beastly illness including me. Sufferers know the pain well. Just being touched or clothing, such as tags or textures can hurt. I was often reduced to tears from the stabbing, burning, aching and gnawing of it!
There is hope! People with fibromyalgia respond well to alternative/holistic and homeophathic forms of therapy and lots of nurturing. Also, prescription drugs seem to compound the problem rather than help it in the long-term. Toxic overload of chemicals trigger fibromyalgia.
With me, I found out that a lot of my pain is related to additives that are put in foods such as preservatives; primarily sulphites, food allergies and toxicity from medications. As a result, I try to eat organic foods that are not overly processed. I have also always suspected that genetically modified foods are a culprit/trigger also. I believe that gmo's trigger the autoimmune system because our bodies' do not recognize the proteins in gmo foods.
http://www.health.com/health/fibromyalgia?pkw=PSHEYHTX050108SNND1659&partner=yes
The list of causes is endless. I have methodically figured it out through the process of elimination. It can be related to an autoimmune condition as well, such as thyroditis or rheumatoid arthritis -- any condition that causes the body's immune system to attack itself.
Stress is a big factor too. Yoga, meditation and Tai Chi help alot, but in gentle moderation! A balance of rest/sleep, work, recreation and play are important. I have it pretty controled right now, but one little mistake - and the pain gets triggered!
I know how frustrating it is. So little is known or understood about this illness; and there isn't a lot of support available from doctors. I have pretty much given up on conventional doctors and took responsibility for my own cure. I know that it is different for everyone.
Fibromyalgia can be traced to many triggers. It is secondary to many illnesses , infections and other problems, as well. It can be related to nutritional deficencies and metabolic problems. Finally some studies are showing promising ways that fibromyalgia can be diagnosed. One is the inflammatory factor and another is regarding extra pain receptors in the skin that other people don't have. People with fibromyalgia have also often been in automobile accidents. In part, it is a hypersensitivity to pain for some people. There may also be a link to psychological and emotional trauma.
I was recently asked how fibromyalgia is diagnosed. It is a complicated illness and falls under an entire syndrome of symptoms - among them being fatigue, inflammation and chronic pain. One of the main ways that it is diagnosed is through painful pressure points. There have been times when just leaning on my elbow or hand gave me tremendous pain. The pressure point way of diagnosing isn't failsafe because like with many illnesses, one has to be having a flareup to be positive for this test. Fibromyalgia can also be mild to severe. A severe case is to be in pain almost all the time, among the other symptoms.
Here is a helpful site on symptoms and diagnosis of fibromyalgia --
fibromyalgia.lifetips.com/cat/58365/symptoms-and-signs/index.html
Diet and eliminating allergens~
Figuring out my allergies and food sensitivities have helped my fibromylagia symptoms a lot. I found that my allergies and sensitivities are a big trigger of my fibromyalgia pain. I am also very sensitive to medications and have to be very careful there too. Diet is important. I try to eat as organic and unprocessed as possible. Everyone is different and it took me several years to figure all of this out and I still am working on it!
www.annecollins.com/fibromyalgia-diet.htm
And, those charlie horses are the pits. I find that vitamins seem to help, especially calcium and sometimes potassium. Also magneisum and selenium. The soil is depleted of selenium and I think it's the minerals that we lack in our diets. We drink filtered water now, and depending on the type of filter process, most of the natural minerals are removed and need to be replaced somehow. Really warm baths help, eucalyptus oil seems to increase circulation. I don't use it straight, but mix the pure oil with my regular body cream. Oh, the bottom of the feet pain, I have had also. It is a very odd and painful feeling indeed. Haven't had it for a while, but I recall getting it before. Things seems to come and go. I think walking helps, ironically- for me anyway. Good, supportive shoes are important. Rub your feet with oils and give them hot soakes. They will love you for it.
Be sure to have a thorough check-up for any hidden infections in the body; both viral and bacterial. This can be a big trigger for fibromyalgia pain. Tooth infections and mono are two hidden causes.
This article only scratches the surface for fibromyalgia sufferers. I welcome any and all input about how anyone else is dealing with fibromyalgia; or if you just need support -- I value your opinions!
By Karen Eisenlord 2018
Whoever comments, I promise I'll upvote and respond!
I feel your pain and have lived with this condition for many years now. The side effects of the medications that I've tried, over the years, were worse than the fibro pain itself. It's so hard for others to understand, at times. Very nice post. Nicely done.
Thank you so much. Yes, I also found that the side-effects from medications made my condition worse. I'm almost pharmaceutical-free now except for periodic otc pain relievers. I only take synthroid for my thyroid condition. Otherwise it's all holistic and natural approaches for me. I'm sorry you've had to deal with this dreadful condition, but I think it is manageable to some degree. There's hope, that's for sure!
Are you hypothyroid too? I was diagnosed with this but when I took levothyroxine I got horrific side effects so I came off it and it is now untreated, do you feel the meds help you with this? what is weird is my TSH was high but my T4 and T3 normal, they seem unable to actually figure any of it out. The mainstream healthcare establishment is absolutely useless for so many things.
Yes, hashimoto's thyroditis, which is autoimmune (the body's immune system attacks the thyroid). I've had it most of my life and I have to take the synthroid because my thyroid doesn't produce enough. My TSH was a little low last time it was checked. My synthroid constantly needs to be adjusted slightly and I'm extremely sensitive to it. The synthroid is what I do best on. I never did well on levothyroxine or any other. I don't take armour thyroid because I don't like taking dessicated pig thyroid. You're right, the medical profession is pretty useless except for diagnosing. An endocrinologist thinks all of my problems are due to 'thyroid syndrome'. Of course specialists always view things through their own lenses and not holistically. Everything is a complicated interplay in the body. He even thinks my 'fibromyalgia' is from it. Actually my fibromyalgia is so much better since I have learned what I am sensitive/allergic to in my environment and food-wise and no doctor ever helped me with that. When I had allergy testing it helped a little ... but I mostly figured things out for myself.
I don't think we get Synthroid in the UK, from what I could see online isn't it just a branded version of levothyroxine?
Did you ever get side effects from it? The Levo gave me palpitations and chest pain which in turn made my anxiety 100 times worse, it seemed to be horrific stuff, I am still unsure how to treat it, have you ever been given the option of T3 medication?
Here levothyroxine is the generic of synthroid. Sythroid is the original brand name. They claim there's no difference but I've always found the quality of 'synthroid' as well as my response to it to be better. The doctor should maybe start you off in lower dosages. I couldn't sleep at first when they started me on thyroid replacement over 20 years ago even though I was dangerously low by then. The doctor slapped a full dose on me (100 mg) when now it's done in small increments beginning with a low dose and testing the blood. Everyone is different. I've tried the t3 and it gave me bad side affects -- one of them being nervousness. I didn't like it. My goal now is to be on a low of a dose as possible with the most maximum benefit. It has to be adjusted for me a lot. In other words, I either goes too high or too low.
Excellent post, very well written and informative :-)
I also have autoimmune issues myself which no doctor can work out at all and has made me very ill, none of them seem to be able to get the bottom of it, what has helped so far for me has been removing gluten and diary and nightshades and I am now trying the low FODMAP diet too, I also take a powdered supplement called Ultrainflamx which is meant to reduce inflammation but I am still unsure of its overall effectiveness, what specific allergies have helped you when removed? Organic food is massively important too, the toxic poison they put into many of our foods is for certain a cause factor of all of this.
None of them get to the bottom of it with me either. It's like I'm a walking mystery to them. I've removed gluten from my diet, and dairy -- both big culprits in my case. Yeah, tomatoe and most spices. I have a lot of chemical sensitivities also and have to be careful about what I put on my skin. Sulfites are a big issue with me and it's in both a lot of food products and skin care products. I can barely eat out without getting sick. Monosodium glutonate is a trigger ... food coloring, pesticides, house cleaning products ... I even have to wear a mask when I paint (art) and of course otherwise, which people should anyway. The list goes on and on, so I eat organic as much as possible, avoid processed foods, dairy, gluten and of course sugar. I also have seasonal allergies which is not fun. I know I sound like a mess, but I really am managing well now thanks to no doctor's help. The only reason I go to them is for testing and hope that one day I may, just may find one that can give me new informations and advice. I've tried alternative doctors and Ayurveda. The Ayurveda helped I think mostly because it's spiritual and nurturing. Let's face it, mainstream doctors aren't trained to look at patients holistically and they are 'owned' by pharmaceuticals. They always tried to get me to take a drug, for years now, but they finally gave up. It's like their easy and lazy fix for everything.
Yes I agree, doctors do not care about ordinary people in the slightest they are in the pockets of faceless government control freaks or large corporate interests who make profits from the misery and hell of others. (I am slightly against the pharma industry)
Can I ask do you know if you have a condition that is known as leaky gut? I am wondering if all my issues be related to this one issue.
I don't think that I have leaky gut but I suspected it at one time. I think that what I may have is an ulcer. :( You should have that checked out by a doctor. They do come in handy for some things. I drive 45 minutes each way to go to doctors that are much better than the ones I've tried where I live. Otherwise, I just change my diet and eliminate the things that seem to bother me. I ate some East Indian food yesterday trying not to eat spicy and it still bothered me. I'm suffering for it today. I have to take pepcid every day. I try to taper off when it gets better but inevitably I eat something that upset me. Gluten and dairy are two culprits, as well as spices. Here's an article about leaky gut -- http://www.healthywomen.org/content/blog-entry/10-signs-you-have-leaky-gut%E2%80%94and-how-heal-it
you might want to check out https://inclinedbedtherapy.com/testimonials/fibromyalgia
There might also be a connection to lyme disease ("lyme disease, anatomy of a cover-up"), heavy metal poisoning (usually from amalgame fillings), focal infections (root-filled teeth), natural radiation fields at the sleeping place (water veins), atlas misalignment (see http://www.atlantotec.com) and sometimes parasites or microbial infestation.
I could give more tips