Fibromyalgia

Fibromyalgia Treatment Understanding Your Condition

Before you can understand the treatments used for fibromyalgia you must have an understanding of the disease. Fibromyalgia is a disease that is not well known throughout the medical profession.

It is linked to arthritis but the symptoms are different. Unlike arthritis which affects the body’s joints this disease affects the muscles. Parts of the body can become tender and sore to the touch due to the muscles in these areas not receiving enough oxygen.

The symptoms are different for each individual and can seem to disappear completely only to return at a later date. Many times the symptoms will be worse at certain times of the day like in the mornings and during the late afternoon.

The weather conditions can also increase your symptoms; damp rainy weather or extreme cold can increase the pain a person feels. The amount of stress that you deal with contributes to the symptoms along with the amount of physical activity you encounter.


Fibromyalgia Symptoms

There are a lot of symptoms that are associated with fibromyalgia which is the main reason it so difficult to diagnose. Below is a list of a few of these symptoms.

• Muscle pain, spasms or leg cramps
  
• Insomnia or waking up still feeling tired
  
• Always feeling tired and having little energy
  
• Being sensitive to one or more of the following, light, sound, noise, odors, foods, cold and medicines
  
• Dizziness
  
• Headaches
  
• Upset stomach
  
• A feeling of anxiety or depression

Treatments

Finding a treatment that works for a person suffering with fibromyalgia may be rather difficult. Everyone is affected differently and what works for one person may not benefit another at all.

In looking for a treatment you want to find something that will help to reduce the pain making it easier to function.

You also need a treatment that will help to decrease the feeling of fatigue and one that will help increase your sleep. Some of the treatments used are listed below.

• Medications
  
• Exercise
  
• Diet
  
• Rehabilitation

If you suffer from fibro the best way to treat this condition is by setting up a program that allows you to get enough rest, avoid as much stress as possible and eat right.

Understanding your condition and having a set program as part of your fibromyalgia treatment will help you deal with this disease easier.

Fibromyalgia Treatment Tips For Around The House

When you suffer from fibromyalgia, even the slightest relief is a miracle to the suferer. Anything at all that can aid your fibromyalgia treatment or reduce your symptoms or pain is very helpful.

In addition to the fibromyalgia treatment your doctor has set you up for, there are additional steps that you can take even on small things around your home that will help you to feel better

Listed below are some of the tips and techniques that I tried that helped me to recover from chronic fibromyalgia pain. 

• Since one common area of pain for fibromyalgia sufferers is the hands, many of these tips relate to easing the tension on the hands.
  
  
• Buy easy to prepare foods. It’s often hard – or even impossible- to cook when you suffer from fibromyalgia but eating out all the time is unhealthy and can become expensive. You can buy more “ready-made” meals, pre-cut vegetables, etc to make cooking and preparing meals at home easier for you.
  
• Use very sharp knives. When you must cook or use scissors, make sure they are very sharp so you use less pressure to make the cut and apply less tension to your hands.
  
• Use a paper shredder. If you find yourself needing to cut or tear a lot of papers, you will want to use a paper shredder instead. For many fibromyalgia sufferers, even tearing up a receipt can cause pain.
  
• Avoid excess strain on your hands. It may be hard for you to do things such as sewing, knitting, long periods of typing, etc. If you must do these things, you should try to limit the amount of time you spend on it at once.
  
• Get ergonomical. Try to keep things such as your office and workplace as ergonomically correct as possible.
  
• Adjust your home. There are some changes you might want to make around your home and office to help your daily functions be more comfortable. For example, you should angle your computer monitor to eye level. Try different chairs, pillow, etc to make yourself more comfortable and ease pain later.

Making small changes such as these around your home can improve the way you feel and help aid other stages in your fibromyalgia treatment.

Fibromyalgia Treatment How Your Diet Can Help

Did you know that what you eat plays a very big role in your fibromyalgia treatment? Your doctor might recommend diet changes as part of your treatment plan.

Even if your doctor doesn’t order this, you might decide to partake in certain diet changes on your own because you see that they can help you live a more comfortable life.

Studies have shown that eliminating one or more foods from your diet can help reduce your symptoms and pain from fibromyalgia.

Foods To Eat

What are some good foods that can help you with your fibromyalgia? Below is a list of some great foods to eat. Remember that fresh is always better than frozen or canned foods that have a lot of preservatives.

Meat, Poultry, Fish 

• Lean beef
  
• Lean pork
  
• Chicken
  
• Turkey
  
• Shrimp
  
• Scallops
  
• Clams
  
• Nitrite free bacon
  

Dairy (small amounts)

• Cheess
  
• Sour Cream
  
• Butter
  
• Eggs

Nuts

• Pistachios
  
• Macadamia nuts
  
• Walnuts
  
• Cashews
  
• Almonds
  
• Peanuts
  
• Sunflower seeds
  
• Nut Butters
  
• Brazil nuts
  

Beans

• Lentils
  
• Kidney beans
  
• Pinto beans
  
• Refried beans made with lard seems to be especially good
  
• Garbanzo beans
  
• Black beans
  

Fruit

• Grapefruit
  
• Pineapple
  
• Tangerines
  
• Oranges
  
• Cooked Tomatoes
  
• Unsweetened applesauce
  
• Coconut and coconut milk
  
• Avocado
  

Grains

• Al dente pasta - made from refined wheat, spelt, or rice and not fortified
  
• Unfortified white rice
  
• Tortillas - corm and wheat
  

Vegetables

• Artichokes
  
• Asparagus
  
• Broccoli
  
• Chard
  
• Dandelion greens
  
• Celery
  
• Eggplant
  
• Green Beans
  
• Kale
  
• Peppers - red, green, yellow and orange
  
• Radicchio
  
• Spinach
  
• Squash
  
• Zucchini
  

Making The Change

Changing your diet isn’t always easy. In fact, most people find it difficult once they have grown accustomed to certain types of foods and formed eating habits.

You might want to start slowing weeding out the bad stuff and in with the good stuff or you might try the “cold-turkey” approach and just give up all the bad foods and start fresh with a new and improved diet so that you can start seeing an improvement in your symptoms of fibromyalgia.

Fibromyalgia Treatment Foods To Avoid

You may already know that diet can affect your fibromyalgia treatment. While the symptoms vary from person to person and there is not definite diet plan that works for everyone, there are some general guidelines that will help. Foods that boost your immune system are always very helpful in aiding fibromyalgia treatment.

You may also need to make adjustments to how much you eat and how often you eat. Take note of patterns you see when you eliminate certain foods or change the times of day that you eat. Don’t forget the importance of including a lot of water into your daily diet.

To help your fibromyalgia treatment, there are also some foods you should try to avoid.

List Of Foods To Avoid

Below is a list of some foods you probably want to try to avoid when taking a fibromyalgia treatment.

• Whole and refined grains, except for small amounts of rice, pasta and tortillas
• Most salads and raw vegetables
• Potatoes, carrots and other root vegetables (They have a high glycemic index).
• Most spices, especially garlic
• Onions
• Olive oil
• Coffee, and anything else with caffeine
• Anything with yeast, sugar, trans fats, dyes, preservatives, fortification, sulfites, artificial nitrites
• Fruit juice
• High vitamin C foods
• Any kind of tea
• Cranberries, strawberries, blueberries and most other berries
• High glycemic foods
• Mushrooms - because it is a type of fungi
• Tofu
• Soy milk
• Lemon juice or hot lemon water

Milk and most dairy products except as noted above


Making The Change

Making changes in your diet is never easy, especially if you have poor eating habits already but you can do it.

Especially if you know that these changes will decrease the amount of pain you feel due to your fibromyalgia, you will be ready to tackle this new plan.

If you are having trouble changing your diet, here are some tips to help you.

1. Try taking out just one “bad food” at a time and replacing it with something healthier.
   
2. Have the rest of the family support you by changing their diets as well.
   
3. Don’t buy “tempting” foods or keep them in the house.
   
4. Keep a food journal to keep track of changes and how they make you feel.
   

Take it one day at a time, one step at a time and you will start to see results and feel better.

Fibromyalgia Treatment Medications To Help

Different medications are used in fibromyalgia treatment even though the FDA has not yet approved any of them specifically for this condition.

Some of these medications may be beneficial for some patients and completely ineffective for others. There is no way to know for sure if a drug will help you until you give it a try.

Below is a list of medications used as fibromyalgia treatment.

• Muscle Relaxers
  
• Antidepressants
  
• Painkillers
  
• Sedatives
  
• Vitamins
  
  

Each one of these medications is used to treat fibromyalgia in a different way to help improve the overall condition of the patient. However, they only help and can’t eliminate the disease.

Explanation of Medications Used

Fibromyalgia affects the muscles causing a lot of pain for its victims. Muscle relaxers are used to help reduce this pain. They can also help you sleep by relaxing the muscles and reducing cramps, tightness and spasms.

Fatigue and depression are two of the main symptoms of fibromyalgia. Antidepressants are used to help a person relieve some of the depression and receive more rest.

They can also reduce some of the muscle pain by helping a person to feel calmer. Amitriptyline better know as Elavil is the most common type of antidepressant prescribed for someone suffering from fibromyalgia.

Painkillers are simply used to help reduce the amount of pain a person has to endure. This includes the medications listed below. 

• Aspirin
  
• Tylenol
  
• Ibuprofen
  
• Narcotics
  
  

Over the counter medications only ease the pain a little and will not eliminate it. Narcotics are more effective for some people but still will not completely get rid of all the pain.

Narcotics are usually limited due to the possibility of becoming addicted to them. However, recent studies have found that when taken for chronic pain the person normally does not become addicted.

Sedatives are used to help a patient receive a good night sleep. Many people with this condition find it almost impossible to sleep all night.

For the ones who do sleep it is usually not a restful state and they wake up still feeling tired. Sedatives can help them feel more rested and lessen the fatigue somewhat.

Vitamins can aid in the treatment of fibromyalgia in a couple of ways. Vitamin C can help to build up a person’s immune system and can reduce swelling in some people.

Vitamin B-12 helps reduce tenderness that is accompanied by this condition along with the tingling sensation many people feel.

Using medication as a fibromyalgia treatment along with other lifestyle changes can help improve the symptoms of this condition.

Fibromyalgia Treatment Exercise Can Help

People that suffer from fibromyalgia have to deal with a lot of pain and need a fibromyalgia treatment that really helps. This is where exercise comes into play.

It may seem like exercise would be the worst thing a person with fibromyalgia could do because the symptoms become more intense if you overexert your body.

However, some forms of exercise can actually help. If you eliminate exercise and activity from your daily routine fibromyalgia can actually get worse and you can begin to experience other complications.

Without exercise muscles become weaker and more susceptible to trauma and stress. Exercise is a fibromyalgia treatment that can be a great benefit for anyone suffering from this condition.

Provided that you are using an appropriate exercise program and that you use it consistently.

Fibromyalgia Exercise Facts

There are certain facts about exercise that you need to remember to ensure your safety and health when you are a fibromyalgia patient. The exercise program should include the following characteristic.

• Should be low impact aerobics
  
• Health training is different from sport training
  
• Don’t over train, the average is thirty minutes
  
• Stay on a regular schedule

Exercise is a great fibromyalgia treatment because it helps to strengthen the ligaments and tendons in your body. It will enhance muscle tone while increasing flexibility.

This reduces the chances of strains and pulled muscles which can create more pain and cause other problems for a person with fibromyalgia.

Exercise helps to increase the blood flow which will increase oxygen to the muscles and decrease tingling and tender spots.

If the exercise program is efficient it can also aid in easing some of the depression and anxiety that is present with this disease.

Helping the person to relax more which in turn will lessen some of the pain. Exercise also reduces fatigue and helps to increase a person’s energy.


Exercise Program Should Include

It is important to make sure that you follow an exercise program that is appropriate for your condition. The right exercise program could include some or all of the following:

• Stretching
  
• Walking
  
• Swimming
  
• Riding a bike
  
• Weight resistance
  
• Yoga
  
• Breathing techniques
  
• Cardiovascular workout
  

If you find that aerobic exercising with fibromyalgia is too painful, then you should consider water therapy aerobics.

This is a great way to get the exercise you need without having to deal with the pain that exercising on solid ground may bring to some people.

It is important to remember that exercise is a very important part of any fibromyalgia treatment.

Fibromyalgia Treatment Short Term Solutions

If you suffer from fibromyalgia, you want relief now. You may have spent years being misdiagnosed or under-diagnosed and the physical and mental stress of this condition is a lot to bear.

If you are like millions of people that have been suffering in silent pain, now is the time to get treatment.

If it’s fibromyalgia treatment you are looking for, you will be happy to know that there are several different options now available for you. Medical professionals are finally starting to recognize the condition and help does exist.

You will need to speak with a medical professional to get a diagnosis and a fibromyalgia treatment plan that works for you. The treatment process for fibromyalgia is a complex one but here are some short term solutions that may help you be more comfortable. 

1. Apply moist heat to your aching muscles. A warm shower or warm, wet compress applied directly to the area of pain can help ease your discomfort and encourage your muscles to relax.
   
2. Use a massage tool on your trigger point areas. Many sufferers find trigger point therapy helpful. With this, you massage the trigger location of your pain which may not be the same location as the pain itself.
   
3. Apply counter-pressure to your trigger areas. Trigger points may be in your arm pits, thighs, etc.
   
4. Remember that what you do today you will feel tomorrow. Keep in mind that activities today can cause pains when you wake the next day and even last for some time.
   
5. Light exercise such as stretching and yoga can be helpful for your muscles. But remember, if it hurts – stop doing it.
   
6. Investigate longer term solutions and lifestyle changes that may help you with your fibromyalgia treatment.
   

Again, these are not long-term solutions to your problem with fibromyalgia but they can help temporarily ease discomfort caused by the condition.

Physical therapy, change in lifestyle and diet as well as medications can also help you on a more long term basis.

You should talk with your doctor before taking on any new program or treatment option and always talk with your doctor if you are unsure about whether or not something is safe to do.

When you take care of your body you will have fewer symptoms of your fibromyalgia.

Fibromyalgia Treatment Self Healing

Studies have shown that 4 to 6 million people in the world currently suffer from fibromyalgia or chronic fatigue syndrome.

Have you heard of homeostasis and how it can help you with your fibromyalgia treatment?

What Is Homeostasis?

There are different types of homeostasis. When referring to the human body and homeostasis, the term typically refers to the ability of the body to heal itself. There are many different factors that affect the body’s ability to self-heal such as:

• Temperature
  
• Nutrients (glucose, ions, oxygen, etc)
  
• Water
  
• Rest/sleep
  

How Can It Help Your Fibromyalgia Treatment?

Homeostasis works with the treatment plan you have already. The treatment program that your doctor prescribes for you to use will help aide your body’s ability to heal naturally which works hand in hand with homeostasis to help you recover. 

There are steps you can take in addition to your fibromyalgia treatment that can naturally help improve your condition and the way that you feel on a daily basis.

When you take the proper steps to help boost your body’s own natural ability to heal and recover, the more effective your treatments will be.

Diet

One method of homeostasis as fibromyalgia treatment is to change your diet. It only makes sense that what goes into your body will affect how your body feels and looks as well as how to respond to thing in your environment.

Your diet can have a big impact on how your immune system works and how you respond to illness and disease.

Certain foods will make your immune system stronger and make it easier for you to fight off illness. This will help you in your battle against fibromyalgia.

Sleep

Sleep allows your body to heal and recover naturally. It is very important that you get the proper amount of sleep each night. However, studies show that most adults do not get enough sleep.

To make matters worse, fibromyalgia can cause insomnia or make it difficult to sleep due to pain caused by the condition.

This lack of sleep makes your symptoms worse because you body doesn’t have to time to self-heal at night.

The more sleep you are able to get at night, the better you will feel and the less pain and stiffness of the joints you will have.

Fibromyalgia Treatment Journaling

Did you know that keeping a journal can be a great way to help your fibromyalgia treatment plan? There are many different benefits to using journal therapy as part of your treatment.

For one, you get the emotional benefit that comes from journaling. Fibromyalgia can be a very stressful condition and you may often feel like no one else understands your pain.

Being able to write about this and express your emotions openly in a journal is a great way to release some of the stress.

Journaling will also benefit you because you are able to take notes to keep track of progress and changes in your condition.

You will be able to remember to tell your doctor or therapist and regularly scheduled appointments and it also helps you keep track of what makes you better and what makes you worse.

Food And Activity Diary

One benefit of a fibromyalgia journal is to keep track of the foods you eat and when and how much you eat. Make notes of what you eat and if you feel better of worse afterwards. This will help you develop your treatment plan.

You can also keep notes of your activities and how they affect your condition and symptoms. You can list any travel and exercise but also just simple activities such as typing, reading a book, cooking dinner.

Keep notes of what seems to cause you pain and where you feel your pain at. This will help your overall fibromyalgia treatment.

What If You Have Trouble Writing?

Do you have soreness that makes it hard to write? If so, then there are other options for you to consider. You might find it easier to type although many fibromyalgia sufferers complain from too much typing as well.

Or you might try voice activation software to type for you. The only downside to this is that most programs that currently exist are buggy and it can take a while to get it to spell everything correctly.

Another option is to keep “voice journals”. You can purchase a small tape recorder for very little these days. The tapes to record on are also very inexpensive and there are also recorders that do everything digital and don’t use tapes.

These are all great options to help you journal without making your symptoms worse.

Fibromyalgia Treatment Rehabilitation