FIBROMYALGIA
Fibromyalgia is a relatively new diagnosis given to a constellation of symptoms that afflicts from 7 to 10 million Americans. The causes of this debilitating illness are obscure to the medical profession. People with the illness have multiple tender points in the muscles and chronic pain that is often diffuse. They frequently sleep poorly and wake up tired. Over 90% of the time, women are the ones to who develop symptoms. Most people with this disorder also are chronically fatigued. A high number of sufferers also have symptoms of depression and anxiety. The typical age of onset is during the 30’s. Risk factors for developing this illness include emotional and physical trauma, lack of sleep and chronic Candida (yeast) infection. Other symptoms often found include irritable bowel symptoms, numbness and tingling of nerves, tinnitus, weak adrenal function, constipation, low thyroid symptoms (despite normal blood tests) and dizziness.
People may be especially sensitive to noise, bright light, stress, poor posture, and weather changes. Research show that some patients have evidence of chronic infection with Mycoplasma and Chlamydia bacteria, altered immune system markers, fluid retention, abnormal hypothalamic-pituitary- adrenal responses, food allergy or intolerances, heavy metal toxicity and altered brain neurotransmitter chemistry.
Practitioners who have worked with many people with this puzzling illness have realized that each person is unique and that no one approach will help all patients. A careful history, examination and targeted laboratory tests can be very helpful in identifying areas that need to be treated.
An absolute necessity is a healthy diet of unprocessed fresh fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts and seeds. Adequate sleep is essential and if needed, medication can be used to help. Exercise is beneficial if not done in excess. A positive mental outlook is very helpful. Counseling for depression and anxiety is a must. Sweeping the emotions under the rug with drugs or ignoring emotional problems only makes things worse over time. Proper digestion and elimination must be attained. A detoxification program is nearly always beneficial.
Pharmaceutical drugs may be useful at times but their overall effectiveness is poor and they almost never address problems at the causal level. A number of supplements may be helpful but avoid the “shotgun” approach of taking everything that anybody says might be helpful. This seldom produces good results, is costly and sometimes worsens biochemistry. Consult an experienced health practitioner who can guide use of supplements and monitor your response.
Over time, most people with fibromyalgia improve. Although much is not understood about this illness, the research to date shows that there are definite abnormalities in multiple body systems. I recommend keeping a journal of your symptoms, tests results and treatment interventions. This will help to identify which interventions are helping and which do not.
Daniel Blodgett MD