Fibromyalgia

Many patients suffering from fibromyalgia usually complain of extreme fatigue, poor sleep and a feeling that an ice pick is being driven into their bones and muscles.  Sometimes, the pain can be so extreme that when the bed sheet touches their back or elbows, they want to scream and often do. 

Fibromyalgia is a condition of generalized muscle pain which can be severe at times.  There is no immediate or detectable cause for the pain.  Any area of the body can suffer, but pain is most often felt in the chest, legs, back, or in the head.  More women suffer from fibromyalgia than men.  Other symptoms of fibromyalgia include PMS, depression, irritable bowel, poor coordination, dizziness and anxiety.  While there is no generally agreed upon cause for fibromyalgia, many doctors pinpoint the following as the likely contributing factors: anemia, weak immune systems, low blood sugar, lack of exercise, food or environmental allergies and extreme stress.  The pain is amazingly widespread and intense.  It can migrate to almost everywhere in the body.  At its worst, sufferers feel a deep ache inside their muscles and a shooting pain that does not seem to stop.  Patients also complain of numbness in their head or their arms.  The attacks often come in the morning and can even be made worse by cold weather, a lack of sleep, or stress.  After the pain, sufferers feel a fatigue that is much more than the normal.  Patients feel so tired that they can no longer perform simple daily activities.  They feel like they do not have the strength to get out of bed at all. 

There are no laboratory tests that can accurately and immediately diagnose fibromyalgia.  It is often diagnosed after patients report its symptoms over the course of many years.  Still, there are many doctors that do not understand fibromyalgia very well and often neglect it in the diagnosis because many fibromyalgia symptoms look like symptoms of other more common conditions.  It is not surprising for sufferers to have spent much money or feel frustrated during the process.  Today, to be clinically diagnosed as a fibromyalgic patient, you must have been feeling a widespread pain in your body for at least three months, with your pain located in 11 out of 18 tender points of the body.   

If you suspect that your muscle pain is a form of fibromyalgia, see your physician immediately and have yourself tested for hypothyroidism, hypoglycemia and other allergies.  It is most important for you to reduce stress and avoid smoking.  Fibromyalgia has also been linked to an excessive intake of caffeine and alcohol, as well as too much refined carbohydrates and artificial sugar.  If you are not having an attack, try to exercise regularly and get enough rest.  Many sufferers claim that taking cold showers first thing in the morning helps alleviate muscle pain associated with fibromyalgia.  Build your diet around foods high in magnesium, which can include a healthy serving off sunflower seeds, barley, oats, bananas, pecans, cheese and Brazil nuts.  Citrus fruits can also alleviate the muscle pain, so incorporate foods like guavas, papayas, tomatoes and grapefruit. 

You can take a number of vitamins and minerals to help alleviate the pain caused by fibromyalgia.  1 g of Vitamin C taken three times daily can protect the muscle cells from damage caused by free radicals.  300 mg of grape seed extract taken three times daily also has the same effect.  Magnesium is an important mineral that needs to be supplemented to reduce pain and increase energy levels in the muscles.  Malic acid, when combined with magnesium, serves as a very good muscle relaxant.  Melatonin taken an hour before bedtime can help promote sleep.  If you have a low thyroid function, your physician may prescribe additional thyroid hormones to hopefully eliminate your fibromyalgia.  If you prefer the natural way, St.  John's wort taken three times a day has been shown to be effective against depression and can increase your tolerance to pain.