Fibromyalgia can be a terrible thing to live with. The debilitating pain, the fact that there are many people who are bedridden (in the most literal sense of the word) by this syndrome and the fact that there seems to be no hope on finding out what causes it (and, consequently, on developing a cure for it) are all factors that contribute to the harsh change most of the fibromyalgia patients have to go through.
Fibromyalgia is a syndrome, not a disease. Its causes are unknown and it cannot even be prevented. All in all, fibromyalgia is a huge riddle even for those who work in the medical field and even for those who have been studying it for so much time.
What Are The Things That May Cause Fibromyalgia?
We don’t know exactly what it is that causes this syndrome to develop. We do know, however, that it can be terrible and that its wide range of symptoms can be confusing and misguiding.
It is not rare that people get misdiagnosed with several other conditions (such as chronic fatigue syndrome, lupus and so on) and their fibromyalgia gets away without any diagnosis.
Even more, it is not rare that doctors rule out even the possibility of fibromyalgia because they don’t believe it is an actual medical condition.
Although the cause of this syndrome is not yet known or understood, the truth is that medical research has been able to point out the fact that there may be some things that can contribute to the way in which it develops in the human body. These risk factors include:
– Poor sleeping habits, which can make any kind of pain feel much worse, which can cause fatigue and other symptoms that can be found in fibromyalgia patients too.
– A lack of proper functioning of the neurotransmitters dealing with pain could be one of the risk factors or causes for this syndrome too. Apparently, in the case of people with fibromyalgia, the neurotransmitters that send the “pain” messages to the brain do not work properly, which leads the brain to perceive pain more intensely than normally.
– Other neurotransmitters could be to blame for fibromyalgia too (for example, serotonin levels have been found to be very low in the case of patients suffering with this syndrome, which could cause them to suffer from depression, pain and fatigue as well).
– Genetics appear to play an important role too. According to recent studies, there are genes in the human body which seem to be connected (at least indirectly) to fibromyalgia.
– Certain stressful events in one’s life can trigger fibromyalgia too. It is believed that things such as living in an abusive relationship, giving birth, suffering an accident and many other similar events in one’s life can trigger fibromyalgia.
What Treatment Can You Have Access To?
There are various forms of treating fibromyalgia, but no way to cure it. Some of the treatments have proven to be more effective than others, while there are treatments that are only effective for certain people and not so great for the rest of them.
Here are the main types of treatment a person diagnosed with fibromyalgia could have access to:
This can be of two main types
FDA approved to treat fibromyalgia or simply medication to treat the separate symptoms. The FDA approved drugs to treat this syndrome are Lyrica, Cymbalta and Savella (and only the last one was created from the very beginning with the purpose of treating fibromyalgia patients).
Although these medicines have proven to alleviate stress, depression and pain, the truth is that nobody knows precisely how they function. Even more than that, it is definitely worth noting that there are side effects to these drugs that can get quite serious, especially since they are very much similar to anti-depressants (and adverse effects such as suicidal thoughts and insomnia can appear).
Physical therapy and exercising
It can be very difficult for someone with fibromyalgia to work out, but it can really ameliorate the pain and it can lift the spirits, so it is definitely worth trying to attend at least a few physical therapy sessions and to see if it doesn’t work for you.
Deep tissue laser therapy
This is a type of therapy that takes about 10 minutes/session and which basically relaxes the muscles to the point where this can alleviate the pain.
Natural treatments
Medical marijuana (which is available in 23 states in America) can be one of the best treatments for pain, depression and other fibromyalgia-related symptoms. Also, certain herbs, massages and a healthy lifestyle can help a lot both with the pain and with the other symptoms experienced by the patients diagnosed with this syndrome.
Could Tai Chi Be an Option?
Tai Chi is a Chinese practice that belongs to the great “repertoire” of the so-called “traditional Chinese medicine”. Together with acupuncture and herbal therapy, it has been around for thousands of years (long before Europeans even thought of “medicine”, actually).
Tai Chi is a martial art at its origin, but it has been used for its health benefits too. Basically, it involves very slow and steady movements which are meant to stretch the body, make you control your mind, thoughts, and breathing and which are also meant to make the spiritual energy of the body flow well through it.
Generally speaking, people who picked up Tai Chi for their fibromyalgia say that they have experienced a lessening of the symptoms and their intensity. They believe that this ancient Chinese practice has helped them feel less pain, sleep better and feel better as well.
There are also studies made into this and they show that the vast majority of those who tried Tai Chi showed great results after several weeks from starting to practice it. If you are willing to try it as well, make sure you only do it under the supervision of an instructor truly specialized in this art!
Comments