Fibromyalgia is a riddle comprised out of many symptoms and solving it feels almost impossible, especially since not even the world’s greatest researchers have been able to get to the “ground zero” of this syndrome.
Although there are many doctors not acknowledging the existence of this syndrome, the truth is that millions of people have to live with it every single day of their lives. Fibromyalgia is not curable and it is not preventable and it can sometimes attack even the most surprising of people.
Fibromyalgia: The Knowledge We Have so Far
What we know about fibromyalgia is that it is a real disorder and that its main symptom is widespread pain. However, together with the pain, patients very frequently experience a wide array of other symptoms too.
Nausea, vomiting, digestive issues, irritable bladder, lack of concentration, short-term memory issues, swelling, arthritis and joint pain, sensitivity to light, odors, medication and noise, sensitivity to certain kinds of food, stiffness, reduced tolerance to exercising, numbness, tingling sensation, sensitivity of the jaw, depression, sleep-related problems – these (and many more) can be among the symptoms fibromyalgia patients can very frequently show.
The major question fibromyalgia poses to doctors from all over the world is what its causes may be. Although we’ve come a very long way when it comes to medical research and technology, the truth is that we can still not tell precisely what causes fibromyalgia.
It may be caused by genetics, as there are many people for whom it does run in the family and as doctors have managed to detect the presence of certain polymorph genes in the bodies of those who suffer from this syndrome.
But at the same time, genetics cannot be the only explanation for fibromyalgia, since the same genes can be responsible for a number of other medical conditions (some of which are extremely similar to fibromyalgia).
Stress, low quality sleep and a dysfunction of the nerve cells that makes the pain feel worse in the brain – these are other explanations medics have given to fibromyalgia. And yet, no research has been fully conclusive. And until we do get our answers, all patients are left to do is treat each symptom separately and manage their condition as well as they can, while hoping that a cure will be developed as soon as possible.
Living with Fibromyalgia
Patients diagnosed with fibromyalgia have to go through a lot and they sometimes are left unable to perform daily activities properly. Some have clearly opened their hearts and they have told their stories of how they were bedridden for years.
Even celebrities have come out to speak about their fibromyalgia too (and Morgan Freeman is probably one of the most famous people who has ever admitted openly that he suffers from this condition).
Living with fibromyalgia can feel like a long string of painful days, medication and therapies meant to alleviate the pain and the other symptoms. It can sometimes feel extremely depressing and it can get patients into an endless loop from which they cannot actually come out.
Fibromyalgia is definitely not something to play around with and if you show chronic pain symptoms (pain that lasts for more than 3 months – or at least this is how most of the medical specialists would classify this) you should definitely visit a doctor and see if he/she can diagnose you.
Diagnosing fibromyalgia is sometimes as enigmatic as the causes of the syndrome itself.
There are a lot of symptoms and the vast majority of them are very much similar to symptoms of depression, arthritis, chronic fatigue syndrome and myofascial pain syndrome as well. Sometimes, the symptoms even overlap completely, leading doctors to putting a wrong diagnosis.
Deep Tissue Laser Therapy and How It Can Help Fibromyalgia Patients
Laser therapy has proven to be effective in treating various forms of pain – fibromyalgia included. Although it is definitely not able to actually cure chronic pain, the studies have shown that this kind of therapy can considerably alleviate the pain patients experience due to their fibromyalgia.
In fact, even the Food and Drug Administration in the United States of America has approved deep tissue laser therapy as a complementary therapy that can help with the management of various chronic pain conditions.
For those seeking an alternative to prescription medication and other therapies, laser therapy can be quite efficient. During the treatment, you will probably experience a soothing type of warmth and there will be no pain. The treatment does not last more than 10 minutes and the first results can be felt immediately.
However, if you do choose to go for deep tissue laser therapy, make sure that you choose a facility where the equipment is very efficient and where the people are well-trained.
Other Treatments for Fibromyalgia
The FDA has approved several types of medication to treat fibromyalgia as well. Lyrica, Cymbalta and Savella are the 3 drugs that have been approved for this condition and out of them only the last one has been approved for fibromyalgia treatment since the beginning (the other ones were used to treat conditions such as depression, anxiety and so on).
Furthermore, physical therapy and regular exercising (light workouts) can make the biggest difference. It is proven that exercising can help the body release more endorphins and this can help you with alleviating pain and with increasing your mood in general.
Naltrexone is a drug that used to be administered for those who needed to alleviate drug and alcohol withdrawal symptoms, but more recently it has been found that it too works with the endorphin levels in the human body and that it has the power to alleviate the fatigue, the pain and the stress experienced by patients with fibromyalgia.
Yoga, Tai-Chi, meditation and acupuncture are also quite commonly chosen as alternative and complementary therapies by patients suffering with this syndrome and although some may be skeptical on the benefits these therapies can bring into one’s life many others consider that their pain has become more manageable since they started with these Eastern practices.
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