Fibromyalgia

Introduction
There are some people who suffer from full time pain. I can read your mind; you definitely want to ask me, How? & Why? Well this happens because of a disease called Fibromyalgia. This disease is actually a rheumatic syndrome mainly characterized by widespread pain, stiffness and tenderness of the muscles and soft tissues around joints. The disease is associated with serious fatigue, chronic muscle pain, specific point tenderness, mainly in association with sleep problems, fatigue, stiffness, headaches, facial pain, abdominal uneasiness, irritable bladder, numbness or tingling and problem in thinking. Most of its patients feel aching all over the body. Some experts believe that fibromyalgia is not a disease but rather a dysfunctional disorder Fibromyalgia is often distinguished as primary or secondary

Primary fibromyalgia is more common. It is also sometimes referred to as Idiopathic Fibromyalgia.
Secondary fibromyalgia has an underlying disease as its cause.

Alternative Names
Fibromyalgia is also known as fibrositis, fibromyositis or myofasicl pain syndrome.

Causes
The primary fibromyalgia is usually caused by a gathering of biological responses to stress in certain individuals with more sensitivity to such stress because of some negative personal history or even a genetic factor. The second cause attributed to this disease is sleeping disorders. Since this sleeping disorder is found to activate certain factors in the immune system causing inflammation and ache. According to one research the female patients of fibromyalgia have been more exposed to physical and sexual abuse thus indicating towards a relation between post-traumatic stress syndrome and the development of this disorder. The brain scans of fibromyalgia patients show that certain region of the brain where pain was felt by the patient had little flow of blood, perhaps this is one of the reason. Certain specific disorders such as injury, ankylosing spondylitis or surgery are found to be the causes of secondary fibromyalgia. The symptoms of both primary and secondary fibromyalgia are almost identical but in the case of the later one they are difficult to treat.

Risk Factors

It occurs more commonly among women than men, especially childbearing and middle-aged women. If you are a man even then you could not feel safe since it could affect any age and sex.
If you have someone in the family with fibromyalgia than perhaps you are at a greater risk to catch it.
Disturbed sleeping pattern are also considered to be one of the major causes.
Some other chronic disorders such as musculoskeletal disorders and rheumatoid arthritis could also put you on an increased risk of catching the disease.

Symptoms & Signs

Sleeping disturbances.
Continual headaches.
Pain, including facial pain and aching.
Sensitivity to odors, bright lights, noise, medications and various edibles.
Constipation, abdominal gas, nausea and diarrhea.
Morning stiffness.
Fatigue.
Chest pain.
Skin sensitivity.
Dryness in eyes and mouth.
Frequently changing vision.
Dizziness.
Irritable bladder.
Numbness or tingling.
Memory impairment.
Muscle twitching.

Diagnosis
The human body has 18 points (9 on each side of the body) that are tender to touch. Most of these are present around the neck or shoulder. The examination is basically done by a checkup of these tender points. The rest of the examination is based on search of other factors that could mimic the presence of fibromyalgia such as anything else that could cause its symptoms.

Prevention
There is no such method that could prevent you from getting this disorder; however there are certain preventions that could limit the disease to a certain extent:

A healthy and active life style.
A good diet avoiding processed foods.
A regular check-up of all the affected family members for thyroid, adrenal, auto immune or other type of diseases, which may cause symptoms of FMS.

Treatment
So far no cure had been devised for the treatment of fibromyalgia. However medications, regular exercises, relaxation techniques and physical therapy all together could manage the condition very successfully. Since the symptoms of the disease vary from patient to patient, the treatment program is suggested keeping in view the requirement of the patient. Your doctor would include the following in your treatment program: Medication Medications that decrease pain and improve sleep are generally introduced by the doctor to help the patient fight the two major symptoms. Exercise A regular exercising pattern (ideally 30 minutes a week) helps the patient in improving muscle fitness and decreasing body pain. It also helps the patient in getting a good, restful sleep. Coping with stress Relaxation techniques are used to relieve muscle tension and reduce the stress. This helps in improving fibromyalgia symptoms.

Secondary Natural Supplements
HERBS

St. John’s Wort

MINERALS

Magnesium

Other Natural Supplements

Maleic acid
5-HTP

Dietary Guidelines

Include plenty of fluids in your diet, especially fresh vegetable and fruit juices.
Green leafy vegetables must be included in the diet.
Raw food is good regarding the high enzyme concentration.
The bowel only functions well with the help of high fiber food.
Food rich in saturated fats are harmful, so keep away from them as well as red meat, fatty food, tomatoes, vinegar, potatoes, green pepper and eggplant.
Consume less sugar.

Home Care Suggestions

Try to keep on doing light exercises for instance walking.
Yoga is good regarding pain relieving.
If you work somewhere, make sure that your chair has a proper back.
Vacations are good in releasing tension and stress.

Mind/Body Considerations
Massage therapy and yoga are beneficial as they help in relaxing the mind and the body.

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