About Fibromyalgia Treatments
Fibromyalgia treatments require a lifelong investment in both short-term and long-term therapies. Accordingly, quick remedies are often tantamount in importance to long-term treatment options. In some cases, only short-term remedies can suppress acute, painful flare ups when they arrive unexpectedly.
In this article, you will learn about short-term remedies known to enhance pain management among patients with this chronic disorder.
The Importance of Short-term Treatments
If you have an established, long term regimen, then what is the practical application of short-term pain relief? There may be occasions in which you suffer from acute, symptomatic flares that render you incapacitated or immobile. This may occur as a result of stress, poor diet, lack of exercise, and poor sleeping habits. A quick pain relief method can heighten concentration, sleep and comfort, as well.
Exercise
One of the most potent, short-term methods of symptomatic relief is aerobic exercise. The efficacy of this method has been confirmed by study after study. Exercise invariably leads to improved well-being, elevated mood states, increased energy and pain relief. In essence, workouts are regarded as a critical necessity by doctors and patients alike.
Some patients are misguided under the impression that exercise is dangerous. Fibromyalgia patients often lack the muscular strength and robustness necessary to exercise. But, in spite of the pain and weakness that one may experience, exercise cannot be dismissed under any circumstances.
Exercise is so powerful that its effects rival both traditional medicine and homeopathic therapies. Aerobic exercise confers a plethora of benefits, including stress reduction, increased flexibility, muscle recovery and healing, hypertrophy, endorphin release and pain reduction. At the end of the day, exercise can mean the difference between a self-sufficient patient, and a debilitated sufferer.
If you fear the prospect of incurring an injury during exercise, simply increase the intensity of your exercise over time, without overwhelming yourself.
Acupressure
Acupressure is a celebrated short-term remedy, as no licensed professional is required to enjoy its benefits. This rapid course of treatment helps compress nerve pathways that transmit painful signals throughout the body. Different pressure points connect with corresponding areas of pain. By activating these pressure points, you can impede the transmission of pain signals and trigger endorphin release, as well. Therefore, when medications fail to alleviate symptoms, acupressure may be of benefit.
Capsaicin
Capsaicin is a chemical compound that resides within pepper plants. It can be found in cayenne pepper, and a number of other commercialized foods. It contains a unique precursor that helps diminish painful symptoms. Therefore, in the heat of a painful flare up, capsaicin may be a feasible solution.
Muscle Relaxer
Muscle relaxers were manufactured to reduce pain and tension experienced in various muscle groups.
Steroid Injection
A steroid injection is a quick means of relieving both tension and pain in localized muscle groups. Symptomatically speaking, if you suffer from “tender points” or concentrated pain, you will benefit from this method.
Shiatsu Massage and Deep Tissue Massage
Massage therapy is yet another popular pain management method. This homeopathic therapy yields immediate benefits in most cases. Fibromyalgia patients tout massage as one of the most potent remedies for their condition.
For some massage techniques, an extended wait time is needed to yield noticeable effects. For example, if you are seeking immediate relief, avoid deep tissue massage, as stiffness and pain can last afterward for 1-2 days. Of course, deep tissue massage does present a host of benefits in the long run, including improved connective tissue, relaxed muscles, muscular recovery and healing, as well as improved circulation.
The recommended option is to have a shiatsu massage instead. This method incorporates stretches, massage strokes and pressure to generate the desired immediate effect. Shiatsu massage is a dated technique that has thrived in Japanese culture for ages now. It can improve pain signals for the better and interact directly with nerve pathways.
Meditation
Fibromyalgia patients experience central sensitization, a phenomenon of the central nervous system. When central sensitization occurs, it inflames the spinal cells and distorts pain pathways and perception. This accounts for the chronic, somatic nature of fibromyalgia pain.
Meditation, however, may provide a mild decrease in these painful symptoms. Meditation is known to both enact long term changes in neural pathways, and to calm the central nervous system, as well.
Acupuncture
As one of the most dated forms of pain therapy, acupuncture is a reliable source of homeopathic wellness for sufferers of this condition. During the process of acupuncture, small needles are placed in specific regions of the body, and adjusted to activate energy pathways, thereby removing energy blockages.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
Pain has a latent, psychological influence on its sufferers. As it turns out, this phenomenon is not entirely physical. The psyche and emotional centers of the brain associate pain with “hurting” or “suffering”, hence the unpleasant effects. Without emotions or labels, however, the presence of pain would cease to induce suffering in human beings.
Many patients undergo cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) to supplement their traditional modes of treatment. One might ask, ‘How could therapy possibly help a chronic pain patient like myself? I deal with stabbing muscular pains, stiffness, and sleep disturbances.”
Quite often, stress and anxiety complicate pain mechanisms by increasing cortisol and blood pressure. Furthermore, the mind influences outlook, expectations and perception. And when you anticipate suffering, your brain finds evidence to substantiate your initial expectations.
Cognitive behavioral therapy is a proven method of shaping one’s perception and responses to unpleasant circumstances. While CBT is not an apt replacement for opiates or muscle relaxers, it can help one shift awareness away from suffering. Furthermore, you can easily do it on your own. Here is a thought-replacement, CBT technique that people use for a number of conditions:
Example Negative Thought: “My life is filled with discomfort and pain, there’s no cure for this, and every moment of my life is excruciating. Time to endure another day.”
Example Positive Replacement Thought: “I accept the reality of my condition. And until a cure is introduced, I will successfully manage and improve my symptoms with proper medication, healthy diet, exercise, massage, and physical therapy. If I combine each of these measures, my pain will subside and permit a healthy sleep cycle and life. I choose laughter, health, and exercise over suffering.”
Ginseng
Ginseng is another natural remedy that is often used by fibromyalgia patients. Ginseng stimulates the release of the body’s endorphins, which are natural painkillers with an opiate-like effect on pain.
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