Cuts happen to all of us. They can be completely unexpected, occurring at the worst time possible. Even though not always serious, cuts can be exceptionally unpleasant. They can also be dangerous in some cases – the STOP The Bleeding campaign by the PMC reports that there are more than 5 million people who die every year due to a traumatic injury. They can cause sharp pain and burning sensation when they occur, and even lead to inflammation, pain and other symptoms afterward. There are many causes for cuts – a countless number of mistakes lead to cuts. You accidentally cut your finger while slicing vegetables, slip your fingers over wood and a splinter causes a cut, or perhaps you walked against a platform with a sharp object attached to it.
Possible Complications Of Cuts
When you suffer a cut, no matter whether it is insignificant or severe, treatment should follow the cut to avoid any complications from occurring. Many possible complications may develop when a cut wound is left untreated. The primary reason for treating a wound as soon as possible is to stop the initial bleeding – losing too much blood can be hazardous to your health. In extreme cases, where a wound causes excessive bleeding, treatment needs to be administered to avoid anemia. In addition to excessive bleeding, it is vital to understand that an untreated cut or wound can also lead to infection. An infectious wound can lead to potentially severe complications if not treated, but preventing an infection in the first place should always be aimed for.
How To Treat A Cut Or Wound That Is Bleeding
Realizing the potential dangers and complications of an untreated wound or cut, you should now know that treating a cut as soon as it occurs is essential. There are some basic steps that you should take in order to minimize the risk of infection and possible excessive bleeding, as well as to ensure a speedy recovery from the injury.
The very first step should always be to stop the bleeding as fast as you possibly can. Don’t push anything into the cut or wound, however. Instead, use some gauze or a clean cloth – apply pressure to the cut with this material. The pressure should be kept steady for a couple of minutes. You can add more gauze or cloth to the area should the first layer become covered in blood – when you do add more dressings, do not remove the initial layer. If possible, you should also try to lift the area of injury to a level above your heart, especially when the injury occurred on one of your arms or legs.
Once the bleeding has stopped, it is time to clean the cut. It is vital that you perform this step as it will help to reduce the risk of developing an infection afterward. Use soap and clean, warm water to clean the wound. It is vital to ensure that no residue of the soap is left behind in the wound, as this can cause irritation.
These are the basics to stopping bleeding and treating a cut or wound. After you have completed these particular steps, however, it is essential to ensure you proceed with the adequate steps to protect your wound. It is highly recommended to apply an antibiotic cream to the area that has been injured. This will provide a further reduction in your risk of developing an infection in the area. Additionally, you should use a bandage to cover the area after applying the antibiotic cream.
You should ensure you continue to remove the old bandage and apply a new one on a daily basis. Each time you replace the bandage, ensure you clean the wound and pat it dry before you apply a new bandage. Always ensure that you wash your hands before and after you work with the wound – and continue replacing the bandages every day until the wound has gotten to the point of healing where bleeding does not occur anymore, and the wound has closed.
What To Do When The Wound Is More Serious?
When a person suffers a more significant injury that causes excessive bleeding, medical attention is required, but there are some steps that can be taken in order to reduce the bleeding on the spot and reduce their risk of bleeding out- it should be noted that up to 33% of patients who are admitted to a hospital from a traumatic injury suffers from a coagulopathy, as presented by a report published on BioMed Central.
An individual suffering a severe traumatic injury should be treated with the use of a tourniquet, which can assist with restricting blood to the area of injury; thus reducing bleeding until further measures can be taken, such as surgery. Additionally, specific pharmaceutical interventions are also to be used in the case of traumatic injuries. Antifibrinolytic agents, such as Tranexamic Acid, are currently considered an effective approach to assist with reducing bleeding and have also been proven to improve the outcome in many patients who suffer a traumatic injury.
Know When To Seek Emergency Medical Attention
There are cases where a cut or wound may be in such a condition that it is not possible to treat the cut at home. In such a case, it may be necessary to seek medical services from an emergency room to avoid potential complications, which, in severe cases, may become life-threatening. It is recommended to start out by following the steps we provided above to at least try to reduce bleeding until you or the injured individual can reach an emergency room for further assistance. Pressure should be ideally put on the area of injury to suppress bleeding.
If the wound continues to bleed even after pressure has been applied to the area for at least 10 minutes.
If blood is spurting from the wound, then emergency medical attention is needed as soon as possible.
It is also recommended to seek treatment from an emergency room if the cut leads to an open wound and if the injury is located on the chest area or the stomach area.
If internal bleeding is suspected, it is vital to seek attention from an emergency services room.
In addition to these particular circumstances that may call for medical attention, it is also important to note that a doctor should be contacted should signs of an infection occur. Signs of an infection in the wound may include redness and tenderness, as well as a thick discharge in some cases. A fever may also be a sign of infection.
Conclusion
Cuts are most often not serious, usually causing some bleeding that subsides relatively quickly. In some cases, however, complications may occur, especially when you are not equipped with the right skills to stop the bleeding, clean the wound and avoid infection. In this post, we shared some vital steps that you should take to assist with stopping a cut or wound from bleeding, and we provided more details on when you should choose to contact emergency medical services or visit the emergency department in order to receive the adequate treatment.
If you have fibromyalgia, you might have noticed a particularly strange symptom: constant itching.
It’s not something we usually think of when it comes to fibromyalgia. Ask anyone with a basic understanding of the condition what the symptoms are and they’ll list fatigue and chronic pain. It’s rare to hear skin issues brought up in connection with fibromyalgia.
And that makes a certain kind of sense. After all, fibromyalgia is a disease of the nervous system. It seems strange to connect it to the skin.
But many people with fibromyalgia do itch constantly, often to the point where it impedes their daily life. And the constant itching can lead to an even bigger problem: skin lesions.
Skin lesions are not just painful, they can be dangerous.
So, why does fibromyalgia lead to these kinds of skin issues? And what can you do about them?
Fibromyalgia and Skin Lesions
People don’t often consider “being itchy” to be that severe of a symptom. But for a moment, consider having an itch that just doesn’t go away. No matter how much you scratch, the itch just comes back in a few minutes. Now imagine that itch lasts for days. After a few days, could you focus on anything else but the maddening itch? Could you sleep?
And what if those days turned into years? Could you hold on to your sanity?
For many people with fibromyalgia, that’s not a hypothetical scenario. It’s all too real.
And anyone who has brought this symptom to a doctor has probably been told not to scratch. Of course, it’s not that easy. Often, scratching is the only thing that can provide any kind of relief, no matter how temporary.
But there’s a reason doctors tell you not to scratch.
Scratching damages the skin. And when you’re scratching constantly for a long period of time, that damage can really add up. The small breaks in the skin begin to grow. Eventually, scratching at the skin can even lead to large open wounds or lesions on the skin.
These lesions are bad enough on their own. And if they get deep enough, they can even cause permanent tissue damage.
But the real risk is an infection. Lesions, especially if you have more than one, are constantly at risk of getting infected. And while most of these infections are easy enough to manage with antibiotics, some can be quite serious. If you have a condition that weakens your immune system or a condition that weakens blood flow like diabetes, the risk of gangrene is very real.
Gangrene occurs when bacterial infections destroy skin tissue. Over time, this can even make it necessary to amputate the limb.
That means that it’s vital to do everything you can to prevent skin lesions and treat them when they occur.
Treating Skin Lesions
Obviously, the best way to avoid skin lesions is not to scratch, just like the doctor says. But given how difficult that is, it might be better to find a way to just treat the itching. Unfortunately, that’s also fairly difficult.
You may have already discovered that some common medications designed to treat itching aren’t particularly effective for the type of itching that comes with fibromyalgia. That’s because weren’t designed to treat it. Most anti-itch medications are anti-histamines and are designed to deal with allergies or irritation to the skin.
And the truth is that the itching that fibro patients experience really has little to do with the skin.
Have you ever wondered what exactly is going on in the brain when you scratch? Basically, your nerves are sending signals to the brain that it interprets as an “itch.” And when you scratch the skin, your brain temporarily sends pain signals along the same system of nerves, blocking out the itch signals. This is the reason that it can, at least for a moment, make the itching stop.
Of course, we know that fibromyalgia is also a condition that affects the nervous system. And what might be happening is that your nerves are sending pain signals to the brain that are more intense and aren’t connected to any damage to the body. This could explain how fibromyalgia causes pain.
But some doctors think that in people with nerve conditions like fibromyalgia, your nerves can send itching signals the saw way they do pain signals.
So essentially, the itching may lie in a problem with the nerves and not the skin.
The next question is whether or not there’s anything you can do to make it stop. And the good news is that there are several medications that doctors prescribe to treat this kind of nerve-related itching. Gabapentin, a drug usually used to treat seizures, seems to be an effective choice. We aren’t sure why it works for itching, but it may be able to slow down those nerve connections that send itching signals to the brain.
If you’re dealing with constant itching, consult your doctor. Don’t be afraid to be insistent, or to consider switching to a doctor who specializes in nerve issues. Itching is a serious symptom and can even be dangerous when it leads to skin lesions. It deserves treatment just like any other symptom.
So, what do you do if you’ve already developed a lesion? There, the treatment options are a bit more straightforward. You should always apply antibiotic ointment to skin lesions to reduce the risk of infection. And if the lesion is deep enough to see the yellow fatty tissue under the skin, or if the skin around it is inflamed and tender to the touch, or if you see pus, you should visit a doctor right away.
Large lesions need medical attention. And inflammation and pus are sure signs of infection. Catching potentially dangerous infections early is the best way to avoid negative treatment outcomes.
So, let us know. Have you struggled with chronic itching or lesions? Have any medications helped your symptoms? Tell us in the comments.
Dealing with chronic pain is the sort of thing that leaves you feeling very much alone. Although friends and family try to be supportive, unless they’re living with the sort of extreme and seemingly permanent pain that you are, they’ll never fully understand. And the fact that your pain leaves you unable to do any of the things you used to do often means your friends and family move on with their lives while you are stuck in the same place.
As a result of all of those things, people who live with chronic pain often end up without a good support network. And that’s a serious problem for someone who lives with such an emotionally devastating condition. That’s why chronic pain support groups are so vital to effectively managing chronic pain. They provide some of the emotional support you need. And even if you’ve never thought of yourself as the kind of person who would need group therapy, the reality is that you’re probably letting your preconceived idea of what a support group
And even if you’ve never thought of yourself as the kind of person who would need group therapy, the reality is that you’re probably letting your preconceived idea of what a support group is keep you away from what is actually a great method of management for life with chronic pain.
So what are chronic pain support groups, why do you need one, and how can you find one in your area?
How Do Chronic Pain Support Groups Work?
You might think that chronic pain support groups aren’t for you. Or you might be imagining something like AA where people take turns telling deep personal feelings and issues and helping each other with maintaining sobriety. Well, chronic pain support groups are remarkably similar in that they do offer support and a chance to discuss your feelings and issues about your chronic pain.
Basically, they’re just a place where people get together to offer support to each other as they struggle with chronic pain. They provide an environment where you can discuss how your chronic pain makes you feel and share tips about pain management or just a sympathetic ear. And that’s much more important than you might realize.
Why Do You Need A Support Group?
Many conditions that cause chronic pain are not actually fatal. Take, for instance, fibromyalgia. Though fibromyalgia can be intensely painful and makes it difficult to live a normal life, it is not, by itself a terminal disease.
But people with fibromyalgia commit suicide at a much higher rate than the general population. There are a number of reasons that this is true, but the most obvious is that chronic pain conditions like fibromyalgia significantly decrease your overall quality of life.
There is the constant pain which obviously anyone would get tired of. But in addition, people with chronic pain conditions often become socially isolated because it is so hard to maintain relationships while dealing with chronic pain. And people with a limited social support network are the most at risk of suicide.
This is why a good support group is so vital. It gives you the support you need to carry on living with chronic pain. And it may literally save your life.
How To Find Chronic Pain Support Groups
If you’ve decided that you would like to find a support group, there are a few things that you can do to find one in your area. You can check out the website of the American Chronic Pain Association, which has a handy tool for finding chronic pain support groups in your area. And here is a similar resource based in the United Kingdom if you live there courtesy of the British Pain Society. Otherwise, it is fairly easy to find chronic pain support groups with just a little bit of internet searching.
Finally, if you absolutely can’t find a chronic pain support group in your area, you always have the option to start your own. Contact one of the above groups for resources and tips about the best way to go about doing so. Just remember that managing a support group is a serious responsibility. But if you really want to help make a difference in the lives of those living with chronic pain, a support group is a great way to do it.
So you tell us, are you interested in trying out chronic pain support groups? Do you already have one? Is it useful to you? What advice would you give someone who is interested in finding a support group themself? Tell us below in the comments.
May is Fibromyalgia Awareness month, and in recognition, we’ve put together a list of some of our most popular articles about various fibromyalgia symptoms and some of the resources available. We’ve also included some of our most popular posts from the past year.
Fibromyalgia is a seriously misunderstood disease, mainly because, as you know, many sufferers may not “look sick.” This is why Fibromyalgia Awareness Month is so important: as a so-called “Invisible Disease,” not a lot of people take it seriously. Also, it can be difficult to explain how fibromyalgia affects us: the constant, chronic pain, the fatigue, the fibro fog. How flare ups are triggered and what that even means for us. Fibromyalgia Awareness Month is an opportunity for us to educate our loved ones about what fibro warriors go through every day.
Below, find a collection of some of our most popular informative articles that you can share with your family and friends during Fibromyalgia Awareness Month.
Fibromyalgia Awareness Month
Let’s start with some basics, because a lot of people may ask, “What even is fibromyalgia?” Well, we’ve got you covered in this section, with articles explaining what the condition is, what causes it, what some of the major symptoms are, how to tell if you have it, and what to do if you’ve been diagnosed with fibromyalgia.
How to know if you have fibromyalgia
Image: pathdoc / Shutterstock
“You’re going about your business in peak physical condition and life is good. Suddenly you wake up one day to tingling and numbness in your leg. You head to the ER and they send you home with no news. Your primary care physician is stumped. He sends you to physical therapy, but they boot you out the door because it might be a pinched nerve. You get an MRI, EMG, and a brain scan. They all turn up clean. You try a chiropractor and any holistic practitioner you can find. Then one day you find yourself in front of rheumatologist who is able to immediately identify and diagnose you with fibromyalgia. Finally.”
“Fibromyalgia can be a hard disease to get a diagnosis for since so few people understand it. But is there an easy way to find out if you might have fibromyalgia? Well, just by answering these questions, you can find out if you might have fibromyalgia. And if you should go to a doctor to make sure.”
If you’ve received a fibromyalgia diagnosis then you have already been dealing with a catalog of symptoms and conditions that have made life difficult or just plain hell. The great news is that a doctor has finally affirmed what you’ve been saying for so long – something is wrong. The bad news is that the diagnosis doesn’t actually change your symptoms. Alternatively, you may be one of those people trying to figure out what on earth is going on with your body and are digging like mad because not one doctor has been able to identify the culprit. If that’s the case, then what is said going forward probably won’t shock you. Either way, even though this won’t be easy, it is doable.
“Why do fibromyalgia symptoms in women seem to be worse than they are for men? And what are some of the basic fibromyalgia symptoms that let you know when it’s time to see a doctor?”
“A lot of people think of fibromyalgia as a disease that affects women, but the reality is fibromyalgia symptoms in men can be just as severe. And the problem many men face is that they often have a harder time than women in getting diagnosed. That’s because the idea that fibromyalgia is a disorder that affects women is so widespread that doctors don’t always recognize fibromyalgia symptoms in men. So how do the symptoms affect men differently than women? And how do you know if you have fibromyalgia as a man?”
“Fibromyalgia can be a weird illness. Your doctor may say that fatigue and pain are the only real symptoms of fibro, but you can’t help but wonder if your latest uncomfortable symptoms can be attributed to your illness. Here are some of the rare symptoms of fibromyalgia that you might experience.”
“And because many of these symptoms aren’t things that people typically associate with fibromyalgia, they often go unnoticed, which can delay getting a diagnosis. So, here are some painless symptoms of fibromyalgia that you should watch out for.”
“One explanation for fibromyalgia itching is called formication which is a sensation that feels like bugs crawling on or under the skin. Formication is actually a paresthesia which is a sensation like numbness, tingling, or burning that “happens when sustained pressure is placed on a nerve. The feeling quickly goes away once the pressure is relieved. Some individuals may experience chronic paresthesia. This is usually a symptom of severe underlying conditions.””
“It’s the fibromyalgia burning sensation: Do you ever feel like your bones are on fire? What about the top of your leg or your back, maybe even under the skin? Some fibromyalgia patients feel like lava is being pumped through their veins rather than blood. You might even have that burning sensation in your brain, which is interesting in itself since the brain has no pain receptors. Still others feel like their stomach, tendons, or ligaments are burning right inside their body. For many with fibromyalgia, the searing pain is so severe that they cry and scream in pain.”
Fibromyalgia Awareness Month resources and treatments
Fibromyalgia treatment can be like whack-a-mole with the symptoms, as they are varied as they are plentiful. There are medications that are commonly prescribed (with new medicines developed every day) as well as exercise, therapy, and a whole industry around natural and homeopathic treatments. Also, as we’ve listened to our audience, we’ve come to value your feedback and experience. So we’ve included articles about various treatment options, information on clinical trials, medications, and natural treatment options
Medical Marijuana and Cannabis Treatments
Our most popular posts about treatments are those featuring cannabis, whether it’s marijuana edibles or CBD oil. Please enjoy this collection of our most popular posts about Medical Marijuana.
Marijuana edibles could be the answer for fibromyalgia
Cannabis-derived products are the best available treatment for pain management in my opinion. I have worked with people and animals with chronic pain, and cannabis is the most effective treatment I have found. Nature provided us with a super drug, and it’s a shame more people can’t access it for pain relief.
“Using marijuana for fibromyalgia is something that brings many fibromyalgia patients relief. And the benefits of medical marijuana are becoming more and more obvious to scientists and doctors all over the world. But in many places, marijuana is not approved for medical use, leaving patients without access to this treatment option.
But how effective is using marijuana for fibromyalgia, and why is it such a controversial treatment option?”
You’ve probably heard about people using medical marijuana to treat their fibromyalgia. According to many people who have done so, it’s actually a pretty effective treatment. Like with nearly any treatment, you’ll hear people talk about how it changed their life for the better and people who say it really wasn’t that effective. When it comes to fibromyalgia, everyone is different.
But we do know that cannabis has at least some benefit for many people with fibromyalgia. So how does cannabis deliver it’s medical benefits to those struggling with fibromyalgia? And what are some of the best cannabis strains for fibromyalgia?
Fibromyalgia is a complicated disease with many symptoms, and it affects each person differently. Cannabis is also a complicated medicine with different strains and cannabinoid compounds that act on the body in different ways. Saying that weed will help with fibro may or may not be true. If you are trying to treat chronic pain and you get a THC dominant strain, then it may not work at all. If you are trying to treat insomnia, then a THC dominant strain may have the opposite effect of making you sleep. For anyone with fibro that has tried weed one time and decided that it did not work for them, what strain did you use? Was it THC or CBD dominant? It is quite likely that the strain that you had was not optimum for the symptom you were trying to treat. So here is a Look at THC vs CBD for fibro symptoms, and a breakdown of the most common fibro symptoms with the best strains to treat them.
Many who suffer from fibromyalgia come from a generation or worldview that criticizes and forbids the use of marijuana, even for medicinal purposes. However, cannabis (Latin name for the marijuana) has been used as a medicine for at least 5,000 years of recorded history. Interestingly enough, among a variety of ailments and conditions, cannabis was also used to treat pain, inflammation, poor memory, migraines, fatigue, depression, and rheumatism. Sound familiar, fibro sufferers? It has been smoked, eaten, and made into teas and pastes in the medical life of India and China for thousands of years. It was introduced to the U.S. around the turn of the 20th Century by Mexican immigrants. But racism and classism led to the criminalization of marijuana.
Many people who have fibromyalgia also report that they feel a constant itching sensation. It doesn’t seem to be caused by any irritation of the skin but is rather just a persistent itchiness that can occur all over the body. And for many people, fibromyalgia itching is worse than the pain.
The constant itch is incredibly frustrating and close to impossible to satisfy. And that leads to many people scratching until they break the skin, which leads to infections. Unfortunately, this kind of chronic itching is not understood very well by science. And fibro itching, in particular, is not the target of much research by most medical researchers.
But with marijuana increasingly being accepted as a medication, many wonder if it can help treat fibromyalgia itching. So what exactly is fibro itching? And can marijuana help?
What is the hold up with medical marijuana research, legalization, and decriminalization around the country? Why is it okay in some places, but not others? This is actually quite sordid and complicated. We’ll only scratch the surface, but it should give you a general idea of what’s going on with legalized medical Marijuana. (Spoiler alert: mass confusion)
“Remember, doctors know that fibromyalgia patients are sensitive to medications so they generally start you out on a low dose and closely monitor you for worsening effects. Best case: the medications will work well for you and bring much needed relief so that you function more like you wish to. Worst case: the medications won’t work and may make you feel worse temporarily. But you won’t know till you try and the prospect of finding a reprieve may feel like enough of an incentive to give it a shot. So let’s take a look at some of the best medical treatments for fibromyalgia that Western medicine has to offer at this moment.”
Lady Gaga’s Netflix Documentary puts Fibromyalgia Front and Center
In a lot of ways, Lady Gaga’s new Netflix documentary, Gaga: Five Foot Two, is your standard pop star documentary, in the vein of Madonna’s Truth or Dareor Katy Perry’s Part of Me. It follows her around as she’s writing and recording songs and music videos for her album Joanne, and preparing for concert appearances (including her performance at Super Bowl XLI). There are glimpses of her family life, and Lady Gaga, or in this case, regular old Stefani Germanotta, attends a baptism as the godmother to one of her bandmates’ babies. You meet her parents and grandparents. All standard celebrity documentary material.
What sets Gaga: Five Foot Two apart is Lady Gaga’s willingness to put her struggle with chronic pain, specifically her fibromyalgia, front and center in her story.
What medical research has shown about fibromyalgia
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“As new scientific evidence is revealed, fibromyalgia is moving from a stigmatized and misunderstood syndrome once dismissed as purely a psychological disorder to a true disease with its own pathology. Studies linking dysfunctional brain processing to fibromyalgia will help erase the stigma from sufferers.”
“For a condition to be recognized under the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA), it must cause an impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities. By that standard it would seem like fibromyalgia is a slam dunk for qualifying, right? I mean, pain so severe that you can’t get out of bed? That’s an impairment by any definition. And fibromyalgia is recognized on the list of disabilities covered by the ADA.”
“What if a cute, cuddly dog is the Rx you need to help reduce fibromyalgia pain even more than your current therapies? It could just very well be! Fibromyalgia therapy dogs are gaining in popularity as a treatment.”
The benefits of cognitive behavioral therapy for fibromyalgia patients
Image: Pressmaster / Shutterstock
“Outside of pharmaceuticals, two of the most studied methods of treatment for fibromyalgia patients are exercise and a very specific kind of therapy called cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), a type of talk therapy that can help you identify and cope with specific challenges, including fibromyalgia symptoms.”
How to get a spot in clinical trials for new fibromyalgia treatments
Image: A and N photography / Shutterstock
“New clinical trials are underway all around the country and world, studying drugs/devices or other treatments for fibromyalgia pain and other symptoms. This gives men and women more options than what’s traditionally prescribed during a doctor’s visit.”
“Fibromyalgia is an illness that stumps doctors while patients look for relief. The mainstream medical community has only a relatively small group of treatments for fibromyalgia, most of which provide only incomplete relief from chronic pain or have a long list of unpleasant side effects. Consider instead some of these natural alternatives that may provide some comfort without unwanted effects.”
“If you have talked to your doctor about fibromyalgia then in all likelihood one of the first things they recommended was that you do your best to stay active and create a regular exercise routine. But as anyone with fibromyalgia knows, exercise sucks! Your muscles are sore, your joints ache, and your just too fatigued to care about anything as miserable as exercising. Well the solution to this dilemma can be fixed by a simple, four letter word: yoga.”
The National Fibromyalgia and Chronic Pain Association has a provider directory that can help you find a doctor near you who treats fibromyalgia.
The National Fibromyalgia Association spreads awareness through its education programs throughout the United States.
How do you plan to spend Fibromyalgia Awareness month? Let us know what you have planned in the comments.
How Much Water is Too Much
Written By: admin
Everywhere you turn, people are telling you to drink water. Doctors, parents, teachers, coaches, yoga instructors, dietitians, holistic health nuts. Everyone advises us to drink, drink, drink or to remember to drink plenty of fluid. But can you drink too much water? It turns out, you certainly can.
The human body is a complex organism that consists of many different parts and each of them is made of different amounts of water. The brain and the heart are 73 percent water. The lungs are 83 percent H2O. Your skin, on the other hand — or on either hand, as the case may be — is 64 percent water.
Did you know we dry out as we age? A fetus is 94 percent water, an infant about 75 percent. The average adult is between 57 percent and 60 percent water, while an elderly person is about 50 percent water, a remarkable drop of 44 percentage points from our glory days in mother’s womb.
There are H2O related differences between men and women, as well. Men have less fat than women, which makes their bodies about 60 percent water. Fat is relatively dehydrated, which means women, with more fat than men, are only 55 percent water.
For many people, drinking water is a problem – they may not like the taste of water or simply prefer a sugary soda beverage instead. For others, however, drinking water is no problem at all.
Water is required for the production of certain neurotransmitters and hormones in the brain
Water assists with shock absorption by the spinal cord and the brain
Water helps transport many chemicals through the body
How Much Water Should You Drink?
Different recommendations are provided regarding the daily recommended water intake. The most popular advice is eight glasses of water of eight ounces each. But this advise is partly given out because it is easy to remember. Some variations should be taken into account. Men are advised to drink more water than women. Your age and activity level also plays a part in determining how much water your body requires to stay healthy. Additional factors also play a part – such as when a woman is pregnant or when she is breastfeeding.
For adults, the following recommendations have been made regarding an adequate supply of water on a daily basis:
Men are advised to consume 3.7 liters of water daily. This accounts for all fluids, including those obtained from foods. When it comes to water consumption from beverages, the recommended daily intake is around 3.0 liters.
Women are advised to consume 2.7 liters of water daily. This accounts for fluids that are obtained from beverages and food. Women are encouraged to drink approximately 2.1 liters of water daily through beverages.
What about kids?
Of course, young kids are not expected to drink as much as adult men or women. Here are the recommendations for children and adolescents:
1-3 years of age, drink 0.9 liters each day
4-8 years of age, drink 1.2 liters each day
9-13 years of age, girls, drink 1.6 liters per day
9-13 years of age, boys, drink 1.8 liters per day
14-18 years of age, girls, drink 1.8 liters per day
14-17 years of age, boys, drink 2.6 liters per day
How Much Water Is Consider Too Much?
When you drink too much water, complications may develop. These complications can lead to a condition called water intoxication, which can produce life-threatening consequences.
How much is too much? The kidneys can process up to 28 liters of water every single day, but you have to give the kidneys time to do their work, so you can’t drink too fast. The kidneys can only remove a maximum of one-liter water per hour. If you exceed that, you are drinking too fast.
Water intoxication is rare, but it can be fatal, so the symptoms are important to understand.
The most common signs that you have drunk too much water include a headache, as well as nausea and potentially vomiting. When these symptoms develop, it is important to stop drinking water for the time being.
Symptoms of more severe water intoxication include an increase in blood pressure levels, double vision, breathing difficulties, muscle weakness and muscle cramps. Confusion may also occur.
The cause of death, if you consume an extraordinary amount of water too fast is not, as you would think, drowning. What occurs is that your electrolytes are thrown off balance and you die when the percentage of salt in your body is diluted to the point that it is too low. The cause of death is a fatally low concentration of serum sodium.
Conclusion
Water is the essence of life. More than half of our bodies consist of water, and without an adequate intake of water, we can suffer dehydration and many unpleasant symptoms. (Death occurs in three to five days if you stop taking in water.) While drinking enough water is vital, it is essential to know your limits as well. Drinking too much water can be harmful and may lead to dangerous complications. Of course, thirst tells us to drink something, but what tells us to stop? The answer is the same: Thirst. That is, when you stop being thirsty, you should stop drinking, experts say.
We don’t know much about fibromyalgia. But from what we do know, it’s obvious that it’s a very complicated condition. Most people with the condition can remember a time when they first started noticing the symptoms of fibromyalgia. And while it’s fairly rare to find people who have exactly the same story, many people with fibromyalgia report developing the condition following bacterial infections.
It’s an intriguing clue to the possible origins of the condition. So, what exactly is the link between infection and fibromyalgia? And what can it tell us about the causes of fibromyalgia?
Bacterial Infections And Fibromyalgia
We don’t know what causes fibromyalgia. But we do know that there are things that seem to make you more likely to develop the condition. Studies of people with fibromyalgia have shown that a significant number of them developed fibromyalgia after the body undergoes some kind of trauma.
A study published in 2015 looked at 939 patients with fibromyalgia found some interesting correlations between the disease and physical trauma. 203 of the patients had experienced some kind of physical trauma just before developing the disease. And 53 had experienced a bacterial infection.
The authors of the study call these “precipitating events,” meaning that they seem to lead to the onset of symptoms.
Other studies have drawn some more direct connections between precipitating events and fibromyalgia. One study found that fibromyalgia and Lyme disease seem to be closely linked. Obviously, both conditions lead to similar symptoms. But there seems to be a deeper connection as well.
One study found that in fibromyalgia patients who reported developing the condition after an infection, around 15% had developed it after contracting Lyme disease. This makes it one of the more common infections that lead to fibromyalgia. But other studies have found significant rates of connection between conditions like HIV infection and parvovirus infection.
But while these studies seem to suggest a link does exist between, we aren’t sure why that is. Further studies are needed to definitely establish that. However, we can speculate about some of the possible explanations.
Do Bacterial Infections Cause Fibromyalgia
Some people have suggested that fibromyalgia itself might be a bacterial infection. But while it seems that bacterial infections can trigger fibromyalgia, this probably isn’t the case. After all, many people, probably the majority of them, develop the condition without any signs of bacterial infection. And there are many other events that can trigger fibromyalgia besides infection.
Instead, the relationship between infection and fibromyalgia is likely much more complex.
The first possibility is that the bacteria itself is causing the symptoms of fibromyalgia. Rather than triggering fibromyalgia to develop, the bacteria is infecting the body and created the condition we call fibromyalgia. Essentially, that would mean that fibromyalgia is more a set of common symptoms created by many different conditions than a condition itself.
But this is also unlikely. If bacteria were causing the symptoms of fibromyalgia, then it would be possible to control those symptoms with antibiotics. Of course, this doesn’t seem to be possible. And most doctors reject this idea.
The most likely explanation is that somehow infections create a response in the body that contributes to someone developing fibromyalgia.
There’s evidence that something changes in the brain of people with fibromyalgia. The nervous system seems to become extra sensitive to pain. And it begins transmitting pain signals along the nerves without any external stimulus. And while we can’t say for sure that this is the cause of fibromyalgia, it does seem to play a role in why the condition causes pain.
The question is: do bacterial infections play some role in triggering this hypersensitivity?
We know that infections can lead to inflammation in the tissue. And we know that inflammation is associated with higher levels of immune cells in the blood. And these immune cells release something called cytokines.
Cytokines are proteins that play a role in keeping the immune system functional. But cytokines also seem to play a role in chronic pain conditions like fibromyalgia. The cytokines begin to trigger pain responses in the nervous system. Over time, these pain responses can trigger hypersensitivity.
This could be the explanation for why infection seems to lead to fibromyalgia. Basically, infections produce inflammation, which leads to cytokines. These cytokines trigger pain signals and, eventually, nervous system hypersensitivity.
And because the nervous system is now more sensitive to pain and triggers pain signals on its own, it leads to the widespread pain of fibromyalgia. This is just a theory, and more research is needed. But it is a logical explanation for the link between infection and fibromyalgia.
So, what do you think? Was your fibromyalgia triggered by an infection? What do you think the link is? Tell us in the comments.
Have you ever heard of Raynaud’s syndrome? If you have fibromyalgia, there’s a good chance that the answer to that question is yes. Raynaud’s is pretty common in people who have fibromyalgia, and they can affect each other in some interesting ways. And in fact, some have speculated that the same mechanism that causes Raynaud’s could have something to do with the pain of fibromyalgia itself.
But what is Raynaud’s syndrome, how can Raynaud’s be treated, and what exactly is the relationship between Raynaud’s and fibromyalgia?
What Is Raynaud’s Syndrome?
You know that feeling when you wake up after having slept on your hand in a weird way? You know that numb, sort of tingling sensation? The one where your fingers look like they’ve been drained of blood? Well, that’s essentially what the syndrome is. But whereas that phenomenon is usually caused by something (like your body) restricting the flow of blood into the affected limb, in Raynaud’s the body seems to trigger this reaction unnecessarily.
Raynaud’s seems to be a result of over-sensitive nerves that respond to normal triggers too easily and dilating your blood vessels, limiting the flow of blood.
One of the most common things that trigger Raynaud’s is exposure to cold. Cold temperatures often cause your body to restrict the flow of blood to your extremities in order to keep your vital organs supplied with warmth. But in Raynaud’s syndrome, this happens after a very limited exposure to cold and can last far longer than it normally should.
This can make Raynaud’s dangerous. As you probably know, your skin needs a constant flow of blood to feed its cells. When the flow of blood is cut off, as it is in an episode Raynaud’s, the tissue can begin dying. This results in painful sores or even gangrene if the attack goes on long enough.
How Is It Treated?
The way that Raynaud’s is usually treated is with medications that increase the flow of blood. That makes sense given that the root of Raynaud’s is a constriction of the blood vessels. So doctors typically prescribe vasodilators to people with Raynaud’s. This type of drug widens the veins, allowing blood to flow through. Perhaps the most famous of these drugs is Viagra. Viagra stimulates blood flow, helping men get erections by opening blood vessels, which of course makes it a good option for treating Raynaud’s.
But another option for treating Raynaud’s is with calcium channel or alpha blockers. Both of these drugs work by blocking some of the nerve signals that cause the blood vessels to spasm and close. And you can also get injections of other drugs like Botox that prevent the nerves from triggering this responsible.
In addition, a doctor can surgically cut the nerves that control the blood vessels in your hands and feet, thus making it harder for them to close. In most cases, these methods are effective for managing Raynaud’s syndrome.
How Are Raynaud’s Syndrome And Fibromyalgia Related?
The basic relationship between Raynaud’s syndrome and fibromyalgia has to do with the flow of blood to the muscles. A few studies have suggested that people with fibromyalgia have issues with blood circulation to the muscles. In this study that looked at whether people with fibromyalgia had less blood flow to their muscles after exercise, the researchers found that the fibromyalgia patients had significantly less blood flow into their muscles following exercise than the control group.
This suggests that fibromyalgia limits how much blood can get into your muscles, as does Raynaud’s. Now we also know that people with fibromyalgia often develop Raynaud’s as well or have regular Raynaud’s episodes. It could be that the same basic mechanism that causes the lack of blood flow in people with fibromyalgia could also be causing them to suffer from Raynaud’s.
Essentially, some have suggested that the same over sensitive nerves that cause your blood vessels to constrict in Raynaud’s are also causing the fibromyalgia pain in your muscles.
At the moment, there hasn’t been much research into a possible link between these conditions, so that remains conjecture. And until we know more about what causes fibromyalgia, we will have to chalk up Raynaud’s disease as just one of the many annoying secondary syndromes that come with fibromyalgia.
So tell us, do you suffer from Raynaud’s? What do you think of the idea that blood flow plays a role in fibromyalgia? Let us know in the comments.
Chronic fatigue syndrome is often hard to diagnosis for even the most experienced doctors. That’s because it’s symptoms tend to be hard to tell apart from other conditions that cause fatigue, of which there are many. But chronic fatigue syndrome symptoms differ from these other conditions in some important ways.
So by knowing the difference between these symptoms, you stand a better chance of getting your condition diagnosed early, and thus limiting the number of needless tests and useless treatments you have to go through. Here are a few of the differences you should watch out for and an explanation of what chronic fatigue syndrome actually is.
What Is Chronic Fatigue Syndrome?
Chronic fatigue syndrome is a long-term disease that causes you to feel tired no matter how much sleep you get. Of course, just about any adult knows that always feeling tired is really part of getting older, but chronic fatigue syndrome is a bit more complex than that.
People with chronic fatigue syndrome don’t just feel tired, they are physically incapable of living a normal life because of the extreme fatigue that they feel. But like with other chronic conditions, there isn’t any one disease that is responsible for chronic fatigue syndrome. And doctors believe that CFS is linked to a number of conditions like Epstein-Barr virus. But as yet, there hasn’t been any definitive link between a virus or other disease and chronic fatigue syndrome.
And only around 10% of chronic fatigue syndrome patients have another chronic condition that doctors can actually diagnose. That means that treating chronic fatigue syndrome is difficult, due to the fact that no one is sure what causes it.
And with no real ability to treat the condition, people with chronic fatigue syndrome are left struggling to find a way to live in spite of their fatigue, as well as dealing with their symptoms.
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Symptoms
The most basic of chronic fatigue syndrome symptoms is obviously chronic fatigue. This is extreme fatigue that isn’t caused by any obvious condition and lasts for longer than a few months. But there is also a range of other symptoms that come with chronic fatigue syndrome:
Inability to concentrate or remember simple things.
Insomnia.
Muscle pain.
Frequent Headaches.
Joint pain with swelling.
Tender lymph nodes.
It’s not an easy condition to self-diagnose, just as it’s not easy for trained doctors to diagnose. But just remember that if you feel like something is really wrong then there is a good chance there is. If your fatigue is seriously limiting the way you live on a daily basis, then you should go to a doctor. Even if your problem isn’t chronic fatigue syndrome, there is probably something wrong that you can begin to address. Listen to your body, it usually knows when something is wrong.
But often the severity of chronic fatigue syndrome symptoms, in particular, comes in cycles, where it is sometimes better and sometimes worse. There may be times when people with chronic fatigue syndrome suddenly feel their symptoms improving, and there may be times when things suddenly get much much worse.
It’s simply part of living with such a difficult condition. When it comes to managing your symptoms, this means that some days will be easier than others. But if you stick with a few simple changes, you may be able to reduce the severity of your symptoms in the long term.
First, make sure you’re getting enough exercise. Obviously, it’s not easy to go to the gym when you’re struggling with chronic fatigue. But if you can just get an extra thirty minutes or so of walking in every day, you’ll find that you probably have a lot more energy than you used to.At the same time, try to eat as healthy a diet as possible.
At the same time, try to eat as healthy a diet as possible. Again, it’s not that easy to do given that eating healthy requires time for both planning ahead and cooking meals. But a little bit of advanced planning and sticking to a preset meal plan will really help you get all the nutrients you need and leave you with a lot more energy.
Finally, there are a number of different medications that are prescribed to help with chronic fatigue syndrome. Some of these are things like acetaminophen which are designed to help deal the muscle aches. And then doctors also prescribe things like anti-seizure medications to help deal with the neurological element of chronic fatigue syndrome.
But there is, of course, no promise that any of these will be effective. Let us know, though, how do you manage your chronic fatigue syndrome symptoms? Let us know in the comments.
Invisible Disabilities: Just Because you Can’t see it Doesn’t Mean it’s not Real
Written By: Wyatt Redd
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Image: Clard/ Pixabay
Have you ever heard diseases like fibromyalgia called an “invisible disability?” Essentially, invisible disabilities are conditions that can’t be seen but still have serious effects on your ability to live a normal life. The term makes a distinction between conditions like cerebral palsy, where the effects of the disability are often noticeable, and conditions like fibromyalgia.
Of course, humans depend heavily on their vision. We use our sight to make sense of the world around us and the people in it. And in spite of proverbs warning us “not to judge a book by its cover,” that’s often exactly what we do. If someone doesn’t “look” sick many people refuse to accept that they are.
That means that living with invisible disabilities is one of the hardest feats to manage when it comes to coping with long-term illness. So, how do you live with debilitating pain in a world that refuses to accept that you’re suffering? To find that out, let’s talk about some of the common invisible disabilities and some strategies for managing life with an invisible illness.
What Are Invisible Disabilities?
One of the most infuriating things about the skepticism many people display towards invisibility is that it implies that they’re rare. But the truth is that many long-term disabilities are invisible. The basic criteria is simply that a condition is not immediately apparent and impairs you enough that you can’t function normally.
By that definition, many chronic conditions could be considered invisible disabilities. For instance, someone with a traumatic brain injury may not show any outward signs of injury. And many of their functions, like walking, could be unaffected. But even so, other important functions like memory might be damaged enough that they can’t hold a job.
Or, someone might have suffered from the degeneration of the tissue between the vertebrae. This can lead to unbearable pain but leaves no outward sign of illness.
And anyone who has suffered from fibromyalgia knows how devastating an invisible illness can be. People with fibromyalgia live with not just constant pain, but constant fatigue as well. Of course, people with fibromyalgia also know how hard it is to live with this kind of condition. And one of the hardest parts about managing a chronic, invisible illness is simply getting people to acknowledge that their condition exists.
Coping Strategies for Invisible Disabilities
Consider one of the most common forms of disability: vision loss. According to the CDC, about 3% of Americans over the age of 40 are either legally blind or visually impaired. But simply putting in contacts is enough to correct many of these people’s vision to functional levels. Technically, these people are living with an invisible disability.
No one would believe that people with contacts don’t actually have impaired vision, but that’s often the attitude that people have when it comes to other disabilities.
People with fibromyalgia are often accused of “faking it.” It’s an accusation that they’re making up a disease so that they can get special treatment or attention. Of course, that doesn’t explain why people with fibromyalgia continue to hurt when there is no one around to see it.
Or they’re accused of being crazy. They’re told that their illness is all in their head. The implication is that all they have to do is realize that they aren’t actually sick and everything will be fine. But that idea doesn’t explain why almost all doctors now agree that fibromyalgia is a real condition.
Trying to get that kind of validation from society and even doctors adds another horrible burden on people who are already living with a devastating disease. And learning how to cope with that skepticism is an important part of managing invisible disabilities.
Part of that is learning to manage your expectations of others, even when they put unfair expectations on you. The truth is that many of the people who are skeptical of conditions like fibromyalgia are really skeptical because they are ignorant. Consider any interaction with these kinds of people a chance to help spread awareness about the condition.
It’s often a good idea to prepare a basic explanation of the condition that you can fire off whenever you’re confronted with people who are skeptical. The classic spoon analogy is a good place to start if you’re looking for inspiration.
But don’t expect everyone to immediately change their minds. You can’t control the way others think. Sometimes, all you can do is try not to let their negativity get to you and politely end the conversation.
Of course, this is impossible when you’re dealing with a spouse or family member. In these situations, it’s often a good idea to seek professional counseling. And generally speaking, seeing a professional counselor is important for anyone with a chronic illness.
The pain and loneliness of these sorts of conditions can get to anyone. Just as you see a medical professional for your physical health, seeing a mental health professional is a good way to keep yourself mentally and spiritually healthy.
Being proactive about your mental and physical wellbeing is the best way to manage a chronic illness, invisible or not.
Finally, remember that you’re entitled to protection under the law for your disability. Employers cannot legally fire you for being disabled. Nor can they deny you accommodations that you need. Many people with a disability have a story of losing their job because of their condition. This is not just wrong, it is illegal. And you should carefully consider the possibility of contacting a lawyer if you feel you’ve been treated unfairly.
No one should be victimized by society simply for being disabled.
So, what do you think? How do you manage your invisible disability? Let us know in the comments.
Social media drives me nuts. But I also find it amusing. And sometimes I’m even grateful for it because of the connections it allows me to maintain. Like the dear friend with whom I’d fallen out of touch, only to recently discover was diagnosed with lupus disease two years ago. Apparently, lupus disease is also similar to chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) and fibromyalgia, just two of the conditions with overlapping symptoms that can muddy the waters when it comes to a diagnosis. With that in mind, it took a while for my friend to get her lupus diagnosis. In all my research and experiences with both CFS and fibromyalgia, one thing I have learned is that these and similar conditions are often very difficult to diagnose. In fact, many patients have multiple conditions at the same time. And, of course, lupus frequently shows up in the research of these conditions. But just what is lupus and how is it treated?
What’s in a Name?
It’s hard for me to hear the name “lupus” without linking it to the fictional “Professor Remus Lupin” from the Harry Potter series. In the story, Professor Lupin was a werewolf. So, it should not come as a surprise that the word lupus is Latin for “wolf.” The name is no mere coincidence, although it lupus as a disease has nothing to do with any disease or contagion from a canine. It is actually called “lupus” because of a 13th century physician “who used it to describe erosive facial lesions that were reminiscent of a wolf’s bite.” However, the reality is that lupus can damage any part of the body, including the skin, joints, and/or organs.
Sadly, lupus is an autoimmune disease. The Lupus Foundation of America explains that with lupus, the immune system cannot tell the difference between “foreign invaders” like the flu, germs, and bacteria from healthy tissues. In other words, the body begins to attack and destroy itself the way it would foreign invaders. Even though the physician didn’t intend it, associating this condition with a wolf that instinctively attacks and destroys was certainly appropriate.
Lupus Disease Symptoms
Fibromyalgia is sometimes referred to as an autoimmune disease as well. However, there is much debate over that. Nevertheless, it is easy to see why fibromyalgia and lupus disease, not to mention chronic fatigue syndrome, can be mistaken for each other and often overlap. Fibro patients will definitely recognize a lot of these common lupus symptoms:
Extreme fatigue (tiredness)
Headaches
Painful or swollen joints
Fever
Anemia (low numbers of red blood cells or hemoglobin, or low total blood volume)
Swelling (edema) in feet, legs, hands, and/or around eyes
Pain in chest on deep breathing (pleurisy)
Butterfly-shaped rash across cheeks and nose
Sun- or light-sensitivity (photosensitivity)
Hair loss
Abnormal blood clotting
Fingers turning white and/or blue when cold (Raynaud’s phenomenon)
Mouth or nose ulcers
The similarities between lupus and other conditions are frightening and frustrating. Indeed, so much so, that the Lupus Foundation adds: “Many of these symptoms occur in other illnesses. In fact, lupus is sometimes called “the great imitator” because its symptoms are often like the symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis, blood disorders, fibromyalgia, diabetes, thyroid problems, Lyme disease, and a number of heart, lung, muscle, and bone diseases.” No wonder it took so long for my friend to get a diagnosis. Not to mention a doctor who would take her symptoms seriously.
Treatments for Lupus
Like most of the conditions and diseases above, lupus has no cure. That means that healthcare practitioners will often focus on managing the symptoms to improve your quality of life. The Mayo Clinic recommends starting with lifestyle modifications, including sun protection and diet changes. The Lupus Foundation of America has an excellent resource regarding common diet questions for lupus patients. Some of these include avoiding alfalfa and certain ‘nightshade vegetables,’ such as potatoes, tomatoes, eggplants and peppers. The Mayo Clinic adds that some medications can be helpful. Especially immunosuppressive drugs that reduce immune response and steroids which can reduce inflammation and repair tissues.
It is important to note that you, the patient actually living with lupus and any related conditions, play an important role in helping your physician manage this disease. And if you haven’t been diagnosed yet, but suspect you may have lupus, be ready ahead of time for your visit. Have your medical history and medications list ready, be prepared to answer lots of questions regarding your symptoms, and arrive with a list of questions to ask they physician as well.
Are you suffering from lupus disease and/or multiple related conditions? Tell us what has worked for you.
If you’ve lived with fibromyalgia for a while, you know how devastating the pain can be. Not only can it get extremely severe to the point that it feels like the muscles are being pulled off of your bones, but even when it’s not really bad, the pain is constant. It feels like it never stops hurting. No wonder so many people turn to opioid painkillers.
Far too often, heavy doses of opioids seem to be the only thing that is actually effective for relieving fibromyalgia pain. But are these kinds of opioid painkillers really a good solution to the problem of fibromyalgia pain? And perhaps more importantly, is there any alternative?
How Do Opioids Work?
Opioids are a class of drug that, as you probably guessed based on the name, are derived from opium. And as you probably also already knew, opium is a very powerful substance. That’s because it is so effective at what it does, which is suppressing the activity of the central nervous system.
Your nervous system consists of networks of nerves sending signals to each other at very high speeds. Opioid drugs work by getting between those connections and attaching to cells on the nerves called opioid receptors. This prevents the nerves from receiving pain signals, which is what makes opioids such effective painkillers.
But they also target other areas of the brain, such as the brainstem, which regulates the heart and lungs. And that makes them very, very dangerous.
The Problem With Painkillers
The fact that opioid painkillers suppress the parts of your brain that keep your heart beating and you lungs breathing means that taking too much can produce a fatal overdose very easily. And the thin line between a therapeutic dose and a fatal one is so thin that these overdoses occur very frequently.
In fact, prescription opioids are the number one cause of all overdose fatalities. No other drug causes more deaths.
And the number of people overdosing is increasing every day. Since the late 1990’s the number of people overdosing on prescription opiods has quadrupled. And since that time almost 200,000 people have died as a result of abusing opioids. Yet the death toll continues to rise.
Part of the problem is that not only are these drugs deadly themselves, but they lead to serious physical and psychological dependence. The euphoria produced by opiates and the painful withdrawal symptoms make it difficult for people to stop taking them. Thus, when people hooked on opioids are no longer able to get them from their doctor, they turn to street alternatives like heroin.
This, in turn, makes the opioid crisis much worse since the unregulated drugs available on the street make can often turn out to be cut with more powerful opioids like fentanyl. So someone uses the dose they normally would only to die because it’s a lot stronger than they were expecting.
Is There Any Other Choice?
Unfortunately, when it comes to fibromyalgia, sufferers are caught between two very bad alternatives. There’s the very real threat of falling into opioid abuse from using prescription painkillers on one hand and on the other the fact that very little else seems to help their fibromyalgia.
Now, there are a number of drugs and treatments that people sometimes find help relieve their fibromyalgia pain. These include natural supplements like capsaicin or d-ribose. And then there are other medical options like anti-depressants and even marijuana.
Unfortunately, not everyone finds significant relief in these options. And opioids are the most commonly prescribed painkillers for a reason: they work. That power to suppress the nervous system that makes them dangerous also makes them one of the few effective medications for treating chronic pain.
So if you’re suffering from fibromyalgia pain, much of the time your options are to either risk taking opioids or to try less effective methods of pain control and just sort of grit their teeth and bear it.
And with all of those warnings about opioids, the fact remains that most people with prescriptions for opioids use them responsibly. So painkillers can absolutely be an effective way to treat fibromyalgia, as long as you remember to use them responsibly and be aware of the risk. Addiction can affect anyone and also has set in long before the addict is able to recognize that they have a problem.
So tell us, do you use opioids for fibromyalgia pain? Does it work for you? Do you worry about the consequences of the opioid epidemic and what do you think should be done? Tell us in the comments.
Part of the difficulty of living with fibromyalgia is that there’s so much we just don’t know about the condition. There’s no cure, and the usual methods doctors use to treat it just don’t work for some people. And as always, when the source of a medical condition is a mystery, people tend to fill in the gaps with some strange theories.
For instance, maybe you’ve heard that fibromyalgia is actually caused by intestinal parasites. It’s typically something you hear on websites that specialize in alternative medicine or maybe even from a friend with the condition who swears that a parasitic infection was contributing to their fibromyalgia.
Of course, the thing about fibromyalgia is no one knows what causes it. And as we learn more about the condition, sometimes we discover that the things that seem sort of unlikely turn out to actually play a role. So, are parasites really causing fibromyalgia? Let’s look at the evidence we have.
Intestinal Parasites
The first and most obvious question to ask when it comes to this theory is, “What kind of parasites are we talking about?” There is a wide range of different parasitic species that can infect humans and all can have a different effect on the body. But basically, there are two different types of intestinal parasites that affect humans.
First, there are protozoa, which are essentially microscopic, single-cell organisms that can reproduce in the human body. Protozoa are usually responsible for relatively common diseases in the digestive tract like giardia. But they can also lead to more exotic infections like leishmaniasis, which leads to ulcers in the skin and can damage internal organs.
Then, there are helminths, which are larger, worm-like parasites. These parasites usually make their way into the body through the skin or the digestive system and begin to reproduce. If you’ve ever had a tape or hookworm infection, then you’ve dealt with helminths.
A lot of different parasites can cause symptoms that are similar to fibromyalgia. Tapeworm infections can lead to abdominal pains and muscle weakness, which are common among people with fibromyalgia. But these larger parasites are usually easy to detect with medical tests. So they don’t quite fit the bill for a parasite that mimics fibromyalgia symptoms without being noticed.
Certain protozoan infections can also cause abdominal problems and fatigue. But they tend to be relatively short-lived infections, which wouldn’t explain why fibromyalgia symptoms last for decades.
So, is there any possibility that parasites can actually cause or contribute to fibromyalgia?
Intestinal Parasites And Fibromyalgia
First, let’s address the idea that fibromyalgia itself is actually caused by parasites. Obviously, it’s not something that doctors have spent much time researching. So, there really isn’t much hard evidence one way or the other. But if we look closely at the condition, you’ll see that the odds of this being the case are extremely long.
To begin, let’s assume that fibromyalgia actually is caused by a parasite.
According to the National Fibromyalgia Association, 3-6% of the world’s population may have fibromyalgia. And if fibromyalgia was caused by parasites, then everyone with fibromyalgia would have to be infected.
Unlike fibromyalgia, which has no obvious symptoms, parasites can be examined under microscopes. That means that doctors, who tend to be a methodical bunch, are missing millions of cases of parasitic infections. Obviously, this isn’t impossible. But it does seem unlikely.
Second, the infection would have to produce the exact symptoms of fibromyalgia. And while many parasitic infections can produce similar symptoms, the difference between the symptoms of known parasitic infections from those of fibromyalgia is significant enough that doctors can usually spot which condition you’re suffering from with the help of some basic tests.
Now, there is a more likely scenario that could link parasitic infections and fibromyalgia. Many people seem to develop fibromyalgia after infections of injuries. It could be that some types of infections can make the immune system hypersensitive. This immune sensitivity might actually contribute to the symptoms of fibromyalgia.
If true, then it’s easy to see how a parasitic infection could have the same effect. But even if parasitic infections can contribute to fibromyalgia, treating the condition probably isn’t as simple as getting rid of the parasites.
Fibromyalgia is a complex condition that seems to be caused by a number of different factors. There are few, if any studies, about the relationship between parasitic infections and fibromyalgia. If parasitic infections do have a link, then it’s probably as a kind of contributing trigger rather than a direct cause.
But if you’re concerned about the possibility of being infected, it’s a good idea to bring it up with your doctor. They’ll be able to test for infection and provide you with good advice.
So, what do you think? Is there a link between parasites and fibromyalgia? Let us know in the comments.
If you’re dealing with fibromyalgia, then you’re in a lot of pain. It may flare up out of nowhere and it may leave just as quickly. Or it may stay for a year. But it’s a regularly occurring and debilitating event in your life. And it has definitely lasted for more than six months. That’s why they call it “chronic pain.” To make matters worse, people with fibro usually have a greater than average sensitivity to pain. In fact, research shows that chronic pain leads to unusually high levels of stress hormones, low energy, mood disorders, muscle pain, and lower-than-normal mental and physical performance. Throw in the added “bonus” of exceptionally painful nights that keep you from sleeping and you have a recipe for chronic pain and depression – if you don’t already have it to start with – and worse pain symptoms.
The Cycle of Chronic Pain and Depression
Many people with fibromyalgia cannot work a traditional job that requires them to leave home. Indeed, many fibro patients can’t even work from home. Why? The pain, depression, and constant side effects can be so debilitating that many feel they have been robbed of their lives. And if you are able to work or simply have no choice, that only exacerbates the problems, especially the pain and depression. Add in caring for children, grand kids, a partner, and even yourself. With or without those people, the pain of fibromaylgia makes you irritable and frustrated. When you feel like your hands are tied and there is no way out, it’s very common to get depressed. And then depression makes your pain worse. It’s a vicious cycle, isn’t it?
A Harvard Medical School publication explains that chronic pain “resembles depression, and the relationship is intimate. Pain is depressing, and depression causes and intensifies pain. People with chronic pain have three times the average risk of developing psychiatric symptoms — usually mood or anxiety disorders — and depressed patients have three times the average risk of developing chronic pain.” Because of the connection to pain and depression, they add that nearly every drug used in psychiatry can also be used to treat pain.
Interestingly, after Harvard authors describe the experience of pain in relation to the central nervous system and the body, the article moves directly to fibromyalgia as a noteworthy case: “Fibromyalgia may illustrate these biological links between pain and depression. Its symptoms include widespread muscle pain and tenderness at certain pressure points, with no evidence of tissue damage. Brain scans of people with fibromyalgia show highly active pain centers, and the disorder is more closely associated with depression than most other medical conditions. Fibromyalgia could be caused by a brain malfunction that heightens sensitivity to both physical discomfort and mood changes.” [emphasis added]
Treating Chronic Pain and Depression Together
The Mayo Clinic’s Dr. Daniel K. Hall-Flavin offers four key treatments that simultaneously address chronic pain and depression. As a fibro patient, most of these won’t be surprising to you, but it’s good to hear as a reminder. These treatments have helped so many fibromyalgia patients get their lives back. It usually takes a lot of trial and error and even combinations of treatments. Nevertheless, Dr. Hall Flavin recommends the following for treating chronic pain and depression:
Antidepressants: As was just made clear by Harvard Medical School, antidepressants can be highly effective in treating chronic pain as well as their obvious intent of treating depression. That’s due to shared chemical messengers in the brain.
Talk Therapy/Psychotherapy: If you’ve ever been to a good therapist or counselor, you know that they are wonderful at pointing out your “automatic” thoughts. Those are the unconscious connections we make that can wreak havoc in our lives without us even knowing. This kind of therapy is designed to reshape your thinking which can have a radical impact on both your depression and chronic pain.
Stress-reduction Techniques: Nearly every article related to treating fibromyalgia addresses these techniques. If you’ve never tried them or given up because you didn’t see results right away, reading about them all the time should at least make you think twice. Techniques like physical activity, exercise, meditation, journaling, and learning coping skills are all very effective in addressing many fibromyalgia symptoms, especially depression and chronic pain.
Pain Rehabilitation Programs: This might not be a common method you hear about for treating fibro, but it’s a gem! The best kind of programs are those that use a team approach to address your chronic pain holistically and with a team looking out for your mental and physical well-being.
Dr. Hall-Flavin adds that, “treatment for co-occurring pain and depression may be most effective when it involves a combination of treatments.” Again, this make take some more trial and error. What works for me, might not work for you and vice versa.
Have you found a particular medication, natural remedy, or technique that has worked for your chronic pain and depression? Please share it with us!
In a recent study of patients suffering from fibromyalgia, nearly half of the patients were recorded as having moderate to severe nerve damage in their skin cells.
The nerve damage done to the nerve fibers has been deemed small-fiber polyneuropathy, or SFPN. Small-fiber polyneuropathy is caused by a few specific medical conditions.
Currently, there is no known cause of fibromyalgia, so this nerve damage discovery could make some advances in the direction of finding what exactly causes the disorder.
Fibromyalgia disorders differentiate patient to patient but the typical symptoms include widespread chronic pain, extreme fatigue, and hypersensitivity to pain and pressure. The disorder disproportionally affects women in comparison to men.
Looking at nerve damage
There have been some advances made concerning how to properly diagnose the disorder, but its pathology still remains a mystery. Fibromyalgia has some of the same symptoms as small-fiber polyneurotherapy in that small-fiber polyneurotherapy has caused widespread chronic pain in the individuals that have been diagnosed with it.
The study was conducted on 27 adults with the fibromyalgia disorder and a group of 30 healthy individuals that had volunteered for the study. The same tests that are used in the diagnoses of small-fiber polyneurotherapy were used to test the participants of the study. The tests included a physical examination and administration of a questionnaire.
Additionally, the researches administered skin biopsies the help with the evaluation of nerve fibers in the patients’ legs and the monitoring of blood pressure, sweating, and the patients’ heart rates.
Neuropathy was found in very high counts in the fibromyalgia patients, while the group of healthy individuals seemed normal. Thirteen of the 27 fibromyalgia patients were recorded as individuals with reduced levels of nerve fibers density in their skin.
Those some thirteen individuals also had odd autonomic function test results. Because of these results, it was presumed that these thirteen individuals had small-fiber polyneurotherapy.
While the conclusions drawn from this test does not suggest a cause in the development of all fibromyalgia conditions, it does give researchers some evidence as to what causes fibromyalgia in at least some patients.
The fibromyalgia disorder is very intricate, unique, and complex disorder. Its symptoms and severity are different in each patient that it affects. Because of this unique differentiation, there is no one explanation for the development of fibromyalgia.
This process could take months or years before answers are found as to what are the primary causes of fibromyalgia. Before work on a cure of fibromyalgia can be done, researchers must first find what exactly causes the disorder to develop in patients.
This study is currently the one of its kind. The results have recently been published so other laboratories should soon begin creating their own tests and experiments according to the blueprint this study has constructed.
Some may have already started with a few adaptations. The search for a better diagnosis of fibromyalgia is an ongoing one.
And finding better treatments for those individuals that have been inflicted by the fibromyalgia disorder is one of the top priorities when its comes to this unique disorder.
Fibromyalgia and Alcohol: To Drink or not to Drink?
Written By: Christine Cioppa
admin
Raise a glass—one glass that is—and say cheers. People with fibromyalgia can consume alcoholic beverages socially, in low to moderate levels, and possibly even feel an improvement in symptoms. With one caveat regarding fibromyalgia and alcohol: Those imbibing should not also be taking sedatives, opioids, muscle relaxers or other medications for a coexisting disease or whatnot that can interact with alcohol.
Fibromyalgia and alcohol
Alcohol boosts γ-Aminobutyric Acid (GABA) levels, which tend to be low in patients with fibromyalgia. Unfortunately, the FDA has not approved a drug that does the same thing that alcohol does with GABA levels. However, there are drugs approved by the FDA for the condition, and other new drugs are being explored and developed.
Daniel Clauw, MD, from the University of Michigan Medical School, is a coauthor of a study on fibromyalgia and alcohol, published in Arthritis Research & Therapy. The study found that low to moderate alcohol consumption may lower fibromyalgia symptoms and improve quality of life compared to no alcohol consumption or high alcohol consumption. Though the study was published in 2013, he says the research still stands today in 2017.
“Our study prompted Dr. Macfarlane in Scotland to look in large epidemiologic databases to see if he could find a similar association and he did. His data similarly showed that low alcohol consumption was protective against fibromyalgia symptoms compared to no or high alcohol consumption.”
The study on fibromyalgia and alcohol, which was published in Arthritis Care & Research, found that people who had chronic widespread pain were less likely to say their symptoms were disabling if they also consumed alcohol up to a moderate level.
When asked if low to moderate drinking is something that can benefit people with fibromyalgia, depending on the medications they take, Dr. Clauw says “Perhaps. They might want to at least give it a try to have a single drink a few hours before bedtime to see if they feel any better.”
Not all medical professionals, though, like suggesting that alcohol can be used to reduce fibromyalgia pain/symptoms.
The past president of the American Academy of Pain Medicine, Lynn Webster, MD, says, “I think that a mild to moderate amount of alcohol is probably not going to be harmful to most patients. But I think it is another step to suggest that it be used for pain.”
Dr. Webster says that with the chronic use of alcohol, tolerance will develop and you have to increase the dose just like opioids. “That is kind of a slippery slope.” He also says that because alcohol is a rewarding substance, a subset of people who are exposed to alcohol end up having an alcohol use disorder. “They can become alcoholics.”
Another risk is drug-drug interactions. (You can check drug interactions at drugs.com and Medscape.com, or ask your pharmacist.) Dr. Webster says sedatives, muscle relaxers, opioids, and any drug taken for a coexisting medical condition can interact with alcohol. “It can get out of control and I think it can be very dangerous, particularly if somebody is taking other medications along with alcohol.”
While drinking alcohol may help symptoms for a while, Dr. Webster says, “I think it is just not prudent to recommend alcohol. If they are my patients and if they were to ask me if they could consume alcohol, it depends…. I would say in moderation alcohol can be used in people with fibromyalgia just like it can be used in people without fibromyalgia. But it should not be used to treat pain.”
So how much is okay? “If somebody has one or two glasses of wine and/or three or four per week, that would probably be acceptable. But that has to be individualized. For some people that is too much.”
Fortunately, hope is on the horizon when it comes to treatments for fibromyalgia pain and other symptoms.
“There are a number of medications in development that might be significant improvements to what is available today,” says Dr. Webster. Taking it further, he adds, “I see a day when there will be a cure for fibromyalgia.”
Is Fibromyalgia a Disease, a Condition or a Syndrome?
Written By: David Stansberry
admin
Fibromyalgia is something that is often misunderstood and mischaracterized, for a host of different reasons. A lack of reliable information, a host of social stigmas, unfamiliarity with rheumatology in general—these things all contribute to the negative culture around fibromyalgia.
One of the most simple questions surrounding fibromyalgia is the one most needing a definite answer: Is fibromyalgia a disease or a condition?
What is a disease?
By opening up the dictionary, we find that a disease is:
A disorder of structure or function in a human, animal, or plant, especially one that produces specific signs or symptoms or that affects a specific location and is not simply a direct result of physical injury.
Pretty simple, right? Well, not exactly. By taking a look at the definition of “condition” listed below, one begins to see the problem that arises when addressing fibromyalgia.
A disease,illness or injury;anyphysiologic,mental or psychologicalcondition or disorder(e.g.,orthopedic;visual,speech or hearingimpairments;cerebralpalsy;epilepsy;musculardystrophy;multiplesclerosis; cancer;coronaryarterydisease;diabetes;mentalretardation;emotional or mentalillness;specificlearningdisabilities;HIV disease;TB;drugaddiction;alcoholism). A biological or psychologicalstatewhich is withintherange of normalhuman variation is not a medicalcondition.
One can see from the simple fact that the word “disease” is included in the definition of “condition” that we have a problem. The two are closely related and, to a layman, might even be indistinguishable from one another.
What is a syndrome?
A syndrome is defined as a group of symptoms that consistently occur together or a condition characterized by a set of associated symptoms. Examples include Odontoma dysphagia syndrome, Down’s Syndrome, and yes, fibromyalgia syndrome.
So which is it? Is fibromyalgia a disease, a condition or a syndrome?
First, let’s lay out what we know about fibromyalgia that could help us define it:
Symptoms vary widely, but many (joint pains, sensitivity to light/sound, debilitating headaches, etc.) are extremely common among sufferers.
Because of the subjective experiences had by those diagnosed with fibromyalgia, some medical professionals do believe that some symptoms could be the result of other conditions/diseases not yet diagnosed, while others believe they link directly back to fibromyalgia.
So what’s the verdict? As for now, fibromyalgia is most definitely a medical condition. It is a disorder that creates abnormal variations in one’s health. Does that mean it is not a disease? No, it doesn’t. It means that while we have enough information to consider it a condition, we don’t have enough information or medical/scientific consensus to consider it a disease. We do, however, have enough information to call it a syndrome.
Because fibromyalgia is a group of symptoms, including pain, fatigue, confusion, depression, and anxiety, it is obviously and definitely a syndrome.
For more information, please visit the American College of Rheumatology’s website here.
If you’re like most people, you might have never heard of myalgic encephalomyelitis (or ME). Although, if you suffer from the condition, you know exactly how devastating it can be. ME is poorly understood, even by medical science. And that lack of understanding has made it difficult for sufferers to get the recognition they need.
So, if you’ve just been diagnosed with ME, or just want to learn more about the condition, follow along as we talk about what ME is and how it might be treated.
What Is Myalgic Encephalomyelitis?
The term myalgic encephalomyelitis is often used interchangeably with chronic fatigue syndrome, which should give some idea of the usual symptoms. But the condition can be unpredictable and affects people who suffer from it in different ways.
The most common symptom of ME is chronic fatigue. But unlike normal fatigue, people with ME get tired regardless of how much sleep they’ve gotten or their level of physical activity.
There’s no test that a doctor can run to diagnose the condition, so they depend on asking some questions about the patient’s symptoms and medical history. Generally, a diagnosis of ME relies on a few things.
First, the patient suffers from constant fatigue. Second, the fatigue is not a life-long condition. Instead, most people with ME can remember a time (which varies from person to person) when they suddenly began feeling tired, and the symptoms have lasted since that point. Third, there is no other explanation for the fatigue, like another medical condition or an increased level of physical activity. Finally, the fatigue isn’t improved by rest.
This fatigue is usually more or less constant, but normal daily tasks can make it much worse. Even something as simple as taking a shower can leave someone with ME unable to get out of bed because of extreme fatigue.
While fatigue is the central symptom associated with ME, it isn’t the only one. Many people with the condition struggle with constant pain in addition to fatigue. Usually, this pain occurs in the muscles and joints. But headaches, stomach pain, and frequent throat pain are also common.
Many people with the condition also notice that they have a hard time focusing on daily tasks or issues with short-term memory. These symptoms are usually described as a kind of mental “fog” or haze.
We don’t understand what causes ME or really even understand why the disease causes the symptoms it does. The truth is that the while the condition affects around 2 million Americans, it doesn’t receive the kind of attention from the medical community that it needs. Most medical schools in the US don’t train their students to diagnose the condition.
Combined with the lack of funding for the condition, research into the possible causes has been slow. Genetics probably plays some role, since many people with the condition have family members who suffer from ME. Some researchers have also suggested that changes in the immune system or body chemistry might contribute to the condition, but at the moment no one is sure.
Treating a condition doctors don’t understand is obviously difficult, but there are a few things that you can do to help manage it.
How Is It Treated?
ME doesn’t produce visible symptoms, which leads many people to assume that people with ME are “faking” it or suffering from some mental illness. Doctors are people too, of course, and aren’t immune to these kinds of attitudes.
If you think you have ME, it’s a good idea to seek out a doctor who specializes in ME or in similar conditions. Not only will they be more sympathetic, they will likely have a better idea how to diagnose and treat the condition.
Because there is no cure for ME, treatment is based on managing symptoms. Typically, pain is managed with medications, but many patients can benefit from seeing a doctor who specializes in chronic pain and can provide counseling in other forms of pain management.
When it comes to managing fatigue, sleep is still important. And making adjustments to your schedule or habits can help you get the best possible rest that you can with ME. Other changes like managing your diet and physical activity can also make a big difference.
It’s important to remember that ME is something that you shouldn’t try to manage on your own. Seeing a good doctor or counselor is vital. Managing ME means making huge adjustments to your life, which is difficult to do on your own.
Finding the right team to help you on your treatment journey is one of the most important things to do when it comes to treating ME. The American Medical Association offers an online tool to help you find doctors who specialize in ME in your area. You can find it here.
So, do you suffer from ME? Have you found any effective ways to manage the condition? Let us know in the comments.
You’ve probably heard about people using medical marijuana to treat their fibromyalgia. According to many people who have done so, it’s actually a pretty effective treatment. Like with nearly any treatment, you’ll hear people talk about how it changed their life for the better and people who say it really wasn’t that effective. When it comes to fibromyalgia, everyone is different.
But we do know that cannabis has at least some benefit for many people with fibromyalgia. So how does cannabis deliver it’s medical benefits to those struggling with fibromyalgia? And what are some of the best cannabis strains for fibromyalgia?
How Does Cannabis Treat Fibromyalgia?
You might be wondering how marijuana is such a miracle cure when the only other thing you know about it is that it’s an illegal street drug. Well, the truth is that it’s hardly a miracle cure. Its efficacy varies widely among different condition and people, but it definitely seems to be useful to a lot of people when it comes to treating fibromyalgia.
That’s because marijuana is full of cannabidiol (or CBD), a compound that is shown to have numerous medical benefits. And unlike the other active compound in marijuana, THC, cannabidiol doesn’t leave you feeling high like smoking a plain old joint would. As a result, lots of people uses CBD derived products like oils or supplements instead of smoking their medical marijuana.
And the CBD in marijuana is proven to reduce pain in people with fibromyalgia without any significant side effects when taken as a high-quality CBD oil or capsule. But if you’re more into the idea of smoking your medication, and don’t mind the potential for getting high, you can get a CBD heavy cannabis strain that will be just as effective.
What Are The Best Cannabis Strains For Fibromyalgia?
When you’re choosing the some of the best cannabis strains for fibromyalgia, you want strains that have a high CBD content. Medical marijuana is typically judged by the ratio between THC and CBD that it contains. Whereas someone smoking marijuana for the mind-altering effects usually looks for strains with the high THC content, if you just want something to cure your pain without side effects, then the best cannabis strains for fibromyalgia have a lower THC content and higher CBD content.
ACDC is one of the best cannabis strains for fibromyalgia because it has such a high TCB content. In fact, the TCB has been measured in this strain at close to 19%. That means it actually doesn’t produce any psychoactive effects. So you could actually smoke this for the medical benefits and not get high at all.
So if you’re the kind of person who doesn’t respond well to marijuana but wants the medical benefits, ACDC is a great choice.
Harlequin is another high CBD content strain, which makes it one of the best cannabis strains for fibromyalgia. In addition, despite being a sativa-dominant strain, it’s also a very relaxing strain of cannabis to smoke, and the low THC means you won’t get high from it. So it’s great for relaxing without any of the paranoia-inducing effects of a traditional Sativa based marijuana strain.
The Redwood Kush strain is a heavy Indica-based strain. And that’s what makes it one of the best cannabis strains for fibromyalgia. While that means you won’t have the feeling of alertness that you would get from a Sativa, it also makes this strain great for fighting that fibromyalgia-induced insomnia that makes it hard to get a good night’s rest. Redwood Kush is also used to treat headaches and migraines, as well as body and muscle pain. Additionally, if you’re a fibro patient for whom the loss of appetite is a problem, Redwood Kush is known for giving people the munchies.
The THC content is a little higher, but the lack of Sativa means you are less likely to get that paranoid feeling that often accompanies marijuana.
Dynamite is a slightly higher THC content strain, which means you will be getting high from smoking it, but it also has a lot of CBD in it, which helps manage pain. And in additional fact that this is an Indica-based strain means that it will have a calming effect, soothing your nerves as it helps fight your chronic pain from fibromyalgia. So it’s great for relaxing or trying to get to sleep in spite of fibro pain. And, perhaps just as importantly, Dynamite has been used to treat stress and depression, which too many fibro patients are afflicted with.
But no matter which strain you choose, you should be fine as long as you get a good product with plenty of CBD in it. Let us know though, do you use cannabis for fibromyalgia? What are the best cannabis strains for fibromyalgia in your opinion? Let us know in the comments.
Everyone gets dark circles under the eyes from time to time. They can be unsightly, and even embarrassing. And when you have fibromyalgia, it often seems like the problem is much worse.
But while everyone has experienced dark circles under the eyes, not many of us really know much about them. What causes them? Why do they seem worse when you have fibromyalgia? And is there anything you can do to fix them?
What Causes Dark Circles Under The Eyes?
Most people think when they see someone with dark circles under the eyes that they must not have gotten a good night’s sleep. And a lot of the time, that’s true. Fatigue can definitely contribute to the problem. But it’s not always that simple.
Basically, what you’re seeing under the eyes is blood. The skin under the eyes is thin, letting light pass through and bounce off of the veins. Because the skin filters out most of the light, the veins and blood underneath look like a dark blue. If you’re fair-skinned you might notice this happening in other areas of the body where the skin is thin or where the veins are especially close to the surface.
The skin also grows thinner as we get older, which is why older people tend to have dark circles under the eyes more often than younger people. And the thinner the skin is under the eyes, the more often you’ll have noticeable dark circles, which means that genetics plays a big part.
Meanwhile, if you have darker skin, the issue might not be blood at all. Instead, some people have different levels of pigmentation under the eyes, making them seem permanently darker.
Finally, there are a few other conditions that can cause dark spots under the eyes. Allergies can cause fluid to build up under the eyes, which can contribute to the issue, as can condition like dermatitis.
But why do people with fibromyalgia seem to get dark circles more often?
Why Does Fibromyalgia Make Them Worse?
The simple reason that people with fibromyalgia often seem to have dark circles under the eyes is a combination of stress and fatigue. People with fibromyalgia often experience chronic insomnia, which leaves them fatigued. This naturally creates stress for the body. Combine that with the stress of just having a condition like fibromyalgia, and your body is producing much higher amounts of cortisol.
Cortisol can lead to a rise in blood pressure, which means that the blood vessels under the eyes are pressed up against the surface. This makes them more noticeable and leads to dark circles.
Luckily, there are some things you can do to treat them.
How Can You Treat Them?
Dark circles usually aren’t a sign of any sort of serious problem. So if you can stand to live with them, you may not really need to do anything about them at all. But obviously, they can make you self-conscious about your appearance. So if they bother you, you might want to try a few home remedies.
First, swelling can contribute to the problem. Thus, anything that can reduce swelling of the tissue under the eyes can help reduce the appearance of the dark circles. Icing the area can be a good solution. And stacking pillows under your head while you sleep can help keep fluid from pooling under the eyes.
If you can, snatching just a few more hours of sleep a week can make a big difference. Obviously, that’s difficult when you have fibromyalgia, but every little bit helps.
Finally, there are many products out there that promise to reduce the appearance of dark circles. But be aware that some of these products are better than others. And some can even be dangerous.
Many of these products don’t really treat the circles under the eyes. Instead, they bleach the skin, making it seem lighter. In older products, some of the chemicals used to bleach the skin can even be dangerous.
In extreme cases, surgery can reduce the appearance of dark circles. You can discuss your options with a dermatologist if they bother you enough to consider surgery.
You should also consult a dermatologist if the area under the eye seems to be swelling beyond the normal level, or if you experience itching or pain in the area. These can be signs of more serious medical conditions.
So, do you experience dark circles under your eyes? Do you think it’s related to fibromyalgia? What do you do to treat them? Let us know in the comments.
If you don’t know what a sensory deprivation tank is, don’t worry. You’re not alone.
A 60+ year old device, the sensory deprivation tank was first used in 1954 by a medical practitioner and neuropsychiatrist named John C. Lilly in an effort to examine the effects of stimulus on the human mind. Although first and primarily used for relaxation and meditation, there is some promising evidence that suggests that some of the symptoms of fibromyalgia could be treated or at least kept at bay by frequent sessions.
So what is a sensory deprivation tank like?
A small spherical or rectangular container with 10-12 inches of water that is heated up to 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit (in order to simulate the average human body temperature), a sensory deprivation tank is pitch black and virtually soundproof. With the water heavily saturated with anywhere from 800-1200 pounds of medical-grade epsom salt in order to increase buoyancy and prevent chances of a person falling asleep and rolling over, the user is suspended in between the heated water and air in an effort to simulate weightlessness and achieve maximum relaxation. As the body relaxes and is unable to tell where their body ends and the water begins, the combination of the loss of sight and hearing begins to encourage a slowed heart rate, a decreased production of cortisol, the biochemical often associated with high stress levels, and the dilation of blood vessels, encouraging maximum blood flow.
What could this mean for those suffering from fibromyalgia?
With symptoms like an increased sensitivity to light, sound, and pain, the short-term benefits of sensory deprivation tanks are obvious. A pitch-black and soundproof room, designed to maximize comfort and blood-flow is almost the picture-perfect therapy for these symptoms that often chronically affect sufferers of fibromyalgia.
Other symptoms like insomnia, depression, and anxiety are more speculative in their beneficial claims but there are studies connecting the decrease of stress and the decrease of each of these things as well. Another interesting link is the theory that fibromyalgia could be closely linked with the body’s lack of proper levels of magnesium, an element that is incredibly prevalent in the same medical-grade epsom salt that is used in sensory deprivation tanks in order to increase buoyancy.
In conclusion, there is still much more study to be done in linking the effects of sensory deprivation tank therapy and fibromyalgia but there could be promising results on the horizon. More information can be found out about the Fibromyalgia Float Project here.
Living with a chronic pain condition is the most frustrating thing that I have ever had to deal with. It can keep me from enjoying the things that other people take for granted. It is easy to fall into hopelessness in the fight to manage chronic pain. Knowing myself and setting my mindset have made the difference between wasting away and reclaiming my life.
Many people think nothing of doing housework, going on outings with the family, or even getting out of bed in the morning. People with chronic pain understand that these activities are not always possible or easy to do. Understanding my limitations has helped me to better manage chronic pain. Being able to assess myself, and be honest about what I find, is key to this process. What I am capable of may vary from one day to the next, or from one hour to the next. I had to learn that it is ok to be honest with myself and act accordingly. Taking care of myself is integral to trying to manage chronic pain. I constantly have to consider things that others never think of. “If I continue, I will be in bed all day tomorrow.” “If I take a break for a couple of hours, I will be able to do (fill in the blank) later.” Pushing myself to the point where I need to recover for several days is rare, but they happen. Far more common are the times when I have to say to myself that the activity is not worth it, or simply not possible at this time. Self assessment can make the difference between being in unbearable pain and being able to manage chronic pain.
Self assessment can also lead to guilt and being hard on myself. There are times when I feel guilty for letting my friends or family down. I don’t want them to be slowed down or hindered by me, and I don’t want to miss out on those memories with my loved ones. These thoughts were commonplace for me, but I eventually had to come to the realization that my loved ones care about me and my comfort more than they care about going to the fair or whatever. It is ok to be honest and plan accordingly without beating yourself up. There are times when it is necessary to ride the motorized cart or stay in the car. It is ok to be who you are, and to do what is necessary for you to be happy and manage chronic pain. Ultimately, the people who love you will understand, and they would rather see you happy than crumpled in pain.
The most important tool to manage chronic pain has been my mindset. It sucks that others don’t have to deal with this on a daily basis. “why me?” “why can’t I just be normal?” are thoughts used to dominate my mindset. As Theodore Roosevelt said, “Comparison is the thief of joy.” Comparing myself to what is “normal” for others only makes me depressed and feel sorry for myself. Normal is different for everyone, and I cannot be worried about my neighbor. Yes, it’s true, that stuff all sucks, but focusing on that will not serve me in any positive ways. Dealing with chronic pain is a fight. To stay in a positive mindset, I have to alternate between the fighter and the physician. I have to know when to grit my teeth and push through, and when to take it easy and give my body the rest and care needed. Both of these mindsets are focusing forward. These mindsets may seem selfish, but that is ok. If you do not take care of yourself, then it is not fair or realistic to expect that someone close to you will do it for you. The most positive thing that has come out of my quest to manage chronic pain is my intensely strong mindset. I am not going to pretend that there are not times where I despair, but it is much more difficult for my pain to get me down anymore.
Being honest with myself and my loved ones has made it much easier for me to manage chronic pain. Knowing my limitations and listening to my body are critical parts of my pain management. Keeping my mindset strong and focused on taking care of myself and fighting for myself allow me to not fall into the trap of hopelessness. It is up to you to create a mindset that can make the difference between being miserable or taking charge of your life.
Affecting more than 5 million Americans, fibromyalgia is the most commonly diagnosed chronic pain disorder today. But is fibromyalgia hereditary?
Well, that question is more complicated than it may seem. A relatively newly recognized disorder, with its modern definition and diagnosis being solidified in 1972 by Dr. Hugh Smythe, and only seen as an actual condition by the American Medical Association (AMA) in 1987, there haven’t been as many opportunities (or enough funding) to study fibromyalgia as there have been with other conditions and disorders.
So what does this mean for sufferers of fibromyalgia? What does modern science say about the possibility of passing on fibromyalgia to your children/grandchildren?
There is most often some triggering factor that sets off fibromyalgia. It may be spine problems, arthritis, injury, or other type of physical stress. Emotional stress also may trigger this illness. The result is a change in the way the body “talks” with the spinal cord and brain. Levels of brain chemicals and proteins may change. More recently, Fibromyalgia has been described as Central Pain Amplification disorder, meaning the volume of pain sensation in the brain is turned up too high.
With such a broad description of the possible causes of fibromyalgia, it is clear that the disorder is not very well understood, even by medical professionals. But even when this is the case, there have been some breakthroughs in the study of whether or not we can answer “is fibromyalgia hereditary.”
Is fibromyalgia hereditary?
Like many other rheumatic diseases, fibromyalgia is believed to be the result of a genetic tendency that could be passed down to one’s genetic offspring, especially from mothers to daughters.
Defined as possibly being “epigenetic,” rheumatic diseases could be a result of specific genes being “turned on” by environmental factors that otherwise might stay dormant.
A quick breakdown on the phenomenon of epigenetics from The Guardian reads:
Epigenetics is essentially additional information layered on top of the sequence of letters (strings of molecules called A, C, G, and T) that makes up DNA.
If you consider a DNA sequence as the text of an instruction manual that explains how to make a human body, epigenetics is as if someone’s taken a pack of highlighters and used different colours to mark up different parts of the text in different ways. For example, someone might use a pink highlighter to mark parts of the text that need to be read the most carefully, and a blue highlighter to mark parts that aren’t as important.
There are different types of epigenetic marks, and each one tells the proteins in the cell to process those parts of the DNA in certain ways. For example, DNA can be tagged with tiny molecules called methyl groups that stick to some of its C letters. Other tags can be added to proteins called histones that are closely associated with DNA. There are proteins that specifically seek out and bind to these methylated areas, and shut it down so that the genes in that region are inactivated in that cell. So methylation is like a blue highlighter telling the cell “you don’t need to know about this section right now.”
So what does this all mean? Does this necessarily mean that fibromyalgia is hereditarily passed?
As of right now, the only answer that science can give to the question, “Is fibromyalgia hereditary?” is that it very well possibly could be. Without more study, peer-reviewed research, and funding, we simply don’t know more than the simple fact that fibromyalgia seems to cluster in family lines with no real pattern or ease of diagnosis.
Chronic pain syndrome is one of the most challenging issues in modern medicine. It’s estimated that costs related to chronic pain run into the range of 300 billion dollars every year (more than cancer or diabetes), straining the resources of the health care system to cope.
And for people who live with chronic pain, the condition is an absolute nightmare. Trapped in a constant cycle of pain and misery, people with chronic pain find that their basic quality of life is severely limited by their condition.
But the most difficult aspect of all when it comes to this condition is that doctors understand very little about what the condition is or how to treat it.
What Is Chronic Pain Syndrome?
Chronic pain syndrome is not really one disease, but rather a wide array of different conditions or diseases that result in severe and long-lasting pain. Conditions that fall under the wider umbrella of this syndrome are things like osteoarthritis and fibromyalgia. They’re conditions that leave the patient with significant pain that lasts for months or years.
It’s estimated that up to 35% of Americans struggle with at least some symptoms of the syndrome and that many of them are at least partially disabled by their pain. As a result, the condition leads to much larger burdens on the economy from people who are unable to work. It’s estimated that in addition to the costs for the health system, another 300 billion dollars is lost due to the lost productivity of people with chronic pain.
And because it is so hard to define, it’s tough to say for certain which conditions fall under its umbrella, or if your pain could be defined as chronic pain syndrome. But for many people, chronic pain is a very real and constant issue in their lives.
What Are The Symptoms?
The symptoms vary widely because of the fact that so many different conditions are defined within the larger category of chronic pain syndrome. You can have it due to crippling arthritis in your hands, your chronic fibromyalgia, or even due to a pinched nerve in your back.
The only consistent symptom is right there in the name: chronic pain.
Doctors typically look to persistent and severe pain when trying to diagnose it. But there is no consensus on what the criteria for a diagnosis are. Some doctors maintain that 6 months of chronic and untreatable pain is enough to qualify a patient. Others maintain that a mere 3 months is enough to qualify.
Either way, the label is really just a way to describe the fact that patients suffer from constant pain. The other symptoms vary widely based on which condition produces the pain.
How Is It Treated?
Chronic pain syndrome is obviously not treated as though it itself were a disease. That’s because it is less a disease than a way to classify the results of many other different forms of the disease. So treatment focuses on the underlying condition that causes the pain.
This doesn’t mean that it is any less difficult to treat, as many, if not most, of the conditions that lead to the syndrome, are very difficult to treat by themselves. Things like fibromyalgia are typically treated with antidepressants, whereas for other conditions, such as an issue with the spine, surgery may be necessary.
But by and large, the conditions that cause it are often treated with opiate painkillers. And this fact has had its own cost.
The widespread use of opiates to treat chronic pain has contributed to the epidemic of opiate addiction in the united states. Patients often become dependent on opiate drugs and thus become more likely to abuse them. The CDC estimates that 1 in 4 patients who take opioid pain relievers struggle with addiction.
This fact contributes to more intense dependency and thus when patients are no longer able to get the opiates from a doctor, they turn to street drugs such as heroin. Or they end up taking drugs like fentanyl, which are much more potent than what they might be used to.
And as a result, deaths from opioid abuse have risen exponentially in the United States over the past few years. That means that thousands of people are dying as a direct result of their struggle with chronic pain syndrome. That makes it a very serious issue and it’s time that we started treating it that way and devoting the resources to finding better ways to treat it. Lives depend on it.
Everyone with fibromyalgia knows what chronic fatigue feels like. You know the sense that you just can’t get enough rest and so you spend all day feeling like a zombie? You drift off constantly during the day and then struggle to get enough sleep at night. It’s a pretty horrible aspect of the disease and an all too common one.
But did you know there’s actually another condition that mirrors these symptoms and that you might actually have it already? It’s called chronic fatigue syndrome, and it’s a lot more common than you might think.
But what is chronic fatigue syndrome? Let’s find out, and you can even take our chronic fatigue syndrome quiz to find out if your symptoms are a sign that you have the condition.
What Is Chronic Fatigue Syndrome?
Chronic fatigue syndrome is a little-understood condition that causes you to feel tired constantly and for no obvious reason. Where there are many conditions that cause people to feel fatigued, such as fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue condition is diagnosed only when there is no other explanation for the constant fatigue.
Someone with chronic fatigue syndrome suffers from a constant feeling of being exhausted regardless of how much sleep they get, and they may drift off during the day. Often, this fatigue is worse after periods of physical activity. And these days it seems like everyone is tired. I mean, what adult can really remember a time when they felt completely alert and well-rested? But for someone with chronic fatigue syndrome, it goes beyond feeling a little tired.
Someone with this kind of fatigue has a hard time keeping their eyes open every day. And the fatigue makes it hard to function on even a basic level as their mind is constantly clouded with extreme fatigue.
And though there is no official explanation for chronic fatigue syndrome, the symptoms suggest that the immune system may play some role in the condition, since it often presents with enlarged lymph nodes or a swollen throat. But as yet, there is no good evidence one way or the other for what chronic fatigue syndrome might even be. And there certainly is not much that doctors can do to treat it.
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Quiz
If this description of the condition sounds familiar to you, then it might be worth taking a look at our chronic fatigue syndrome quiz to see if you may have the condition. The quiz is simple, just answer truthfully, and tally up your “yes” responses at the end.
Are you constantly tired and for no reason? That means you aren’t simply sleepy, or lacking energy, but are fatigued to the point that it seriously limits your ability to live a normal life?
Does this fatigue persist for days or weeks at a time regardless of how much sleep you get?
Is the fatigue worse after you exercise or do something particularly vigorous?
Do you suffer from a loss of memory or concentration on a daily basis?
Do you often have a sore throat?
Is your throat often swollen?
Are the lymph nodes in your armpits or neck swollen?
Do you often have unexplained muscle pain?
Does your pain move from one joint to another without obvious signs of inflammation?
Do you have frequent headaches that seem to change in severity?
Now, count up your responses to these questions and give yourself one point for every time you answered “yes” to one of the questions. If you have 7 or more points, there is a good chance that you have chronic fatigue syndrome.
If so, you should set up an appointment with a doctor as soon as possible. They will be able to give you a more accurate diagnosis and an expert opinion on what your condition is. And it’s important to remember also that there are a large number of other conditions that can cause similar symptoms, like cancer or fibromyalgia.
Thus, if you ever feel that you have persistent and serious fatigue, you may be suffering from another, possibly even serious disease. So even if you don’t have chronic fatigue syndrome, a trip to the doctor is still very much worth your time.
But let us know, do you struggle with chronic fatigue syndrome? How did you know it was time to visit a doctor? How did you feel after you were diagnosed? Do you have any tips for people who just took our chronic fatigue syndrome quiz and are worried about their symptoms? Let us know in the comments.
Where is fibromyalgia pain located? It’s a question you’re likely to ask if you think you might have fibromyalgia. Maybe you have a mysterious pain that you are worried might be fibromyalgia. Or maybe you are just curious about the symptoms of fibromyalgia.
Well, fibromyalgia pain can feel like it’s attacking your entire body. But the truth is that if you have fibromyalgia pain, it’s located in some very specific places on your body.
So where is fibromyalgia pain located? Let’s find out. And talk about some of the other symptoms you might experience if you have fibromyalgia so you’ll have a better idea about whether you have it or not.
Where Is Fibromyalgia Pain Located?
If you’re asking, “Where is fibromyalgia pain located?” the answer is that fibromyalgia pain is located in a few particular parts of the body. While people with fibromyalgia may say that “it hurts all over,” the truth is that the pain in fibromyalgia is so specific in terms of where it’s located that doctors use the location of the pain to diagnose the condition.
The pain from fibromyalgia is focused on both sides of the body along 9 points for a total of 18. These points are:
The knees. The outside of the knee is a fibromyalgia tender point. The pain is located above the joint and will feel worse if pressed on with your thumb.
The collar bone. Just above the top of your ribcage is your collar bone. If you feel along there you’ll notice a bone going horizontally along the front of your shoulders. That’s what you’re looking for. And if you have fibromyalgia, you’ll also notice there is a pair of tender points located on each side of your neck there.
The lower back. The lower back is another source of tender points. You should be able to feel them if you place pressure on each side of your spine and run your hands down towards your buttocks.
The base of the skull. And in the other direction, you should find two tender points just around where your skull and your neck meet. The pain should be located on each side of your neck.
The shoulder blades. There is a large flat bone in your back just behind where your arms meet your body. This is the shoulder blade. And both of your shoulder blades should have tender points if you have fibromyalgia.
The hips. Another fibromyalgia tender point is on the outside your hips. This will be closer to your buttocks than the front of your body and is located on both sides.
The elbows. Each of your elbows is a fibromyalgia tender point. The pain should be located above the joint.
Just above the buttocks. The point where your back meets your buttocks is another point. The pain should be just below the pelvis and on both sides of your body.
The front of the neck. The front of your neck is a fibromyalgia tender point. Reach up and feel both sides of your neck to see if you have pain. It should be just below the chin.
If you have pain in these locations there’s a good chance you’ve just discovered for yourself the answer to the question “where is fibromyalgia pain located?”
But there are also a few other symptoms you should consider before you go diagnosing yourself with fibromyalgia.
Some Other Fibromyalgia Symptoms
See, the pain of fibromyalgia isn’t enough to give a good diagnosis. There are a number of other conditions that can create this kind of widespread pain in your body. So your doctor will look for some of these other symptoms:
Fatigue. One of the most noticeable symptoms of fibromyalgia is the fatigue. People with fibromyalgia often find that they are tired no matter how much sleep they get. This is a tough symptom to live with, and combined with the pain in tender points is a good sign that you have fibro.
Mental Fog. Another symptom of fibromyalgia is difficulty focusing. This is often called “fibro fog,” and it’s a pretty common symptom. Usually, it manifests itself as cloudy thinking or trouble remembering simple details like the name of someone you just met.
If you have these symptoms in addition to the pain in those specific points, there is a good chance you might have fibromyalgia. It’s best to see a doctor as soon as possible. They should be able to give you a diagnosis of fibromyalgia or at least rule it out. The important thing when it comes to fibromyalgia is to start managing it as soon as possible so that you have time to hopefully find a treatment that works for you. And remember to seek out support after a fibromyalgia diagnosis. You don’t want to deal with this alone.
Let us know, where is fibromyalgia pain located for you? Tell us in the comments.
People with fibromyalgia often feel like they are alone. After all, you never see serious campaigns or concerts to support fibromyalgia research. You never hear celebrities talking about the need for a cure. But the truth is that fibromyalgia can affect anyone. Here are six famous celebrities with fibromyalgia who show what you can accomplish in spite of fibromyalgia.
Celebrities with fibromyaliga
Janeane Garofalo
Janeane Garofalo is a stand-up comedienne who has probably come to be known as much for her social activism as her creative work.
Starting out in the early 90’s on SNL before moving onto the Larry Sanders Show, Janeane has had a career in comedy for close to two decades. Her work includes a number of big-budget film roles and she was even the first choice to star opposite Ed Norton/Brad Pitt in Fight Club before she turned the role down.
In the early 2000’s, Garofalo became known as one of the most outspoken celebrity critics of the Iraq War and a staunch campaigner for progressive causes and feminism.
But it turns out that through, like the other celebrities with fibromyalgia on this list, it all she was struggling with fibromyalgia. In addition, she has long struggled with other mental health issues including depression and anxiety.
Sinead O’Connor
The Irish singer, best known her hit song “Nothing Compares 2 U,” has struggled with fibromyalgia for most of her life. And her background of childhood abuse lends some credence to the idea that childhood trauma may play a role in developing fibromyalgia.
She was the victim of physical abuse for much of her childhood and was sent to live in Catholic girls home after shoplifting as a teenager where she and many other children were abused regularly.
Like many celebrities with fibromyalgia, she didn’t learn the source of her chronic pain until her late 30’s.
Originally, Hastings was a school teacher who was forced to retire at 35 due to his fibromyalgia. At that point, he decided to seek work as an extra in Hollywood, simply to make a bit of extra money. After joining the Screen Actors Guild, Hastings was tapped for his most famous role as a Navy captain.
After leaving the series, Hastings has become a fibromyalgia advocate working to raise awareness of the disease and find a cure.
Florence Nightingale
While she may not be an obvious choice for a list of celebrities with fibromyalgia, Florence Nightingale is perhaps the most famous nurse of all time. During the Crimean War, she organized a team of nurses to tend to wounded soldiers, which transformed her into a hero in the media of the day.
After she returned to England she helped reform and modernize the practice of nursing by establishing her own school for nurses, which has led many to consider her the founder of modern nursing.
And while fibromyalgia wasn’t known at the time, many have speculated that the mysterious illness Florence had was none other than fibromyalgia. She was known to retreat to her room for days on end with chronic fatigue and generalized pain, which sounds very much like fibromyalgia. But she still managed to lead an extremely influential life.
Rosie Hamlin
The lead singer of the band Rosie and the Originals, Rosie Hamlin had a challenging life in many ways. She recorded the first version of her hit song “Angel Baby” with a group of friends as a teenager before managing to convince a record label to give her a contract after hearing them play it in a department store.
Unfortunately, the label didn’t list her as the songwriter, which made her unable to collect any royalties from her biggest hit. After a decade of legal battles, she finally won back the rights to her own song and went on to tour regularly for 40 years. John Lennon even listed her as one of her favorite singers.
Rosie also struggled with fibromyalgia for many years. Luckily, with the help of good doctors, she was able to find treatments that helped her manage her symptoms and allowed her to keep up the demanding life of a touring musician for most of her life, making her one of our top six celebrities with fibromyalgia.
Morgan Freeman
No list of celebrities with fibromyalgia is complete without Morgan Freeman, a very successful actor who has been in dozens of films and is known for his soothing voice, which has lead to voice over work for many shows and documentaries.
He has also suffered from severe fibromyalgia since a serious car wreck a few years ago when the car he was driving flipped over and he had to be pulled out with the jaws of life. Here’s how a reporter for Esquire Magazine described it upon meeting him:
Every so often he grabs his left shoulder and winces. It hurts when he walks, when he sits still, when he rises from his couch, and when he missteps in a damp meadow. More than hurts. It seems a kind of agony, though he never mentions it. There are times when he cannot help but show this, the fallout from a car accident four years ago, in which the car he was driving flipped and rolled, leaving Freeman and a friend to be pulled from the car using the Jaws of Life. Despite surgery to repair nerve damage, he was stuck with a useless left hand. It is stiffly gripped by a compression glove most of the time to ensure that blood doesn’t pool there. It is a clamp, his pain, an icy shot up a relatively useless limb. He doesn’t like to show it, but there are times when he cannot help but lose himself to a world-ending grimace. It’s such a large gesture, so outside the general demeanor of the man, that it feels as if he’s acting.
“It’s the fibromyalgia,” he says when asked. “Up and down the arm. That’s where it gets so bad. Excruciating.”
Yet in spite of living with one arm, Freeman finds time to care for his large farm and golf regularly. He, like all of these people, show what you can accomplish in spite of fibromyalgia.
“Can fibromyalgia be fatal?” It’s probably the first question on your mind after you get diagnosed with fibromyalgia. After all, it’s a scary diagnosis for a disease that not many people understand. So it makes sense to be scared and confused if you think you are developing fibromyalgia or just got diagnosed. And it makes sense that the first thing you’d want to know is if it can kill you.
Well, the good news is that fibromyalgia won’t, by itself, kill you. The symptoms of fibromyalgia won’t become terminal and you won’t die from complications of fibromyalgia as you might from a disease like cancer.
But the bad news is that fibromyalgia can be dangerous in other ways that might reduce your lifespan. Let’s talk about what those ways are and answer how can fibromyalgia be fatal.
Can Fibromyalgia Be Fatal?
Can fibromyalgia be fatal? The short answer is no. Fibromyalgia isn’t a terminal disease like cancer or AIDS. While cancer, if left untreated, will eventually cause tumors to spread around your body, shutting down vital organs, fibromyalgia won’t eventually kill you.
Fibromyalgia causes a feeling of intense pain throughout your body for reasons that we don’t fully understand. But while your pain may grow worse over time, and while become hard to live a normal life, fibromyalgia won’t start shutting down vital organs the way cancer does.
So fibromyalgia, by itself, will never kill you. Nor does it significantly increase your risk of dying due to natural causes according to scientific studies.
However, that doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t be concerned. Because there is something that kills fibromyalgia patients at a higher rate than the general public: suicide.
Fibromyalgia is a painful disease that slowly takes away your ability to do any of the daily routines that most people take for granted. Someone with severe fibromyalgia has a hard time taking care of themselves, or even going to the bathroom.
Meanwhile, they are increasingly isolated from friends and family who have a hard time dealing with the fact that the person they knew is slowly being replaced with a sick person who is in constant pain and no fun to be around. It’s completely unfair for people to feel burdened by your illness but the fact is that they do.
So not only are you dealing with a horrible illness, but the people you count on for support often drift away as your condition goes on.
And of course, on top of all this, add the fact that you are dealing with intense, chronic pain. Who could stand to live with pain so intense it feels like muscles are being pulled from the bone? And that’s not to mention a mental fogginess that makes it hard to function and constantly feeling deeply fatigued.
So it’s clear that people with fibromyalgia have some very good reasons to feel depressed. It would be profoundly dishonest for anyone to suggest otherwise. Meanwhile, fibromyalgia also causes depression and anxiety disorders.
What Does All That Mean For People With Fibromyalgia?
Well, basically, someone with fibromyalgia is stuck in a very depressing situation with a disease that alters their brain chemistry to make them more depressed and they are doing it alone quite frequently.
If you were trying to engineer a situation that would cause people to commit suicide, you couldn’t do much better than fibromyalgia. As a result, we have to look at the question “can fibromyalgia be fatal?” a little bit differently.
Because it’s very obvious that while fibromyalgia can’t kill you outright, it does drive many people who suffer from it to suicide. In fact, it’s estimated that more than half of people with fibromyalgia have had suicidal thoughts at one time or another. That’s why it’s so important to seek support when you have fibromyalgia.
It will drive you to suicide if you let it. And that would be a bad decision. On your worst days, it can feel like there is no other way out. 95% of suicides occur at the peak of a depressive episode. But for most people, there are days when you don’t want to die.
However, you can’t have those days if you’ve killed yourself. So the key to suicide prevention is to develop a network of coping mechanisms to help you get through the bad times. Seek out people that you can talk about your struggles with. And be honest and open about suicidal thoughts. There are people and resources you can turn to for help. You are not alone.
Unrest Reviewed: The Award-Winning Documentary About Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
Written By: Wyatt Redd
admin
Warning: Minor Spoilers
It’s not often that you see films covering conditions like fibromyalgia. And Unrest, released in 2017, isn’t specifically about fibromyalgia. But if you take the time to follow the director of the film, Jennifer Brea, along on her journey through the world of chronic fatigue syndrome (or myalgic encephalomyelitis, as it’s referred to in the film), you’ll find that the film still has a lot of value for anyone with fibromyalgia.
Chronic fatigue syndrome shares many similarities with fibromyalgia, and in the opening seconds of the film, the viewer is met with something that will be instantly recognizable to anyone with the condition: a heartbreaking and even visceral sequence where Brea struggles to crawl the few inches along the floor to her bed while she is racked with pain.
It’s a powerful way to open a film about a devastating disease. The pain Brea is experiencing is clear on her face, and the dark circles under her eyes make it clear that she’s struggled with fatigue for a long time.
The film that follows is just as powerful and really should be required viewing for anyone who wants to truly understand what it’s like to live with an invisible condition like fibromyalgia. But Unrest isn’t just a primer for the uninitiated into the world of chronic pain. At its best, the film is a reminder that you are not alone.
In many ways, ME/CFS, like fibromyalgia, is a lonely disease. And Unrest demonstrates this very well. The movie is a combination of footage from Brea’s life and interviews with other people who struggle with CFS. That includes Leeray Denton, a mother who has been bed-ridden for years with her condition.
As her story unfolds through home movies and interviews, it follows a pattern familiar to many people with fibromyalgia. Leeray talks about the strain her condition took on her marriage, ending in divorce. She talks about how she’s lost all of her friends and watched her children move on with their lives from her bed. And in a moment that will also be familiar to far too many, she talks about how her daughter was also diagnosed with CFS.
But while Brea pulls no punches when it comes to showing how isolating the condition can be, she also discovers how the internet has allowed people who suffer from the condition to come together and support each other through frequent skype conversations and virtual meeting places. The huge number of people that Brea connects with and the wide range of their backgrounds is an incredible demonstration of how a devastating condition can bring people together, as well as pull them apart.
And in a film that shows some of the darkest moments of people suffering from the condition, that ability to come together also provides hope. Nowhere in the film is this more obvious than at a rally, organized through the internet, of CFS sufferers who are working to raise awareness of a condition that has been invisible- or even mocked, as shown in one sequence- for far too long.
Unrest spends a significant amount of time covering the situation of people with CFS in Denmark, where the disease is still treated as a psychological problem instead of a physical one. It’s a situation that has tragic results for one young girl in the film, who is pulled from her home and forced into a psychiatric clinic against her wishes.
That idea of simply not being believed is present through much of the film, and it’s something that anyone with a chronic condition will recognize immediately. At its core, Unrest is a plea from people who are sick to simply have the rest of the world recognize that they are sick.
But while the film is a great window into CFS for those who don’t struggle with it, it has equal value for those who do. Often, people who struggle with chronic illness think that the things they are going through are unique. But Unrest proves that the things they are experiencing are very common for anyone with chronic pain conditions.
Brea’s vulnerability- and even a misplaced sense of guilt that her illness prevents her from being a good spouse- is an incredible reminder that CFS takes a toll on every relationship. The struggles of the people with the condition featured in the film to live normal lives are also all immediately recognizable, and they serve as a constant plea for the recognition the condition deserves.
But while Unrest is dedicated to raising awareness of CFS and does it very well, there is one subject that probably deserved more attention than it received: suicide. The fact that people with CFS and similar conditions suffer from a high rate of suicide and depression is mentioned, but largely off-hand. Suicide is one of the biggest risks facing people with the condition, but too often the risk goes unspoken. It’s an invisible disease within an invisible disease, and it would have been nice to see the issue receive more screen time.
Even so, Unrest remains one of the most moving depictions of chronic pain and fatigue conditions out there. And everyone with any interest in fibromyalgia or CFS should see it at least once. At the moment, Unrest is available for streaming on Netflix, or for purchase on most digital media stores like iTunes, as well as on DVD.
How do you get tested for fibromyalgia? You might be wondering that if you have a sneaking suspicion that the pain you are feeling are a sign that you have fibromyalgia. Of course, getting a doctor to tell you whether or not you have fibromyalgia is actually much harder than you think for a few reasons.
And even knowing when it’s time to get tested for fibromyalgia can be tricky. So let’s talk about some of the symptoms that let you know when it’s time to go to a doctor. And let’s answer the question “how do you get tested for fibromyalgia” so that you’ll know what to expect.
When Should You Get Tested For Fibromyalgia?
One of the things that make fibromyalgia hard to diagnose is that the symptoms are often sort of non-specific. Things like fatigue and pain are common with so many different conditions that a doctor won’t have much of an idea about where to start if you tell him those are your symptoms.
That’s why it’s important to look for some of the specific symptoms that mark fibromyalgia apart from other diseases. Here are some of the things you should consider if you think you have fibromyalgia:
Chronic Fatigue. Feeling tired is perfectly normal. I would bet that most of us who are out of childhoods don’t remember a time when we weren’t at least kind of tired, right? But someone with fibromyalgia isn’t just tired. They are fatigued to the point where getting out of bed or thinking clearly is next to impossible. And this lasts more than just a few days. This kind of fatigue affects someone with fibromyalgia for months. So if you’ve been feeling this level of fatigue you may have fibromyalgia.
Pain in Specific Places. Someone with fibromyalgia feels an intense pain that may be one of the worst symptoms of the disease. But while they may feel like they hurt everywhere, in fact, their pain is located in some very specific places. See, there are 18 points of pain associated with fibromyalgia. These are located on both sides of the body at the base of the neck, the elbows, the collar bone, the hips, lower back, the knees, the upper back, the shoulders, and the sternum. If your pain is clearly located at these specific points it is evidence that you have the condition.
Pain at a Specific Intensity. While it may seem difficult to put a number on the pain you are feeling, doctors use a pain scale to determine your level of pain. The pain of fibromyalgia is ranked at somewhere between a 6 and 7 out of 10 on the scale. This is described as being so severe that it dominates your thinking, making it impossible to ignore. In addition, the pain is so severe that it limits your ability to live independently and carry out daily tasks. If you have had this level of pain for at least three months you may have fibromyalgia.
Your Doctor Has Ruled Out Other Possibilities. There is a host of other conditions that create these sorts fo symptoms. Things like Lyme Disease, rheumatoid arthritis, or central nervous system sensitization can create the sort of general pain that we associate with fibromyalgia. You doctor will likely want to perform tests to rule out these other conditions before diagnosing you with fibromyalgia.
How Do You Get Tested For Fibromyalgia?
So how do you get tested for fibromyalgia? Well, for starters your doctor will look for these symptoms. If they are all present, the doctor will then begin testing to make sure that your pain is located in 18 points. They do this by pressing their thumb into the points. Fibromyalgia pain is sensitive to pressure, so the doctor’s thumb will make the pain worse. If the pain gets worse when pressed in at least 11 of the 18 points then you likely have fibromyalgia.
At that point, the doctor may order blood tests to make sure that you don’t have any other conditions that produce similar symptoms. If you test positive for all of these symptoms and they can say with certainty that you don’t have another condition, the doctor will diagnosis you with fibromyalgia.
The next step, of course, is to begin finding a treatment that works for you. And if you are diagnosed with fibromyalgia, make sure you look for support. Fibromyalgia is an isolating condition to live with and extremely frustrating to try to treat. You will likely need a wide support network to be able to manage life with fibromyalgia. Luckily there are lots of support resources you can turn to. Just remember, even if you have fibromyalgia, you aren’t alone.
Can Topical Magnesium Help With Your Fibromyalgia Symptoms?
Written By: Wyatt Redd
admin
Image: Debora Cartagena/ Pixino
We’ve covered a lot of topics on this website about fibromyalgia, both the symptoms and possible ways to treat it. But if you’ve spent time researching fibromyalgia, you know it’s not often that you come across good news. That’s why some of the information coming about the use of topical magnesium for treating fibromyalgia is so exciting. It actually seems to have a significant impact on symptoms.
So, what exactly is topical magnesium? And how can it help treat fibromyalgia?
Topical Magnesium
Magnesium is an element that plays an important part in the way your body functions. It helps your body create many of the proteins you need and plays a role in the regulation of DNA. It also helps regulate muscle and nerve functions.
Generally, you can get all the magnesium you need through your diet. Nuts, leafy greens, and grains are all high in magnesium and can provide the 300-400 mg that the average adult needs. The problem is that it can be tough to eat a healthy diet, and many people don’t take their magnesium levels into account when planning their meals.
And if you go a long time without magnesium, it can lead to serious problems. The most common symptoms of magnesium deficiency are fatigue, weakness, and vomiting.
It usually takes a significant amount of time for people to develop the condition, and most people with low levels of magnesium will probably never experience it. But if you have other health problems, like impaired kidney function, your odds are much higher.
The most common way to treat the condition is simply to take magnesium supplements. And there are two options as far as supplements go: oral and topical magnesium. Oral magnesium supplements are taken through the mouth, and topical supplements are applied directly to the skin.
Research has shown mixed results as to which form is better. Some have seen more of a benefit with the topical supplement, possibly because it enters the bloodstream faster. But others studies have noted that the difference isn’t really large enough to say that it’s definitely better than the oral route. And some have suggested that because the purpose of the skin is to keep things out, the argument that it is absorbed better through the skin isn’t well founded.
Science is still out on the subject. And ultimately, it probably doesn’t matter how you take the magnesium. The good news is that studies done on topical magnesium specifically have shown that it has benefits for people with fibromyalgia.
Topical Magnesium And Fibromyalgia
A recent clinical study looked at the effects of topical magnesium on forty female patients who had been diagnosed with fibromyalgia. Participants were asked to spray a magnesium supplement at the site of their fibromyalgia pain twice a day for four weeks. At the end of the four weeks, they had the patients fill out a questionnaire about their symptoms.
The results showed that the patients who used the magnesium solution had a significant improvement in their symptoms.
Obviously, we need more studies to fully understand what the benefits of magnesium are for people with fibromyalgia. But these early results are promising. They suggest that a simple, over-the-counter supplement like magnesium can actually have significant benefits for people suffering from fibromyalgia.
We aren’t sure why magnesium helps with fibromyalgia, as the study suggests it does. It could be that magnesium helps regulate nerve function in people with fibromyalgia, which seems to be a condition that affects the nervous system. And while there’s no evidence that fibromyalgia is caused by magnesium deficiency, it could be that keeping healthy magnesium levels leads to real benefits in symptoms.
Of course, like all supplements, there are some things you should be aware of before taking magnesium. While rare, it is possible to take too much magnesium, resulting in abdominal pains and cramping. In very high doses, it can even lead to heart problems. Always be careful about how much you’re taking. This can be a special concern when it comes to topical magnesium.
Unlike oral magnesium, it can be hard to tell exactly how much you’re taking with topical magnesium. Follow directions carefully and always consult with a doctor before taking any supplements. It may also be a good idea to get regular blood tests, so your doctor can monitor your magnesium levels both before and after treatment.
So, let us know. Do you take magnesium? Do you take it orally or topically? Does it seem to help with your fibromyalgia symptoms? Tell us in the comments.
If you’re suffering from fibromyalgia, you might feel sometimes like you’re completely alone. You might feel like no one seems to understand or even know about your condition. And if you haven’t found a good support group or internet community to belong to, you might feel like there aren’t even that many people who could possibly recognize what you’re going through.
But is that true? Are people with fibromyalgia really so alone? How many people are diagnosed with fibromyalgia, really? To answer that, let’s look at some of the statistics and talk about how important community is to dealing with fibromyalgia.
How Many People Are Diagnosed With Fibromyalgia?
It often seems like fibromyalgia is an uncommon condition. I mean, how many times have you told that you have fibromyalgia and just gotten that confused look in return? But it might surprise you to learn just how many people are diagnosed with fibromyalgia around the world.
Here’s a fun little experiment to try: off the top of your head, guess how many people around the world have fibromyalgia?
A million? Two?
Well according to the National Fibromyalgia Association, as many as four hundred million people have been diagnosed with fibromyalgia. That’s around 5% of the world’s population. It’s more than the population of the United States.
Imagine if everyone in the US had fibromyalgia. Then imagine everyone in Germany also had it. And that’s roughly how many people have fibromyalgia around the world. That’s a lot of people with fibromyalgia, right? So why does it seem like having fibromyalgia makes you feel so alone?
Community And Fibromyalgia
With a disease like fibromyalgia that can basically make you feel like you’re trapped in your own body, it’s important to maintain supportive relationships as much as possible. Fibromyalgia can take everything from you, including your friends. And that lack of support makes dealing with the condition even harder.
Humans are social animals and don’t do well when isolated. In fact, people with close relationships live longer than those who don’t, even when they aren’t sick.
Everyone has the tendency to drift away from friends and relatives. That’s a natural part of life. People grow apart over time. But with fibromyalgia, you need to hold on to every good friend you have, because your constant pain will make it harder than usual to maintain those relationships.
In addition, seeking out friends who understand your condition is one of the best things you can do to manage it. In the old days, people with fibromyalgia had a much harder time getting a supportive network of sufferers for a few reasons.
First, it’s an invisible disease. You would never know if the person walking down the street next to you had fibromyalgia. This is still true today, of course. And that’s part of the reason fibromyalgia seems rare when so many people have it. But these days, there is a lot more openness about the condition and the fibromyalgia community is larger and spreading awareness constantly.
That’s part of the second reason it used to be harder for people with fibromyalgia to get support. Most people simply didn’t know that fibromyalgia existed. Even most doctors had never heard of it. It’s still hard to get a diagnosis today, but it’s much better than it used to be. So the total number of fibromyalgia patients probably hasn’t gone up, but more people know what they have. And that makes finding a support network easier.
The final, and biggest, reason that it’s easier to find a fibromyalgia community today is the internet. You no longer have to rely on a support community that is made up only of people who live near you. You can share stories and tips with fellow fibro warriors across the globe. Sites like this one help spread awareness and information. And the comments section on every article provides a great place to share advice or even just find a shoulder to lean on.
Fighting Together Against Fibromyalgia
That’s one of the few good things to come out of fibromyalgia. Great friendships have been borne between two sufferers who would never have met if not for their condition and the internet. That’s remarkable, and it’s so important when you’re dealing with fibromyalgia to create those kinds of relationships and work to together to spread awareness of fibromyalgia.
And you can help right now, as a matter of fact. Share your stories and tips with us in the comments. Take the time to offer other fibro warriors the support they need. Use the power of social media to get the word out about this condition. You never know what kind of friends you might make. And the best way to fight back against fibromyalgia is to make people aware of it.
So, how many people are diagnosed with fibromyalgia? Hundreds of millions. And it’s time to use that fact to fight back against the disease. It’s time to come together.
Share your stories, your hopes, your fears. Let everyone know what living with fibromyalgia is like. Use this opportunity to share information with your friends who are lucky enough to not have fibromyalgia. Ask them to help you do something about it, like funding vital research. And let everyone suffering from it know they have a friend in you.
“At what age do you get fibromyalgia?” It’s a question that’s actually harder to answer than you might have thought. The truth is that determining at what age do you get fibromyalgia is tough. And that’s because it varies so much from person to person.
See, there are a large number of different factors that determine at what age you get fibromyalgia. These include things like genetics, family history, trauma, and a history of having other diseases. But with that being said, there are a few broad trends we can look at to hopefully answer the question of “at what age do you get fibromyalgia?”
Let’s start by talking about some of the factors that influence how likely you are to get the disease and when.
Fibromyalgia Risk Factors
No one knows what causes fibromyalgia currently. But there are a few things that are known to influence how likely you are to develop fibromyalgia:
Family history. Fibromyalgia seems to have a genetic component. This fact is evident due to the way that the disease seems to run in families. So if you have a relative, or multiple relatives, who have fibromyalgia, you are more likely to develop the disease yourself. At the same time, if your relatives seemed to develop the disease at a specific age, it can give you a clue as to at what age you might develop it.
Physical trauma. We also know that physical trauma plays a role in determining whether someone develops fibromyalgia. And if you are involved in a serious accident or have a major surgery, your odds of getting fibromyalgia go up. And that also affects the age at which you develop it.
Other diseases. Having already suffered from other diseases can actually increase your odds of developing fibromyalgia as well. Depression, for instance, is strongly linked with fibromyalgia. Because fibromyalgia is so poorly understood, it’s tough to say if these other conditions are actually causing patients to develop fibromyalgia or if people with these conditions are predisposed to fibromyalgia as well. But the effect seems to be the same either way.
If you have these risk factors, the odds of getting fibromyalgia increase significantly. That means of course, that someone with a significant number of those risk factors is more likely to develop fibromyalgia at an early age. But that’s not quite the same as answering the question “at what age do you get fibromyalgia?”
So let’s look specifically at that issue and how these risk factors tie into it.
At What Age Do You Get Fibromyalgia?
Fibromyalgia is different for everyone obviously. And no one can tell you when you are likely to develop fibromyalgia. But we can look at statistics to see if there is a certain age at which most people develop symptoms. And it turns out that there is.
According to the U.S. Department of Health’s Office on Women’s Health, most people who develop fibromyalgia do so in middle age. Of course, this can be anywhere between the ages of 30 and 50. That’s a huge range if you’re trying to narrow down an age when people are likely to develop fibromyalgia.
And there are many cases of people who developed fibromyalgia at much younger ages. In fact, children can even develop fibromyalgia. It’s estimated that anywhere between 1-7% of children under the age of 18 have fibromyalgia or a similar chronic pain condition. And roughly 25% of fibro patients begin reporting symptoms before they are 18.
But we can use this fact to make a general statement about when you are likely to develop fibromyalgia. If we take that range and pick a point in the middle, in this case, 45 years old, we can construct an average fibromyalgia patient profile.
And according to studies, the average time between when someone starts developing the disease and when they are diagnosed with it is 8-9 years. Using this fact, we can deduce that the average fibromyalgia patient started developing the disease at around 36-37 years old.
So at what age do you get fibromyalgia? Statistically, the most likely time is around 36-37 years old. But we have seen that this number can vary throughout a person’s lifespan. And certain risk factors can lead to developing fibromyalgia much earlier. At the same time, you could have all the risk factors and never develop fibro, or develop it much later in life.
The fact is, no one can tell you when you are likely to develop fibromyalgia, which is why it’s important to be aware of the symptoms and keep an eye out for them. Don’t hesitate to see a doctor if you think you are developing fibromyalgia. Early treatment can help you avoid unnecessary suffering.
But, you tell us. At what age did you develop fibromyalgia? How long have you lived with it? Are you currently fibro-free but worried that you might develop it?
How many medications, therapies, and methods have you tried to help with effective, long-term solutions for your fibromyalgia pain management? Most of us still haven’t found the right thing. We may find a temporary “cure” or remedy. Or we try something that exacerbates another symptom. Not only do we have the frustration of fibro itself, but sometimes you just want to pull out your hair for struggling to find something that works. No wonder so many of us end up with severe depression.
It definitely doesn’t help that healthcare practitioners view fibromyalgia differently. While most physicians in America accept the reality of fibromyalgia, there are still plenty that downplay your pain levels. If you’re lucky to have a smarter healthcare professional in your life, you may find that they tend to prescribe antidepressants to help treat your fibromyalgia symptoms, including the depression that so frequently accompanies fibro in the first place. The reason they prescribe these so frequently to fibro patients in particular, is related to the way neurotransmitter systems within the body sometimes malfunction. When that happens, it frequently leads to health issues like anxiety, depression, and even fibromyalgia. Antidepressants remedy the neurotransmitter malfunction, which can be highly effective in helping you to cope with many of the symptoms fibromyalgia patients experience.
How Savella for Fibromyalgia Works
One common family of medications prescribed frequently to people diagnosed with these conditions are called SSNRIs, or more frequently, SNRIs, meaning “selective serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors.”
So what does that have to do with fibromyalgia? Well, SNRIs are powerful drugs that act primarily upon the neurotransmitters norepinephrine and serotonin within the brain. Normally, these chemicals are produced within the body, travel to the brain, and are absorbed within the neurons. Their proper functioning is vital to the brain conducting many processes such as memory, attention, sleep, and many others. Do these sound like familiar issues, fibro patients?
In fact, these chemicals are extremely important to our emotions and perception as well. But sometimes the brain doesn’t absorb them. Maybe because they aren’t produced in ample quantities. Or maybe for some other reason. AT any rate, it leads to serious problems. Using SNRIs does not cause the body to make more neurotransmitters. Rather they actually bond with neurotransmitters in the brain and effectively “weigh” them down so that they stay there until the brain is forced to absorb them.
What About Savella for Fibromyalgia?
One SNRI that is frequently prescribed for the pain associated with fibromyalgia is Savella (Milnacipran). It is the third drug approved by the FDA to treat fibromyalgia. Oddly enough, Savella for fibromyalgia is not used as a treatment for depression like other SNRIs. Nevertheless, it has been effective in managing pain, improving cognitive function, fatigue, and depression. Various studies have shown that it seems to benefit around 50% of those who take it. That’s a far cry from the 1 in 10 success results that come from Lyrica. But the record for Savella for fibromyalgia of 1 out of 2 patients isn’t bad at all! It’s certainly worth a try if you’re open to pharmaceutical medications.
Of course, everyone is unique. My physiology is going to be different than yours. And so is my experience of pain and other fibro symptoms. By the same token, just because one person has negative results from a drug does not mean that all people will have that result. Again….it works for about 50%! Still, it’s very important to talk with your doctor before trying any new medication to determine what might work best for you. Tell her your concerns about the trial, but more importantly, tell your healthcare practitioner about every medication and supplement you are taking. Even herbal supplements can have harsh interactions with prescription drugs. You’ll need to be prepared to report the dosage of each as well, whether it’s in milligrams, I.U.s, or another form of measurement. Just be ready.
Side Effects of Savella for Fibromyalgia
Some of the most common side effects from savella for fibromyalgia may include, but are not limited to:
Dry mouth
High blood pressure
Constipation
Dizziness
Insomnia
Increased sweating
Vomiting
Heart palpitations
Dry mouth
Testicular pain
Decreased libido
Believe it or not, Savella is generally considered to be very mild when it comes to the frequency of negative side effects. So if you’re on the fence about it due to possible side effects, it may be worth giving it a try, especially because fibromyalgia can be so difficult to treat. Combined with other medications or treatments, it could prove to be extremely beneficial.
Have you ever used Savella? Did it work for you? Have you found a different medication, remedy, or therapy that works better for you at addressing several fibromyalgia symptoms at once? Please share your story with us!
If you struggle with chronic pain conditions like fibromyalgia long enough, you’ll eventually hear a lot of different theories about what causes it. People have suggested that fibromyalgia is actually caused by everything from toxic mold to humid climates. And while some of these theories have more of a scientific basis than others, sometimes you come across a theory that sounds a little far-fetched, only to learn that it might be a lot closer to the truth than you imagined.
For instance, maybe you’ve heard that amalgam fillings, the kind used in dental work, actually contribute to chronic conditions like fibromyalgia. As it turns out, there may a lot more to this theory than you might expect. So, can amalgam fillings really contribute to fibromyalgia? Let’s look at the evidence.
Amalgam Fillings And Fibromyalgia
The standard dental amalgam filling is made up of about 50% mercury. The rest is a mixture of silver, tin, and copper. Doctors have used it to fill the holes in teeth caused by cavities for over 100 years because it is inexpensive and long-lasting.
But recently, scientists have begun to wonder how safe they actually are. Obviously, mercury can carry a range of health risks, including damage to the brain and nerves. Symptoms of mercury exposure include muscle weakness, tremors, and insomnia. Long-term exposure to high levels of mercury can even cause insanity. For instance, the phrase “mad as a hatter” is a reference to the fact that people who made hats used to work frequently with mercury and often suffered the consequences.
Amalgam fillings present a special risk for a few reasons. First, when amalgam fillings are first put into the teeth, they are heated until they melt. This means that a small amount of mercury is vaporized and can be inhaled into the lungs. This type of exposure to mercury is particularly dangerous. Second, the fact that the fillings remain in the teeth means that people with the fillings are exposed to the mercury for years or decades.
In 2009, the World Health Organization looked at potentially banning the use of amalgam fillings. But because this would make it difficult for people in poor countries to get dental work, the WHO decided to suggest that dentists slowly stop using them instead.
Obviously, that doesn’t help if you’ve already had amalgam fillings installed, as many people around the world have. And recently, research has suggested that these fillings could have a link to chronic health conditions, especially those that cause fatigue and depression like fibromyalgia.
Now, it’s important to remember that this link has not been conclusively proven. The referenced study simply suggests that a large amount of evidence supports the idea that there is a link, not that there definitely is one. And it would almost certainly be a mistake to say that dental fillings cause fibromyalgia.
The true cause of fibromyalgia remains a mystery, but it seems to have something to do with the nervous system. This suggests that mercury, which affects the nervous system, could play a role in the severity of symptoms. But many people without dental fillings get fibromyalgia, which means that there isn’t a direct correlation between fibromyalgia and fillings.
However, could mercury from fillings make your symptoms worse? Could it contribute to developing fibromyalgia? That’s where things get a little murkier. The truth is that we simply don’t know.
The fact remains that the level of mercury from fillings is probably still quite low. You’re more likely to be exposed to dangerous levels of mercury from a seafood-rich diet than from your fillings. But even small levels of mercury can have a dangerous impact on your health.
So, while you might want to hold off on scheduling an appointment with your dentist until we establish a more definite link, you should still be mindful of mercury exposure. Avoid foods that you know are high in mercury, especially if you’re already struggling with fibromyalgia. And if you do need to get a cavity filled, it might be a good idea to ask for a non-amalgam filling.
As always, if you’re concerned about the risk of mercury exposure, consult your doctor. They’ll be able to give you the information you need and test your blood for exposure to mercury.
So, what do you think? Is there a link between fillings and fibromyalgia, or is it overblown? Have you had fillings removed because of the risk? Did you notice a change in your symptoms? Let us know in the comments.
If you have fibromyalgia, there’s a good chance you’re also dealing with restless leg syndrome (RLS). In fact, the American College of Rheumatology says that 56% of those suffering from fibromyalgia also experience restless leg syndrome. But first, what exactly is RLS?
Well, it’s characterized by uncomfortable sensations in the legs, especially while sitting or lying down. The sensations can range from discomfort to painful. It also includes an irresistible urge to move the affected limb. The urge to move the limb occurs because the movement actually relieves the discomfort. Most patients with RLS experience symptoms that are worse at night. Ironically, when your body is gearing up to relax and rejuvenate, your legs might feel like they are throbbing or pulling and you have an uncontrollable urge to move them. Many RLS patients have difficulty falling asleep and staying asleep because of the need to move and the discomfort, pain, or agitation. Some pace the floor. Others simply toss and turn all night trying to relieve the leg discomfort. But nearly all of them suffer from sleep deprivation.
The Fibromyalgia and RLS Connection
Are you starting to see the connection? Even if it’s still a little unclear, you can’t miss the relation to sleep deprivation and fibromyalgia. You know that when you don’t sleep well, your fibromyalgia symptoms are much worse, right? So then it should come as no surprise that a 2010 study published in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine showed a significant correlation between fibromyalgia and RLS. Specifically, those with fibromyalgia had a much high prevalence and risk of restless leg syndrome. But not necessarily the other way around.
The American Academy of Sleep Medicine explains further: “Sleep disruption is common in fibromyalgia, and often difficult to treat,” said contributing author Dr. Nathanial F. Watson, associate professor of neurology at the University of Washington in Seattle, WA. “It is apparent from our study that a substantial portion of sleep disruption in fibromyalgia is due to restless leg syndrome” (emphasis added).
Great News
Don’t mistake this as a diagnosis. Just because you have fibromyalgia does not automatically mean you have RLS. Remember that about 56% of fibro patients do, however. Meaning that there is definitely a good chance. And as Dr. Watson went on to add: “Since restless leg syndrome is a treatable condition, diagnosing and treating RLS in fibromyalgia patients has the potential to improve their sleep.”
Diagnosis
There is no specific test for restless leg syndrome. However, according to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, the four criteria are:
Symptoms that are worse at night and are absent or negligible in the morning;
A strong and often overwhelming need or urge to move the affected limb(s), often associated with paresthesias or dysesthesias;
Sensory symptoms that are triggered by rest, relaxation, or sleep; and
Sensory symptoms that are relieved with movement and the relief persists as long as the movement continues.
Treatment for fibromyalgia and RLS
Restless leg syndrome is typically addressed by relieving the symptoms. In some cases, symptoms are controlled by identifying and treating associated conditions like diabetes or peripheral neuropathy. Medications are often helpful, but there is apparently no single medication that works for all RLS patients. You and your doctor may have to experiment to find which one works best for you. In fact, you may even find you need to change medications periodically as they often lose their potency for treating your RLS symptoms after a time. Of course, lifestyle changes are always encouraged. Everything from decreasing alcohol, caffeine, and tobacco to getting more exercise and massaging the legs.
The key here is to talk this over with your healthcare practitioner. If you you think you have fibromyalgia and RLS, then getting the right treatment can have a radical impact on your fibromyalgia symptoms. That is to say, addressing restless legs throughout the night will lead to better sleep. And better sleep leads to minimizing other fibromyalgia symptoms.
So, do you see now? Treating RLS can make a huge difference in your quality of life as a fibro patient as well. Have you been treated for fibromyalgia and RLS? Did it improve your sleep and your fibromyalgia symptoms? Tell us about it your fibromyalgia and RLS.
What NOT to say to Your Insurance Provider When you Have Fibromyalgia
Written By: Wyatt Redd
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Image/Pixabay
One of the hardest things about any long term illness is dealing with insurance companies constantly looking for a way to deny your claims. And that’s especially true with fibromyalgia, which many insurance providers are skeptical about. When it comes to getting fibromyalgia covered, you need to expect that the insurance provider will be looking for reasons to deny your claim.
So figuring out what not to say to your insurance provider when you have fibromyalgia is actually an important part of getting the coverage you deserve. Why do insurance providers not want to cover fibromyalgia, and what are some things you should never say when you talk to them?
Why Insurance Providers Don’t Want To Cover Fibromyalgia
If you’ve dealt with an insurance company in the past, you know it’s hard to get them to pay out for fibromyalgia benefits. The reason for this is simple: money. Insurance companies work by taking in more money in premiums and investments from those premiums than they pay out in benefits.
So, remember all that money you were paying them so that you didn’t have to worry about being able to afford treatment for something like fibromyalgia? Well, turns out they would still prefer to keep it now that you have fibromyalgia. The insurance company will look for ways to deny your claim for something like disability.
And fibromyalgia is a disease that is easy to deny since it doesn’t have any outward symptoms. And because everyone’s fibromyalgia is different. Some people with fibromyalgia are completely disabled, and some can still work. So getting an insurance claim for fibromyalgia depends on not just proving that you have fibromyalgia, but that it’s severe enough to need intensive treatment or to qualify for disability.
That’s why you have to be aware of what not to say to your insurance provider when you have fibromyalgia.
What Not To Say To Your Insurance Provider When You Have Fibromyalgia
It’s important when you make an insurance claim for fibromyalgia that you are honest about your symptoms, and as specific as possible about what they are. If you leave any room for interpretation, an insurance provider can interpret it in a way that lets them deny you coverage. And if you exaggerate your symptoms, deliberately or otherwise, then an insurance company can prove that they aren’t as bad as you claim and use that to deny you.
You have to be extremely careful about what you say and avoid certain phrases or words. Here are some examples of things you should never say when you’re making a claim:
I hurt everywhere.
If you have fibromyalgia, you probably deal with at least a fair amount of pain on a daily basis. But the pain is focused on 18 specific points on your body. It technically isn’t spread over your entire body (though 18 points on your body basically amount to the same thing).
But doctors use these 18 points to diagnose fibromyalgia, and so do insurance providers. If you tell them you have pain somewhere other than those 18 points, they will tell you that whatever you have is not fibromyalgia.
The pain comes and goes. You probably know that fibromyalgia comes with good days and bad days. Or you know that fibromyalgia flare-ups can make the pain worse sometimes than it usually is.
But to an insurance provider, saying that the pain goes sometimes means that your illness isn’t that severe. After all, if there are days when you don’t hurt, then you aren’t completely disabled. Make it clear that your pain is constant and disabling.
I can’t walk. At the same time, don’t tell an insurance provider that you can’t walk. Now, you may find walking extremely difficult and even going to the bathroom can be extremely difficult for you.
But if you tell an insurance provider that you can’t walk and you are ever seen walking (even if it’s through some extreme pain) then they can declare your disability fake and decide you were lying about the entire thing.
I can’t get out of bed. In the same way, don’t tell a provider that your fatigue or pain is so severe that you can’t get out of bed. Or that you sleep all day.
All a provider has to do is prove that you’re spending some portion of the day out of bed, say to go to the kitchen, and they can use that to deny you coverage.
My doctor doesn’t understand. Many doctors aren’t up to date on the latest information about fibromyalgia. And many don’t know how to treat it effectively. With that being said, you don’t want to tell an insurance provider that your doctor doesn’t know how to treat you.
An insurance provider is going to take your doctor’s word over yours when you tell them that your medication doesn’t work. And they will assume that you are deliberately refusing the treatment your doctor recommends. Or they’ll think your symptoms are in your head and that’s why they don’t respond to treatment. Thus, they’ll be more likely to deny your claim.
The important thing to remember is be honest. You run the risk of being accused of fraud if you lie about your condition in an attempt to make sure it’s covered. And if you have a legitimate claim that is denied you have the option of suing. So just tell the truth about your fibromyalgia and it should be covered.
Lady Gaga’s Netflix Documentary puts Fibromyalgia Front and Center
Written By: admin
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In a lot of ways, Lady Gaga’s new Netflix documentary, Gaga: Five Foot Two, is your standard pop star documentary, in the vein of Madonna’s Truth or Dareor Katy Perry’s Part of Me. It follows her around as she’s writing and recording songs and music videos for her album Joanne, and preparing for concert appearances (including her performance at Super Bowl XLI). There are glimpses of her family life, and Lady Gaga, or in this case, regular old Stefani Germanotta, attends a baptism as the godmother to one of her bandmates’ babies. You meet her parents and grandparents. All standard celebrity documentary material.
What sets Gaga: Five Foot Two apart is Lady Gaga’s willingness to put her struggle with chronic pain, specifically her fibromyalgia, front and center in her story. In fact, the whole doc is shot through with pain and trauma, and the struggle to maintain not just her sanity but continue to function at a high level. The film opens with Gaga getting out of bed and getting a treatment for her hip pain. So right away we know that pain is going to be front and center.
About 38 minutes into the film, after a moving scene in which Gaga plays a song for her father and grandmother, we see her in a full blown fibro flare, which at the time of the filming was undiagnosed. We see Lady Gaga, lying on the couch under a towel, crying, describing “the entire right side of my body in a spasm.” It’s powerful, and something that every person with fibromyalgia has gone through. She even acknowledges, to her credit, I think, how her privilege as a massively famous and wealthy entertainer allows her access to constant and excellent healthcare. “I think of other people that have, maybe something like this, but that are struggling to figure out what it is, and don’t have the money to have someone help them,” she says. “And I don’t know what I’d do without all these people to help me. What the hell would I do?”
It’s a good question and one that many, if not most, people with fibromyalgia ask themselves on a daily basis. We know how hard it is to get a doctor to take it seriously, how stigmatized chronic pain is. And most people don’t have millions of dollars and nurses as part of their entourage. But it’s still pretty amazing to see her go from that to performing a lights-out rendition of “Bad Romance” for Tony Bennett’s birthday just hours later.
Next, we get a montage of her working, squeezing past paparazzi, recording radio station greetings, surprising fans. In a way it’s inspiring, to see someone go from being in so much pain to being non-stop “on” for an adoring, voracious public. Again, this is all standard celebrity pop star stuff: Gaga dealing with a public breakup, worrying about whether her long-time fans will like her new look, will the record be any good?
But it’s the fibro stuff that sticks with you. We see her visiting her doctor, listing her symptoms and medications. This is one of those “Stars, they’re just like us” moments that celebrities try to pull off, and not always successfully. But Lady Gaga manages to do it. She gets a trigger point injection and we get to see it, all the while she’s stressing out because the new album is leaking all over the internet.
“Awareness” is one of those weird terms that gets thrown around a lot for diseases like fibromyalgia, and I’m not always sure it’s enough for people to just be “aware” that something exists. But Lady Gaga’s decision to show herself in so much pain, and to let us into her doctor’s office with her, seems to be doing more than just raising awareness. It really can chip away at the stigma of these chronic conditions. Nobody could ever, watching Lady Gaga go through her preparations for performing at the Super Bowl, and call her “lazy,” which is a common slur thrown at people with chronic pain conditions. I suppose there are some who might look at this and say, “Well, if Lady Gaga can do it, why can’t you get of out of bed?”
But completely misses the point. As Gaga herself points out, she has a lot of money to pay for world-class medical care, money that not everybody has. But there’s also a vulnerability that she shows that a lot of celebrities of her stature wouldn’t, and that’s a big deal.
Definitely watch the movie, especially if you’re a fan. But even if you’re not, it’s still an important film, for showing fibromyalgia in such an intimate setting.
Doing yoga for fibromyalgia is a surprisingly effective treatment. And if you’re struggling with the constant pain of fibromyalgia and nothing seems to ease your symptoms, yoga may be just what you’re looking for. The intense stretching can help strengthen the muscles and make them more flexible. And the meditative aspects of yoga are great for helping you learn how to avoid focusing on your pain.
In fact, people who do yoga with fibromyalgia consistently report significant improvement in their symptoms. And that makes it one of the most reliable treatments for fibromyalgia. But where do you start with doing yoga for fibromyalgia? Well, here are a few techniques and poses that are particularly effective for this disease.
Yoga For Fibromyalgia
When you’re trying yoga for fibromyalgia, it’s important that you focus on exercises that won’t be too intense. Not only can the exertion of the more complicated poses trigger fibro flare-ups, but starting with poses that are too advanced can strain your muscles and make the pain worse.
This pose is a gentle way to start as it doesn’t involve any serious stretching or difficult-to-hold poses. To do this once, simply lay on your back with your legs near a wall and lift them up in the air while laying them against the wall. Let the wall take all the effort out of holding your legs up and focus on your breathing.
This pose offers a gentle stretch to your hips and the muscles in your legs while letting blood flow. This can help reduce pain in your hips or upper legs if you’re having pain there. And it’s a great way to ease into a yoga session.
The Standing Forward Bend is a good way to stretch your legs and back while promoting blood flow through your muscles. And it’s extremely easy to do. Start with your legs shoulder-width apart and bend forward.
Try to push your upper body as far towards the ground as you can. If possible, touch your toes.This stretches the large muscles in your upper legs and lower back, which can be particularly painful sources of fibromyalgia pain. As you do each pose, focus on clearing your mind and maintaining steady breathing.
This pose is slightly more advanced but is great for the muscles of the back. Lie flat on your back and slowly lift your body up with your legs. Your shoulders should stay on the ground and soon you’ll feel your muscles stretching. Bring your feet up towards your shoulders if you can. This works out the pain in the lower back, upper back, and hips.
So it’s great if you want to restore some mobility in the face of fibromyalgia pain.
Cobra pose is great for really focusing on the muscles in your lower back. So if you find that your fibromyalgia pain is particularly bad in that area, this pose could be a good way to treat it. But this pose is also great for working out the pain in your shoulder blades. And it’s a very easy pose to do, so it’s a good choice for warming up.
Start on your stomach, laying on the ground. Now put your hands under your shoulders and push up. You want your back arched up like, well a cobra. You can make the pose more intense by arching your back further.
Downward dog is a pose that works your entire body. It’s great for your arms, shoulders, back, and legs. And it’s one of the more strenuous poses, so if you’ve made it through all the others and want something more challenging, then look no further.
Start by placing your feet shoulder-width apart. Now slowly bend forward so that your hands are touching the ground. As you bend forward, lean forward from your feet so that you are forming a kind of bridge. Now hold this pose for a few seconds while focusing on your breathing.
If you want to make it more intense, you can also walk your hands back towards your feet, which will increase the stretching in your legs.
The half moon pose is another versatile and challenging option when it comes to yoga for fibromyalgia. It works out some of the core muscles in your back and abdomen, as well as your legs and shoulders.
Start by standing up and lowering one hand down so that it touches the ground. Your leg on the opposite side should naturally lift up at the same time. Now hold this position for a few seconds while you breathe. It’s a great pose for building up strength in muscles that might be weakened by fibromyalgia.
No matter which set of poses you decide to do, yoga is a great way to get some much-needed exercise for fibromyalgia. And it comes with the unique benefit of improving your mental state as well as your physical one. So why not give it a try?
In spite of all the medical advancements in recent years, fibromyalgia remains a mystery. Ask someone with a little bit of knowledge of the condition to explain it, and they’ll tell you about tender points and chronic fatigue. But if you have fibromyalgia, you already know that this explanation leaves out a lot.
There are so many strange and confusing symptoms that people with fibromyalgia experience. It seems like every day you notice that one of the conditions you’re suffering from is actually linked to fibromyalgia, like frequent urination or muscle spasms.
And while we all know that fibromyalgia causes pain, there’s a huge range of places that fibromyalgia pain can appear, like the feet. Many people with fibromyalgia have foot pain that’s so severe it makes it hard to walk. But this is something you’d almost never hear a doctor talk about when it comes to fibromyalgia symptoms.
So, just what is the link between foot pain and fibromyalgia? And what can you do about it?
Foot Pain and Fibromyalgia
We know that fibromyalgia causes pain, obviously. But usually, we think of that pain as being located near specific tender points around the body. The feet are not one of these tender points. But many people with fibromyalgia tend to feel pain there anyway.
The truth is that people with fibromyalgia tend to experience pain in a lot of different places, not just the tender points, and their pain is usually severe. And that’s true in the feet as well.
People with fibromyalgia who experience foot pain also report it in different places as well. Many experience pain on the bottom of their feet. And usually, this pain is worse when pressure is placed on it. So, standing can be very difficult when you have this type of pain.
Others have said that they feel pain on the top of their feet, or near the ankles. So, it’s easy to see why foot pain for fibromyalgia would make life difficult. Not only are you trapped at home because of the pain and fatigue of fibromyalgia, but the foot pain makes it hard to even put on shoes.
So, what’s the link between the two conditions? The answer may be something called myofascial pain syndrome. Myofascial pain syndrome is a condition where the fascia, or connective tissues of the muscles, becomes inflamed. This results in significant pain in small trigger points in the fascia, especially when pressure is applied, and is actually quite common among people with fibromyalgia.
The feet have a dense line of fascia running under the soles. And the answer might be that people with foot pain are experiencing inflammation of the fascia. This would explain many of their symptoms. But until we know more about the condition, we can’t say for sure that it’s behind the foot pain of people with fibromyalgia.
The good news is that there are still things you can do to treat the pain.
Treatment Options
Researchers have found that putting pressure on the fascia of the feet in people with fibromyalgia can cause pain. So, treating that pain means finding a way to take the pressure off the feet. Many people have found that wearing well-cushioned shoes can help ease the pain. And there are a number of different companies that make cushioned inserts you can use.
In addition, soaking the feet in warm water after a long day on your feet can help reduce the amount of pain you feel the next day. And doing some light stretching can help reduce the amount of pain in the fascia. There are also a number of braces for the feet developed for people with plantar fasciitis, a similar condition where the fascia becomes inflamed. These braces can also help with the pain.
Finally, there are a number of different medications that you can use for the pain, ranging from basic over-the-counter painkillers to corticosteroids that can tackle inflammation.
Ultimately, you should consult your doctor if you’re experiencing pain in your feet for a long time. They can rule out the possibility that you’re suffering from other conditions like plantar fasciitis. And they can prescribe a treatment program that works for you.
So, let us know. Do you experience foot pain? Do you think it’s related to fibromyalgia? What do you do to treat it? Tell us in the comments.
Fibromyalgia Increases Your Risk of Metabolic Syndrome
Written By: Wyatt Redd
admin
Image: 95 Berlin/ Flickr
One of the worst things about fibromyalgia is that it often makes it hard to exercise. The physical pain and fatigue mean that too often, people who suffer from the condition find themselves stuck in bed. As a result, people with fibromyalgia often struggle with controlling their weight. And not only can that increase the amount of pain you experience, it can leave you at risk of something called metabolic syndrome.
Metabolic syndrome can also increase your risk of diabetes and cardiovascular problems. Therefore, there’s obviously a slippery slope that leads from fibromyalgia to metabolic syndrome to conditions like heart attacks and strokes. So, let’s talk about what metabolic syndrome is, how it’s related to fibromyalgia, and what you can do to treat it.
What Is Metabolic Syndrome?
Metabolic syndrome is a set of different symptoms that occur together. Those symptoms include high blood pressure, high blood sugar, unhealthy cholesterol levels, and abdominal fat. Each of these symptoms increases your risk of serious health problems by themselves like increased risk of diabetes, strokes, and heart attacks.
So, when you have all of the symptoms together in the form of metabolic syndrome, it can be life-threatening.
Metabolic syndrome is also extremely common. It’s estimated that one in four American adults have the condition. The most obvious symptom of the condition is having a high amount of body fat. That’s especially true if the fat is concentrated around the waistline.
In addition, someone who suffers from the condition might notice symptoms that are similar to diabetes due to increased blood sugar levels like feeling thirsty, fatigue, and blurred vision.
The other problems from the condition, like having elevated cholesterol and high blood pressure usually don’t cause noticeable symptoms, which can make them especially dangerous.
Metabolic syndrome tends to run in families. And there also seems to be a significant relationship between metabolic syndrome and chronic pain conditions like fibromyalgia.
How Is It Related To Fibromyalgia?
We aren’t sure what causes metabolic syndrome. Hormonal changes may play a role in the condition. People with the condition often show signs of insulin resistance. Obesity may lead to insulin resistance, which causes the other symptoms of the condition. Or it could be that the insulin resistance leads to obesity. At the moment, the exact relationship isn’t well understood.
But there are also a few things that definitely seem to make someone more likely to develop metabolic syndrome. Obesity, a sedentary lifestyle, poor diet, sleep disturbances, and stress all seem to significantly increase your risk.
And of course, many of those risk factors are common in people with fibromyalgia. The chronic pain and fatigue of fibromyalgia make it difficult to get exercise or maintain a healthy diet. As a result, many people with fibromyalgia struggle with being overweight. In addition, living with chronic pain is obviously extremely stressful. And over time, all of those risk factors make someone with fibromyalgia more likely to develop metabolic syndrome.
Luckily there are ways to help manage the condition.
What Can You Do To Treat It?
The most important thing when it comes to managing metabolic syndrome is to make lifestyle changes to reduce your body fat. Losing just a few pounds can make a big difference when it comes to the severity of your symptoms.
Obviously, it’s hard to manage losing weight on top of struggling with fibromyalgia. Start with small amounts of exercise during the day. Just 45 minutes of light exercise five times a week can be enough to help lose weight. And it’s also been proven that moderate weight loss and exercise can help prevent the insulin resistance that’s common in cases of metabolic syndrome from progressing to diabetes.
In a broader sense, losing weight isn’t enough. You have to also have to make a long-term commitment to keeping the weight off. That might require serious changes to your lifestyle. The good news is that the longer you keep up these changes, the easier they will be to sustain into the future.
Otherwise, treatment for the condition is largely focused on managing the symptoms. The high blood pressure is especially important to control since it can lead to heart attacks or strokes. There are a number of medications that doctors can prescribe to treat high blood pressure.
And by losing enough weight and keeping it off, you can actually reverse many of the complications of metabolic syndrome. So if you’re struggling with metabolic syndrome, consult your doctor for help with losing weight, it’s vital to treating the condition.
So, have you suffered from metabolic syndrome? Do you think it’s related to having fibromyalgia? Let us know in the comments.
If you have fibromyalgia, you know all about pain. The pain of fibromyalgia is constant and can spread all over the body. But generally, the pain is located in 18 specific tender points around the body. These 18 points are one of the best signs that someone has fibromyalgia. In fact, it’s one of the first things that doctors look for when diagnosing the condition.
But why then do some people with fibromyalgia seem to feel pain in other places? In particular, many people with fibromyalgia seem to suffer from hand pain. So, what sort of hand pain do people with fibromyalgia experience? What’s the link between the conditions? And what can you do about it?
Hand Pain
We still don’t know that much about fibromyalgia. So, when it comes to some of the less common symptoms, we have to rely on reports from the people who suffer from the condition. And there are tons of people with fibromyalgia who seem to have trouble with their hands. But in general, people with hand pain and fibromyalgia seem to have a few symptoms in common.
First, the pain seems to get worse when they use the hands, usually when writing. Many people claim that the pain is actually fine while typing, but when trying to write with a pen, it gets much worse. This implies that it might have something to do with applying continuous pressure with the fingers as you would when writing.
Secondly, many people say that they experience twitching in the muscles of the hands. And this actually isn’t that surprising. If you’ve suffered from fibro for a while, you’ve probably noticed that you experience muscle twitches from time to time. These sudden muscle twitches seem to be closely linked to the condition, and may actually be related to the way the condition affects the nerves.
Finally, many people with hand pain say that they also experience stiffness, especially in the fingers and typically after waking up. And this last symptom may actually provide a clue as to what’s causing the condition in some cases.
Hand Pain and Fibromyalgia
The most obvious explanation for stiff, achy hands is arthritis. And it can sometimes be hard to tell the difference between fibromyalgia and arthritis. Not only that, but people with fibromyalgia seem to develop arthritis more frequently than other people.
So, if you’re experiencing pain in your hands, it’s worth taking the time to make sure that it’s not actually arthritis. Arthritis pain usually results in stiffness and pain, usually in the joints and often in the morning after waking up. If those symptoms sound familiar, consult a doctor and they’ll be able to rule out the possibility of arthritis.
But in cases where arthritis isn’t the answer, figuring out what’s going on is much harder. Fibromyalgia does seem to result in symptoms like muscle spasms and weakness for reasons we don’t fully understand. It could be that in this case, these symptoms are just affecting the hands more than other places.
Studies have found that people with fibromyalgia tend to have higher concentrations of nerve fibers in the blood vessels in their hands. And we know that fibromyalgia pain seems to be linked to the nervous system. If true, then it makes sense that people with fibromyalgia would tend to experience more pain in their hands.
The nervous pain of fibromyalgia may be manifesting itself in the hands. But until we know more about the condition, it’s hard to say for sure. The good news is that there are things you can do to treat it.
Treatment Options
Many of the medications prescribed for fibromyalgia seem to help with hand pain. In addition, doctors can prescribe painkillers as either pills or injections. And there are also lidocaine patches that can be applied directly to the skin. And of course, if the problem is arthritis, doctors can prescribe corticosteroids to help with the swelling and protect the joints.
Many people also say that using heating pads can help stimulate blood flow in the hands and ease the pain. Heating pads are also a good solution if you’re experiencing stiffness in the fingers. On the opposite side, icing the hands can help dull the pain.
Others say that squeezing a stress ball can help strengthen the fingers and keep them flexible. If writing is a problem, switching to a felt-tip pen can help since you need less pressure to write with it. As always, the best thing to do is consult a doctor if you’re experiencing chronic pain anywhere. They’ll be able to give you a treatment program to try.
Ultimately, the best information comes from the people suffering from the condition. So let us know, do you have problems with your hands? What do you do to treat it? What do you think the connection is with fibromyalgia? Tell us in the comments.
If you’ve lived with fibromyalgia for a while, you’ve probably heard about every little, obscure term related to the disease. You’ve probably discussed everything fibro with people in support groups or message boards, from fibro flares to fibro fog to fibro warriors. But here’s one you might not be familiar with. Have you ever heard of the fibromyalgia spoon theory?
See, basically, the idea behind the fibromyalgia spoon theory is that it’s a good way to explain what living with constant pain is like to someone who doesn’t have a chronic pain condition. But most interestingly, it does it really well.
And that’s what makes it so intriguing. After all, what person with fibromyalgia hasn’t struggled to explain what dealing with such a horrible illness is like to a family or friends that just can’t seem to understand it because they have nothing to compare it to. But the fibromyalgia spoon theory makes it a little bit easier for them to grasp. So take a look at how it works.
The Fibromyalgia Spoon Theory
The fibromyalgia spoon theory was developed by Christine Miserandino at butyoudontlooksick.com, who was in her kitchen one day with her friend when her friend asked what living with lupus (a disease very similar to fibromyalgia that causes chronic pain) was like.
Here’s what happened according to Christine:
As I tried to gain my composure, I glanced around the table for help or guidance, or at least stall for time to think. I was trying to find the right words. How do I answer a question I never was able to answer for myself? How do I explain every detail of every day being effected, and give the emotions a sick person goes through with clarity. I could have given up, cracked a joke like I usually do, and changed the subject, but I remember thinking if I don’t try to explain this, how could I ever expect her to understand.
If I can’t explain this to my best friend, how could I explain my world to anyone else? I had to at least try. At that moment, the spoon theory was born. I quickly grabbed every spoon on the table. I looked at her in the eyes and said: “Here you go, you have Lupus”.
Christine knew that to fully explain what is like to be sick to someone who has never experienced it, she had to make it clear how much a disease like fibromyalgia or lupus can take over your life. She had to make it clear that someone with fibromyalgia just doesn’t have the option to live a normal life the way a healthy person does. Here is how she explained it to her friend:
I explained that the difference in being sick and being healthy is having to make choices or to consciously think about things when the rest of the world doesn’t have to. The healthy have the luxury of a life without choices, a gift most people take for granted.
Most people start the day with unlimited amount of possibilities, and energy to do whatever they desire, especially young people. For the most part, they do not need to worry about the effects of their actions. So for my explanation, I used spoons to convey this point. I wanted something for her to actually hold, for me to then take away since most people who get sick feel a “loss” of a life they once knew. If I was in control of taking away the spoons, then she would know what it feels like to have someone or something else, in this case, Lupus, being in control.
I asked her to count her spoons. She asked why, and I explained that when you are healthy you expect to have a neverending supply of “spoons”. But when you have to now plan your day, you need to know exactly how many “spoons” you are starting with. It doesn’t guarantee that you might not lose some along the way, but at least it helps to know where you are starting. She counted out 12 spoons. She laughed and said she wanted more. I said no, and I knew right away that this little game would work, when she looked disappointed, and we hadn’t even started yet. I’ve wanted more “spoons” for years and haven’t found a way yet to get more, why should she? I also told her to always be conscious of how many she had, and not to drop them because she can never forget she has Lupus.
For the next part of her experiment, she began removing spoons from her friend, explaining that each lost spoon was a lost opportunity; a little bit of energy and freedom that someone with chronic pain has to sacrifice and ration every day. Here is how Christine explained it:
I asked her to list off the tasks of her day, including the most simple. As she rattled off daily chores or just fun things to do; I explained how each one would cost her a spoon. When she jumped right into getting ready for work as her first task of the morning, I cut her off and took away a spoon. I practically jumped down her throat. I said ” No! You don’t just get up. You have to crack open your eyes, and then realize you are late. You didn’t sleep well the night before. You have to crawl out of bed, and then you have to make yourself something to eat before you can do anything else, because if you don’t, you can’t take your medicine, and if you don’t take your medicine you might as well give up all your spoons for today and tomorrow too.” I quickly took away a spoon and she realized she hasn’t even gotten dressed yet.
I quickly took away a spoon and she realized she hasn’t even gotten dressed yet.
The rest of the hypothetical day went on in Christine’s thought experiment. Her friend went to work and was forced to give up spoons for typing too long, or for getting something to eat. By the end, her friend realized she would not have enough spoons left to cook dinner. And by this point, she began to truly grasp what Christine lived with on a daily basis:
I rarely see her emotional, so when I saw her upset I knew maybe I was getting through to her. I didn’t want my friend to be upset, but at the same time, I was happy to think finally maybe someone understood me a little bit. She had tears in her eyes and asked quietly “Christine, How do you do it? Do you really do this every day?” I explained that some days were worse than others; some days I have more spoons then most. But I can never make it go away and I can’t forget about it, I always have to think about it. I handed her a spoon I had been holding in reserve. I said simply, “I have learned to live life with an extra spoon in my pocket, in reserve. You need to always be prepared.”
But I can never make it go away and I can’t forget about it, I always have to think about it. I handed her a spoon I had been holding in reserve. I said simply, “I have learned to live life with an extra spoon in my pocket, in reserve. You need to always be prepared.”
And if you’ve ever lived with fibromyalgia, you probably recognize that last line a little too well, right? The idea that you always have to hold back from life. You can never truly commit to living because you have to save some energy for the worst case scenario when you really need it.
It’s something everyone with fibromyalgia knows very well, but that few can really find the words to express. That’s what makes the fibromyalgia spoon theory such a useful thing. It gives you a visual and practical way to explain your disease to people who want to understand but just can’t.
It’s such an ingenious way to describe the disease that it has led to people all over the fibromyalgia community using “spoons” as a shorthand to describe coping with their disease, or to refer to each other as “spoonies.” And if you have a family that wants to understand your disease better, or some people in your life that you need support from which you just can’t seem to get, using the fibromyalgia spoon theory is a great way to begin helping them understand.
You can check out the full text of Christine’s theory here if you want to learn more. But what do you think of the fibromyalgia spoon theory? Is it a good way to describe your condition? Have you ever used the fibromyalgia spoon theory to explain the disease to friends or family?
If you have, please, let us know in the comments. And may today be a day with plenty of spoons to spare for everyone around the world living with fibromyalgia.
Using marijuana for fibromyalgia is something that brings many fibromyalgia patients relief. And the benefits of medical marijuana are becoming more and more obvious to scientists and doctors all over the world. But in many places, marijuana is not approved for medical use, leaving patients without access to this treatment option.
But how effective is using marijuana for fibromyalgia, and why is it such a controversial treatment option?
Marijuana For Fibromyalgia
You’ve probably heard that marijuana is an effective treatment for a number of diseases. In fact, one of your friends or family members may be using marijuana to treat a chronic condition right now. And if so, they might talk about how effective it is for their condition, which might have made you curious about whether it can treat your fibromyalgia.
Well, some researchers have claimed that marijuana is more effective in treating fibromyalgia than any of the drugs currently approved by the FDA. So is that true?
The answer is: it’s complicated.
It certainly seems that patients who use marijuana for fibromyalgia think it helps. And there are people out there who say that using medical marijuana for fibromyalgia changed their life. In studies where patients who use medical marijuana are asked to self-report their outcomes, it seems like patients consistently feel that marijuana has some significant benefits. Now, those are hardly scientific studies, but there is something to be said for just asking people if they think what they are doing helps their fibromyalgia.
Not to mention that until more studies on the benefits of marijuana for fibromyalgia are done, this is some of the only evidence out there in large quantities. So if you ask someone who uses marijuana for their fibromyalgia, they will likely say it benefits them a lot.
And there here are doctors who agree. Many report that their patients frequently ask about marijuana and state that they have found it benefited them. That makes sense because marijuana is known to reduce pain.
See, marijuana actually triggers the release of endorphins in your brain, which are proven to help reduce the sensation of pain in people with fibromyalgia or any chronic pain condition. Though, before you go looking for a prescription you might want to consider the risks versus the benefits.
Risks Of Marijuana
Many doctors are a bit more skeptical of the benefits of marijuana. While they know that it can help reduce pain, so do things like opium. Anything that releases endorphins in your brain will deaden the sensation of pain. That doesn’t necessarily make it a good long-term treatment, though.
And there are risks associated with marijuana use, in spite of what many marijuana users will tell you about it being completely safe. It’s known to negatively affect the development of younger users, who are more likely to suffer cognitive effects than older users. And heavy, long-term use can make pre-existing mental illness much worse.
Finally, there are many different chemicals in marijuana smoke, many of which haven’t been studied. And the lack of understanding about their effects makes doctors hesitant to prescribe marijuana for fibromyalgia.
With that being said, there are safer means of using medical marijuana than smoking it.
Cannabis Based Medications
There are a number of new medications based on some of the ingredients of marijuana that are being used to treat conditions like fibromyalgia. Many are based on cannabidiol, a compound found in cannabis that helps control inflammation.
These include things like CBD oil, which is already being used to treat fibromyalgia in many places. And often quite effectively, according to anecdotal evidence.
The unfortunate truth is that when it comes to using marijuana for fibromyalgia, there just hasn’t been enough good research on the subject. So any decision you make to use marijuana for your fibromyalgia will be a bit of a risk. We don’t know how it affects the disease completely yet, and the side effects of marijuana, not to mention the legal ramifications in many places, make it tough to say if it will really be the right choice for you.
It’s a decision you have to make on your own, but many people with fibromyalgia who have used cannabis have said that it is an effective treatment for them.
But let us know. Do you use marijuana for fibromyalgia? Is it an effective treatment for you? What made you decide to use it, and how has it changed your life? Let us know in the comments. Your experience could help other people with their disease.
While we often think of fibromyalgia as a disease of the body, many people with the condition suffer from symptoms related to the brain. For instance, many people with fibromyalgia experience something called hyperreflexia.
Hyperreflexia is a neurological symptom, meaning that it’s related to the brain and nervous system. And while the condition isn’t life-threatening, it can be difficult to live with. So, let’s talk about what hyperreflexia is, how it might be related to fibromyalgia, and what you can do to treat it.
What Is Hyperreflexia?
Hyperreflexia is a condition where, as you might have guessed from the name, your reflexes become more sensitive. Usually, that means that you become more sensitive to things that stimulate the reflexes. And this reaction can take a few different forms.
For instance, there are the finger flexion reflexes. In cases of hyperreflexia, the natural motion of extending the fingers can cause them to suddenly contract. Or there’s the jaw jerk reflex. In this case, a light touch to the jaw might cause the mouth to suddenly clench.
These sorts of over-active reflexes are a good sign that you’re suffering from hyperreflexia.
The most common cause of hyperreflexia is spinal cord injury. But there are a lot of things that can lead to the condition. Certain medications can lead to the condition. So can imbalances of electrolytes in the body. And for reasons we don’t completely understand, there seems to be a link between the condition and fibromyalgia.
How Is It Related To Fibromyalgia?
We aren’t completely sure why some people with fibromyalgia have hyperreflexia. Obviously, the condition has something to do with the nervous system. And there does seem to be a significant link between the nervous system and the symptoms of fibromyalgia. Patients with fibromyalgia are more likely to show neurological symptoms that the general population.
What might be most interesting about the relationship between neurological symptoms like hyperreflexia and fibromyalgia is what it can tell us about the possible cause of the disease itself. In fact, fibromyalgia may be more closely related to the nervous system than we ever realized.
Many people with fibromyalgia have neurological symptoms like tingling in the limbs, chronic itching, and often problems with motor skills. Studies have shown that these symptoms are so common that it suggests a link between the disease itself and the neurological conditions.
Not only that, but many people who develop fibromyalgia do so after a serious injury. We know that those kinds of injuries can have a serious impact on the nervous system. Often, trauma to the nerves like that of serious injuries creates something called central sensitization. This makes you more sensitive to sources of pain and may play a role in how intense your fibromyalgia symptoms are.
And what’s particularly interesting is that fibromyalgia is 13 times more likely after an injury to the neck or spine than to the lower limbs. This might mean that damage to the nervous system can actually lead to fibromyalgia.
Of course, many people who have fibromyalgia have never suffered those kinds of injuries. So, it’s almost certainly not be as simple as saying that injuries to the nervous system cause fibromyalgia. But neurological symptoms like hyperreflexia might be a sign that there is some sort of relationship between the condition and the nervous system.
Until we have more research, we just won’t know for sure what that link is. Luckily, there are still things you can do to manage hyperreflexia.
How Can You Treat it?
Obviously, how you treat hyperreflexia will depend on what’s causing the condition. If it’s a result of your medication, then it may be as simple as switching to another one.
When the condition is caused by an injury, it can often start to resolve itself within as little as three weeks. It largely depends on how severe the injury is and how much doctors can do to help repair the damage.
Treating hyperreflexia that seems to be associated with fibromyalgia is a bit more difficult. Like fibromyalgia itself, the cause of this symptom isn’t well understood. So, treating it is by identifying the source is impossible.
However, there are a number of medications that can help manage the condition. And there’s evidence that magnesium delivered intravenously can help control some of the symptoms. It’s possible that one day we may have a way to cure the condition, but right now, we simply don’t know enough about it. So, our treatment options are fairly limited.
But what do you think? Have you had hyperreflexia? Do you think it’s related to fibromyalgia? Let us know in the comments.
It’s the middle of the night and you’ve finally fallen asleep. Even if it’s just a doze. Then, out of nowhere, you scream out in agony because your leg and foot have cramped up severely. So severely, in fact, that your toes contract and contort into strange positions. The pain is so intense that you can’t even put your feet on the floor or against a wall to stretch your toes back out to normal. The muscle cramps in your leg are so powerful that it feels strangely reminiscent of labor pains. In fact, sometimes it even seems to ebb and flow in that same manner, just like contractions. Eventually the pain subsides, but then it happens a few more times during the night.
This is the story for many fibromyalgia patients who deal with fibromyalgia and leg cramps. And some of them don’t even realize the connection to the debilitating muscle cramps and spasms to their fibro. However, the American College of Rheumatology says that 42% of those suffering experience fibromyalgia and leg cramps. That’s actually a different symptom from straight-up muscle pain that effects 100% of fibro patients. So what causes these cramps or spasms in the legs and often the feet as well? Frankly, they don’t really know for sure what causes fibromyalgia and leg cramps. At least not in regards to fibromyalgia patients in particular. So let’s just move on to finding ways to alleviate it. There are many techniques for dealing with fibromyalgia and leg cramps. You just have to find the one that works for you. We’ll only cover two here.
Magnesium
The Journal of Integrative Medicine reported on a magnesium study and its effects on fibromyalgia conducted at the Mayo Clinic. The first study of its kind, researched examined how effective topically applied magnesium is for alleviating six different symptoms associated with fibromyalgia, including muscle cramps. The study found that after two weeks of applying a solution called “Fibro Flex” to their skin, fibromyalgia patients saw improvement after just two weeks of consistent use. The improvement was maintained for the duration of the study that lasted four weeks.
“This study confirmed existing medical research, which says that maintaining therapeutic serum magnesium levels has been linked to a lowering of fibromyalgia symptoms including depression, tender point score, and fatigue,” says the National Fibromyalgia Association. Other than some irritation on the skin where the spray was applied, test-subjects did not experience any other negative side effects. Given that most everyone in the West suffers a magnesium deficiency, this could be helpful for more than just fibromyalgia muscle cramps.
TENS Machines & EMS Devices
If you’re like me, a TENS machine didn’t sound remotely familiar. I first came across it on a fibromyalgia forum, where I thought someone misspelled it. But then I discovered that I have used something similar many times in my life, particularly at the chiropractor’s office. Do you know what I’m talking about? I mean when you go to the chiropractor and they hook you up to these little electrodes. It almost feels like they make your muscles flex and relax with electricity. I always have to keep mine at a really low setting because I am so sensitive. But they are really helpful. And now you can get them for private use at home. Those are called EMS devices which help to increase blood flow to the muscles, increase range of motion, and more. It can be a life saver for fibro patients!
Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS) sends stimulating pulses over the skin and nerve strands to prevent pain signals from reaching the brain. Take that in for just a minute. Now, think on this: it also is used to stimulate the body to produce more endorphins or natural pain killers. A key difference between a TENS machine and EMS devices is that you wear the TENS machine on your body. No worries, it’s small. But many fibromyalgia patients find if very helpful and effective as an alternative to pharmaceutical pain relievers. In other words, it’s safe, non-invasive, and drug-free pain management.
Are There Any Other Methods?
There are absolutely other methods of relieving the often debilitating and agonizing pain from muscle cramps/spasms that accompany fibromyalgia. Vitamin E is reported to be very helpful for muscle cramping, especially for those who live a rather sedentary life. Many have had great success with the prescription drug Lyrica, which is one of the more common pharmaceuticals used to treat fibromyalgia anyway.
There are other options such as acupressure. Some fibro patients have learned how to do this to themselves. But you’ll need to begin by visiting a quality acupuncturist or acupressurist first in order to get some direction. Yoga is exceptionally beneficial for keeping the muscles stretched and mobile. This leads to greater blood flow and minimizes cramping. For some fibro patients, it works completely. The keys are to not overdo it and to listen to your body. One more option is called the Bowen technique, also known as Bowen therapy. Similar to acupressure, this technique uses gentle rolling movements to promote healing and pain relief. It’s so effective that it’s even used for horses!
Do you have any experience with these methods of dealing with fibromyalgia and leg cramps? Which ones helped and which ones failed you? Have you found a different method or technique that works for you? Please share your thoughts with us. Maybe you stumbled upon something that just might help fellow fibromyalgia patient deal with their fibromyalgia and leg cramps.
Fibromyalgia pain can easily derail your entire life. It’s an agonizing and seemingly endless experience that leaves you unable to do the things that other people take for granted. But while that pain is the most noticeable symptom and the one that usually sends people to the doctor for the first time, there are a large number of painless symptoms of fibromyalgia.
And because many of these symptoms aren’t things that people typically associate with fibromyalgia, they often go unnoticed, which can delay getting a diagnosis. So, here are some painless symptoms of fibromyalgia that you should watch out for.
6 Painless Symptoms of fibromyalgia
Fibro Fog
One of the most common painless symptoms of fibromyalgia – and one that’s hard to recognize- is what’s called “fibro fog.” Essentially, this is a kind of mental haze that affects people with fibromyalgia from time to time and results in a range of mental symptoms.
Usually, fibro fog makes it hard to focus on daily tasks or causes you to forget simple details you just learned. It isn’t uncommon for someone with fibro fog to do something like leaving their house keys in the door or spend half an hour looking for their cell phone only to realize it’s in their hand.
You might even find yourself forgetting the names of people you just met, which can be quite embarrassing. But these are all things that happen to everyone from time to time, which makes it hard to immediately associate this symptom with fibromyalgia. But if you’re consistently having trouble focusing, it’s possible that you may be experiencing fibro fog.
Anxiety
Anxiety is another common painless symptom of fibromyalgia. Unfortunately, everyone feels anxious from time to time, and a huge number of people around the world suffer from anxiety disorders. For instance, 18% of all Americans struggle with serious anxiety on a daily basis, making it the most common mental illness in the country.
But persistent anxiety is also associated with fibromyalgia. And that means that if you are experiencing panic attacks or feelings of dread regularly you may have the condition.
Frequent Bowel Movements
Irritable Bowel Syndrome is a condition that affects around 10% of the world’s population. And it’s characterized by a wide range of trouble with your bowels. It can make you constipated or do the opposite and cause you to have frequent diarrhea. It is actually a much more serious problem than the name might suggest.
But, fibromyalgia can often result in symptoms that are similar to IBS. And people with fibromyalgia often end up feeling constipated or having frequent bowel movements.
So if you find yourself going to the bathroom frequently (or not frequently enough) you might just be suffering from fibromyalgia.
Frequent Urination
Another one of the strange but painless symptoms of fibromyalgia is frequent urination. Essentially, someone who suffers from this symptom will find they have an uncontrollable need to urinate frequently no matter how little they drink or how often they go.
And while that might not sound like a serious problem, imagine having to urinate really badly but not being able to get up because of your severe fibromyalgia pain. Or imagine having the little bit of sleep you are able to get interrupted by a need to use the bathroom. That makes frequent urination a pretty unpleasant symptom to have.
Itching
Itching is one of the most common painless symptoms of fibromyalgia and is one of the most infuriating. In fact, some people with fibromyalgia itching say that it is worse than the pain. Essentially, it’s a feeling of bugs crawling on your skin or severe itchiness that you just cannot seem to cure.
No amount of creams or lotions really seems to help and scratching just leaves your skin bloody without any relief. Of course, not many people would immediately associate itching with fibromyalgia, which makes this a symptom that is very easy to overlook.
Tingling Or Numb Hands And Feet
In addition to the pain of fibromyalgia, it causes some other sensations in your body. One of the most frequent is a sense of tingling in your hands or feet. You probably recognize the sensation as what it feels like when your limbs “fall asleep.”
It’s a sense of numbness in the limb followed by a pins and needles sensation as the feeling returns. But while everyone has a limb fall asleep from time to time after sleeping or sitting on it, the sensation from fibromyalgia can occur at any time and is usually overlooked by people suffering from the condition.
Fibromyalgia causes a wide range of symptoms, and most are easy to miss if you aren’t careful. So always make sure to consider symptoms carefully and get to the doctor if they become severe.
How Much Exercise is too Much When you Have Fibromyalgia?
Written By: Wyatt Redd
admin
Image: Freestockphotos/Armanda Mills
You may have heard that exercise is one of the best things you can do to manage fibromyalgia pain. But if you’ve ever tried to exercise with fibromyalgia, you know that overdoing it can cause painful fibromyalgia flare-ups.
So how do you balance the benefits of exercise with the possibility of making things worse? And exactly how much exercise is too much with fibromyalgia?
How Much Exercise Is Too Much?
We know that exercise has a lot of great effects on the body. It leads to weight-loss, good cardiovascular health, and lower levels of stress. And when it comes to exercising with fibromyalgia, it can actually reduce the amount of pain you feel significantly.
Most doctors will recommend getting good exercise before even prescribing medication for fibromyalgia, and staying active is a huge part of managing fibromyalgia well.
But there is, of course, the danger of triggering a fibro flare up (a sudden increase in the severity of your symptoms) when you exercise too hard.
So when you are trying to get more exercise, you want to make sure you’re not pushing yourself too hard. There are a few ways you can tell if you’re over-exerting yourself. First, when you’re exercising, you don’t want to feel too out of breath.
It’s inevitable that you will have a little trouble catching your breath at first, especially if you’re new to exercising. But the old rule of thumb about exercise is that you want to keep your heart rate at about 50-85% faster than normal. That’s a little over the resting rate, but not enough to trigger a fibro flare up for most people. But if you feel like you’re having an uncomfortable amount of trouble getting enough air, you should take a break.
Essentially, if you feel like you’re exercising too hard, you probably are. Give yourself a chance to catch up. You can slowly increase the intensity of your exercise as you get more experience.
But remember that you probably won’t feel the symptoms of a fibromyalgia flare up coming on until it’s too late to stop it. So make sure you err on the side of caution. Keep things slow through the entire workout and you’ll avoid a painful flare up.
A good way to judge if you’re pushing yourself too hard is to rate your pain on a scale of 1-10, with 1 being a low amount of pain and 10 being high. If you feel like your pain is going over a 6 during a workout, it’s best to stop.
Good Exercises For Fibromyalgia
There is a surprisingly wide array of possibilities when it comes to getting good exercise for fibromyalgia. Here are some of the best options.
Walking
Look, just because you need to stay active with fibromyalgia doesn’t mean you need to start training for marathons. Just getting a long walk a few times a week can be plenty of exercise.
The CDC recommends that adults get 30 minutes of walking in five days a week. This is enough to increase your cardiovascular health, lower your blood pressure, and reduce your fibromyalgia pain and stiffness.
Stretching
One of the best things you can do for you body is to stretch regularly. Regular stretching makes the tissue in your muscles more flexible and healthy, which can reduce the amount of pain they feel.
And it also helps move blood to your muscles, which can reduce the pain and stiffness you feel during a flare up. That makes regular stretching a great exercise to add to any routine.
Water Aerobics
Exercising in a pool is actually a really good exercise for people with fibromyalgia. It’s much easier on your joints than running or walking, which can help you avoid getting sore in tender spots.
But when done correctly, it also helps raise your heart rate enough to be effective in giving you all the benefits of exercise. You can get started, and get some great instruction, by heading to your local fitness club. Most clubs schedule regular water aerobics classes that you’ll be able to join in on.
Low-Intensity Weight-Lifting
The idea of weight-lifting with fibromyalgia might leave you a little skeptical at first. After all, who can lift heavy weights when they’re dealing with joint and muscle pain constantly.
But the key is to not lift heavy weights. Start with low weights and slowly work your way up as much as your body allows. Some easy strength training can actually have a significant impact on the level of fibromyalgia pain you feel. It promotes the flow of blood to help heal your muscles and strengthens them to deal with pain better in the future.
Yoga
Yoga is a great combination of strength training and stretching, which makes it a great exercise for fibromyalgia.
It strengthens your muscles and helps promote good blood flow, which reduces pain. And yoga practitioners often add a meditation aspect to the exercise, which is known to be beneficial for dealing with fibromyalgia flare-ups.
Finally, yoga is a low-impact exercise that’s easy on your joints, and won’t lead to you over-exerting yourself and triggering a fibro flare up. Ultimately, Yoga is probably the best exercise for people with fibromyalgia.
No matter how you choose to exercise, it’s important to listen to your body and take things slow. Don’t push yourself too hard, or you risk making things worse. And don’t feel like you have to perform at a level you did before your diagnosis, or that you have to train as hard as friends. Work at a pace that is good for you and doesn’t make your fibromyalgia pain worse.
And finally, it’s important that no matter what you choose to do, you do something. Just a little bit of moderate exercise can make a huge difference in the total amount of pain you experience. Your first reaction when you feel fibro pain is to crawl into bed until it goes away, but forcing yourself to exercise will make it go away much faster.
So tell us, do you exercise for fibro pain? Does it make it better or worse? What kind of exercise works for you? Let us know in the comments.
It sometimes feels like we’re learning something new about fibromyalgia every day. And usually, the major medical breakthroughs provide evidence for things that people who are actually suffering from fibromyalgia have known for a long time.
For instance, if you spend enough time in the fibromyalgia community you’ll hear stories of people who were abused as children. Maybe you were even a victim yourself. But while these kinds of stories are prevalent, there hasn’t been much attention drawn to the idea that maybe these two issues are related. But it turns out fibromyalgia and childhood trauma may be much more closely linked than we ever thought.
Let’s look at the evidence.
The Link Between Fibromyalgia And Childhood Trauma
People in the fibromyalgia community have known for a long time that there seems to be an unusually high prevalence of childhood abuse among fellow fibro warriors. In fact, among people with chronic pain conditions like fibromyalgia, almost 48% in a recent study had a history of being abused. Now compare that number to an estimate of what the rate of childhood abuse is in the general population (25%).
So essentially, those numbers suggest that people with chronic pain were almost twice as likely to report having been abused as the general public. Now, the fact that people experience fibromyalgia and childhood trauma together at a higher rate than the general public doesn’t necessarily mean that there’s a connection. As the old saying goes, correlation and causation are not the same thing.
But that huge disparity suggests that there must be some link between fibromyalgia and childhood trauma. And as a result, scientists who study fibromyalgia are beginning to look closely at the issue. A number of recent studies have examined this link between fibromyalgia and childhood trauma and found that there is a definite relationship between the two.
In fact, the two are so closely related that having suffered childhood abuse is now seen as a significant risk factor for developing fibromyalgia. That means that experiencing childhood trauma actually seems to play some role in causing you to develop fibromyalgia. So why is it that childhood trauma seems to make you more likely to develop fibromyalgia?
How Childhood Trauma Contributes To Fibromyalgia
Let’s preface this by saying that childhood trauma will not, by itself, cause you to have fibromyalgia. No one knows for sure what causes fibromyalgia, or what specifically is happening in the body of someone with fibromyalgia as opposed to someone who doesn’t have the disease.
But there does seem to be a mechanism through which traumatic events in your childhood makes you more likely to develop fibromyalgia. Unfortunately, any idea about what this is specifically is just speculation at this point.
However, a good candidate for this mechanism would be stress. The relationship between stress and fibromyalgia is already well documented. Stress not only makes the symptoms of fibromyalgia worse and causes flare ups, it actually seems to change the way your brain is structured according to the National Institute of Health.
So what’s the link between fibromyalgia and childhood trauma? Well, think about it. We know that stress changes the way your brain works, and who can imagine a more stressful experience than living with childhood trauma. After all, that kind of suffering doesn’t stop when you’re a child.
It strikes you when you’re most vulnerable and your brain is still developing. And then it follows you for the rest of your life.
So essentially childhood trauma changes the structure of your brain. And if fibromyalgia is a condition that originates in the brain as many doctors now believe, then it makes sense that these negative changes make you more likely to develop fibromyalgia later in life. But even if fibromyalgia doesn’t originate in the brain but in the immune system as some believe, then stress would still account for this mechanism.
Chronic stress weakens your immune system. But counter-intuitively, it can also make it more active by increasing your body’s production of cytokine cells, which are the source of immune system inflammation. So it could be that the chronic stress of childhood trauma is triggering the immune system cycles that cause fibro-like tissue flare ups.
What Can You Do?
One of the most important things to do when you’re a victim of childhood trauma is to get the proper emotional support. This is never truer than when you are also dealing with fibromyalgia, which by itself is emotionally crippling. See a therapist or seek out the support of other people in the fibromyalgia community.
In fact, studies suggest that not only will talk therapy help you deal with the emotional pain, but it can less your fibromyalgia pain as well.
So what do you think? Are your fibromyalgia and childhood trauma linked? Let us know in the comments.
A lot of people think of fibromyalgia as a disease that affects women, but the reality is fibromyalgia symptoms in men can be just as severe. And the problem many men face is that they often have a harder time than women in getting diagnosed. That’s because the idea that fibromyalgia is a disorder that affects women is so widespread that doctors don’t always recognize fibromyalgia symptoms in men. So how do the symptoms affect men differently than women? And how do you know if you have fibromyalgia as a man?
Fibromyalgia Symptoms In Men
First, let’s talk about why some people think that fibromyalgia is a disease that only affects women. That’s untrue and often damaging to men who suffer from fibromyalgia, but the facts show why people might think that.
Around sixty to eighty percent of fibromyalgia patients are women (depending on the criteria used). While part of that may be to the fact that men have a tough time getting diagnosed or seeking treatment, it does suggest that women are affected more often than men are. Secondly, men seem to be affected less severely than women with fibromyalgia. So fibromyalgia symptoms in men are often not as bad as they are for women, though for many men they can be.
But while men don’t always report symptoms as severe as women, their symptoms are generally the same:
Pain in tender points. There are eighteen points of pain associated with fibromyalgia. Usually, these are near the joints and present on both sides of the body. You can get a full list of them here. And a doctor will use these points to diagnose you.
Mental Fog. “Fibro-fog,” as it’s commonly known, is a condition where people with fibromyalgia have a hard time remembering basic things or thinking clearly. It is often as debilitating as the pain when it comes to living a normal life. If you feel like you just have a hard time thinking clearly, it could easily be a sign of fibromyalgia.
Extreme Fatigue. One of the most common symptoms of fibromyalgia, extreme fatigue means that fibromyalgia patients are often tired no matter how much sleep they get. In addition, people with fibro have a difficult time getting the sleep they need in the first place.
Irritable Bowel Syndrome. IBS is another symptom of fibromyalgia. Essentially, it’s a disorder that causes frequent, painful bowel movements. And for reasons we don’t fully understand, it seems to be associated with fibromyalgia in both men and women.
So essentially, fibromyalgia symptoms in men are the same as the symptoms in women, and if you find that you are suffering from these symptoms, you should see a doctor who has experience in fibromyalgia in order to get treatment.
And when you see your doctor, point out that you think you might have fibromyalgia. Your doctor may not have considered it. Just remember that it’s ok to look for a second opinion, but you should respect the judgement of medical professionals.
How To Cope With Fibromyalgia As A Man
One of the most difficult things about having fibromyalgia as a man is that it can be hard to find a good support network. Because fibro usually affects women, most support forums online or in your community are composed mostly of women.
While there is nothing wrong with joining a support community that is largely women, as guys, we know that we often want to turn to other men for support.
That means that as a man with fibromyalgia, you might have to go out of your way a bit to find a community that you fit into well when you are looking for support with your disease. Here is an online resource geared towards men with fibromyalgia to get started. And some googling should help you find a group in your area if you need it.
It’s also important that you be open about your feelings when you are dealing with a disease like fibromyalgia. Men tend to keep their feelings inside and hesitate to ask for help, as though it’s a sign of weakness. And when it comes to fibromyalgia that makes getting support difficult.
Just remember that there is nothing to be ashamed of when it comes to looking for help with dealing with your fibromyalgia. And there is no reason you should have to deal with such a serious problem on your own. Also, remember that you can find treatment for your disease at a qualified pain doctor. There is no cure for fibromyalgia currently. But there are ways to get treatment that will help you manage your symptoms.
So let us know, what is it like having fibromyalgia as a man? Did you have a hard time getting diagnosed? Do you struggle with getting enough support? Tell us in the comments.
Why is it so Hard to Get Disability for Fibromyalgia
Written By: Wyatt Redd
admin
Image: Pixabay/Kaboompics
“Is fibromyalgia a disability?” It’s a question you’ve probably asked at some point if you’ve been diagnosed with fibromyalgia. There’s no doubt that fibromyalgia pain can get so severe that it makes performing daily tasks close to impossible. So in a strict sense fibromyalgia is a disability in the sense that it can make you disabled.
But, when you’re asking “is fibromyalgia a disability?” the real question you need to ask is “does the law recognize it as one?” So let’s take a look at how the government defines disability, whether fibromyalgia fits that standard, and how you can go about getting your fibromyalgia recognized as being a legal disability.
Is Fibromyalgia A Disability?
For a condition to be recognized under the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA), it must cause an impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities. By that standard it would seem like fibromyalgia is a slam dunk for qualifying, right? I mean, pain so severe that you can’t get out of bed? That’s an impairment by any definition. And fibromyalgia is recognized on the list of disabilities covered by the ADA.
See, having a condition officially recognized as a disability means you become eligible for the few benefits the government is required to provide under the ADA, and employers have to make reasonable accommodations for your disability. That’s why they erected a number of hoops you’re going to have to go through to get your disability recognized.
Why It’s Hard To Get Your Fibromyalgia Certified As A Disability
Just because fibromyalgia is officially recognized doesn’t mean that your fibromyalgia will be. You have to be able to prove that your disease is so disabling that it impairs your life. And that can be tough to do with fibromyalgia for a few reasons.
First, as every fibro sufferer knows, fibromyalgia doesn’t leave any outward signs that you have it. Which means you always run the risk of being accused of faking it. And far too many people with fibromyalgia have suffered through that at one point or another. In the eyes of the law, this shouldn’t be a barrier to getting your disability recognized, but in practice, of course, it does.
Someone with a disease with visible symptoms, like Parkinson’s, usually finds it easier to get a disability request approved simply due to the fact that doctors and officials can see their symptoms.
Second, to get fibromyalgia recognized you need documentation from a doctor proving that you have fibromyalgia and it is severe enough to be disabling. And of course, that’s difficult to do because so many doctors really don’t understand fibromyalgia. And many don’t think to look for it when you come in complaining of pain and fatigue.
So not only do you have to get over all of the legal hurdles for getting your fibromyalgia disability recognized, you can’t even start until you find a doctor who knows enough about fibromyalgia to diagnose it correctly.
How To Get Your Fibromyalgia Certified
The first thing you need to do is find the right doctor. Here are some resources for finding a doctor who specializes in the condition. Having a knowledgeable doctor who can advise you through the process of getting your disability recognized and provide the medical documentation you need makes a huge difference.
Second, you’ll have to go about gathering all those documents and providing all the proof required by the government to have your disability recognized. This can take months of tedious visits to government agencies, which is a tough thing to do when you need to work or have already had to leave your job and are living on savings.
Even with that proof, you’ll be shuttling back and forth between agencies trying to get your disability recognized as the disability it clearly is to you.That’s just one of the things that make the life of someone with fibromyalgia even harder.
In so many ways, fibromyalgia sufferers just don’t get the support they need. They are victims of a terrible disease and then made victims again by unfair laws and a lack of public understanding. It makes fibromyalgia something of an invisible disability. People can suffer from it for decades without being able to get a diagnosis that provides them with the proof they need to get their disability recognized as actually being a disability.
And that is a profound injustice to people who suffer from this disease.
“Is fibromyalgia a disability?” Absolutely. And it’s time we started recognizing it and getting everyone with fibromyalgia the help they need.
Fibromyalgia Treating is now part of the RedOrbit.com community!
We are excited to announce that FibromyalgiaTreating.com is now part of RedOrbit.com. All of the same great people, writers and editors but now with more firepower. We now have access to an enormous amount of additional research information
from doctors and scientists. We can now extend to other conditions that may be part of your everyday lives and help you on a broad level if that is what you need. We are here for you and now, better than ever so sit back and enjoy
the new Fibromyalgia Treating by RedOrbit!
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