If you know anyone who suffers from fibromyalgia, they might tell you that some days their muscles are so sore that it feels like they have the flu. Or they might say that their muscle pain feels like they completely overdid it at the gym. When it comes to fibromyalgia however, muscle pain is just the tip of the iceberg. That’s because while the symptoms of fibromyalgia are muscle achiness and pain, that pain is almost always combined with other symptoms. The symptoms can vary widely and may include overwhelming fatigue, insomnia, muscle spasms, muscle knots, depression, memory issues, and poor concentration. Fibromyalgia is a chronic condition, but the symptoms may come and go, and change from day to day.
Diagnosis, Causes, and Treatment of Fibromyalgia
Fibromyalgia can be difficult to diagnose for a couple of reasons. First, there’s no visible illness and no lab test for it. Second, because overpowering fatigue is a common symptom, it’s frequently confused with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. Third, Fibromyalgia is a syndrome, which means that it can manifest with a wide variety of symptoms, although not every patient will have every symptom. While pain and fatigue are common, people with Fibromyalgia may also experience seemingly unrelated symptoms, such as numbness and tingling of their extremities, headaches, digestive symptoms, sensory hypersensitivity, heart palpitations, and mood swings.
Fibromyalgia isn’t considered to be an inflammatory condition, nor is it rheumatic. While the symptoms fluctuate from day to day, it doesn’t tend to get worse over time or cause physical degeneration. While diagnosing Fibromyalgia can be complicated, it’s primarily based on pain and/or tenderness at specific points on the body.
Doctors are unsure of what causes Fibromyalgia, but it’s thought that it may be related to how your spinal cord transmits pain to the brain. In patients with Fibromyalgia, the pain intensity is turned way up. Researchers also know that Fibromyalgia often runs in families, is more common in people with other health conditions, and occurs more frequently in patients who don’t exercise. Furthermore, it seems like there’s an emotional link for Fibromyalgia, with a higher incidence in people with a history of childhood abuse and in people struggling with emotional issues, such as anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress syndrome.
Treating Fibromyalgia in Western medicine includes NSAIDs for the pain, anti-depressant medications, and sleep aids to help with insomnia. Your doctor might also suggest physical therapy, massage therapy, heat, and physical activity.
Treating Fibromyalgia with Chinese Medicine
Chinese Medicine also has much to offer patients with Fibromyalgia. A recent review of several research studies on the effectiveness of treating Fibromyalgia with acupuncture concluded that acupuncture treatments are helpful in relieving pain and stiffness, can improve sleep, and increase patients’ overall well-being. They found that electric acupuncture, which is the gentle simulation of the needles with an electric current, is more effective than regular acupuncture.
While there are several different diagnoses for Fibromyalgia in Chinese medicine, one of the most common is something called a Liver and Spleen disharmony. In simplest terms, this means that stress and strong emotions are disrupting the overall balance in your body, especially your ability to produce the energy necessary to function normally. It also means that the flow of blood, nutrients, and energy throughout your body is disrupted, which is felt in the presence of pain and tightness in your muscles. A Liver and Spleen pattern is often just the starting point for a cascade of various other patterns and symptoms, which explains why Fibromyalgia is experienced very differently by every patient.
Acupuncture can be an effective treatment for Fibromyalgia sufferers, because it works at a number of different levels. First, acupuncture ramps up the pain modulation systems in your body and affects the neurotransmitters in your brain to help control your pain. Acupuncture also increases the circulation of endorphins, also a neurotransmitter, that’s responsible for feelings of relaxation and well-being, as well as reducing feelings of depression. In addition, Acupuncture increases circulation throughout your entire body, which is helpful for the muscle pain and stiffness related to Fibromyalgia.
If you seek out acupuncture for the treatment of your Fibromyalgia, one strategy might be to focus on relieving your insomnia first. The belief is that if you’re sleeping well, you’re more likely to feel less pain and more energy. Beyond concentrating on insomnia, a sound treatment plan is to treat your current symptoms as they arise, using a variety of healing tools. Along with acupuncture or electric acupuncture, your practitioner mayprescribe an herbal formula, make dietary suggestions, apply heat therapy, and perform a kind of hands on therapy called Tui Na.