Fibromyalgia... Possible Hidden Causes

The primary symptoms of fibromyalgia include widespread musculoskeletal pain, severe fatigue, and restless sleep. Fibromyalgia literally means "pain in the muscles, ligaments, and tendons." This usually results in a whole body ache. Something like having a bad flu, your energy is drained, your body aches, and you just feel exhausted. FMS and CFS have similar affects on your body and resemble a post-viral state. The similarities between CFS and FMS have caused experts to consider that FMS and CFS may actually be the same condition.

More women than men are afflicted with fibromyalgia, and affects people of all ages. Symptoms may include:

Whole body pain

Morning Stiffness

Fatigue

Nausea

IBS

Sleep Disorders

Urinary and Pelvic Problems

Weight Gain

Dizziness

Chronic Headaches

Cold Symptoms

TMJ joint point

Multiple chemical sensitivity syndromes

"Brain fog

Anxiety

Depression

This is is not conclusive, and patients may have all of these, or just a few and some may have these with some additional symptoms as well.

Possible causes of FMS

There are many similarities between FMS and CFS. Traditional Chinese medicine lists several causes for these disorder. Causative factors in TCM terms include:

Qi and Blood Deficiency

Yang Deficiency

Yin Deficiency

Qi Stagnation

Phlegm Retention

Good results have been obtained in clinic treating FMS with TCM. TCM has a balancing effect on the body and uses a combination of acupuncture, herbs and diet food therapy to achieve this balance. For more information on Chinese medicine, please see the TCM page Here.

Imbalances, as treated by TCM was a foreign idea to more traditional clinics until recently. New research has shown nitric oxide and peroxynitrite may play a major role in many of the symptoms associated with both fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome.

There are five different aspects of fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome that are explained by this theory.

1. The chronic nature of CFS, is explained by the self-sustaining vicious cycle that is created with excess oxidation.

2. Infection and other stress which often precede FMS/CFS may produce FMS and CFS because of they induce excessive nitric oxide. Most of my fibromyalgia patients reported some form of trauma, whether physical or emotional that occurred prior to the onset of FMS or CFS.

3. Both FMS and CFS sufferers have diverse symptoms. The reason may be explained by taking a closer look at oxidation. For example, nitric oxide is known to stimulate the nociceptors that initiate the perception of pain, and therefore excessive nitric oxide may cause the multi-organ pain associated with FMS and CFS.

4. Nitric oxide also has a central role in learning and memory and so its elevation may also provide a partial explanation for the cognitive dysfunction ("brain fog") characteristic of both FMS and CFS. Other symptoms explained by this theory include orthostatic intolerance (A condition where various symptoms occur when a person moves to an upright position such as standing after sitting down or sitting up after lying down.), and immune dysfunction.

5. Multiple Chemical Sensitivity (MCS) is found during animal tests when nitric acid production was increased. Markers of oxidative stress are reported to be elevated in MCS, as predicted if excessive peroxynitrite is involved.In animal models of MCS, there is convincing evidence for an essential role excessive nitric oxide synthesis itself. If one blocks the excessive nitric oxide synthesis in these animal models, the characteristic biological response is also blocked.

OK, So What Do I Do?

Well first, if you have been diagnosed with FMS or CFS, and are under going treatment, ask your physician about dietary changes and vitamin supplements. You can make dietary changes to reduce the inflammatory markers in your body. My suggestion for step one is, go to the E-Clinic and order your urinalysis test. See if you are oxidized. If you are, we can help you create a plan to address your dietary needs as well as some lifestyle changes to reduce the inflammation markers and bring balance back to your body.

Many people have too much inflammation in their body. If you suffer from FMS or CFS, this pain is not something you want to just "suck it up and live with it." You can reduce the inflammation and reduce the pain. It may or may not go away, but you should take steps to at least reduce the things that contribute to the dysfunction, while adding dietary changes and adding the proper nutritional supplements and finding stress reducing activities that you enjoy. While making one change may not have a dramatic affect on your body, making a few small changes may reduce the stress on your body and the toxic load. Allowing your body break the cycle of ups and downs that is common with FMS, and allowing you to regain your health and vitality.