Fibromyalgia is characterized by insomnia, fatigue and generalized joint/muscle pain. The disorder is diagnosed by noting the number of painful “tender points” on/near the neck, shoulders, back, legs, elbows, and knees. Headaches/migraines, depression, chemical sensitivity, intestinal irritation, numbness / tingling and a heightened sensitivity to stimuli are very common. Sometimes sufferers have “fibro-fog”—an inability to concentrate and remember. Dates and names are often hard to remember. Women are affected much more often than men. Sometimes the problem is initiated by a car accident. At other times, it appears to be initiated by exposure to pathogens or toxins.
Early life stress increases the change of acquiring fibromyalgia. Nutritional or emotional stress early in life, or prenatal stress can set the stage for later acquisition of serotonin dominance diseases. [1] Fibromyalgia has many characteristics of a serotonin dominance disease.
For a long time, people have recognized the similarities between fibromyalgia, and other conditions—chronic fatigue immune deficiency (CFIDS), environmental sensitivities, irritable bowel and the yeast syndrome. The reason for these similarities is just now starting to become clear. The most recent observations show that most people with fibromyalgia have a bacterial overgrowth in the small intestines. They may also harbor an overgrowth of yeast/fungus in the intestines. The toxins produced by this intestinal flora interfere with the immune system, hormonal balance and cellular energy. However, this is just the latest in a long string of theories that have been offered to explain fibromyalgia. Stress, stealth pathogens, magnesium deficiency, serotonin mishandling, phosphate accumulation, viral infection of E. coli, mitochondrial dysfunction and whiplash have all been offered as causative factors. At first blush, all of these causative factors seem unrelated to each other. Yet, they all affect the immune system, hormonal balance, and cellular energy in a similar manner. This book will explain some of these theories about the causes of fibromyalgia.
It is nice to point to some theory that shows that a person isn’t just imagining their symptoms. However, that is small comfort. The real comfort comes if you can use the theory to find solutions. Theory should point us in new directions to try. So should the experience of others. Once we Fibromyalgia Treatment Options 7 sufficiently understand the problem, then we have to cautiously try treatments out in the laboratory of our own body.
There will be a large number of supplements and treatments covered here. So it is important to know where to start. Experience has shown that the two most important things to correct are a possible thyroid deficiency and a magnesium deficiency. Learning to get rid of stress is also high on the list of priorities. A diet of easily digestible food is quite important too. However, I don’t have enough information on the efficacy of the other treatments to say what else should have priority.
Of all the treatment options, one should apply the most caution when trying tryptophan or 5- HTP. In contrast, the safest and easiest treatment option would be a simple addition of salt to the diet. The reduction of polyunsaturated oils in the diet would also be easy to implement. There are many treatment options to try. Something should be helpful.
Some of the following presentation is quite technical. This was necessary to explain why certain unusual treatment options make sense, and why some treatments should begin before others. You do not have to understand every nuance. Get the general idea, and then if you have questions, ask your doctor about the specifics.