Fibromyalgia Archives | Holistic Wellness with Rakhi

Tag: Fibromyalgia

  • Latest Treatment For Fibromyalgia – 8 Effective Easy Steps To Overcome Pain

    Latest Treatment For Fibromyalgia – 8 Effective Easy Steps To Overcome Pain

    Pain, you make me a believer… The song was running in the background as I am sitting down to write this post. We have come across various types of pain. The one that can be expressed through tears of emotions, the physical pain that is visible on the body as marks and bruises, the medical pain that can be confirmed via tests, the undecipherable pain that can be proven by the little one that comes out of you… The list goes on. However, the kind of pain that cannot be expressed in words, that would not leave any bruises, that cannot be confirmed by any tests. How about that? After eons of research, a name was given to this invisible trauma – Fibromyalgia. While we are discussing the latest treatment for fibromyalgia, it is imperative to spread awareness about the major challenges.

    Latest treatment for fibromyalgia

    Due to the lack of awareness, men and women who are suffering from pain are judged as lazy. While we had a discussion about the judgments in our Fibromyalgia Support forum, the most common comments were you are imagining the pain, you find it convenient to do nothing, and you are lazy. There are no conclusive tests or scans to confirm the condition. Doctors depend on the symptoms and fibromyalgia pain areas to diagnose it. Ironically, still, a small section of doctors refuse to acknowledge that a condition like this still exists.

    Symptoms of Fibromyalgia

    For the longest time, Fibromyalgia was misunderstood as Chronic Fatigue Syndrome because chronic fatigue was one of the significant signs. In simple terms, it is chronic muscular pain and fatigue. Anyone irrespective of gender, age, and demography can have fibromyalgia

    1. Muscle pain

    The most common symptom of fibromyalgia is muscle pain. There are some specific points of origin for the pain. These are called tender points. Some physicians diagnose fibromyalgia based on the tender points. Mainly there are 18 tender points and if you have pain in at least 11 of them, the physician would diagnose you with fibromyalgia. Some are situated near the joints and hence the pain would be misunderstood as joint pain. If the tests for common conditions like arthritis are ruled out, the doctors would proceed to consider further pain areas and symptoms. The tender points are symmetrically located around the head, neck, shoulder, knees, and hips. There would be a stabbing pain at the point when pressed. 

    Fibromyalgia tender points

    The main tender points are the following.

    • Back of the shoulders
    • Back of the neck
    • Hip bone
    • Above the buttock 
    • The base of the skull
    • The point above the elbow and knee
    • Lower neck in the front
    • Edge of upper breast 

    Lately, physicians have reached a conclusion that even if the patient doesn’t have sensitivity in all the tender points, they can be diagnosed with fibromyalgia provided they have associated conditions like cognitive issues (brain fog), fatigue, loss of memory, etc.

    2. Fatigue

    Another common symptom of fibromyalgia is chronic fatigue. Quite often patients with fibromyalgia are misdiagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome because they are always tired. None of the blood tests, scanning, etc would give any conclusive results. Because of this, the patient will be diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome, and other symptoms are often ignored. Along with fatigue, if other symptoms are prominent, this can be considered as fibromyalgia.

    3. Sleep disorders

    Latest treatment for Fibromyalgia

    The sleep cycle of a fibromyalgia patient would be obstructed due to pain as well as the stress they are going through. The patient might find it difficult to sleep in the night leaving them sleepy through the day. In some cases, the patient would feel tired despite sleeping for hours. They will be sleepy all the time and hence tagged as lazy. The symptoms are similar to that of a condition called narcolepsy. Or we can say that someone with fibromyalgia could also have narcolepsy.

    3. Cognitive issues

    Fibrofog is a condition that helps a doctor in a conclusive diagnosis of fibromyalgia. The majority of patients would have the condition. This is a condition when the patient suffers from brain and memory issues. The patient would have memory issues, inability to concentrate, and difficulty in engaging in a conversation and storing the information in the brain. If we look at the larger picture, anyone suffering from chronic pain and inability to sleep would suffer from cognitive issues. Hence this could be considered a secondary effect of the condition.

    4. Irritable bowel syndrome

    Patients with fibromyalgia often face difficulty in digestion. Irritable bowel is another irritating and troublesome symptom of the condition.

    5. Anxiety, depression

    While you are dealing with so much pain, you might end up being anxious or depressed. On the other hand, fibromyalgia can occur due to stress as well. Hence it is imperative to have a check on your mental health because in more cases than not, mental stress is directly related to the onset of fibromyalgia.

    Causes of Fibromyalgia

    Scientists have not been able to find solid evidence of the reasons behind the result of this condition. However, the most common reasons believed to cause fibromyalgia are 

    • Genetics – This condition runs in families. If you have a family history, you may very well be prepared for the condition.
    • Infections – Some infections and illnesses are believed to trigger the condition
    • Physical and emotional impact – Some accidents, physical injuries, etc can trigger the condition. The most common trigger of fibromyalgia is psychological and emotional stress.

    Latest Treatment For Fibromyalgia – Fibromyalgia Cure Found

    When I say ‘fibromyalgia cure found’, I am not sure cure is the right word because it is indeed the latest treatment for fibromyalgia without any medication. However, you need to maintain consistency to live a life without pain. I have been there and I have suffered the worst judgments. But the pain and perseverance were worth it as I am leading a pain-free life now. Earlier antidepressants and analgesics (pain killers) were the only treatment for fibromyalgia. But now with time and experience and the inadvertent connection of the condition to your stressful life, we have many alternative treatments. The latest treatment for fibromyalgia that I underwent, has helped me live without pain and medication.

    Latest Treatment For Fibromyalgia

    1. Proper diet

    Food is medicine. If you treat your food like one, there is no looking back because a proper diet to alleviates the symptoms of fibromyalgia. If you have no other medical condition, start following an intermittent fasting regime under expert guidance. Include whole grains, avocado, citrus fruits, natural sweeteners, green leafy vegetables, probiotics, and nuts in your diet. Make it a point to drink detox drinks to eliminate the toxins from your body. Find your Ayurvedic dosha and take the drinks appropriate for your doshas like Vata tea, Pitta tea, and Kapha tea.

    2. Exercise

    If you are suffering from Fibromyalgia, you might find yourself frowning. Because the pain would be unbearable to just move a muscle, let alone follow an exercise regime. But trust me, I have been there and it is not impossible. The first day was torture but I preferred extended days without pain to unbearable pain for a week. On Day One I did a couple of Surya namaskars and basic yoga (I was a yoga trainer once, but still I couldn’t manage more than the basic). On Day two I lifted weights though it felt like the weights would pull me down but after five days, my body started responding to the movements and slowly the pain subsided.

    3. Meditation

    As mentioned earlier, the most common cause of fibromyalgia is stress. On the first day of meditation, you would be distracted and wouldn’t be able to hold for more than five minutes. However, maintain consistency. Slowly you will connect with your inner self. 

    4. Mindfulness

    Due to the fibro fog, you would not be able to concentrate or do anything systematically. Being mindful and living in the moment is the best way to bring your brain back on track and clear the fog inside the head.

    5. Journaling

    Write down the thoughts when you have the pain. Read them to identify the pattern of negative thoughts that come automatically to your mind. Rephrase it and see the positive side. Journaling is a powerful tool to know yourself because once you read what you have written, it serves as hypnotherapy. You will see yourself writing about feelings that you never realized existed.

    6. Aromatherapy

    Lavender essential oils and rosemary essential oils are helpful in relieving stress. Use them in diffusers, or in your body wash, shampoo, etc. Add a few drops to a bucket of water and take a shower using the water. You will emerge refreshed and rejuvenated. You can also apply peppermint oil, eucalyptus oil as well as clary sage oil at the tender points. Make sure to use a carrier oil like coconut oil, olive oil, etc.

    7. Nature Therapy

    Gelling with nature is one way to clear your mind and thus keep the pain at bay. Walk barefoot on sand or grass. Have indoor plants and talk to them. Spend at least 10 minutes a day with nature. Even looking at the sky and observing the clouds would suffice.

    Nature Therapy
    Photo by Riccardo on Pexels.com

    8. Breathing exercises 

    Practicing pranayama daily will clear your air passages and also calms your mind. It clarifies your entire system. There are many types of Pranayama and variations of the same based on breath retention techniques.

    In addition to these, you can also try facial reflexology, massages, and more. Try these techniques and see what is the most effective for you. As an end note, I would recommend everyone to reduce their screen time, especially during the night. These are a few fibromyalgia cure found by me or curated by me so to speak. These have helped me come out of the never-ending pain. This is a collated list of the latest treatment for fibromyalgia. Follow these and lead a pain-free life with the latest treatment for fibromyalgia. We have a fibromyalgia support forum. You can contact me for guidance.

    This post is part of Blogchatter’s CauseAChatter

    This post is a part of the Wellness Hour Bloghop by Swarnali Nath and I. Find all the posts that are published as a part of the Bloghop in the linky below.
  • Is Fibromyalgia Real? Symptoms Of fibromyalgia conditions can be confusing…

    Is Fibromyalgia Real? Symptoms Of fibromyalgia conditions can be confusing…

    “Are you afraid of being sick?”, the doctor asked. I know I am not the first one to be judged for consulting a doctor to cure “body ache”. When the doctors themselves don’t shy away from snubbing and judging the women who are suffering from fibromyalgia, just because they don’t believe in the condition, what would poor patients do? Trust me he is one of the leading neurologists in Kochi. So I was left wondering “Is fibromyalgia real?”. For more than a year I lived in denial because the doctor said so. As the days went by, my pain worsened and I was unable to pinpoint the source of pain as it kept on radiating throughout the body. That’s when my time overlapped with my Holistic Wellness journey. My Yoga, meditation, EFT tapping, reflexology, and all practices worked, and slowly the pain subsided, including severe ENT problems too.

    Is fibromyalgia real?

    Is fibromyalgia real?

    Fibromyalgia is an invisible symptom that doesn’t have symptoms that are evidently visible to others. This is where the real struggle of convincing the healthcare providers, coworkers, and even friends and family comes into the picture. In addition to the pain, the patients would also have sleep issues, mood swings, and memory problems. These are often conveniently ignored by the people around as a normal daily struggle.

    The fact that more than half of the healthcare providers including neurologists is a fact that needs to be addressed on a larger scale because the person who is in pain feels neglected. This in turn could affect their emotions and have a psychological impact on them. Eventually, they leave it to themselves as they become exhausted from the travail.

    • Is fibromyalgia real?
    • Is fibromyalgia real? why is it confusing
    • Is fibromyalgia real? confusing symptoms
    • overlapping symptoms
    • No specific treatment Is fibromyalgia real?
    • Care yourself

    Why the symptoms can be confusing?

    Fibromyalgia has a cluster of symptoms that could overlap with other conditions like arthritis. Hence there is no definitive treatment for the condition. Since the symptoms vary, the cure is more or less an experiment. Nonetheless, the World Health Organisation has already recognized it as a disease and hence the doctors who deny hardly make any sense. They should rather update their medical knowledge up to date to consider fibromyalgia real.

    I was lucky enough to be introduced to the condition by my ENT specialist. Lest I would have left behind wondering myself that I was being lazy. Further, I went ahead and started my therapy by being my therapist. The first step was to stop asking and start acting by making fibromyalgia real in my psyche. Many of you might have been sailing in the same boat and would be surprised to know that ‘hey, there is someone like me. But don’t worry we all are here for you. DM me on my Instagram page to join my holistic wellness community.