For instance, substance P level is elevated, while that of serotonin is lowered. Patients tend to come from homes where there is psychosocial distress in the form of divorce, marital discord, abuse or alcoholism in family, and childhood abuse. The muscles, tendons, and joints will be stiff, painful, and tender.
The pain may be felt as a deep ache, shooting or burning sensation. The pain is felt more in chest, shoulders, neck, arms, upper back, and the buttocks. Pain is worsened by changes in weather, anxiety, emotional stress, and noise. You may also have headache, fatigue, depressed mood, sleep disturbances, and abdominal pain.
Regular exercise for about 30 minutes a day can be very beneficial in relieving the symptoms. The pain will initially increase upon exercising but gradually diminishes. Low-impact aerobic exercises are best, such as walking, bicycling and swimming. Doing yoga for about 20-30 minutes a day can reduce the pain by almost 30%.
The effect may be due to modulation of pain signals. Doing tai chi is also helpful. Since the breathing and movements are done in a rhythmic, slow and controlled fashion in tai chi, it induces a restful state that interrupts the transmission of pain signals.
Studies show that vitamin D levels may be low in fibromyalgia. Vitamin D plays a role in healthy functioning of muscles and nerves. So, taking vitamin D supplements daily can be useful. You need to take it for 8 weeks for benefits to be seen.
Magnesium levels tend to be lower in fibromyalgia. Taking magnesium 300-600 mg daily has been found to be beneficial. Similarly, taking calcium 500-750 mg daily is also helpful. Other supplements that can be of help are zinc, vitamin C, vitamin B12 and vitamin E.
Acupuncture is an age-old remedy for chronic pain. Several studies confirm its usefulness in fibromyalgia. It involves the placing of needles into the skin at certain well-defined points in the body.
This is supposed to remove the blockages in your body to allow the free flow of energy referred to as qi through channels called meridians. Acupuncture needles are usually made from stainless steel, and vary from 0.5 to 5 inches. They are inserted into the skin after sterilizing the skin with alcohol.
Chili pepper can be very helpful because it contains the chemical capsaicin. Capsaicin increases the levels of substance P in the body by stimulating its release. This reduces the pain. Ginger and turmeric can be helpful in controlling the pain of fibromyalgia because of their anti-inflammatory effects. Ginger can be taken as a tea or used in cooking. The dose of turmeric is about 500 mg three times daily. You can consume this amount by using it liberally in cooking.
The herbal remedies that can reduce the symptoms of fibromyalgia are cat’s claw, green tea, bromelain, and rhodiola. Use these herbal remedies only in consultation with a health professional.
You can take them as dried extracts (powders, capsules, tea), glycerine extracts, or alcohol extracts (tinctures). Herbal tea can be prepared by steeping 1 teaspoon of herb for 5-10 min (for leaf) or 10-20 minutes (for roots) in a cup of hot water.
Photo Credit: http://www.total-physio.com/Injuries-Conditions/Fibromyalgia/Fibromyalgia/a~321/article.html
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