Treating fibromyalgia can be particularly difficult as this chronic condition affects each individual differently. There are commonalities such as chronic tender points, enhancement of pain impulses fatigue, and widespread diffuse body pain, but for the most part each individual will have symptoms that are unique to only them. You can find a list of fibromyalgia symptoms to help you determine if your symptoms fit the fibromyalgia criteria for proper diagnosis. Keep in mind that fibromyalgia mimics other chronic conditions, and can have other overlapping chronic conditions such as IBS (irritable bowel syndrome), arthritis, lupus, migraines and chronic fatigue syndrome making diagnosis and treatment difficult. Where To Start?
When taking supplements it is important to speak with your doctor if you are taking any medications that might interfere or cause a reaction with supplements. Always speak to your doctor if you have any concerns before starting any natural treatment if you need guidance, or develop any type of allergic reaction.
Natural supplements for fibromyalgia or other chronic pain conditions can easily become an exhaustive list. Where to start, and what to take is a very common question, and the best answer is to start with supplements that may be missing in your diet. Start with the natural fish oils, B vitamins, natural mineral supplements, and then you can incorporate other natural supplements as you evaluate the effectiveness. It is a good idea to start with only one new supplement every two weeks. It can take that long for your body to start working correctly with the supplement, and you will not know which supplement that is giving you the most benefit if you swallow a handful every day.
Secondly nutritional supplements are not miracles in a bottle for most people. They can and do help tremendously, but they should always be used in conduction or together with other fibromyalgia remedies such as: heat and cold therapy, massage, proper sleep and rest, exercise, and staying connected to your friends and family.
Start by making a list of your most troublesome symptoms, and find a natural supplement that will offer you relief for those at the top of your list.
What nutritional supplements fibromyalgia are available to help treat your fibromyalgia symptoms?
Water Are You Drinking Enough?
The very first thing you should look into is your water intake. Are you drinking enough water? Water is important and dehydration can contribute to many symptom such as: Headaches, muscle pain, cramping, muscle spasms, aching muscle pain, and memory problems.
Nutritional Supplements Fibromyalgia
Glucosamine & MSM -It was shown in one study that when glucosamine and chondroitin were used in combination some reduction in pain was noted in patients who demonstrated moderate to severe pain
SAMe is recommended and has been found to reduce pain, fatigue, morning stiffness, muscle aches, and moodiness in clinical studies.
Rhodiola rosea intake on physical capacity, muscle strength, speed of limb movement, reaction time, and in a study at Katholieke Universiteit Leuven in Belgium study participants stated having improved endurance, and exercise capacity.
Omega-3 Fatty Acids – Omega 3 fatty acids can be found in fish oil that is rich in both EPA and docosahexaenoic acid. These compounds both provide excellent anti-inflammatory properties when taken.
Vitamin B12- Vitamin B12 has been shown to help relieve back pain in some studies, and some fibromyalgia patients report that they have less pain and tenderness try this natural supplement.
Vitamin D3- it is important to note that the amount of vitamin D that the body can produce or store in the fat cells decreases as we age, thus increasing vitamin D deficiencies. Many individuals with fibromyalgia symptoms have found relief from muscle weakness, muscle and bone pain, and claim to sleep better as well.
Magnesium and Calcium can play a pivotal role and antagonistic roles in regulating your body’s muscle function. These two supplements work in unison to help the mechanism needed for muscle contraction and relaxation of all muscles.
Remember to not get discouraged. You will find treatments that work for you, but not all supplements have the same affect, so it may take some trials of different natural supplements to determine which ones are providing you with relief from your pain, tenderness, and fatigue.
Some other natural Supplement Suggestions
Need more energy natural supplements :
CoQ10
L-Carnitine
Magnesium Malate
NADH
SAM-e
Vitamin B12
Magnesium Malate
Vitamin D
Feeling Moody, Unbalanced and out of control try these supplements
DHEA
Flax Oil
Rhodiola
St. John’s Wort
SAM-e
5-HTP
GABA
Suffering from fibromyalgia neurological problems these supplements can be used to help balance your Brain Function/Neurotransmitter
5-HTP
Carnitine
Omega-3 (Fish Oil)
Rhodiola
Ginkgo Biloba
St. John’s Wort
SAM-e
Theanine
Suffering With Difficulty Sleeping or Insomnia
l-theanine
Melatonin
Magnesium and Calcium
Suffering from IBS (irritable bowel syndrome) these natural supplements may be suggest as additions: There is a very helpful book “How I Cured My IBS” that is recommended reading if you suffer from IBS symptomes with your fibromyalgia.
Enzyme therapy, containing bromelain
Probiotics help keep intestinal tract healthy, and your intestinal tract’s health can affect your entire body.
Many men and women look to doctors to solve, and explain the aggravating symptoms they are experiencing. Finally getting a diagnosis brings feelings of relief, only to be sucker punched with the realization that there is no cure, and no treatment option works for every fibromyalgia patient. This begins a new and frustrating search for help to relieve fibromyalgia symptoms, and treat a disease process that varies so widely between patients that even doctors find it exasperating.
So first let’s address one of the major aggravators of fibromyalgia; STRESS. Stress can intensify fibromyalgia symptoms, and there are holistic approaches that can be helpful in reducing stress.
Acupuncture for Fibromyalgia
Acupuncture has been shown to relieve symptoms of fibromyalgia. Studies of acupuncture have shown acupuncture can considerably decrease pain in joints and in tender points. These changes have even been documented in fibromyalgia patient’s blood tests.
Electro acupuncture (Acupuncture that uses electrical stimulation)
In an uncontrolled trial using electroacupuncture forty six percent of fibromyalgia patients after seven treatments stated that the electroacupuncture provided them with the greatest relief of their fibromyalgia symptoms when judged against many other alternative treatments. An amazing sixty four percent of sufferers reported using less medication for their pain than they did prior to electroacupuncture treatments. More studies will need to follow to provide a well established treatment plan using electro acupuncture.
Chiropractic Manipulation
Joint pain, back pain, neck pain, headaches, and joint tenderness are very major symptoms of fibromyalgia syndrome. Pain, headaches, and joint pain can make living almost impossible; sleeping, house care, working a job, shopping, intimate relationships, and more are affected. A holistic treatment that many people with and without fibromyalgia that suffer from these painful conditions is chiropractic manipulation. In studies men and women suffering with fibromyalgia stated feeling improved joint pain when chiropractic manipulation was performed on a regular basis of 3-5 times a week.
Combined Therapies For Fibromyalgia
When chiropractic techniques where used in together with other holistic treatments such as: soft tissue massage, tender point pressure treatments, stretching, and yoga patient’s demonstrated significant improvement in functioning with day to day activities. Many test subjects showed considerable decrease in pain, decreased stress levels, reduced fatigue, joint pain, and improved sleep.
Magnetic Therapy
The natural healing of medical magnets continues to build with each study. The power of magnetic healing has been used for centuries, but only recently with the advent of modern medical equipment has magnetic healing been shown to work. MRI’s CT scans of patients brains, and other medical technologies have proven the benefits of magnetic treatments. Strong magnets not refrigerator magnets have show to relieve the pain associated with arthritis, fibromyalgia, and other chronic pain disorders. A great resource for products and information is Therion Research, or you can try http://www.magneticarthritisrelief.com
Natural remedies for fibromyalgia are vast, and will take trial and error. As stated earlier there is not one cure to treat your fibromyalgia, but it can be done with patience, and will power. Giving up is not an option! Using a holistic approach to treat any disease process takes time, but can pay off. Most holistic treatments for fibromyalgia are free of undesirable and frightening side effects that many prescription medications that are being offered. Start slowly integrate or add one treatment at a time, so that you can get a true and accurate basis when it comes to the relief of your fibromyalgia symptoms.
Books On Treating Fibromyalgia
There are two very good books that are based on natural holistic approaches to treating and curing fibromyalgia. “How I Cured My Fibromyalgia” by Kelly Parks-Hoffman (BSc & Natural health consultant) is highly recognized as a valuable resource by many fibromyalgia sufferers, as is “How To Beat Fibromyalgia And Chronic Fatigue In 30 Days” by Mark J Shaw (B.A, M.Sc, PGD).
Do not get discouraged you can overcome fibromyalgia syndrome, and you can feel better.
Pain and depression can play a major role in living day to day with fibromyalgia, but many fibromyalgia syndrome patients have found that vitamins and supplements can play a part in their daily living. Everyone has some knowledge of vitamins, herbs, and supplements, but how does it come about that certain vitamins or supplements are recommended for particular conditions? The answer is simple studies. Fibromyalgia is a relatively new disease process that has gain attention, but there have been studies done using an assortment of none prescription medications. Here are a few that have been used in double blind studies.
Acetyl-L-carnitine —dosage of 1,500 mg per day
Study participants followed for 10 weeks taking 1,500 mg daily reported considerable improvement of their fibromyalgia symptoms verses a placebo in improving their symptoms of musculoskeletal pain, and depression.
5-HTP— dosage 100 mg taken three times per day
5-HTP is an important a useful supplement that can help boost serotonin blood levels in some individuals. Studies have shown that people with lower levels of serotonin report higher levels of feeling depressed, and in this double blind study participants reported that taking the 100 mg 5-HTP supplement three times a day help relieve some fibromyalgia symptoms such as depression, muscle pain, anxiety, fatigue and insomnia.
Vitamin E— dosage 100–300 IU per day
Studies have shown that Vitamin E supplements can have very positive results in maintaining circulation, leg cramping, decreasing stiffness, and sore muscles.
Thiamine Vitamin B1— dosage recommended is 0.5 milligrams of B1 (thiamin) for every 1,000 calories consumed by fibromyalgia patients.
A major symptom of fibromyalgia is fatigue. A depletion of vitamin B1 can produce a decreased energy production in the cells. Thiamin or Vitamin B1 supports your body’s nervous system, and sheaths or surrounds the nerves. If and when these natural coverings become damaged it can result in feelings of pins and needles, prickling, feelings of anxiety, stomach pain, constipation, decrease tone in the intestinal tract, calf pain or tenderness, and other nerve related symptoms.
Vitamin D 3 (Cholecalciferol) — dosage 500 to 2000 I.U. per day. Toxicity can occur with doses over 2,000 I.U, and it should not be taken with Vitamin A or Cod Liver Oil.
Studies have shown that deficiencies in Vitamin D 3 contribute to myofascial pain, chronic inflammation, and many fibromyalgia sufferers find relief when taking supplements.
Melatonin — dosage 3 mg at bedtime
Melatonin can be used to treat fibromyalgia sleeping difficulties, but it can also help reduce tender point pain, and daytime fatigue.
SAMe (S-adenosylmethionine) — dosage 800 mg per day for a period of six weeks
Magnesium — dosage followed in studies 300–600 mg per day
Living with fibromyalgia is never easy, or simple. Learning to use tested and studied is treatment options may be one of the safest options, but supplements should not be added without a doctor’s consent if when you are taking any prescription medications due to possible interactions. This information is not offered as a cure for fibromyalgia or medical advice; please refer to your medical doctor.
There are some health care professionals who believe that by raising levels of cortisol the stress hormone by prescribing low level doses of corticosteroids, that fibromyalgia syndrome and chronic fatigue patients may get relief from many of their symptoms. Treating fibromyalgia can be very difficult as there is no one fibromyalgia medication to treat fibromyalgia. The wide range of fibromyalgia symptoms makes a one size fits all approach impossible. So doctors are left with basically a trial and error approach based on research and fibromyalgia studies.
This is based on the fact that research shows that a large number of fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue sufferers have a dysfunction in their brain system that regulates their stress response, and studies have shown that corticosteroids are a class of drugs that mimic the natural cortisol, a hormone produced naturally in the adrenal cortex or outer regions of the adrenal gland.
Steroids evolved into the realm of medicine around the late l940’s. Initially given to arthritis patients via daily injections, the treatment was a great success, and improved the painful symptoms of arthritis dramatically. However, it seemed there was a price to pay when used on a long term basis.
Cortisol play a key role in our body’s by controlling the electrolyte salt and water balance in our body, as well as regulating protein metabolism, fat metabolism, and carbohydrate metabolism. We need cortisol to maintain a balance within our body to help decrease or prevent the triggering of allergic and inflammatory responses, stress, trauma, and emotional distress.
The tricky part is when you have too much cortisol being produced it can trigger another response that prevents our white blood cells from functioning properly and leave us more vulnerable to infection.
Because of the possible health risks associated with using any corticosteroid individuals are prescribed by a doctor, and should be followed closely by a doctor. These medications are very effective at treating many conditions, but as with any medication proper guidelines need to be followed to prevent or minimize the potential side effects Corticosteroids can be used to treat many inflammatory conditions but for this article we will be addressing:
IBS
Lupus
Chronic Fatigue
Fibromyalgia
Arthritis
What Are The Side Effects Of Corticosteroids?
Abdominal Pain – Stomach Ulcers
Acne
Cataracts
Decreased Immune Function
Decreased Muscle Strength
Depression
Easy Bruising
Hair Loss
Hyperhidosis -Excessive Sweating
Increased appetite
Increased Blood Pressure
Increased Fat in the face, back, chest, face, and stomach
Mood Swings
Onset Of Diabetes
Osteoporosis
Slowing Healing of Wounds
Swelling of Extremities
Thinning of Skin
Weight gain
Which Is Better Short-Term Vs. Long-Term Corticosteroid Therapy?
Many doctors will prescribe steroids for a short term period where a dose starts higher and is then tapered off over at period of a week or two. This usually results in a dramatic improvement in symptoms for many patients. Long term use is usually limited to severe disorders that require the medication to maintain a quality of life not possible without the medication. Long term use of low level corticosteroid can be prescribed and monitored by a doctor for months and even years.
Doses of any corticosteroid should be tapered off gradually, so that the adrenal glands can begin to produce natural levels of cortisol, if the medication is stopped abruptly it can result in other problems associated with an adrenal crisis. The sudden withdrawal of the medication can result in symptoms such as: muscle pain, joint pain, inflammation, stomach pain, headaches, and severe mood swings.
All medications have a risk of side effects as well as interactions with other medications, please inform your health care professional of all medications you are taking.
When you are suffering from a chronic disease that zaps your energy, causes chronic pain, makes remembering things difficult, and zaps your strength it is logical to look for natural treatment options. For many a fibromyalgia vitamin may be just what you are searching for. You are not alone manyfibromyalgia sufferers want to know if certain vitamins can be helpful to help ease the pain, chronic fatigue, and fibro fog that are the classic symptoms of fibromyalgia. I wish I could say that there is an exact formulation that will work for this chronic disease, but that is not always the case. Trial and error for the most part is the name of the game.
Fibro FreedomFibro Freedom has been useful for over all symptoms and improving general health for many sufferers.
Fibrosleep FibroSleep has a great reputation for its natural formula that can assist fibromyalgia sufferers with the constant pain, and difficultly of falling asleep.
Acetyl-L-Carnitine
Individual vitamins are a little trickier. A double blind trial using the supplement acetyl-L-carnitine at a dosage of 1,500 mg taken for a ten week period showed a noticeably improvement over the placebo group in improving the musculoskeletal pain in individuals suffering from fibromyalgia.
Vitamin E
In one study Vitamin E supplements with dosages from 100-300 IU per day where given, with patient reporting positive relief from chronic tender point pain.
SAMe
In another double blind study SAMe supplements were dispersed for treating depression and pain. The SAMe dosage of 800 mg per day over a 6 week period reported that significant benefits were reported by test subjects stating a reduction in pain, stiffness, fatigue, depression, and improved mood.
Ribitose
Ribitose with a dosage of 5mg taken three times a day has been reported to improve sleep difficulties, reduce fibro fog, reduce pain, and increase energy.
Melatonin
Melatonin has been show to be useful for treating sleep difficulties, decrease fatigue, and reduce pain over tender points.
Magnesium & Calcium
Combinations of Liquid Magnesium 400mg and Calcium have been shown to reduce sleep difficulties, reduce restless leg, improve IBS, and reduce tender point pain.
Remember is it very important to check with your doctor before adding any vitamin or herbal supplement if you are taking any prescription medications. Interactions between medications can be possible, so if you are seeing more than one doctor or medical practitioner please keep them current with your medications, vitamins, and supplements. There are other treatment options that include nerve blocks, and medications.
It has been proven that stress is a contributing factor to both ME/CFS and Fibromyalgia in making the illnesses worse, so why wouldn’t stress from being an overachiever be a possible cause.
McCracken and Samuels (2007) found that increased use of pacing was associated with higher disability and less acceptance, while Nielson and Jensen (2004) found that it was associated with lower disability.
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Fibromyalgia How Do You Cope?