Do You Suffer From Fibromyalgia
in Keokuk IA?

To understand how the diagnosis of fibromyalgia is made, it is important to first understand how the body is divided by medical practitioners.  Typically the body is viewed as four different sections, the left and right sides and above and below the belt line.  The American College of Rheumatology has determined that only people who have discomfort in each of these four areas can be classified as having the condition.  In addition, the pain is typically present for more than 3-4 months.  This institute has also identified 18 different trigger points throughout the body and people suffering from fibromyalgia must have pain in at least 11 of them.

While long lasting pain that seems to affect every portion of your body is the main symptom of fibromyalgia, our patients at James Healthcare & Associates Inc. in Keokuk have reported experiencing some of the following symptoms:

1. Muscle spasms
2. Feeling tired all the time
3. Difficulty sleeping
4. Headaches
5. Achy sensation that is usually worse in the morning
6. Digestive problems
7. Problems tolerating minor changes in heat and cold
8. Anxiety or depression
9. Difficulty remembering day-to-day tasks
10. Frequent feelings of having to go to the bathroom

Fibromyalgia isn’t the only condition that has been found to cause the symptoms listed above.  Fibromyalgia is often grouped with two other conditions that produce similar symptoms, but have much different causes; lupus and chronic fatigue syndrome.   These conditions can be thought of the rungs on a ladder, the higher you go the more severe they get.  On this ladder, fibromyalgia would be the bottom rung, chronic fatigue syndrome would be the middle, and lupus would be at the top.  With all of these conditions being more common in females and producing symptoms that mimic each other, it can be hard to differentiate them.  However, lupus is believed to be caused by an autoimmune disorder and fibromyalgia seems to be related to stress and disturbances with a person’s metabolism.

The relationship between fibromyalgia, stress, and metabolism can be confusing.  Basically, a person who is under chronic stress creates conditions that result in less blood flowing to certain areas in the brain.  Typically, the lack of blood flow effects an area of the brain called the pituitary gland, which is extremely important in secreting a specific set of hormones that regulate metabolism and stress responses.  When these hormones are not secreted properly, the many symptoms associated with fibromyalgia begin to appear.

Since the majority of people tend to experience pain throughout the muscles in their bodies, it is important to discuss the changes that occur there.  The key factor that is thought to be responsible for the muscle discomfort experienced with fibromyalgia is ground substance.  Ground substance is exactly what it sounds like, a material that is found in almost all of the structures in the body and is responsible for the tissues strength, healing, and regeneration.  When one of these tissues is typically damaged, this substance is converted into whatever is required to stimulate the healing process.  Due to a lack of healing and conversion, this substance builds up in its tissue causing the trigger points, muscle tightness, and pain associated with fibromyalgia.

While disorders such as lupus have an extensive list of procedures, including blood work and x-rays to make a correct diagnosis, it has been difficult to establish definitive criteria for fibromyalgia.  Currently, physicians are able to examine the many tender points that were mentioned earlier for pain, but many doctors have concluded that this isn’t enough to make a diagnosis.  Many patients have presented to James Healthcare & Associates Inc. frustrated from being told by other doctors that they are imagining their pain and that it isn’t real.  As a result, many of these patients have also been told that there is no current treatment for this condition.  Thankfully, this isn’t true.  Just as certain doctors specialize with heart disease, cancer, and broken bones, other doctors are trained to treat fibromyalgia.  Our doctors at James Healthcare & Associates Inc. have seen excellent results in our patients suffering from fibromyalgia through the use of a combination of spinal adjustments, massage therapy, focused exercise and nutrition.

Is chiropractic a possible treatment for fibromyalgia?  As mentioned earlier, muscle tightness and spasms are one of the main clinical features of fibromyalgia.  Since muscles have a large role in holding the spine in its proper position, it is easy to imagine the effects this condition can have on the back.  As the muscles become tight and over work, they pull on the spine tighter and tighter.  Since the spine can only adapt so much, it eventually starts to lose its normal motion and functionality.  One of the major roles of the spine is maintaing proper function of the nervous system and it just so happens that one of the major functions of the nervous system is controlling the function of the muscles.  You can begin to see the disastrous cycle that begins to develop with fibromyalgia.  Once this cycle is out of control, patients begin to suffer many of the aforementioned symptoms.

This is why treating fibromyalgia usually requires the services of someone who is trained in treating all areas of this dangerous cycle.  Our doctors at James Healthcare & Associates Inc. in Keokuk are trained to first begin by restoring normal motion in the spine.  This is accomplished by modified adjustments to the fixated regions.  If treated soon enough, nervous system function can be restored and as a result the muscle will begin to relax.  Initially, people suffering from fibromyalgia require 4-5 treatments per month to stimulate the healing process.  This may seem like a lot, but is small in comparison to invasive surgeries and life long prescriptions.  Not all chiropractors work directly with muscles, so finding one who does is very important.

While our doctors at James Healthcare & Associates Inc. are crucial to helping people recover from fibromyalgia, it is important to remember that you only spend a small amount of time with them. While you are away from the office, the additional things you do to help you heal can have a dramatic effect on the treatment outcomes. In fact, our doctors have witnessed substantial differences in the time required to heal and end results of the treatment process between people who actively engage in their own care. The following are a list of things that you can do to help improve your fibromyalgia results.

Many people know that work conditions can contribute to a significant amount of pain.  Whether you are doing hard physical labor, repetitive factor work, or stuck sitting at a desk all day long, the strain that this puts on your muscles can be intense.  People with fibromyalgia will typically do anything to escape their pain and making changes at work is often required.  It may be necessary to discover an occupation that allows you to work less hours at one time or that accommodates flexible hours.  Your work environment also plays an important role in the development and healing of fibromyalgia.  Changing the chair you sit in, the shoes you stand on, the keyboard you type on, or the height of the monitor you look at can have a huge impact on your healing process.  It may even be necessary for you to change jobs in order to receive relief from fibromyalgia.  Whatever the case may be, our doctors at James Healthcare & Associates Inc. in Keokuk are more than happy to assist you with making the proper decisions.

Just like the stress you experience from to much to do at work, foods can place a large amount of stress on the body contributing to the symptoms of fibromyalgia.  Typically, processed foods and genetically modified foods are more difficult for your body to digest and may even have some properties that your body views as toxic.  It is usually best for patients suffering from fibromyalgia to limit the amount of eggs, milk, gluten, and wheat in their diet.  Toxins that make it into your food through antibiotic therapies and crops treated with pesticides may also be a source of stress.  Diets rich in chicken, nuts, berries, fruits, vegetables, and legumes have been shown to help provide relief in people suffering from fibromyalgia.  As Micheal Pollan said, eat real food, not too much, mostly fruits and vegetables.

Many marketing schemes have used supplements as the end-all cure-all to fibromyalgia.  Unfortunately, not all of the supplements on the market provide relief and some of them may actually slow the healing process.  However, research has shown that natural food supplements of magnesium malate and ginkgo biloba have helped speed up treatment and recovery from fibromyalgia.  While these supplements have helped some, not all supplements affect all people in the same way.  That is why consulting with your doctor at James Healthcare & Associates Inc. in Keokuk is the best way to find the combination of help you need.