What Is Fibromyalgia?
Let’s start by clarifying what fibromyalgia means. Fibromyalgia is a medical diagnosis. It is used to describe a certain set of symptoms. These symptoms can include;
- Pain throughout the body
- Increased sensitivity
- Fatigue
- Low energy
- Poor sleep
- Digestive issues
- Brain fog
- Lack of motivation
As you may be able to tell, these symptoms are quite vague and someone diagnosed with fibromyalgia may not have all these symptoms or may have other symptoms that are not on the list.
Fibromyalgia is known as a diagnosis of exclusion. This basically means that there is no specific test for it and every other relevant test has come back negative. That leaves us with a diagnosis of fibromyalgia and a person who overall feels quite unwell and unable to accomplish their daily goals.
What Causes Fibromyalgia?
It seems to be different for everyone. There is a lot of research going into this area and many theories and ideas into the causes and triggers of fibromyalgia are being investigated.
Theories range from changes in pain signalling pathways in the nervous system, to genetic variations, hormonal imbalances, and immune system changes. And, while each person is different, fibromyalgia often seems to be linked with stress and inflammation (1).
Naturopathic Approach For Natural Health?
Before we get into my naturopathic approach to fibromyalgia, I’d like to make an important distinction.
As a naturopath, I don’t treat fibromyalgia. I do, however, treat patients who may be experiencing symptoms that fit with a fibromyalgia diagnosis.
I make this distinction, not to be confusing, but because I find it can be too easy to focus on a diagnosis. Especially one as frustrating as fibromyalgia and lose sight of the unique person behind the diagnosis. That being said, here is my approach to helping patients who may be experiencing symptoms of fibromyalgia get their health back on track.
Natural Health Steps To Achieve Relief
1. Address The Stress
The symptoms of fibromyalgia are usually brought on by a stressful life event (1). Whether it was a traumatic experience or a flu that never seemed to go away, it is important to address and process any unresolved emotions around that experience.
Daily life stress also seems to make all of the symptoms of fibromyalgia worse so finding ways to manage and better cope with stress is so important. There are many tools that we use as Naturopaths to help manage stress. These tools range from;
Also, it can even be as simple as doing one thing a day that brings you joy. That last one gets written down on my prescription pad often!
It is important to work with a healthcare professional to form your own unique toolkit to help you best manage your stress.
2. Diet & Nutrition
As previously mentioned, inflammation tends to play a large role in fibromyalgia. There are a lot of ways to reduce inflammation with diet. There are anti-inflammatory diets, intermittent fasting, and even specific foods that can help reduce inflammation. This is where it becomes important to work with a Naturopath to come up with dietary habits that work best for you.
Click here to read, “Foods to Avoid with Fibromyalgia”.
View Comments
Wow I learned a lot about diet and nutrition. Sugar is by far my worst addiction next to my smoking which I plan to quit as well.
A fitbit would be great for me to see what my sleeping patterns are and perhaps increase good food choices Exercise certainly doesn't take away all my pain but it helps me look at something new...