Fibromyalgia and Treatment Options Available to You

Arnica montana for Fibromyalgia

2012-08-01T20:42:00.003-04:00

The most common herbal remedy used for muscle trauma is Arnica montana. Also known as leopard's bane (wolf's bane, mountain tobacco and mountain arnica), Arnica is a European flowering plant prevalent from southern Iberia to southern Scandinavia. Arnica montana is a perennial herb used to prepare homeopathic remedies that are applied directly to the skin, such as a gel, cream, or ointment.

If you feel bruised as if you slept on a very hard bed, are physically restless, irritable, fatigued and depressed, have poor concentration and forgetfulness, as well as nightmares and a morbid imagination, then Arnica montana may be a remedy fit. It is especially useful when an accident or other traumatic event may have caused the onset of fibromyalgia.

Arnica works by improving circulation and reducing both the emotional and physical trauma in the muscles; such as shock and bodily injury. Common uses of Arnica are for the treatment of wounds, bruises, sunburns, and other forms of skin irritation or inflammation. Arnica gel is also known as a means of relieving muscle soreness and sprain-related pain. Simply apply Arnica cream to the parts of the body feeling sore or bruised; for example, to treat the tender spots of fibromyalgia. As an emergency or first aid remedy, Arnica is usually given following an accident, surgery, bereavement, childbirth, or dental treatment. It can also be used for joint pain, fever, and some skin problems.

When used topically in a gel at 50% concentration, Arnica montana was found to have the same effect when compared to a 5% ibuprofen gel for treating the symptoms of hand osteoarthritis. Research suggests that Arnica may be useful in treating the following health problems:

1) Arthritis

2) Post-Surgery Swelling

3) Post-Surgery Pain

4) Muscle Soreness

As a homeopathic remedy, Arnica can also be taken internally, in pellet form, to work more deeply on the traumatized muscles, just follow dosages recommended on the bottle or by a professional.

Arnica should only be taken internally when in the form of a homeopathic dilution. While arnica can be toxic when ingested, homeopathic arnica contains too small amount of the herb to cause adverse effects. Also, in some cases, topical use of arnica can cause skin irritation, itching, blisters, and other allergy-related problems. Be careful not to use arnica on broken skin.

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All statements here are not claims to cure or treat any disease, provide any health benefit, and are for educational and thoughtful purposes only. If you need medical advice, please seek a qualified health care provider.

Rhus toxicodendron for Fibromyalgia

2012-07-31T08:00:00.005-04:00

If a person feels very restless, with stiffness and soreness that find relief in warmth and motion, this remedy should be considered. Problems are aggravated in cold, damp weather. Stiffness and pain are worse on waking in the morning, and after periods of rest. Another common homeopathic remedy for fibromyalgia is Rhus toxicodendron, which is used for stiffness that gets better once the client gets moving and when weather has an effect on the degree of pain. Rhus toxicodendron is often used to relieve pain in the joints, and works well on healing ligament strains. The Rhus toxicodendron client feels very restless and wants the stiffness and reaction to cold damp weather to improve quickly. Use rhus toxicodendron if you have the following: restlessness, aches and pains relieved by heat, symptoms which are worse in the morning or after resting, muscle and joint pain which becomes worse in cold and humid weather.

The rhus tox homeopathic remedy may be appropriate to treat a certain class of fibromyalgia symptoms. This remedy may work for fibromyalgia patients who have restlessness, feelings of apprehension (particularly at night), a heavy feeling in the head, a coated tongue, a feeling of drowsiness after eating, a clicking sound in the jaws and a desire for milky drinks. You might also be experiencing stiffness in your joints, and cold, damp weather might bother you. Try Rhus tox if you find that warm, dry weather and exercise make you feel better. Use a 6C dilution of rhus tox every 3 to 4 hours until the symptoms abate. The number indicates how many times the homeopathic formula was diluted, while the C stands for centesimal and indicates the rate of dilution–in this case, a 1/100 rate. Thus far, rhus tox is the only single remedy tested in clinical trials for use on fibromyalgia.

Homeopathic Rhus tox is used under circumstances similar to those that indicate Bryonia. However, unlike the Bryonia recipient, who wants to lie still and is made worse by the least motion, the Rhus tox picture invokes a person who benefits from motion and wants to be active. In addition, the condition will worsen with exposure to cold and dampness and improve in dry warm weather.

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Homeopathic Remedies for Fibromyalgia

2012-07-27T12:33:00.000-04:00

Homeopathy is a non-toxic system of medicine used to treat illness and relieve discomfort of a wide variety of health conditions. It is practiced by licensed physicians and other qualified prescribers in many regions of the world, including Europe, Asia, and the U.K. The U. S. Department of Health describes homeopathy as a "whole medical system" developed over 200 years ago and practiced in the United States since the early nineteenth century. The principle of homeopathy is to stimulate the body's ability to heal itself by ingesting very small doses of highly diluted substances prepared according to guidelines similar to non-prescription, over-the-counter drugs and are regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

A double blind study done by the University of Arizona Program in Integrative Medicine concluded that individualized homeopathy has efficacy in treatment of fibromyalgia. Participants in the study showed significant improvements in tender point count, tender point pain, quality of life, global health, and less depression.

Experts at the Mayo Clinic recommend a holistic approach. Lifestyle changes, such as avoiding stress, changing sleep habits, regular exercise and reassessing nutritional intake, are critical in managing fibromyalgia. Alternative or complementary medicines for pain and stress reduction have become standardized care. Meditation and yoga, acupuncture, chiropractic care and massage therapy are all considered part of the "best practices" milieu.

Acupuncture: Acupuncture helps to relieve the pain and discomfort of Fibromyalgia, and has been proven to help patients to the point of them not needing to take their pain killers or not requiring as high of a dose, as well as having a better quality of sleep.

Bath Therapy: Consists of soaking in a mineral bath for about 20 minutes daily. Mineral baths usually consist of magensium, potassium and calcium.

Chiropractic and Osteopathic Manipulation: Chiropractic helps to properly align the spine, while osteopathic focuses on re alignment of the muscles and bones.

Herbal supplements and homeopathic medicine have also been found to be effective in the treatment of fibromyalgia and, in many instances, have replaced the use of analgesics, beta blockers, antidepressants and anticonvulsant medications. As with all forms of treatment, a professional should be consulted before beginning any course of therapy or medication to reduce the risk of drug interactions.

When taking homeopathic remedies, it is recommended to take as few doses as necessary. With homeopathy, taking more pellets is not recommended, but increasing the frequency of the remedy may be needed to get the full effect of low potency remedies. At first, when there is the greatest amount of discomfort, the remedy may need to be taken every hour. As it diminishes, taking a dose every four hours is common. If no improvement is noticeable after a few days, it is not recommended to take further doses of the same remedy.

There are many possible homeopathic treatments for fibromyalgia, to be chosen from based on various specific details of the person seeking treatment. A correctly-chosen remedy can work gently and efficiently to relieve discomfort and help the body heal itself. If an illness or condition is chronic or serious, it is best to consult an experienced prescriber for a remedy that more deeply suits the person’s needs. Chronic conditions like fibromyalgia take many years to develop. Homeopathic remedies may need to be taken regularly for several years. However, patients can expect to feel at least partial relief from some symptoms within the first few days of starting the homeopathic treatment program.

It’s important to choose the remedy whose description most closely matches the symptoms. The more a remedy’s pattern of action is similar to the person’s response to the stress or illness, the more efficiently natural defenses can overcome the problems and return a person to a better state of health.

Here is a list of popular homeopathic remedies for Fibromyalgia symptoms:

Arnica
Aurum Metallicum
Bryonia
Calcarea carbonica
Causticum
Cimicifuga
Cocculus
Gelsemium
Hypericum
Kalmia latifolia
Nux vomica
Ranunculus bulbosus
Rhus toxicodendron
Ruta graveolens

Although most homeopathic remedies are in pill form and for internal use, there are a select number of homeopathic remedies that are available with external applications such as ointments, gels, or sprays. Although they have a similar degree of effectiveness, each has certain benefits and detriments.

Homeopathy can often provide relief from the unpredictable, sometimes debilitating, aches and pains of fibromyalgia. Western medicine has made some advances in the recognition and treatment of fibromyalgia, yet traditional or naturopathic remedies have often been successful in not only providing reassurance and validation, but also in relieving patient symptoms.

All statements here are not claims to cure or treat any disease, provide any health benefit, and are for educational and thoughtful purposes only. If you need medical advice, please seek a qualified health care provider.

Do I Have Fibromyalgia?

2012-07-18T21:22:00.002-04:00

Do I Have Fibromyalgia - Fibromyalgia Tender Points

Fibromyalgia is still a very mysterious disorder with no laboratory tests to confirm its existence and no treatments to cure its symptoms. The condition is generally characterized by chronic, widespread joint and muscle pain without inflammation.

Before fibromyalgia treatment can begin, a doctor must diagnose the condition. Experts think that fibromyalgia is underdiagnosed because many of its symptoms are the same as those of other conditions (such as chronic fatigue syndrome, underactive thyroid, Lyme disease, lupus, and multiple chemical sensitivity). Therefore, doctors often must rule out other possible causes of these symptoms before officially diagnosing.

To determine if you’re one of the estimated 10 million Americans who have fibromyalgia, you need to take note of the location and severity of your pain, as well as any of several other symptoms that are commonly associated with the condition.

Location of pain: If you have fibromyalgia, your pain isn’t confined to one area of your body. It’s located in muscles, ligaments, tendons, and joints on your left and right sides, as well as above and below your waist. A doctor who suspects you have fibromyalgia will squeeze several tender points on your body to see if they hurt when pressure is applied. These tender points are located in the front and back of your neck, upper chest and back, hips, buttocks, elbows, and knees. (see image)

Duration of pain: Fibromyalgia is a chronic condition. Although the intensity of your aches may vary from one day to the next, if you have fibromyalgia you will suffer from some level of pain consistently for at least 3 months. If you’re experiencing this type of chronic pain, be sure and discuss these symptoms with your doctor. Fibromyalgia can be mistaken for, or exist side-by-side with, other diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, or hypothyroidism.

Fatigue and sleep disturbances: Exhaustion is a common complaint among fibromyalgia sufferers. On some days, you may find that your fatigue is so severe you can’t accomplish what you need to get done, even though you slept through the night. Researchers believe fibromyalgia sufferers may not be able to fall into a deep enough so that they wake up feeling rested. Restless leg syndrome and sleep apnea are also sleep disorders common among fibromyalgia sufferers.

Delayed reactions to physical exertion or stressful events: Feeling OK during and immediately after exercise, only to have symptoms come on strong later, or getting through a crisis, but then crashing within a couple of hours.

Unusual Symptoms: You may be more comfortable with your diagnosis after looking over a list of unusual symptoms and seeing whether you identify with a large number of them. You don't have to have all of them to have fibromyalgia, but you should have more than a handful to lend credence to the diagnosis.

Allodynia: Pain from pressure, temperature or movement across your skin that should not be painful.
Language impairments: These can include forgetting common words (especially nouns) or having trouble putting a sentence together.
Paresthesia: Tingling or burning sensations in the hands or arms, without any known nerve damage.
Roving pain: Pain that seems to wander randomly around your body instead always being in the same place(s).
Sensory overload: Strong reactions to repetitive noises (noise sensitivity), bad smells, bright or flashing light (light sensitivity), or chaotic environments.
Headaches: For more than 50 percent of fibromyalgia sufferers, the condition brings recurring tension headaches and migraine pain.
Irritable bowel syndrome: You may also be experiencing diarrhea, constipation, abdominal pain and bloating, and nausea. At least 40 percent of people with fibromyalgia have digestive problems.

While many chronic pain syndromes mimic certain aspects of fibromyalgia, the 1990 American College of Rheumatology criteria identifies fibro patients with an 88 percent accuracy. This is just as accurate as blood tests for other medical conditions, so you and doctors should not view fibromyalgia as a wastebasket diagnosis.

Under newer, alternate diagnostic criteria established in 2010, your doctor may first have to read a long list of body parts or give you a written list and have you indicate where you've had pain in the last week, ranking the severity of multiple symptoms from 0-3. The doctor then looks at your totals to determine whether you have fibromyalgia.

A doctor who knows about fibromyalgia, can make a diagnosis based upon two criteria:

A history of widespread pain in all four quadrants of the body lasting more than 3 months. Pain must be present in both the right and left sides of the body as well as above and below the waist.

Presence of 11 tender points. The body has 18 sites that are possible tender points. For fibromyalgia diagnosis a person must have 11 or more tender points. For a point to be “tender,” the patient must feel pain when pressure is put on the site. People who have fibromyalgia may feel pain at other sites, too, but those 18 sites on the body are used for diagnosis. (see image)

If your doctor didn't use either of these methods, you may be wise to question the diagnosis and should consider seeking another opinion. If your doctor did use one of these methods, and ruled out other causes, it's highly likely that you have fibromyalgia.

Your doctor may try to rule out other causes of your pain and fatigue. Testing for some of these things may make sense to you. For instance, you may find it reasonable that your doctor wants to rule out rheumatoid arthritis, since that disease also causes pain. Testing for other conditions — such as lupus, multiple sclerosis, or sleep apnea — may make less sense to you. But fibromyalgia can mimic or even overlap many other conditions. Talk with your doctor. He or she can help you understand what each test is for and how each test is part of making a final diagnosis.

If you go through all of this and believe you're misdiagnosed, you should talk to your doctor or consider seeing a specialist, such as a rheumatologist or neurologist.

All statements here are not claims to cure or treat any disease, provide any health benefit, and are for educational and thoughtful purposes only. If you need medical advice, please seek a qualified health care provider.