Understanding Fibromyalgia Syndrome – How Does a Person Get Fibromyalgia?

Click Here to Find Out the Holistic Guide to Combat Chronic Fatigue and Fibromyalgia

Understanding Fibromyalgia Syndrome - Fibromyalgia Syndrome, Treatment and Symptoms

 

Introduction

 

Fibromyalgia is a complex chronic condition which predominantly affects women.  The latest statistics show us that 9 out of every 10 sufferers are women.  Fibromyalgia used to be known as fibrositis, however, as more is learnt about this condition, it was re-named to Fibromyalgia.

 

While this condition does not affect the sufferer’s life span, full recovery from Fibromyalgia is very uncommon and where this happens, the likelihood of a recurrence is very high.

 

What are the Symptoms of Fibromyalgia?

 

The main symptom of Fibromyalgia is that of pain, tender areas of the body and tiredness.  However, the symptoms which each patient suffers from vary in both number and degree.  The severity of the symptoms can vary due to the level of stress or sometimes the weather.  None of the most common symptoms are visible outwardly.  All this can make diagnosis of Fibromyalgia very difficult.

 

There is a big list of the most common symptoms which includes

 

- Fatigue, severe tiredness and a significant lack of stamina

- Headaches and facial pain, often as a result of neck, shoulder and jaw muscle stiffness

- General pain and stiffness especially in the trunk and abdomen.

- Specific soreness and tenderness

- An itching or burning pain accompanied occasionally with a muscle spasm

- Irritable bowels or bladed, also a need or urgency to pass urine.

- Anxiety and depression

- Poor concentration

- Restlessness in legs.

 

What is the cause of Fibromyalgia?

 

We don’t know what the cause of Fibromyalgia is yet.  There appear to be a number of factors which are common in a significant number of the sufferers of Fibromyalgia though.

 

They include

 

- change in sleep pattern

- serotonin deficiency (the mood and sleep regulating hormone)

- some kind of viral infection

- a psychological disturbance

- a lack of exercise

 

How to treat Fibromyalgia?

 

Due to the fact that we don’t know what causes Fibromyalgia, the treatment generally consists of relieving the symptoms of Fibromyalgia.  As with most conditions, there are two sides to treatment which are not necessarily exclusive but should be done in tandem.  They are via a variety of medical methods, plus there are a number of things which you can do to help relieve the symptoms.

 

The self-help methods include

 

- Increase your level of exercise. It has been shown that those patients with high levels of aerobic fitness generally suffer less from Fibromyalgia

- Regular stretching or yoga

- Avoid using nasal decongestants and also reduce your consumption of coffee and alcohol

- Sometimes more easily said than done, but by controlling your emotions and behaviour, hopefully this will reduce your stress levels.

 

On top of these self-help methods, your doctor will probably be able to reduce your symptoms by

 

- prescribing low dose tricyclic anti-depressants to deal with the serotonin deficiency.  This will help to promote better sleep and hopefully reduce the pain

- Local anaesthetic mixed with corticosteroids for local pain relief

- Pain killers e.g. paracetamol or ibuprofen

- In some cases, stronger narcotic painkillers may be used.

 

Understanding Fibromyalgia Syndrome - Fibromyalgia Syndrome Explained

 

Fibromyalgia syndrome is a disorder of the musculoskeletal system. The cause is unknown, but the name actually means pain in muscles, tendons, ligaments, and soft fibrous in the human body.

 

Those with fibromyalgia often say that they literally hurt all over their body. They feel like all of their muscles have been strained, their bones ache, and tendons feel stretched and achy. The disorder can be found in people of most any age but is more common in women than it is in men. Overall, someone with fibromyalgia will feel like they have a bad flue with the achy muscles and body. The only problem is that this doesn’t go away in 24 hours.

 

Symptoms of fibromyalgia Syndrome Explained

 

Basically, there are three main symptoms to fibromyalgia (and a host of other symptoms from digestive to reproductive issues): pain, fatigue and sleep issues. Each individually is terrible, but combined they make fibromyalgia a crippling disorder.

 

The main symptom of fibromyalgia is the pain. It is a pain that really has no limits. Sufferers describe deep aching in the muscles, throbbing and stabbing pains in them as well. There is sometimes burning in the muscles as well. In most cases the pain is worse in the morning and often more intense with muscles that get more use.

 

Fatigue is another big symptom of fibromyalgia. It is usually a mental fatigue that leaves sufferers feeling lethargic and void of any energy or motivation. Concentration becomes difficult and the body may actually feel heavier and sluggish. Sufferers of fibromyalgia sometimes say they just feel like they are in a constant fog.

 

When sufferers of fibromyalgia syndrome explained symptoms, they rarely mentioned specific sleep problems. However, it has been found that most who have fibromyalgia do suffer a problem called the alpha-EEG anomaly. Basically, it means that while the person has no trouble going to sleep, their brain continually works from sleep to active mode through the night. Sleep is then disrupted and the person with fibromyalgia ends up more fatigued than before. It is a vicious cycle.

 

Treatment

 

Having fibromyalgia syndrome explained must include the treatments of the ailment. Though the cause is unknown, treatments are continually being developed to help overcome the problem, which can be crippling.

 

For the most part, treatments of fibromyalgia are set to help improve sleep quality and reduce pain. A sleep study may be performed since a sleep disorder is often the first thing treated. Getting better deep sleep does as much as anything to help quell the symptoms of fibromyalgia.

 

Next, the pain is generally treated. This is done with drugs that both fight pain and increase serotonin in the body. This added serotonin can also help with sleep sometimes as well.

 

Hopefully having fibromyalgia syndrome explained makes it a little easier to relate to those who have the problem. This disorder, with no known cause, can lead to other problems like depression and other psychological problems.

 

Though the treatments are limited at this time, new drugs and new ideas are continually hitting the market so that those who do suffer from fibromyalgia have a better chance of leading a more normal life.

 

Watch this video - Understanding Fibromyalgia Syndrome - What is fibromyalgia and how is it treated?

 

This article is from the Get Your Health Back – Fibromyalgia & Chronic Fatigue Freedom. It consists of a strategy filled with guides on sleep, pain, depression, anxiety, diet, exercise and fitness plans, diet plans and packed with 369 healthy and delicious recipes

 

To find out more about this program, visit the website - Get Your Health Back – Fibromyalgia & Chronic Fatigue Freedom

Fibromyalgia Information and Treatment – Is Fibromyalgia a Form of Arthritis?

Click Here to Find Out the Holistic Guide to Combat Chronic Fatigue and Fibromyalgia

What is Fibromyalgia?

Sometimes referred to as "fibro" and "the invisible disease," fibromyalgia is a very debilitating that can strike anyone.  Approximately three to six percent of the U.S. population suffers from this condition, which causes sufferers chronic pains and aches.  The chronic pain and fatigue associated with this disease causes sufferers a general discomfort and a loss of the ability to function normally.

The earmarks of fibromyalgia are muscular aches and pains, stiffness of joints, and general fatigue.  Most who suffer from fibromyalgia are faced with disturbed sleep, making it almost impossible to get a good night's rest.  This only makes the general aches and pains of the disease that much worse.

What are the Symptoms of Fibromyalgia?

Fibromyalgia causes widespread, chronic pain.  No area of the body will remain untouched by the effects of fibro, though the pain is most commonly found in the back, shoulders, neck, and hands.  Those who suffer from fibromyalgia have complained of a tingling or burning sensation, and numbness.   Many who have been struck with fibro have experienced sensitized skin and nerve pain.

Other symptoms of fibro include impaired memory and concentration, anxiety, depression, dizziness, ringing in the ears, terrible headaches, and irritable bowels and bladder. Fibromyalgia most commonly causes sufferers a general, overall fatigue brought on by general pain, muscle ache, and sleeplessness.

What Causes Fibromyalgia?

Fibromyalgia is a disease that is the focus of much intense scientific study.  There are many theories about the causes of fibro, and in many cases, it is the result of some trauma that sufferers have experienced.  But there is much still unknown about this horrible disease, and modern medicine has still to pinpoint the cause of fibromyalgia.  There is no known method of prevention.  Scientific research indicates that some people may be genetically predisposed to fibromyalgia, but nothing has been accurately proven.

Is There a Cure for Fibromyalgia?

There is no known cure for fibromyalgia. In fact, as there is much still unknown about this disease and as there are no accurate tests for fibromyalgia, it is very hard to be diagnosed with this disease.  Many doctors remain largely unfamiliar with the effects of fibro, and many doctors remain steadfast that fibromyalgia is not a true disease or physical ailment.

However, as awareness of fibromyalgia grows, new treatments are being explored.  Sufferers of fibro have more options today, and as scientists learn more there is great hope that a true cure will be discovered in the future.

What Treatments are Available to Those Who Suffer from Fibromyalgia?

Over-the-counter pain medications can help to relieve some of the chronic pain caused by fibromyalgia.  Most doctors will prescribe pain medication and antidepressants to those who suffer from fibro and prescribe a light exercise regime to keep muscles loose and limber.

Daily stretching exercises, like yoga, can help alleviate some of the muscle pain associated with this disease.  Holistic methods and medicines are very popular with fibromyalgia sufferers.  Proper diet and nutrition are very important to those who suffer from this disease, and there is a focus on eating healthy and treating the body very well.

As fibromyalgia causes sleeping problems, doctors have stressed the importance that those who have been diagnosed with fibro get plenty of healthy sleep.  Plenty of sleep will lessen the fatigue and exhaustion that those with fibromyalgia almost constantly feel and alleviate some of the pain in the muscles and joints.

What's Next?

With no known cure, and no way to reverse the effects of fibromyalgia, sufferers are forced to live with the disease for the remainder of their lives - or until a cure is found.  Treatment must remain strict, and diet and exercise programs followed explicitly.  Those who suffer from fibromyalgia will not be able to function at any high-level capacity.  They will not be able to engage in strenuous activities, or even to hold a full-time job in most cases. 

But by maintaining treatment and living inside the realm of their physical capacity, those who suffer from fibro greatly reduce the pain that they experience.  When more is understood about this disease, and scientists are able to come up with a comprehensive cure, perhaps fibromyalgia will finally be wiped out.

Fibromyalgia Information and Treatment – Characteristics of Fibromyalgia Treatments

Fibromyalgia is a serious neurological condition that causes pain in the musculoskeletal system. People who suffer from fibromyalgia also feel pain in the tendons, ligaments and the areas of the joints. Another characteristic of fibromyalgia is a pronounced state of fatigue that takes over the entire body. The symptoms of fibromyalgia resemble those of rheumatoid arthritis and due to this fact, fibromyalgia may be misdiagnosed.

However, unlike people with physical illnesses, the people with fibromyalgia seem to be in perfect health. Although the pain reported by people with fibromyalgia is present, it occurs on the premises of abnormal brain activity. People who suffer from fibromyalgia have a very sensitive nervous system and a low tolerance to external stimuli. Increased nervous excitability is considered to be the cause of the intense, recidivating pain experienced by people with fibromyalgia.

Statistics indicate that more than 3.7 million Americans are diagnosed with fibromyalgia. This is a disturbing fact, as modern medicine hasn’t yet discovered a specific cure for this type of neurological disorder. In fact, although scientists have established a connection between abnormal brain activity and the symptoms of fibromyalgia, the exact causes responsible for the development of the disorder remain unknown.

In present, fibromyalgia treatments are solely focused on ameliorating its symptoms, instead of overcoming its causes. Although most fibromyalgia treatments can ease the muscular pain and discomfort characteristic to all people with the disorder, these symptoms seem to reoccur on a regular time basis. This is due to the fact that fibromyalgia is a chronic disorder and therefore it needs ongoing treatment.

Fibromyalgia treatments mostly consist of painkillers and anti-inflammatory drugs (used solely for their analgesic properties). However, apart from intense pain, many people with fibromyalgia complain about having trouble sleeping and feel a pronounced state of fatigue throughout the whole body. Therefore, in some particular cases, fibromyalgia treatments may include sedatives in order to correct the patients’ sleeping problems.

As a consequence of the fact that modern medicine is unable to trace the actual causes of the disorder, the symptoms of fibromyalgia can only be corrected by prescribing a certain treatment for each individual symptom. Therefore, the majority of fibromyalgia treatments consist of many types of medicines that target different aspects of the disorder.

Other physical symptoms of fibromyalgia are migraines, lack of concentration, body weakness, decrease of the short-term memory, accelerated heart rate, nausea, abdominal pain and bloating, vomiting and diarrhoea.

When patients are confronted with these symptoms, the fibromyalgia treatment includes medicines appropriate for each particular problem. Fibromyalgia can even cause depression and in this case the fibromyalgia treatment will include anti-depressives.

The multitude of fibromyalgia symptoms requires a multitude of fibromyalgia treatments. Due to this fact, many people who follow ongoing medication either develop increased tolerance to drugs and need higher doses (especially in the case of analgesics and sedatives), or they start feeling even worse than before due to the side-effects of the fibromyalgia treatment.

However, there are other forms of fibromyalgia treatments that can relief the symptoms of the condition without relying on drugs. These fibromyalgia treatments involve kineto-therapy and massage therapy.

By stimulating the trigger points on the body (the places where the pain is the most intense) and through the means of therapeutic massages, the muscular pain and fatigue can be diminished. Medical experts strongly recommend these forms of therapy instead of ongoing fibromyalgia treatments that involve drugs.

To find out more about fibromyalgia information and treatment, watch these 2 following videos –

Life with Fibromyalgia | Symptoms |Diagnosis | Treatment

Fibromyalgia: Living with chronic pain - BBC Stories

This article is from the Get Your Health Back – Fibromyalgia & Chronic Fatigue Freedom. It consists of a strategy filled with guides on sleep, pain, depression, anxiety, diet, exercise and fitness plans, diet plans and packed with 369 healthy and delicious recipes

To find out more about this program, visit the website - Get Your Health Back – Fibromyalgia & Chronic Fatigue Freedom

Fibromyalgia Help – How Can I Ease Fibromyalgia Pain?

Click Here to Find Out the Holistic Guide to Combat Chronic Fatigue and Fibromyalgia

Fibromyalgia Help – What are the Symptoms of Fibromyalgia?

Fibromyalgia is a chronic and common disease that affects 2-4% people of total world population. Although the cause behind this disease is unknown till date, but the syndromes are very well known. It is very painful for the people suffering from this disease. The pain is widespread and produces a fatigue disorder. This disease mostly affects muscles, ligaments, tendons and other soft fibres in the body; as a consequence, patients feel the pain in the muscle joint areas of body, such as neck, shoulder, elbow and heap.

Some experts take it as a special form of arthritis, but the fact is the affected muscles in the body are not deformed like arthritis cases. Fibromyalgia is some sort of neuro-muscular pain, which affects the musculoskeletal schema of human body. Patients can suffer from the following symptoms:

    * Widespread pain for more than 3 months.

    * Tenderness in the neck, shoulder, knee, elbow, or upper buttocks or thigh areas.

    * Trouble sleeping.

    * Tiredness in the morning or late in the day.

    * Mood changes

    * Irritable bowel syndrome.

    * Headaches, sometimes migraines.

    * Difficulty concentrating.

    * Numbness and tingling in hands, arms, feet, legs or face.

    * Abdominal pain.

    * Bloating.

    * Long lasting morning stiffness

    * Constipation.

    * Diarrhoea.

    * Fatigue that interferes with work and daily activities.

    * Sleep problems (difficulty falling or staying asleep, waking up feeling tired).

In addition of those symptoms fibromyalgia patients often feels anxiety along with depression. They feel lethargic and may feel frustrated in their life. This depression often leads them to commit suicide.

Women may also face problems in their periods and suffer from other feminine diseases.

In a recent research it is found that women are more affected than men. It is a common phenomenon that women lacks calcium a bit more than men, this may be the reason behind that.

Fibromyalgia disturbs sleep; this leads to mental weakness and often causes mental disorder. The cause behind this disease is still mystery but the resultant effects are very acute. It generally affects people of any age, some experts have revealed that after a traumatic disease or a massive flue fibromyalgia may starts.

Identifying the tender points in the body makes diagnosis of fibromyalgia syndrome. At the diagnosis of fibromyalgia, other chronic syndromes such as thyroid disturbance, Lyme disease, chronic fatigue syndrome are assumed eliminated. Pain in 11 to 18 tender points indicates fibromyalgia syndrome.

Fibromyalgia Help - Treatment for Fibromyalgia

Although there is no exact treatment for fibromyalgia, but some preventive measures can be taken to get rid of it. Presently doctors are concentrating on managing pain, relaxing muscles and reduced depression. Doctors prescribe patients, low-stress exercises such as walking, swimming, water aerobics, and biking rather than muscle-straining exercises such as weight training. Some other measures are heat applied to sore muscles, stretching exercises (Pilates is one form.) and massage.

    As there is no specific medicine for fibromyalgia, doctors try to reduce the pain and increase the sleep. In order to achieve that following types of medicines are prescribed:

Analgesics

Acetaminophen (Tylenol, others) may reduce the pain and stiffness caused by fibromyalgia. However, its effectiveness varies with individuals. Tramadol (Ultram) is a pain reliever medicine that may be taken with or without acetaminophen.

Doctors often recommend nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) — such as aspirin, ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin, others) or naproxen sodium (Anaprox, Aleve) — in combination with other medications, but NSAIDs haven't proven to be useful in control the pain in fibromyalgia when taken by themselves.

Antidepressants

Doctors advise antidepressant medications, such as amitriptyline, nortriptyline (Aventyl, Pamelor) or doxepin (Sinequan) to help deep and uninterrupted sleep. Fluoxetine (Prozac) in mixture with amitriptyline has also been found efficient. Sertraline (Zoloft) and paroxetine (Paxil) are also effective for the patients suffering from depression. These medications may be beneficial by affecting serotonin levels in the brain.

Muscle relaxants

Taking the medication cyclobenzaprine (Flexeril) at bedtime may help to take care of muscle pain and spasms.

Doctors strictly oppose consumption of sleeping pills and pain killers. Patients sometimes take them for quick relief, but the effect is very short term while the side-effect lasts for a long term. These medicines are type of narcotic, so these are very harmful for the patients.

    Some self-made measures can also be effective to prevent fibromyalgia. These procedures can be exercised in home. The measures are:

        * Proper workout includes walking, swimming, biking and water aerobics. A physical therapist may help you develop a home exercise program.

        * Stretching, Free-hands, Good posture and relaxation workouts are also helpful.

        * Develop a plan to avoid or limit over-exertion and poignant stress. Give yourself time each day to rest.

        * Exercise stress lessening techniques, such as deep-breathing exercises, meditation and Yoga.

        * Leading a very healthy and simple lifestyle can also help to prevent fibromyalgia.

For more ideas on fibromyalgia help, watch this video - What Foods Trigger Fibromyalgia Pain?

This article is from the Get Your Health Back – Fibromyalgia & Chronic Fatigue Freedom. It consists of a strategy filled with guides on sleep, pain, depression, anxiety, diet, exercise and fitness plans, diet plans and packed with 369 healthy and delicious recipes

To find out more about this program, visit the website - Get Your Health Back – Fibromyalgia & Chronic Fatigue Freedom