Looking for Fibromyalgia Relief Phoenix?

Fibromyalgia is a condition of chronic pain that usually presents with widespread body aches and pain.  Patients, most commonly women between 20-50, often also suffer with fatigue, stiffness, poor sleep, IBS, anxiety, and depression.  Fibromyalgia is diagnosed using a series of criteria. The first is that the patient has to be experiencing this pain for 3 months or more. The painful areas in the body are specific, and out of the 18 designated sites at least 11 will be tender. To date, the cause of fibromyalgia is not well understood. Although there are many theories, the most prominent seems to be a disordered pain perception mechanism. Exactly how this disordered pain perception comes about is variable. In some cases, fibromyalgia presents secondary to another disorder, such as lupus, Sjogrens disease, or rheumatoid arthritis.  In other cases, the fibromyalgia presents following a severe viral infection, injury, or emotional trauma.  

Fibromyalgia shows no preference toward people from high or low socioeconomic statuses and/or ethnicities, however, there is a higher percentage of women affected.  While a genetic link is undetermined at this time, the condition does seem to have an affinity for some families where multiple members in the same family suffer with fibromyalgia.

Fibroymyaligia relief at our phoenix clinic begins with a thorough investigation of all possible causes of pain before diagnosing. There are many disorders that can present with similar symptoms and it is important to rule them out first. Some examples include: vitamin D deficiency, rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, osteoarthritis, polymyalgia rheumatic, hypothyroidism, chronic liver disease, and iron deficiency anemia. Once the above have been ruled out, it is important to find any associated causes as these can be key components to treatment. Most often there is not one cause but multiple, so a through history and understanding of your individual health is important to fibromyalgia relief.

Treatment for fibromyalgia.

As with the causes of fibromyalgia, there are diverse treatment options too. Still, there are some cornerstones that should be included in any treatment plan. These cornerstones are diet and nutrition, lifestyle modification, and energy balancing. 

Diet    

Over and over again we have seen dramatic shifts in a person’s condition when they make the necessary dietary changes.  While consistent and adequate sources of nutrition are important, there are other important dietary considerations.  

Fibromyalgia is a disease of inflammation and one way to reduce the inflammatory molecules in ones body is to stop feeding it inflammatory foods.  An anti-inflammatory diet is a common practice for many conditions but particularly important for fibromyalgia relief. Here are some key aspects to consider

• Consume a mostly vegetarian, or vegan diet, that consists of plently of fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, whole grains, and sometimes fish.   
• Increasing sources of omega 3 fatty acids, such as in fish, walnuts, and flax seeds. 
•  Avoiding meats, dairy, night shade vegetables, processed foods, caffeine, alcohol, and fried foods can help too.

Another consideration for inflammatory diet is to identify food sensitivities (also known as food allergies). With this approach, the doctor will help you understand which foods your body has sensitives to and which are okay to eat. In this way, you identify the foods your body is reacting to and creating inflammation from.

Additionally, using laboratory and or symptom pictures, a doctor can identify possible nutrient deficiencies.  Through diet, supplementation, and IV therapy these levels are increased to optimal levels.

Lifestyle modification

Your lifestyle plays a big role in the amount of stress your body produces. Some of us don't realize how much stress we are under until we take a vacation or get away from the day to day activity. Over time this stress depletes nutrients and hormones leaving your body incapable of responding to minor inflammation and tissue damage. Stress management is an important component of fibromyalgia relief, phoenix.  

Balancing Energy

Acupuncture is system of medicine used to balance your energy. In Chinese Medicine, pain is considered to be a disruption in the flow of Qi, (pronounced chee), or energy. Your acupuncture doctor will first determine an underlying Chinese diagnosis which contributes to this disruption in Qi flow. From here, the acupuncture doctor will insert thin needles into the corresponding acupuncture points to encourage better flow in the energy. Through working with a acupuncture phoenix doctor you can establish an improved flow and balanced energy. Studies have shown that acupuncture is effective in helping reduce pain, fatigue, and anxiety associated with fibromyalgia. 

If you would more information on fibromyalgia relief or other holistic pain management options, click on the link below for a free consultation with one of our holistic doctors.