Natural Fibromyalgia Treatment (a guide to eliminate your pain)
Fibromyalgia is a world of mystery and this natural fibromyalgia treatment guide will help you to clear up this mystery.
It is still not clear what causes fibromyalgia, no lab test could give you one clear answer, and there is no “magic pill” that could help you fight fibromyalgia.
Are you struggling with chronic pain? However, don’t think that it’s impossible to reduce fatigue and relieve painful symptoms.
Let me help you identify the causes of your condition, and this natural fibromyalgia treatment guide will help you with the lifestyle changes that will significantly improve your quality of life.
There are numerous ways to treat the symptoms of fibromyalgia naturally, starting with the right supplementation and finishing with the brain retraining.
In this article, I’ll share the natural fibromyalgia treatment guide and hopefully, help you make the first step towards the improvement of your condition.
Table Of Contents
Diagnosis of Fibromyalgia
Fibromyalgia is a complicated condition to diagnose. There are no specific lab tests that can detect it. Instead, a doctor has to take into consideration symptoms and tender points along the body.
Note: The diagnosis cannot be made only based on tender points. You may feel pain today when pressure is applied to the tender point but tomorrow you won’t feel it. Very often women don’t experience pain in the 11 tender points every day.
Usually, the severity of symptoms can be worsened by emotional, physical, and environmental stressors. Therefore, when you are going through a stressful situation, the condition can get aggravated.
Symptoms of Fibromyalgia
Fibromyalgia often co-exists with functional pain disorders:
The Difference Between Rheumatoid Arthritis and Fibromyalgia
Fibromyalgia and RA share in common a lot of symptoms. They both usually cause pain, and tenderness in muscles and connective tissues. However, while these conditions have similar painful effects, they have absolutely different causes and consequences if not treated.
Fibromyalgia
Rheumatoid Arthritis
Note: Many people have RA and fibromyalgia simultaneously, that is why it is hard to make the right diagnosis. Moreover, if you feel like your doctor doesn’t take into consideration all your symptoms and prescribes expensive drugs without explanation on its use and side effects, don’t hesitate to switch doctors.
Also, a good doctor never relies only on FDA-approved drugs and will always recommend alternative treatments like yoga, meditation, and tai chi that can help to relieve the symptoms.
Working with a Naturopath in conjunction with your doctor will help you with a more holistic approach.
What Сauses Fibromyalgia
Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal (HPA) Axis Dysfunction and Chronic Stress
Fibromyalgia is usually associated with a dysregulation in the Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal Axis (HPA). This problem can occur when a person has an increased ‘fight or flight’ response caused by:
Normally people can overcome and heal from most traumas. In case, the person cannot heal the trauma and suffer from a sleep disorder, it results in increased sustained activation of the HPA axis. Abnormalities of pituitary function and adrenal fatigue reduce sex hormone and human growth hormone (HGH) production, which play an important role in the healing process of the body.
In simple words, dysregulation of HPA and the stress response affect your body’s ability to heal and leads to more stress, pain, and sleep disturbances, and this is when fibromyalgia occurs.
Testing
When you experience the symptoms of adrenal fatigue and hormonal imbalance, the DUTCH test can be a good idea to assess cortisol and hormone levels. This is a safe and convenient method for testing your hormones in the comfort of your home.
Small Intestine Bacterial Overgrowth (SIBO) and Leaky Gut
The connection between the brain, nervous system and gut has been shown in a great amount of research. It’s important to maintain a balance between “good” gut bacteria and bad bacteria.
SIBO never comes alone, it is associated with many inflammatory conditions, including brain disorders and neurological conditions such as fibromyalgia.
The “bad” bacteria, also known as Gram-negative bacteria have an outer membrane, containing an endotoxin called Lipopolysaccharide (LPS). When these “bad guys” overpopulate your small intestine, they secrete their LPS there.
In the excessive amount, LPS can damage your small intestine lining, and make it “leaky.” When the LPS leaks into the bloodstream, that is when the real problems occur. These toxins cause strong immune and pain reactions and affect not only your gut but the entire body.
The research shows that 30-70% of fibromyalgia patients suffer from SIBO and digestive issues.
The research shows that 30-70% of fibromyalgia patients suffer from SIBO and digestive issues.
Testing
In order to improve the symptoms of fibromyalgia, make sure to heal your gut first. The best way to look into what is going on in your gut is the GI-MAP test Or the Vibrant Wellness Gut Zoomer test, both of these tests are advanced stool tests.
Advanced stool testing assesses the normal bacterial flora, detects bacterial pathogens, parasites and viruses, which can be the underlying cause of many digestive conditions and chronic illnesses.
The most comprehensive test
The best value test
Mold Problems and Fibromyalgia
Mold exposure is another health risk that can cause fibromyalgia. According to the research, more than 30% of patients with fibromyalgia had more than one mycotoxin present.
That’s why if you experience problems with sleep, debilitating fatigue, respiratory symptoms, muscle, and joint pain, you have to check wet places in your house for mold overgrowth: basement, laundry room, air conditioning systems, bathroom, underneath the sinks, etc.
By getting rid of mold, you can improve the symptoms of fibromyalgia and other health issues co-existing with it.
Testing
The best way to test for mold toxicity is the is with a Mycotoxin test. It is easy at-home testing that helps detect fungal toxins and assess mycotoxin exposures that wreak havoc on your health.
Also, you can do the Visual Contrast Sensitivity (VCS) Test. As far as some types of mold and mycotoxins can lead to a contrast sensitivity deficit, this test can be helpful in the diagnosis process.
Read also: Mold Toxicity: 9 Steps to Protect Yourself from Mold Exposure
Heavy Metal Toxicity
Except for mold poisoning, many people with fibromyalgia have heavy metal toxicity. You may not even know that some of the household tools or foods may cause mold toxicity.
These are just a few examples of how you can get intoxicated with heavy metals:
Testing
There are many ways to test for metal toxicity: a blood, stool, hair, or urine test. In order to eliminate all the guesswork, the Metal Toxicity test by Vibrant Wellness is a great solution.
Mitochondrial Dysfunction and the OAT Test
Malfunctioning mitochondria and Coenzyme Q10 deficiency have been always directly linked to fibromyalgia.
Mitochondria are like cell batteries that give us energy, that is why when mitochondria are at its dysfunctional state, you’ll experience muscle weakness, pain, fatigue, and cognitive difficulties, which are the common symptoms of fibromyalgia.
In order to enhance mitochondrial function, CoQ10 is a vital enzyme. It helps reduce the pain and headache symptoms in fibromyalgia.
These are the common causes of mitochondrial dysfunction:
If you manage to detect the underlying cause of mitochondrial dysfunction, you’ll also find a key to the effective treatment of fibromyalgia and will dramatically improve your health.
Testing
The best way to assess your health, and in particular mitochondrial function is the Organic Acids Test. This is one of my favorite tests for Fibromyalgia as it covers many areas of your health: mold markers, candida, and fungal markers, dysbiosis markers, oxalate, and neurotransmitters metabolites, and of course mitochondria markers.
It is important to look not only at mitochondrial markers but at the other markers as well. As I’ve mentioned above, even the mold hiding under the sink can be a reason for mitochondrial dysfunction and fibromyalgia.
Magnesium, Vitamin D and Vitamin B12 deficiencies
Usually, patients with fibromyalgia experience certain vitamin and mineral deficiencies which aggravate symptoms of fibromyalgia.
The most common deficiencies are low levels in Magnesium, Vitamin D and Vitamin B12. If you boost the levels of vitamins and minerals you lack, it may significantly improve the symptoms of fibromyalgia.
Magnesium
If you experience increased pain and spasms after the exercise, it can be the first sign of magnesium deficiency. Supplementing with Magnesium will help you decrease fatigue, spasms, pain, and reduce your risks of injuring muscles during the exercise.
B12
The symptoms of b12 deficiency are muscle weakness, problems with mobility, numbness, and tingling.
B12 is critical for manufacturing red blood cells and keeping the body’s nerve cells healthy. Moreover, the research has shown the positive effects of B12 in the group of patients with fibromyalgia.
Vitamin D
Vitamin D deficiency is a very common issue, especially for patients with fibromyalgia, however, not always they are aware of it. The fibro patients with low vitamin D have increased pain sensitivity, accompanied by other symptoms such as impaired wound healing, fatigue, severe back pain, and bone loss.
By balancing your vitamin D levels, you can improve sleep, immunity and brain function.
Testing
For a more comprehensive look at your health, you can now get an advanced nutrition test to assess your vitamins, minerals, omega-3s, and amino acids—all from the comfort of your home. Click the link below to explore your options and take control of your health journey.
***Or schedule an appointment with Planet Naturopath and we can organize a customized pathology panel for you.
Glutathione Deficiency
Glutathione deficiency is common in central nervous system diseases such as chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia.
Nrf2 pathway helps regulate glutathione levels and supports cell survival during oxidative stress. BUT, when the Nrf2 pathway breaks down it causes oxidative stress, which damages mitochondria, affects DNA synthesis and repair, and causes cellular damage.
By improving your Glutathione levels, you can:
Poor Diet and Lifestyle
Although it is not clear what causes fibromyalgia, the fact that your lifestyle and your diet may help improve or worsen your condition is undeniable.
These are the most common lifestyle mistakes that may negatively influence your health and lead to chronic conditions like fibromyalgia.
Lifestyle Causes of Fibromyalgia
Natural Fibromyalgia Treatment
Fibromyalgia Diet
Eliminate Food Intolerances
Start with detecting your food intolerances. One of the simplest ways is IgG Food Allergy + Candida Test by Great Plains Laboratory. This test detects foods that cause gut inflammation, food cravings, and negatively impact your overall health. Then the elimination diet can show you how your body responds to eliminating certain foods for some periods of time.
Choose Fresh Organic Foods
Eliminate processed or fried foods, excessive amounts of saturated fats and sugar, which can cause Candida overgrowth Instead, drink water and tea, go organic and consume more vegetables and fruits, which are abundant in antioxidants.
Herbs and Supplements for Fibromyalgia
CBD Oil for Fibromyalgia
CBD is absolutely safe method to ease chronic pain symptoms of fibromyalgia. It can be used as an alternative to addictive opioids.
Recommended Supplement – Plus CBD oil (ships worldwide).
It helps reduce pain and improve the quality of sleep.
Other Natural Remedies for Fibromyalgia
Mind-Body Practices for Fibromyalgia
Mind-body practice is a great way to reduce the severity of fibromyalgia. It helps improve your mental health, reduce painful symptoms of fibromyalgia, and have a healthy deep sleep.
These are a few examples of mind-body practices:
Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) for Fibromyalgia
CBT is a therapy that changes your behavior and the way you think about certain things. When you are going through the annoying symptoms of fibromyalgia, you’re likely to start thinking negatively and complaining that your pain will never get better. This prevents you from taking action and improving the symptoms of the condition.
CBT helps change the beliefs and keep you positive and motivated to change the diet, lifestyle and search for better treatment.
The Gupta Program
The Gupta Program is developed by Ashok Gupta for people suffering from chronic disorders such as fibromyalgia. It is based on relaxing the nervous system and retraining the brain so that the body doesn’t respond in a negative way to stress.
Bottom Line
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