Fibromyalgia is a syndrome, a recognizable constellation of symptoms of unknown causation. The primary symptom of fibromyalgia is widespread muscle pain. The majority of sufferers are women between the ages of 34 and 56. Ten to twenty percent of those with FMS are severely debilitated.
As recently as twenty years ago, fibromyalgia was unrecognized. Clinical examinations often revealed no concrete findings. X-rays, blood tests, and muscle biopsies appeared normal, and therefore the symptoms seemed unexplained. Currently, a diagnosis is made by first ruling out other conditions that may mimic its symptoms such as hypothyroidism, lupus, Lyme disease, and rheumatoid arthritis. Then the diagnosis is based upon the patient's history and physical findings. A history of generalized muscle pain and malaise coupled with the finding of 11 of 18 specific tender points is suggestive of fibromyalgia.
Primary symptoms:
• Pain
• Fatigue
• Sleep disturbances
Secondary symptoms:
• Stiffness
• Headache and facial pain
• Abdominal discomfort
• Irritable bladder
• Numbness or tingling
• Chest pain
• Cognitive disorders
• Environmental sensitivity
• Disorientation & balance problems
What can Chinese medicine do?
Chinese medicine views fibromyalgia as a condition resulting from general weakness of the liver, kidney, spleen and heart, caused by emotional stress, over strain, lack of adequate sleep and nutrition, and disturbed body rhythm - in other words, the body is out of "sync."
A Traditional Chinese Medicine practitioner completes a full assessment of a patient in order to accurately determine what imbalances are present. There are a number of different patterns that we see frequently with FMS and treatment should be tailored to each patient's pattern. Acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine can help control pain, increase energy and improve sleep and other symptoms. Fibromyalgia symptoms are greatly influenced by stress, amount of activity, and environment.
Food and Fibromyalgia: A Chinese Perspective
You probably know that eating certain foods lead to a drop in your energy level. For thousands of years, Chinese health experts have studied how different kinds of foods affect the health of your body, organ systems, and muscles. In fact, certain foods actually increase the dampness inside the body. Excess dampness can lead to joint and muscle aches, extreme fatigue, and organs systems that do not work efficiently. Sound like many of the classic symptoms of fibromyalgia? Chinese medicine defines fibromyalgia as a pathological condition of internal dampness. This system of medicine has also defined many foods to avoid that will aggravate the symptoms of fibromyalgia. Unfortunately, sweets and carbohydrates are in the category of foods that increase internal dampness in the body. Dairy, highly processed, and oily foods fall in this category. Foods that are raw, cold, or produce mucus are also included in the category of dampness-producing foods. This covers most of the comfort foods that people turn to like pizza, ice cream, cakes, and cookies.
What can you do?
• Eat lightly for dinner, preferably vegetables, grains, and little protein.
• Avoid tomatoes, eggplant, peppers, potatoes, dairy products, red meat, alcohol, caffeine, sugar, greasy, processed or refined foods.
• Avoid excessive intake of raw/uncooked fruits and veggies
• Avoid daily fruit drinks and icy cold beverages
• Eliminate sodas
• Include unprocessed foods in your diet. i.e. proteins, complex and unrefined carbohydrates, vegetables, whole grains and legumes (beans & bean products)
• Take a hot bath before bedtime.
• Partake in stress relieving exercise (swimming, yoga, stretching, tai chi)
• Practice some form of meditation before bed to relax the body and prepare for sleep.
• Go to sleep at the same time every night, before 11 pm.
• We highly recommend getting organic grown and minimally processed food.