Therapeutic Advice You Can Trust

Dear Fibro Friends,

It’s July! It’s summer! One would think the stiffness from Fibromyalgia

would be less painful with the warmer weather! Think again.  Numerous Fibro

sufferers feel as though their limbs are swollen. The body part actually turns red!

We still do not understand why. But I can tell you without hesitation stretching

the limb or your entire body WILL help you to become more flexible and in doing so Will lessen your pain!

Our bodies were created to move!  Stretching helps the blood flow into your limbs, increasing circulation. This is a good thing!  If you keep up on your stretching your body will thank you! Your flexibility will improve!  The walk to opposite side of the house will become easier.

Stretch Gently and Slowly.  No body building endurance exercises needed.  Be Positive! Yes it will hurt. 

But you will increase your ability to move again!    

Upon completion of your stretches, reward yourself with a cool drink.  I mix cran-raspberry and orange juices together for a delightful fresh thirst quenching beverage.  As always Water is the beverage of choice. Drink a cold one J  Good luck to you!

Your Fibro Friend,

Cheryl

Hi Fibro and CFS Friends,

Dr. Mike is back with an outstanding article explaining the use of Cold Therapy Treatment for Fibromyalgia trigger points!  Thank you Dr. Mike!  We sincerely appreciate your Fibromyalgia articles. You certainly are a caring leading edge physcian!

Fibro Tender Points and Cold Laser Therapy

As a fibromyalgia sufferer, you know how painful fibromyalgia tender points can be.  As a treating fibromyalgia physician, I can tell you that administering to fibromyalgia tender points can be quite challenging.  In my private practice, one of the most successful “weapons” for treating fibromyalgia tender points in some FMS sufferers is what is called; cold laser therapy or low light laser therapy (LLLT).  This type of therapy helps reduce pain and inflammation in the tender points and the surrounding area.

Low light laser therapy (specifically the one I use) is non-thermal.  Non-thermal means it does not produce heat (thus the name, cold laser).  The light penetrates through the skin into the tender point tissue.  This penetration of the light helps speed up cellular repair by increasing the lymphatic and vascular systems.  By increasing the vascular system, more blood is brought to the area, which promotes more oxygen to the area and more nutrients to nourish the muscles.  Often times, this leads to a reduction in pain.

When the laser (which looks like a small flashlight) is applied, the patient typically feels nothing, making this type of therapy very comfortable.  This type of treatment does not help in every situation but a high percentage of fibro sufferers get at least some relief.  Seeing that cold laser therapy or LLLT is non-invasive and comfortable over the tender points, it is definitely worth trying. 

Dr. Mike Swierczynski, DC, MS

Readers: Please ask your questions and/or add suggestions regarding this treatment in the comments section of this blog. 

Greetings Fibromyalgia/CFS Friends,

Thank goodness summer is here! 

For Fibromyalgia/CFS sufferer’s it could be a blessing or a curse.  I do realize summer is not a Fibro or CFS’s  best friend.  Follow a few easy tips and help your daily quality of life improve:

- Turn on your air conditioner when the humidity arrives.  It will entail a higher electric bill but also heighten your good spirits!  Feel better and don’t feel guilty. You are important!

- Slide into a slightly warm pool or bathtub.  If the water is to cool it may likely exasperate burning and itching. If it is to warm the same is true. 

- If your daily activity will involve being outdoors for a few hours bring along a

thermos filled with ice chips.  Your improved heat tolerance will be worth it!

- Water is the best beverage you can drink and pour over your burning throbbing feet if you will be spending time outdoors during the day OR evening.

 - If you have delicate eyes that are extra sensitive to light like I do, Sunglasses are a must for Fibromyalgia and CFS sufferers.  Make sure they block the UVA rays. This applies to prescription and non-prescription sunglasses. Cheap sunglasses may cost you less. But you will pay much more with your discomfort and pain.

I hope these tips will start your summer off  with a higher daily quality of life.

Your Fibro Friend,

Cheryl 

Hi Friends,

As Memorial Day kicks off the first phase of Summer, hopefully this article may be of use to someone kicking off your first Fibromyalgia information.  It’s very simple get to first base Fibromyalgia basics:

What is Fibromyalgia?

Fibromyalgia is a disorder that has been studied from as early as the 1800s. It has been referred by various names in different medical literatures like rheumatism and fibrositis. There are various symptoms that point out to the fact that the patient might be suffering from this disease. It includes the following:

• Chronic and wide spread pain that spreads throughout the body. The body becomes very sensitive and the patient feels pain even when touched.
• There is constant fatigue and lack of stamina in the patients.
• Patients suffering from this condition might also suffer from allodynia i.e. they feel extreme pain even when they are touched (skin becomes hypersensitive).
• Tingling of the skin, a constant ache in the muscles followed by spasms is a common fixture.
• Patients also complain about weakness in limbs and severe nerve pain. They may also develop severe muscle spasms frequently.
• Patients suffer from sleep disturbances where their deep sleep is punctuated with sudden phases of wakefulness. Chronic sleep disturbances are very common among patients suffering from fibromyalgia.
• Under extreme situations, patients find it hard to concentrate on any particular activity; some of them also suffer from short term memory loss. This is caused by the disturbances in sleep and that makes the patient even more fatigued.
• The aforesaid symptoms seem to get aggravated or rather heightened when the patient falls sick to certain other illness. Changes of weather can also trigger off these reactions.
• Increased psychosocial stress can also trigger off or may aggravate the condition in the patients. Other factors include changes in barometric pressure and humidity. Excessive physical exertion can also lead to the reappearance of the symptoms.

So what are the causes or rather the factors behind this disease? The answer is debated among doctors and researchers working in this field. Most researchers are of this opinion that this is a type of comorbid disease. A comorbid disease is a kind of illness that occurs in tandem with some other illness. So fibromyalgia is believed to occur in combination with some other disorder of the human body. There is a lot of speculation among the scientists regarding the type of disease that triggers fibromyalgia. One possible triggering disease is the irritability of bowel.

Most of the researchers in this field have found that people suffering from fibromyalgia have been or are suffering from irritability of bowel for a long time. Most of the researchers are also of the opinion that some other disorder occurs first, and fibromyalgia follows as a consequence of the other disorder. Most of the times the original disorder may get cured by clinical treatment but the condition of fibromyalgia persist. For example people who suffer from surgery related trauma acquire fibromyalgia as well. Although the trauma of surgery may abate after a few months, the condition of fibromyalgia still persists.

There is no universally acclaimed cure to this disease but there are a plethora of complementary and alternative drugs available that claim to provide temporary relief. There are pain relief tablets and pills that give temporary relief but no medicine provides long term benefit and cure.

Read my other posts for more indepth and helpful info to aid in improving your daily  quality of life.

Your fibro/cfs Friend,

Cheryl

Greeting Fibro and CFS Friends,

I was provided the following information regarding Fibromyalgia and pain receptors.   Cause is still unknown but I lean toward this theory as one reason our pain is so disabling.  The tender points around my right knee have been screaming with the intensity of “a truck just drove over my right leg type pain! J I observed if I push down on the points it does relieve the some pain the following day. It also leaves a 5” X 5” deep black and blue bruise!  Oh well, hope you enjoy the article as it makes sense to me.

“It is important to understand that a single cause is unknown.  However, with in-depth medical research, a number of sound theories have been developed, which is encouraging.  We know that people living with Fibromyalgia deal with levels of intense pain to the joints, ligaments, and muscles.  Many researchers and doctors believe that these individuals actually have a lower pain tolerance due to the brain having a much higher than normal sensitivity to pain signals being received.  Over the years, a number of nerve stimulation tests have been conducted on with people with Fibromyalgia, showing abnormal increase in some neurons or pain receptors.

These neurons work by receiving signals coming from neurotransmitters.  Although it is not quite known how, these receptors are capable of developing pain memory, which ultimately, makes them overreact, becoming much more sensitive to pain.  Because of this, pain that a healthy individual would feel is much less intense than it would be to the person with Fibromyalgia.  While this theory has been studied, appearing to be ironclad, the challenge is that the thing initiating the process has yet to be identified.”

Your Friend,

Cheryl

Dear Fibro/CFS Friends,

If you or someone you are helping has Fibromyalgia or CFS take a moment to identify if orthotic’s or supports will lessen soft tissue stress and unbearable pain when beginning a treadmill exercise program.  I realize you already hurt tremendously before even stepping on the treadmill so determine what type of support product may help lessen your pain.

Let me share with you my experience.   I wear inserts in my shoes to walk period so I picked up a pair of very supportive walking shoes. My ankles and knees cry out big time daily.  I selected ankle and knee orthotics from Wal-Mart …cheapest and best quality products in town!  I found a Super lower back brace that fit like a glove at Wal-Mart also.  

I use other products also but the ankle, knee and back orthotics are a staple.

Think about what items will work for you before starting your program. If you omit this step you may sabotage your program before beginning it. 

After you have acquired your armor we will move forward with “how to use the treadmill for your benefit and steps to stay safe while walking on the treadmill in my next post. 

Your Fibro Friend,

Cheryl

Greetings Fibro/CFS Friends,

Are any Fibromyalgia or Chronic Fatigue Syndrome sufferer’s ready to try out a walk on the treadmill? And I do mean walk. Walk slowww!  Someone is thinking “you have got to be kidding.” I hear you! You’re thinking  “I can hardly walk to the other side of the house! Is she nuts?”  I’m here to tell you it’s Ok to feel that way. I know…because I did!

If you don’t have a treadmill, check out the yard/garage/rummage sales. If you are unable to look yourself ask a friend or family member to locate one.  If you don’t know anyone call an organization in your community with volunteers who will help you. If you have exhausted all your networks and are unable to find someone to help you send me a comment and I will help you. No need to dent your budget, especially with the economic recession.  Just take the initiative and acquire the treadmill.

I will explain how the treadmill has helped me in my next post as you should NEVER push your pace too soon or you may end of back in bed for a few days to a week or so.  For now, locate your treadmill and we’ll move on.

Your Fibro Friend,

Cheryl

Hi Fibro and CFS Friends,

The following is valuable information stemming from an  article from [National Fibromyalgia Partnership, Inc.]  Go ahead and print this one and ask your family members to read it.  It is written with the layman in mind and may help those you care about and sometimes must depend on for support to understand You are not lazy or exaggerating the disabling syndrome symptoms.  

This article provides an overview of Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, including information about symptoms and homeostasis (self-healing).

“The most commonly accepted definition (devised by the American College of Rheumatology in 1990) is that the person affected needs to show a history of widespread pain (pain is considered widespread when all of the following are present: pain in the left side of the body, pain in the right side of the body, pain above the waist and pain below the waist. In addition there should be pain in the spine or the neck or front of the chest, or thoracic spine or lower back) and pain in 11 of 18 tender point sites on finger pressure.”

“Both Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Fibromyalgia often seem to begin after an infection or a severe shock (physical or emotional), and the symptoms are very similar. The only obvious difference seems to be that for some people the fatigue element is the most dominant while for others the muscular pain symptoms are greatest. In other words for many people the diagnosis Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Fibromyalgia are interchangeable terms, although there are certain symptoms (fever, swollen glands for example) which are found in a higher percentage of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome patients than those with Fibromyalgia, which sometimes make such a comparison less precise.”

It is important to note that these fibromyalgia symptoms will and do vary in intensity and duration from person to person. As a result, the effect of fibromyalgia symptoms on our quality of life is also different for each of us who have to contend with this disorder.

Stiffness: Body stiffness may be particularly apparent upon awakening and after prolonged periods of sitting or standing in one position or coincide with changes in temperature or relative humidity

Increased Headaches Or Facial Pain: Fibromyalgia patients may experience frequent migraine, tension, or vascular headaches. Pain may also consist of referred pain to the temporal area (temples) or behind the eyes. Approximately one-third of patients with fibromyalgia are thought to have pain and dysfunction of the temporomandibular joint, or TMJ, (located where the jaw meets the ear) which produces not only headaches but also jaw and facial pain.

Sleep Disturbances: Despite sufficient amounts of sleep, FMS patients may awaken feeling non-refreshed, as if they have barely slept. Alternatively, they may have trouble falling asleep or staying asleep. Some also suffer from the condition, sleep apnea. The reasons for the non-restorative sleep and other sleep difficulties of fibromyalgia are unknown.

Gastrointestinal Complaints: Digestive disturbances, abdominal pain, and bloating are quite common in FMS as are constipation and/or diarrhea (also known as “irritable bowel syndrome” or IBS).

Genito-Urinary Problems: FMS patients may experience increased frequency of urination or increased urgency to urinate, typically in the absence of a bladder infection. Women with FMS may have more painful menstrual periods or experience worsening of their FMS symptoms during this time. Conditions such as vulvar vestibulitis or vulvodynia, characterized by a painful vulvar region and painful sexual intercourse, may also develop in women.

Paresthesia: Numbness or tingling, particularly, in the hands or feet, sometimes accompanies FMS. Also known as “paresthesia”, the sensation can be described as prickling or burning.
Temperature Sensitivity: Persons with fibromyalgia tend to be highly sensitive to ambient temperature. Some often feel abnormally cold (compared to others around them) while others feel abnormally warm. An unusual sensitivity to cold in the hands and/or feet, accompanied by color changes in the skin, sometimes occurs in persons with fibromyalgia. This condition is known as “Raynaud’s Phenomenon”.

Skin Complaints: Nagging symptoms, such as itchy, dry, or blotchy skin, may accompany FMS. Dryness of the eyes and mouth is also not uncommon. Additionally, fibromyalgia patients may experience a sensation of swelling, particularly in extremities, like fingers. A common complaint is that a ring no longer fits on a finger. Such swelling, however, is not equivalent to the joint inflammation of arthritis; rather, it is a localized anomaly of FMS whose cause is currently unknown.

Chest Symptoms: Individuals with fibromyalgia who engage in activities involving continuous, forward body posture (i.e., typing, sitting at a desk, etc.) often have special problems with chest and upper body pain known as “thoracic pain and dysfunction”.1. Often accompanying the pain is shallow breathing and postural problems. Patients may also develop a condition called “costochondralgia” which involves muscle pain where the ribs meet the chest bone. Such conditions may mimic heart disease and are therefore sometimes misdiagnosed. Note: Anyone experiencing chest pain should always consult a physician immediately. [Remember that persons with fibromyalgia can have other health problems!]

Dysequilibrium: FMS patients may be troubled by light-headedness and/or balance problems which manifest themselves in a number of ways.

Cognitive Disorders: Persons with FMS report a number of cognitive symptoms which tend to vary from day to day. These include difficulty concentrating, “spaciness,” short-term memory lapses, and being overwhelmed easily. Many fibromyalgia patients refer to such symptoms as “fibro-fog”.
Leg Sensations: Some FMS patients may develop a neurological disorder known as “restless legs syndrome” (RLS) which involves an irresistible urge to move the legs particularly when at rest or when lying down. One recent study reported that 31% of the fibromyalgia patients studied had RLS.6 The syndrome may also involve periodic limb movements during sleep (PLMS) which can be very disruptive to both the patient and to his/her sleeping partner.

Environmental Sensitivity: Hypersensitivity to light, noise, odors, and weather patterns is common and is usually explained as being a result of the hyper-vigilance seen in the nervous systems of patients with FMS. Allergic-like reactions to a variety of substances (i.e., medications, chemicals, food additives, pollutants, etc.) are common, and patients may also experience a form of non-allergic rhinitis consisting of nasal congestion/discharge and sinus pain, but in the absence of the immunologic reactions which the body experiences in allergic conditions.

Depression and Anxiety: Although FMS patients are frequently misdiagnosed with depression or anxiety disorders ["it's all in your head"], research has repeatedly shown that fibromyalgia is not a form of depression or hypochondriasis. However, where depression or anxiety exist concomitant to fibromyalgia, their treatment is important as both can exacerbate FMS and interfere with successful symptom management.

*
1. “Thoracic Pain and Dysfunction,” Fibromyalgia Frontiers, Vol. 5, # 2, Spring 1997. Note: This list condensed from FMS MONOGRAPH 1999. [National Fibromyalgia Partnership, Inc.]

Hi Fibro/CFS Friends,

Dr. Mark Shaw has kindly shared with us numerous Fibromyalgia and CFS research articles since the onset of this blogsite.  I thank Dr. Shaw for his passion and caring for our (and his) community and have added his latest article in hopes you take action and pick up an ebook copy to help guide you to success with treating the challenges you are living with on a daily basis.  If you smoke, take extra consideration to pick up his ebook as Dr. Shaw has had many successes with his own patients as he explains in his following article.  

———————————————————————————————–

Hello fellow Fibromyalgia and CFS Survivors,

As a clinician and Fibromyalgia/CFS Survivor my findings in relation to smoking and other drug addictions while treating Fibromyalgia and CFS is vital to the community.

I wrote the “stop smoking” manual as a sideline while working with a colleague who has a particular interest in Neuro Linguistic programming and hypnotic therapies.  I offer it now as a bonus when purchasing my “Beat Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome” ebook through  www.Fibroebooks.com   

Having to refuse to treat people who were clearly addicted to a social drug always left me feeling frustrated that there was nothing I could actually do if patients are unable to help themselves.

This gave me the inspiration for this particular book which comes as part of the package.

We were wondering partly if we could use these techniques simply in a readable format that was so powerful that simply by reading a book, could it possible to change the way you think about an activity as ingrained as smoking.

We were pleased with the results and I dedicate this book to my good friend and colleague Joseph Davies.

Dr Mark J Shaw.

  
Copyright of The Mellington Clinic and Associates: 2008.

Hi Fibro CFS Survivors,

Sorry Fibro/CFS friends for not writing yet this month. I have had my own personals struggles this month and thankingfully winning the battle.  I believe a positive reason exists for all challenges. My struggle helped me realize how important receiving support from others in the know is when facing what is thrown at us appears at the moment to be out of our control.  Which leads us into a discussion regarding Fibromyalgia/CFS support groups.

More opinions regarding Fibromyalgia/CFS support groups exist than monkeys in a tree J Some groups entertain complaining and whining about the critical pain and disabling symptoms one experiences with these syndromes.  Other groups provide intensive healing models. The list goes on and on. I strongly recommend to take the action to locate a group that shares a positive and proactive approach to daily living with Fibromyalgia/CFS.

While support groups can be beneficial in many cases, not all are created equal.  When looking for a support group, expect that you will need to visit several before finding one where you feel welcomed and comfortable. The goal is to locate a group of other Fibromyalgia suffers who maintain a positive attitude, share ideas, and provide a shoulder on which to cry.  I agree with professionals it is healthy to cry. Although in my opinion, it is not healthy to lie in bed crying and complaining day after day. 

The types of support groups you should avoid are those where people complain, whine, or find pleasure in seeing who had the worst week.  Sadly, these support groups exist and instead of lifting you up, they will pull you down further.  With patience and perseverance, you can find the right group. If you are reading this post and have attempted but have not identified a support group match for yourself, let me know with a comment to this post. I am in the planning phase of establishing a Fibromyalgia/CFS support group that will include professional clinicians. Your ideas and comments are and will continue to be welcomed. This is about us. What it’s all about is helping each other live the highest quality of life on a daily basis.  I’m here for you. Send in your thoughts. 

Your Fibro Friend,

Cheryl J