I waited yrs.for meds for fibromyalgia-Lyrica is $$$. Is there any supplements that can help?
This disorder can be so "all-being", I really feel close to snapping or some sort of meltdown. Does ANYONE know what I'm saying?
Public Comments
1. You may want to consider some alternative medicine. Go to google and check out alternative treatments and supplements for Fibromyalgia. Then present this information to your current treating provider to ascertain if indeed they would be helpful to you.2. Fibromyalgia is poorly understood in the medical field. The condition has something to do with chronic stress and a hypersensitization of the pain response. A anti-inflammatory diet low in grains and red meat and high in omega 3 fats and vegetables coupled with Chiropractic care/Exercise/massage therapy would be a great start.
Supplements have been shown to help, but I cannot give direct clinical advice without knowing the entirety of your case, the medications you are on and other conditions you may have. Feel free to learn more about me through http://www.linkedin.com/arinehartdc and http://www.twitter.com/arinehartdc.
I am setting up an online nutrition practice starting at the beginning of 2010 which will be found at http://www.CoActiveHealth.com in the near future. If you find you're interested in a consultation please feel free to contact me directly through any of these resources or at CoActiveHealth@gmail.com.
Take care!
Alexander Rinehart, MSACN
Nutritionist and Founder, CoActive Health
3. Yes, fibromyalgia can be tough. Here are some suggestions which may help:
Fibromyalgia
Fibromyalgia is a misunderstood and frequently misdiagnosed condition. It is characterized by widespread chronic pain involving multiple "tender points" in the upper neck, back, shoulders, and hips. Treatments, such as painkillers, antidepressants, muscle relaxants, and the injections of anesthetics are rarely effective.
A natural alternative which may help heal fibromyalgia is to take plenty of colloidal silver (start off with 2-4 ounces per day and maintain at least an ounce a day until you achieve satisfactory results) and plenty of proteolytic/digestive enzymes to dissolve the fibrin (take 3-5 capsules or more two to three times daily on an empty stomach).
Here are some additional options:
Curcumin, magnesium, blackseed oil (Nigella sativa) and herbal oleander extract are all powerful immune modulators which may help. Magnesium deficiency has been associated with Fibromyalgia and fully 90-95% of us are deficient in magnesium.
Consume apples and/or apple juice. They contain "malic acid", a substance that appears to ease the pain. Consume at least 2 apples, or 2 8oz. glasses of juice daily.
Try acupuncture. The National Institutes of Health has deemed acupuncture to be an acceptable alternative, or part of a comprehensive treatment program for several types of pain. Accupuncture is a 2,500 year-old practice, and the Chinese believe it works by affecting the energy pathways called "meridians" that run through the body. The "meridians" are thought to carry "qi" (pronounced chee), an energy force that must be in precise balance for good health. Poor health habits, such as getting too little sleep, eating the wrong foods, etc. cause qi to become unbalanced. Acupuncture rebalances qi by stimulating specific points along these meridians with extremely fine needles.
Consider naicin and naicinamide. "Simply speaking, the body's natural liver detoxification process involves two steps; Phase 1 and Phase 2. A toxin initially enters Phase 1, the P-450 cytochrome system, and is reduced to smaller fragments. These fragments then progress to Phase 2, where they are bound to molecules such as glutathione, glycine and sulfate. This process creates a new non-toxic molecule that can be excreted in the bile, urine or stool.
In effect, Phase 1 either directly neutralizes a toxin, or modifies the toxic chemical to form activated intermediates which are then neutralized by one of more of the several Phase 2 enzyme systems. In Phase 1, a toxic chemical is converted into a less harmful chemical. This is achieved by various chemical reactions (such as oxidation, reduction and hydrolysis), and during this process free radicals are produced which, if excessive, can damage the liver cells. Antioxidants reduce the damage caused by these free radicals. If antioxidants are lacking and toxin exposure is high, toxic chemicals become far more dangerous. Some may be converted from relatively harmless substances into potentially carcinogenic substances.
One or both detoxification phases can be inefficient or overloaded. A particularly damaging combination in an ill person is an excessive overload of toxins coming into Phase 1, with an inefficient Phase 2. In some cases this combination is believed to be the cause of marked environmental sensitivities, drug intolerances and interactions that characterize many chronic fatigue and fibromyalgia patients."
http://www.diagnose-me.com/treat/T355489.html
Niacinamide slows down phase 1, while niacin speeds up phase 2. Niacin is also known as inositol hexanicotinate, vitamin B3 and nicotinic acid.
Fibromyalgia has also been associated with heavy metal contamination. Parsley, chlorella and cilantro are all good for removing heavy metals.
Do not give up on exercise. People with fibromyalgia often stop exercising because it is painful. Inactivity though weakens muscles and makes them more sensitive to pain. Low impact aerobics , conditioning exercises, such as swimming, stationary bicycling or stretching, are often helpful.
4. There is a supplement by the name of Sutherlandia OPC that has had very positive results with fibromyalgia. I still take it myself. My fibromyalgia used to be very intense and yes, I know what you mean. This was back in 2005. Today I am fine. And with this supplement it took me just months to feel better. And let me give you the following link that may help you.
http://www.tbyil.com/Fibromyalgia.htm
Good luck.
5. I know exactly what you're saying. I've had it for nearly five years. Lyrica won't help in the long run. The best treatment is a combination of things. Most of the reading I've done, points to 'leaky gut syndrome' which was most likely initiated by a course of antibiotics somewhere in your past which upset the balance of bacteria in your intestines, allowing candida albicans to overtake your gut. Later, the condition was exacerbated by some sort of trauma which started things rolling by initiating the stress/cortisol problem that was mentioned in some other answers here.
The fix is a super healthy, high alkaline diet (fungi and bacteria can't exist in an alkaline environment), moderate daily exercise, meditation or some sort of other relaxation technique to reduce the stress (I walk), avoidance of coffee, alcohol, drugs, etc., supplements aimed at colon health (grapefruit seed extract, caprylic acid, garlic, cayenne, pre and pro biotics, etc.), guaifenisin, and lots of the purest water you can find to flush your system out.
Dr. St. Amand seems to be one of the few that is having success treating fibromyalgia. While I can't afford his treatment, I've followed most of his progress and duplicated much of what he recommends. See the second link for a more thorough explanation of the theory behind what causes it. If you eliminate the cause, you will cure the disease. Medication can't claim that.
6. there is NO inflammtion so anti inflammatory treatmnents won't help
and chiropractic do0esn't help real fms except from tehplacebo effect- as teh problem is not with the spine--it is teh brain
i thoughtr i answered this and referred you to
www.pparx.com to get help paying for meds
7. Hi,
This is something that Traditional Chinese Medicine can help.TCM has helped many people when nothing else could.I dont know what area/country your from so i cant suggest anyone specific but maybe research into TCM practitioners that you could travel to but make sure it is someone really good and that is knowledgable in how to treat Fibromyalgia.It is better even to travel somewhere far away to someone who specialises rather then see someone local who is isnt that knowledgable but it is easy to see.
TCM practitioners are just like M.D's in that you have your good one and you have your bad ones so dont assume if one isnt effective that then TCM altogether isnt effective-it usually just means that that particular practitioner is not that knowlegable.So you shouldnt discount TCM in the way that you wouldnt discount Conventional Medicine as being ineffective just because you got a "lousy" M.D.
Also,it is important to find someone knowledgable in Fibro because like with pharmaceutical medicines if you take herbs that arn't for your condition they can on occasions make a condition worse or cause other problems.
Here are some links if that helps.If they are not in your area maybe you could ask them to recommend someone who is?
http://www.chineseherbacademy.org/articles/Fibromyalgia_alon.shtml
http://images.google.com.au/imgres?imgurl=http://hsc.unm.edu/som/cfl/images/Onur.JPG&imgrefurl=http://hsc.unm.edu/som/cfl/facultynstaff.shtml&usg=__wP26MyjlVZRvkTzGtgdTOu1Dqik=&h=1526&w=1216&sz=352&hl=en&start=14&sig2=9Hvg9s-hIOAUaWfARxGKXg&um=1&tbnid=3BqXq5YO2AwEsM:&tbnh=150&tbnw=120&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dtcm%2Bm.d%2Bfibromyalgia%26hl%3Den%26client%3Dfirefox-a%26rlz%3D1R1GGGL_en___AU313%26sa%3DG%26um%3D1&ei=rk4mS-HcF566sgOJzK3gDg
http://acupuncturists.healthprofs.com/cam/prof_detail.php?profid=513150&sid=1260798762.2459_12964&city=San+Diego&county=San+Diego&state=California&thrpst_type=1
http://www.renhealthcare.com/News/News.html
http://acupuncturists.healthprofs.com/cam/prof_detail.php?profid=500882&sid=1260798762.2459_12964&city=San+Diego&county=San+Diego&state=California&thrpst_type=1
