Acupuncture For Fibromyalgia

Bothered by a terrible stiffness in your back, neck or hands? Are dizzy spells making your days and nights more difficult to cope with? If so, there is a good chance that you have fibromyalgia and you just don’t realize it.

Fibromyalgia is medical condition that makes you feel tired and fatigued all the time. Many people have used acupuncture for fibromyalgia with great success, if you follow the treatment properly. The first thing you should do is meet with your doctor and find out what he or she suggests.

After the initial consultation with your physician, get a second opinion from an acupuncturist to see what possibilities are available for your condition. Keep notes from both consultations and do a comparison of the pluses and minuses of holistic medicine vs modern medicine. A good example of this would be to research the basics of fibromyalgia then create a list of questions you can ask each specialist.

A Cure For The Constant Pain

Do you feel like your fingers are constantly numb? Do you feel bouts of depression during the day? Do you feel widespread pains radiating throughout your body? If so, you need to take action as these symptoms can get worse if you don’t consult with an acupuncturist.

A typical treatment will involve needles that will help generate energy through your fingers and correct the balance of your nervous system. In addition, your level of depression will recede and you can begin to take control of your life again. Some have experienced changes in their eating and sleeping habits after having an acupuncture for fibromyalgia treatment.

Get A Recommendation From Your Doctor

Always be sure to meet with your physician before you begin a treatment of acupuncture for fibromyalgia. This type of treatment has an excellent reputation amongst specalists, however, a consult with your family doctor is recommended, just to be on the safe side.

Acupuncture for fibromyalgia is all about naturally realigning your present health condition, allowing your body’s natural healing powers to reach their full potential. Constant pain in your back, neck and hands will continue until your body’s nervous system is once again in balance.

Finding an acupuncture doctor can be a challenge. If possible, get a recommendation from your physician as he or she can collaborate the acupuncture and prescribed medications for fibromyalgia to achieve the greatest possible results.

Start Enjoying Life Again

Imagine how much you life would be improved by having a new burst of energy, no more numbness in your fingers and less depression spells. Acupuncture for fibromyalgia is an excellent choice if you want to revive your nervous system and get rid of the pains that you are dealing with. Your doctor and acupuncturist can develop an effective treatment for you, so get started now and start enjoying life again!

What Is Fibromyalgia?

Many people want the answer to the question: What is fibromyalgia? In medical terms, it is known as non-articular rheumatism, soft tissue rheumatism and fibrositis. It is known for affecting your muscles, tendons and even ligaments. Those who suffer from the condition experience a radiating pain in all of the joints that connect the bones together. It also causes suffers to experience chronic fatigue and sleep loss. Fibromyalgia is a new medical term, yet it is a common ailment that affects around 3% of the population. It is said to be more common in women and the chances of having it increases with your age.

Those who suffer from fibromyalgia will have stiffness and pain of their muscles, joints and even their entire body. This condition usually flares up during the morning time. In addition, suffers may experience numbness in their joints, poor concentration and losses of memory. If you think you may have fibromyalgia, things to look for are frequent migraines, bouts of depression, and pain in the jaw. The most common symptom of this condition is the pain and swelling of your joints and tissues. Other signs include dry eyes, sensitivity to medications and certain foods. Some suffers have expreienced pain in the stomach area as well as dysfunctioning of the joints.

The exact causes of fibromyalgia is not known, however, fibromyalgia has been related to infections, stress, emotional and physical trauma and even surgery. At the moment, there is no known cure for the condition, however, many have found relief and are able to control the pain by using a treatment of acupuncture for fibromyalgia.

Cause Of Fibromyalgia

The reality is, there is no concrete proof of the cause of fibromyalgia. Since there is no single cause that is identified with this condition, medical science says there is no cure for it. The good news is that many of the symptoms of fibromyalgia can be effectively treated. There are theories regarding the causes, however, rheumatologists agree to disagree on just about all of them.

If medical science was able to identify the actual cause of fibromyalgia, there would be much more resources dedicated toward the treatment of the symptoms. Here are some facts that we actually know about the condition. It appears that 80% of people who suffer from fibromyalgia are middle aged women. One of the major symptoms is depression. Other symptoms of fibromyalgia seem to be similiar to the symptoms of systemic lupus. Fibromyalgia appears to be genetic, as those with the condition usually have a close relative who also suffers from it.

What makes fibromyalgia so hard to treat is because none of the symptoms can be outwardly observed or labratory tested. The basic profile of a fibromyalgia suffer is pain that radiates through the body, chronic fatigue, dry eyes, lack of sleep, sensitivity to hot and cold, morning muscle and joint stiffness and pain, increased stress, a lowered immune system, and episodes of oral thrush. Because medical scientists are unable to tie these symptoms together to form a rational clinical relationship, they can’t determne the cause of fibromyalgia.

At this time, medical researchers can only take guesses at the possible causes of fibromyalgia, such as a traumatic emotional experience, stress, depression, deficiencies in magnesium, phosphate and substrate minerals, biological disruption of natural energy production, chronic fatigue, low levels of growth hormones, heredity from relatives who have the syndrome, and disruption of deep, restorative REM sleep. The problem that has doctors puzzled is whether the above are the symptoms or the causes of fibromyalgia. It is said that by finding successful treatments for the symptoms, doctors will have more knowledge about the causes.

Fibromyalgia Medication

Fibromyalgia medication does provide symptom relief for the majority of sufferers. Unfortunately, there are times when the only way to tell if it works is by trial and error. After years of testing, fibromyalgia medication has become standardized, with some considered mainstream treatments and others thought of as a bit controversial. The the final decision on what medication to take will ultimately be up to you.

It can be a challenge to find the right medication, however, some have shown to be effective in relieving and preventing occurances of fibromyalgia. One such medicine is called Gabapentin (Neurontin). It is a medication that interrupts the pain signals that are sent to the brain. It is not a painkiller; rather, it is pain response preventative. Amitriptyline (Elavil) is an old-style tricyclic antidepressant that, in doses of 50-100 milligrams at night helps to restore deep REM sleep as well as interrupting the signals of chronic pain to the brain.

The antidepressant class of SSRI drugs (Serotonin Selective Re-uptake Inhibitors) like Wellbutrin, Effexor, Zoloft, Prozac, Cymbalta and others are very effective medications for fibromyalgia because they relieve the depression that almost always accompanies this syndrome. In conjunction with clonazepam (Klonopin), a mild anti-anxiety drug, the debilitating emotional symptoms of fibromyalgia are relieved by these medications.

For acute flare-ups of intense trigger point pain, a physician may prescribe a short-term course of narcotic painkillers to completely interrupt the “pain panic” that often accompanies this symptom. However, the use of long-term narcotics is not an effective medication regimen for fibromyalgia. These drugs are highly addictive, and in the long run, they create more problems than they solve. Instead, tramadol (Ultram) has become a specific medication for the treatment of fibromyalgia. This drug works like a narcotic in its painkilling properties. It is not, however, of the narcotic class.

It works on the brain to relieve pain from trigger point flare-ups, but with none of the addiction problems of the opiate narcotics. Tramadol, combined with gabapentin, Klonopin, amitriptyline, and a sleep medication like Ambien CR or Lunesta, work together as very effective medications for the treatment of fibromyalgia.

Treatment Of Fibromyalgia

If you feel you might be affected by this condition, you should visit your doctor for a treatment for fibromyalgia. This is especially true if you have been suffering from radiating pain for 3 months or more. If a diagnosis shows that the condition is present, your doctor will refer you to a certified rheumatologist. A rheumatologist is a doctor who specalizes in the diagnosis and treatment of problems that have to do with your joints, bones or muscles.

Unfortunately, there is no known cure for fibromyalgia at the moment. However, there are treatments available to control the condition and reduce, or even eliminate, the painful symptoms. There are several medications that can be prescribed to reduce the pain. These medications, such as tetracyclics and tricyclics and non steroidal anti inflammatories, work by increasing serotonin levels.

In addition, rheumatologists will usually recommend that patients who suffer from fibromyalgia take part in a regular exercise regime that will help to reduce pain as well as strengthen muscles, bones and joints. Patients generally begin with low impact exercises that prevent muscle strain and strengthen muscles. Many suffers have discovered that the symptoms of fibromyalgia are reduced when applying heat to affected areas.

Applying a hot compress or even a hot bath or shower can provide temporary relief from radiating pain as it relaxes stressed muscles and reduces swelling. It is a fact that fibromyalgia can make a big impact on the quality of your daily life, however, many patients lead normal, healthy lives by treating the symptoms early.