What are some natural remedies for fibromyalgia symptoms?!
Question: I am 23 years old and I have been diagnosed by a rheumatologist with fibromyalgia. The drugs he prescribed are helping, but I still have pain in all of my muscles. My other symptoms include muscle weakness, difficulty sleeping, fatigue, dizziness, and IBS with constipation. The constipation is even worse with the meds.
Answers: I am 23 years old and I have been diagnosed by a rheumatologist with fibromyalgia. The drugs he prescribed are helping, but I still have pain in all of my muscles. My other symptoms include muscle weakness, difficulty sleeping, fatigue, dizziness, and IBS with constipation. The constipation is even worse with the meds.
I've had fibro for several years. Glad to hear you are interested in more natural options. I tried all the prescription drugs the Dr. gave me and most of the time they didn't help and the side effects were awful. I decided to go natural. The first thing to get is Nature's Way Alive! multivites. They are very good and have everything in them to support immunity. A good calcium/magnesium supplement of 2-1 ratio, malic acid,5 htp,msm,sam e, digestive enzymes, probiotics,coq 10, milk thistle, vit c, alpha lipoic acid,valerian root, olive leaf extract, fish oil, evening primrose oil. Light exercise as tolerated, meditation and yoga are very helpful too. Vitacost.com is a good place to get your supplements. Cheap and good shipping. You have to be very careful during cold and flu season as getting sick is magnified in fibro folks. The vites I mentioned have a green food in them and mushrooms for immunity. But should you get sick or even feel like you are or know you were exposed, get an elderberry extract, zicam or cold eze. Oregano oil is nature's antibiotic and will kill alot of viruses, olive leaf is much the same. Osillo (a homeopathic remedy you can get at vitacost cheaper that anywhere else) is great. The # 1 flu remedy. Just 3 doses and you're good. If you still get sick then you know is bacterial and not viral, then use the oregano oil and olive leaf. I know this may sound like a lot but you have to try and see what works best for you. Give it at least 3 months to see how you feel. And lastly, Do all the research and learn all you can. There are some good sources of info online and some companies are coming out with multi vitamins geared for fibro people. I hope this helps some.
Paula,
I am very sorry to hear you have fibromayalgia. My Mother is struggling with it for years now. One thing that seems to make a difference is avoidance of all (I mean ALL) white breads and processed foods. Especially processed dairy products (i.e. cheese slices ...)
There is a protocol using over the counter Guilfinesin I might be spelling it wrong, but it is the main ingredient in Mucinex. You will have to take it for about a month or so before seeing any results. There is a webpage that has the protocol. Just do a search for Mucinex first to figure out how to spell it correctly. Then search for Guilfinesin + Fibromyalgia. The forum will come up in a search. I have a friend doing it as we speak and is getting better.
She is also taking Miracle Mineral supplement. The site is www.miraclemineral.org.
Alex
I have myofascial pain syndrome. My friend has fibromyalgia. Here are some of the things that we do to cope.
MUSCLE PAIN/WEAKNESS
Natural--gentle exercise like stretching and/or yoga; it's important to use your muscles to keep them from stiffening up, but NOT to overuse them as that will cause you more pain; let your body tell you when to stop; moist heat; ice; massage; hot baths or jacuzzi
Meds--I take Zanaflex for muscle spasms; my friend takes Flexeril. The meds will make you drowsy, not a bad side effect if sleeping is a problem.
DIFFICULTY SLEEPING
Natural--good sleep hygiene, i.e. go to bed at the same time every night and get up at the same time every morning, get your body used to the routine and don't deviate from it; don't work at a night shift job; don't drink caffeine after 4 p.m.; the natural supplements that might help with sleep are melatonin, valerian, brewer's yeast dissolved in warm milk, and chamomile tea (you'll have to try them out to see which, if any, works for you); relaxation CDs with sounds like waves crashing or rain falling; relaxation exercises and/or meditation; a Sleep Number or memory foam mattress (memory foam mattress topper is a more economical alternative); a body pillow
Meds--low dose tricyclic antidepressants like Elavil or Trazodone; sleeping pills like Ambien, but only for occasional use as you don't want to become dependent; avoid the benzodiazepines (Klonopin, Xanax, Valium, etc.) as dependence is a real issue and the withdrawal can make fibro look tame
FATIGUE
Natural--if you get your sleep sorted out, a lot of the daytime fatigue will resolve; a good B complex vitamin can provide energy
Med--I've heard that some people take Provigil, a med for excessive sleepiness.
DIZZINESS
Natural--I've heard that when the SCM muscles in the neck tense up, it can cause all sorts of bizarre neurological symptoms including dizziness, so anything you do to ease muscle spasms might ease the dizziness.
IBS W/CONSTIPATION
Neither of us have this, so I don't have good suggestions for that, but other fibro sufferers might. Google "fibromyalgia support group" and you'll get plenty of hits.
My friend takes Lyrica, the first drug that the FDA has approved specifically for fibro. She says she's sleeping better and some of her twinges are gone. I take Neurontin, a similar med, which is for nerve pain. It helps a little.
Here are some links for you to check out.
http://www.sover.net/~devstar/
http://www.fmaware.org/
http://www.cdc.gov/cfs/
http://www.fibrohope.org/
http://www.endfatigue.com/
http://www.triggerpointbook.com/
Paula,
I am so sorry, to hear that you have fibromyalgia. I was diagnosed with fibro about 7 years ago, actually have had it for at least 12 years, and it is a long haul for sure. There is a huge amount of symptoms that go with fibro., and I seemed to have them all, at one time or another. Every time I went to the Dr., I would take my list of symptoms with me, and eventually ended up on a bunch of scripts, a lot of vitamins, and supplements. I was so tired of being sick and tired all the time, that I decided to start doing a lot of research. I started reading books, and reading everything on line that I could find. Fibro is an autoimmune disease, so I looked for things that would help build my immune system, what things break it down. Getting enough sleep is of course a big one, trying very hard to stay on a schedule helps. Even if you are not sleeping, getting quality rest helps too. Do not drink caffeine drinks, this can affect your sleep, and your muscles. Getting a really good mattress, so you can be comfortable, or soft padding that you can be comfortable in. I sleep on my sides, and always use a pillow between my legs, that seems to help. Light stretching helps, light exercise helps, but do not over do it. Eating properly helps, trying to stay away from fast foods, and foods with preservatives in them, try to stay away from white flour and sugar. A good fiber will help the IBS, you have to start it, and stay on it. Most people do not get enough fiber in their system, and that can cause lots of health problems, and can cause the dizziness. I have so much info. that I have found that helped me through this, but the research that I did came up with a lot of information that I had never heard of before, but made so much sense. The thing that builds your immune system is really good vitamins, and supplements, and of course good food. The things that break it down are chemicals. Chemicals are every where, in your fresh fruits and veg., and if they are imported the pesticides are even higher. I found that there are so many toxic chemicals in all of our home and personal products, and it really affects fibromyalgia. My home cleaners, like bath room cleaners, kitchen cleaners, all purpose cleaners, and air fresheners all had a lot of harmful chemicals in them. My laundry detergent, pre spot, bleach, and fabric softener were all very harmful. Personal care items for bath soaps, lotions, shampoo, hair conditioner, and my beauty products all had a bunch of chemicals in them. Many of these chemicals affect the central nervous system, and that is where fibro stems from. These chemicals get into our blood and cells, as well as our nervous system. They affect some people more than others, and come out in peoples health in many different ways, fibro being one. I have changed all of my home, and personal care products over to safer more natural products. Since doing these changes, my life is so much better. I am off all scripts for fibro. now, and feel 20 years younger. I would highly recommend it.
This supplement -the Vi-Pak, eliminates fibromyalgia, IBS, increases energy, and helps me sleep too. A few years back I quit all prescription drugs because I got tired of all the side effects and I also realized my health was getting worse not better. I recommend you become a seeker and figure out why you have these ailments. Get on a good supplement, I recommend the Vi-Pak and try some various cleansing as well. Here is an article about the vi-pak: www.associatedcontent.com/article/420750...
As a nurse in an ICU, I'm naturally skeptical of many claims made on the internet (and off it, too!). But please check out the therapeutic bath offered by a medical practitioner who owns a superb, informative website. The address is:
http://www.romancing-the-soap.com
Buy a container of the muscle therapy bath that you'll find on the page about Hydrotherapy, and use it as prescribed.
I bought it a while ago - fantastic! I only buy from romancing-the-soap.com because the products are absolutely the freshest. Organic, natural products, including the essential oils contained in these formulations, cannot just sit indefinately on the shelves. But at this practitioner's place, every botanical is kept for a very short time, before it loses its potency (and then it would not work). So be very aware of stores that sell it "on sale", or "our special price". A friend of mine made that mistake, saved around $2, but in reality lost all her money because the product was not fresh. Now she only gets it at romancing-the-soap.com
I am a true convert. Only this website will do. The bath soak for arthritis, fibromyalgia, etc. is simply wonderful. Nothing ever worked this well. I use it once or twice a week for lower back pain and leg pain. Can't be beat. One more thing. This medical practitioner, besides being very consumer-oriented, is also easy to "talk" to. Emailed her a few times, never had to wait long for a kind, accurate and honest answer. Check out the site for yourself and look for the soak on the Hydrotherapy page. I KNOW I just helped you do something constructive for your pains!