What is Fibromyalgia?
The diagnosis of Fibromyalgia is very specific and the symptoms can actually be caused by many other things that seem to act like Fibromyalgia. This is why Fibromyalgia is usually diagnosed when everything else has been ruled out.
Fact, Fibromyalgia is a rheumatic autoimmune syndrome that is characterized by widespread musculoskeletal pain, and an array of other symptoms. The symptoms may vary from day to day, ranging from moderate discomfort to severe disability
Symptoms of Fibromyalgia can include:
- Fatigue
- Stiffness
- Muscle pain and dysfunction
- Sleep disturbances
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Digestive upset
The American College of Rheumatology (ACR), proposed diagnostic criteria for a diagnosis of Fibromyalgia. They suggested that the criteria for Fibromyalgia should include the presence of widespread pain in combination with tenderness at 11 or more of the 18 specific tender point sites over the muscular system of the body.
When your condition is finally named Fibromyalgia many people believe that this is a life long battle and there is nothing that can help them get back to feeling right again. Medication and more medication is tried as the symptoms must be managed for the rest of your life. This is simply not true when the actual cause is found.
It is true that the symptoms of Fibromyalgia can be quite complex and overlapping. It is also true that these types of symptoms can be very defeating psychologically. This condition is one that takes many years to manifest. Gradually we get little symptoms showing that something is wrong, but we push through it because, “Hey, life is full of little aches, pains and tiredness, isn’t it?”
After a while, these feelings start interfering with life and our activities of work, play, and family responsibilities as well as enjoyment. It is no secret that this thing called Fibromyalgia can even lead to serious issues with our relationships. What is wrong with me? Having to count yourself out of friends and family events is unacceptable. We know that the suffering is real.
The medications for managing Fibromyalgia are #8 on the most prescribed list. These medications are usually a lifetime affair and carry with them very serious side effects of:
- Life threatening infections
- Dizziness
- Nausea
- Fatigue
- Dry mouth
- High blood pressure
- Suicidal thoughts
- Difficulty concentrating
- Swelling
- Weight gain
These side effects can lead to something called ‘polypharmacy’, which is the prescribing of many medications to manage the symptoms caused by the medications themselves. This is very dangerous. Add on to this the responsibilities of family and work, and you can see the difficulties that you can have.
What is the Functional Medicine Approach to Fibromyalgia?
What to consider:
- There is no single treatment to solve Fibromyalgia.
- There is rarely a single cause.
- There is no ‘miracle’ herb, vitamin or potion that applies to this condition.
- Realize that the cause must be unraveled and found, and that each case is different according to the individual suffering from it.
- Each individual will have a different plan of attack when dealing with this awful syndrome. That should be good news to you since a tailor-made approach is the most effective treatment plan.
- Everything from Thyroid function to Digestive function must be considered.
The tip of the iceberg is Fibromyalgia syndrome. What lies beneath is the true cause, so a proper investigation is the key and an individualized approach is a necessity.
There are many systems that must be looked into carefully, such as:
- Nervous system: Do you have hyper-excited nervous tissue?
- Hormonal system: Do you have a Thyroid problem or an Adrenal stress problem, or both.
- Digestive system: Are you toxic? Do you have a long standing dysfunction of digestion?
- Immune system: Is there a chronic infection? Inflammation is present, but why?
As each involved system is considered, we can uncover the real issues and construct a plan to get to the root of the problem.
Now we must test for proof. We must find out what we are dealing with. Could the results show a disorder masquerading as Fibromyalgia?
Functional Medicine testing can include:
- Functional Blood Chemistry Report
- Digestive testing
- Metabolic testing
- Heavy metal testing
- Hormone testing
- Neurotransmitter Testing
This is what you have been looking for: answers and solutions.
Remember, the Functional Medicine approach is all about getting to the ‘root cause’ of your Fibromyalgia. It is never about covering up the symptoms.
If this is what you are looking for then Functional Medicine can help. Take control of your health today.
Here is what to expect from the Functional Medicine process.
Outlining what you can expect will decrease some of the initial apprehension and get you onto the road of improved health and vitality much faster.
After completing your initial background information, you will be sent a link to the client/doctor portal and the discovery questionnaires. This is a unique and private portal that we will communicate through. This will allow us to have a free flow of information that is both secure and well suited for this type of correspondence.
Like a good CSI agent, the Functional Medicine approach will uncover the underlying factors that have caused or are causing your present health problem(s). This is essential for getting you well and will all start with our revealing medical questionnaires.
Important to any discovery of the cause of your health problem is a good medical history.
We have carefully developed medical questionnaires that will allow us to obtain the most comprehensive and detailed history possible. Each section of the questionnaire will address a different body system to help identify where the cause may be.
You may actually appreciate the discovery process of the Functional Medicine approach since it may be the first time that you were able to tell your whole story leading to the health problem and what you think is going on as well.
Begin your healthy journey to a more vital lifestyle today. Start Here.