Understanding and Treating Fibromyalgia Pain and Symptoms

Fibromyalgia is a terrible condition that can best be described as a chronic widespread pain, often combined with depression and anxiety. This is a serious illness that many people are forced to live with and which can have drastic negative impacts on their quality of life.

In this article we will look at the causes of fibromyalgia and the different options for fibromyalgia treatment. While everyone responds differently to treatment, there will almost always be some form of fibromyalgia pain relief that will work if you keep looking.

Symptoms and Causes

While the main symptom of fibromyalgia is pain throughout the body, other symptoms can also commonly occur. For instance, fibromyalgia often makes the body much more sensitive to pressure such that even sitting down can sometimes be painful or uncomfortable. There are also a number of other side effects that can occur in some cases including: fatigue, sleeping disturbances, stiffness in the joints, difficulty breathing and swallowing, tingling and numbness, cognitive issues (confusion) and irregular bowel movements.

The causes of fibromyalgia are not fully understood however and they seem to vary from case to case. One of the most common explanations is that a genetic susceptibility alters the brain chemistry and then makes the sufferer more prone to developing fibromyalgia. Specifically, the genetic anomaly appears to impact levels of glutamatergic, opioid, proinflammatory cytokine and neurotrophic signaling. This ultimately leads to potential inflammation in the brain along with a general heightening of some sensation – sometimes called 'central sensitization'. These changes in the brain then leave the patient more susceptible to both fibromyalgia and depression, anxiety and sleeping disorders.

Fibromyalgia Treatment

Treatment for fibromyalgia can take many forms and will either address the fibromyalgia itself or manage the individual symptoms. For instance melatonin and other supplements can help specifically to address sleeping problems, whereas antidepressants might also be used in order to try and alter some of the neurotransmitters associated with fibromyalgia. This is a somewhat risky type of treatment for fibromyalgia however as it can cause addiction in some cases and can have a number of unwanted side effects.

While antidepressants like SSRIs might be potentially harmful though, other supplements such as Fibroxify can help provide natural fibromyalgia treatment by providing you with natural anti-inflammatories as well as important micronutrients that support and accelerate recovery. Fibroxify is a safe and effective dietary supplement that can aid with fibromyalgia treatment significantly.

Fibromyalgia is also made worse by stress and depression as these can further upset the delicate balance of neurotransmitters. Thus another form of fibromyalgia treatment is 'CBT' or 'Cognitive Behavioral Therapy' which is a type of psychological intervention that can help to teach patients how to better manage their stress, avoid getting stressed in the first place and combat depression. Several studies have shown support for fibromyalgia as an effective form of treatment and when combined with the use of the right lifestyle changes and supplementation this can help to provide some fibromyalgia pain relief.

Exercise is also very important for fibromyalgia treatment. Exercise improves fibromyalgia in a number of different ways, which can be highly effective in providing whole-body improvements.

For starters, exercise can help to prevent weight gain. This is very important as gaining weight increases the pressure all across your body, which makes fibromyalgia considerably worse. Exercise also helps to keep you flexible and prevents stiffness and aches that can also exacerbate the condition.

More importantly though, exercise boosts endorphins and serotonin in the brain – neurotransmitters which offer a natural form of analgesic and also help to combat anxiety and stress via the 'runner's high'.

Fibromyalgia is a complex and devastating condition and finding a complete cure is rare. However, with the right lifestyle changes, psychological help and supplementation, long-termnatural fibromyalgia pain relief is possible.