Benefits of Fibromyalgia Treatment are Increased When Considering these 4 Important Points:

[box type=”info”]This is 1 of 2 articles on Fibromyalgia treatment. Check out the first article here – Hurts All Over? Maybe Fibromyalgia.[/box]

1. Immune Boosting and Pathogens

Strengthening the body’s immune system – its natural ability to ward off or diminish chronic pathogens can lessen and prevent devastating flare-ups and discomfort that needs to be considered with fibromyalgia treatment.

Acupuncture can play a role here as well to strengthen the body’s immune system.  Acupuncture simply stimulates the body’s natural abilities to heal. Pathogens are all around us and difficult to avoid. Maintaining a clean environment externally is important like washing your hands but strengthening the body’s natural immunity is exponentially more important.

The immune system is made up of many different components. I will mention only a few that people don’t typically consider.

The natural mucus lining of your eyes, nose and mouth is a barrier that traps pathogenic invaders. There are micro-organisms that are part of our immune system called macrophages that swim through this mucus to destroy these invaders. If the mucus lining is dried out or too thick it will degrade this important first line of defense.

Dry weather, for example, can dry out and irritate the mucus lining. Moistening the sinuses with saline can help prevent irritation and maintain cleaner sinus passages.

A diet containing excess sugar and a lack of fibrous foods (veggies) can lead to a condition in Traditional Chinese Medicine called dampness. Dampness can lead to excess inflammation and cause mucus to thicken and block this type of immune response.

Alternatively, self-care practices for stress management can give a natural boost to body function including your immunity. Stress management techniques can help you identify the excessive drain placed on your natural energy. These self-care practices can help conserve natural energy (qi), strengthen natural defenses and also offer another important tool in Fibromyalgia treatment.

2. Promoting Healthy Digestion

Optimizing your digestion and making sure you promote a health environment inside your gut (think pro-biotics – the health gut bugs that aid digestion) can help alleviate a lot of discomfort and be more supportive.

Digestive discomfort can be signs of food stagnation, allergens and poor abilities to absorb the necessary nutrients needed to maintain optimal body function. IBS, IBD, bloating, constipation, diarrhea, nausea, heart burn, food allergies and food intolerances – there’s much in the way of digestive health to consider for optimizing your health and feeling the best you can feel.

Analyzing your diet and knocking out problematic foods that can promote bad gut health must be done on an individual basis. Everybody is different.

A healthy diet for most may not be possible for a person with Fibromyalgia. Veggies are usually considered healthy choices but sometimes what’s considered typically good may be difficult to digest with Fibromyalgia. There is often a history of digestive problems with fibromyalgia which in my opinion is tied to emotional imbalances that have wreaked havoc on the digestive tract.

Leaky Gut Syndrome (LGS) may be the source of the toxic overload that overwhelms the liver and should be looked into, diagnosed and treated. Leaky gut syndrome or Increase Intestinal Permeability is an alternative approach that has proven to be beneficial to treat here at the clinic. The irritants causing problems in the gut need to be identified. Treatment includes therapies like acupuncture, diet changes and herbs to heal the gut and eliminate irritants. Read more here about LGS.

A Food Inflammation test is important to do to identify any food sensitivities. An irritated gut can develop food sensitivities that will trigger inflammation in the gut like an immune response.

A simple blood test identifies specific foods and then the patient goes on a temporary elimination diet of these specific foods. Once these foods are removed for several weeks the digestive discomfort improves as the body loses its sensitivity to these foods. Read more here about the FIT test.

What’s challenging is that not all patients with food sensitivities experience digestive discomfort. It’s commonly thought in the alternative medicine world that Leaky Gut Syndrome and Food Sensitivities could be the root cause to many autoimmune diseases like Rheumatoid Arthritis or Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis. I have seen improvement in these conditions when the irritants in the gut are Identified and treated. Testing to identify the irritants are an all important first step in support of fibromyalgia treatment .

3. Maintaining a Happy Nervous System

Maintaining a happy healthy nervous system is highly important for greater health. Poor sleep, stress, anxiety and depression – are some of the typical issues that can upset your nerves. Acupuncture is a great stress management tool. The mini stress reduction treatment is something affordable and simple to do on a regular basis to lower stress and treat your nervous system to a wonderful dose of calmness.

Keep in mind that stimulants like caffeine can amp up the nervous system and make you feel edgy. It’s best to limit the caffeine intake. Especially avoid any caffeine at night if you’re having sleeping issues.

Meditation techniques, taught to patients here at the clinic or in group sessions, are great self-care tools to have to take control of your health the natural way. Meditation works by improving the mind-body connection. A combination of mental-focus and breathing techniques can guide your body into a deeper state of relaxation.

Some say they have difficulty concentrating or feel confused, unclear or disconnected from themselves and their body. Meditation can help you reconnect and become more centered and focused. You can check out my Simple Meditation for Stress Relief article here.

I teach modifications of meditation by introducing Tai Chi and Chi Kung movements for those who have difficulty sitting still. The mind needs to be focused. There are many today who have become experts at multitasking but have lost the ability to quiet the mind and only focus on 1 thing at a time. Natural yin yang principles tell us a balance is needed between an active mental state and a calm and restful mental state.

Here’s an example of a simple moving meditation to focus and calm the mind: practice walking very slowly. That’s it! Why?

When you walk slowly you have to place all your weight on one leg for a short time while you wait for the other leg to move forward. You will see it requires balance. Your mind suddenly is encouraged to focus on balancing. Your thinking becomes focused. Your mind settles and roots downward instead of generating elevating or anxious thoughts that are uprooting and unsettling.

Moving slower and slower will be strengthening and more challenging. If you have weak legs or poor balance you will need to take your time. Only go 80% of your ability.

4. Detoxifying and Optimizing Specific Organ Function

Liver, kidneys, stomach (digestion), and the colon are some of the important organs focused on with fibromyalgia treatment.

Liver, kidneys and colon are important organs for detoxification. The 21 Day Purification Program is not only a digestion reboot program but it is also designed to detox these specific organs. This program is a detailed yet simple program offered with clinical guidance. Many people here have experience higher levels of energy, increased mental focus, weight loss and improved digestion. After 21 days it doesn’t end. You gain life lessons in how to better manage your diet and your health. You get the gift of experience in how a change in eating can change your life and put you on a path for greater health.

Focusing on improving specific organ function is a typical focus for acupuncture treatment but what’s not commonly known is that chi kung can also be very helpful.

The 4 Seasons Chi Kung Program focuses on simple body movements to open up the circulation and condition specific body regions, organs and their related organ functions.

The Summer set influences the upper body and the Heart. The Fall set influences the chest and Lungs. The Winter set influences the lower back and Kidneys. The Spring set influences the sides of the body and the Liver. The Extended Summer set, practiced throughout the year with the corresponding seasonal sets influences the center of the body and the digestive system.

Classes are offered each season on the 4 Seasons Chi Kung Program. Contact my office if you’re interested or look for newsletters on the schedule. Join me on facebook as well. I make announcements there on upcoming events.

Herbal Formulas and Nutritional Supplements to optimize digestion, sleep, pain and tonics are a very helpful part of fibromyalgia treatment. Developing a professional herbal and whole food supplement protocol of safe herbal formulas and/or nutritional supplements can aid digestion, promote sleep, alleviating pain and improve range of motion.

As I previously mentioned, chronic conditions tend to drain the body’s natural resources. Important herbal tonics can give a boost to your qi (energy) and help strengthen body function. Some tonics are difficult to digest if digestion is weak. This is why it’s important to improve digestion first before taking tonics. This helps the body better absorb important nutrients from foods, supplements and herbal formulas that can promote higher levels of healing.

Stress can have an adverse impact on important glands like the adrenals, thyroid, pancreas, ovaries and testicles. Preventive herbs and supplements can diminish the degrading and rapid-aging effects stress has on your body. Consider doing an herbal and whole food supplement consultation to learn more about these natural treatments.

Here’s additional articles regarding effectiveness of natural herbs and supplements in support of fibromyalgia treatment:

Are My Supplements Effective?

Have You Updated Your Herbs and Supplements?