Summary: About half of a small group of patients with fibromyalgia — a common syndrome that causes chronic pain and other symptoms — was found to have damage to nerve fibers in their skin and other evidence of a disease called small-fiber polyneuropathy (SFPN). Unlike fibromyalgia, SFPN has a clear pathology and is known to be caused by specific medical conditions, some of which can be treated and sometimes cured.
About half of a small group of patients with fibromyalgia — a common syndrome that causes chronic pain and other symptoms — was found to have damage to nerve fibers in their skin and other evidence of a disease called small-fiber polyneuropathy (SFPN).
Unlike fibromyalgia, which has had no known causes and few effective treatments, SFPN has a clear pathology and is known to be caused by specific medical conditions, some of which can be treated and sometimes cured. The study from Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) researchers will appear in the journal PAIN and has been released online.
“This provides some of the first objective evidence of a mechanism behind some cases of fibromyalgia, and identifying an underlying cause is the first step towards finding better treatments,” says Anne Louise Oaklander, MD, Ph.D., director of the Nerve Injury Unit in the MGH Department of Neurology and corresponding author of the Pain paper.
The term fibromyalgia describes a set of symptoms — including chronic widespread pain, increased sensitivity to pressure, and fatigue — that is believed to affect 1 to 5 percent of individuals in Western countries, more frequently women.
Designed to investigate possible connections between the two conditions, the current study enrolled 27 adult patients with fibromyalgia diagnoses and 30 healthy volunteers. Participants went through a battery of tests used to diagnose SFPN, including assessments of neuropathy based on a physical examination and responses to a questionnaire, skin biopsies to evaluate the number of nerve fibers in their lower legs, and tests of autonomic functions such as heart rate, blood pressure, and sweating.
The questionnaires, exam assessments, and skin biopsies all found significant levels of neuropathy in the fibromyalgia patients but not in the control group. Of the 27 fibromyalgia patients, 13 had a marked reduction in nerve fiber density, abnormal autonomic function tests, or both, indicating the presence of SFPN.
Participants who met criteria for SFPN also underwent blood tests for known causes of the disorder, and while none of them had results suggestive of diabetes, a common cause of SFPN, two were found to have hepatitis C virus infection, which can be successfully treated, and more than half had evidence of some type of immune system dysfunction.
“Until now, there has been no good idea about what causes fibromyalgia, but now we have evidence for some but not all patients. Fibromyalgia is too complex for a ‘one size fits all’ explanation,” says Oaklander, an associate professor of Neurology at Harvard Medical School.
“The next step of independent confirmation of our findings from other laboratories is already happening, and we also need to follow those patients who didn’t meet SFPN criteria to see if we can find other causes. Helping any of these people receive definitive diagnoses and better treatment would be a great accomplishment.”
Scientists, doctors, and other medical experts claim that regular consumption of honey in combination with cinnamon is a powerful remedy that can be used against many diseases.
For more than 4000 years, honey has been used as a traditional remedy for almost every disease. The Egyptians used it to treat wounds, the Greeks for long life, and the Indians to maintain balance in the body. Modern medicine shows us that these beliefs were true.
They all knew about cinnamon healing purposes as they did for the honey. Cinnamon was considered a great gift for the Monarchs cause of its usefulness in treating many diseases.
Here are some combinations of these powerful natural ingredients which can be used in the treatment of certain diseases, including chronic health conditions such as arthritis.
Add two tablespoons of honey and three teaspoons of cinnamon in a large cup. Regular consumption of this mixture will reduce cholesterol levels by 10 % within two hours.
In the morning, instead of marmalade or jam, put a little honey and cinnamon on a slice of bread. If you regularly consume this combination, it will help you reduce your blood cholesterol levels and prevent the risk of having a heart attack.
In a cup filled with boiled water, mix two tablespoons of honey and a tablespoon of cinnamon. Drink this drink in the morning and evening. With regular use, this drink will help in the treatment of chronic arthritis.
If you have any infection of the gallbladder, you can consume the above-mentioned mixture, but this time change the amount of honey and cinnamon. In the cup of boiling water, put two teaspoons of cinnamon and a large spoonful of honey.
If you have a problem with frequent colds, make a mixture of a large tablespoon of honey and a quarter teaspoon of cinnamon. This habit will help with your cold treatment, chronic cough, and sinus congestion.
It’s significant that a significant number of the estimated 27 million people with hypothyroidism end up also being diagnosed with fibromyalgia. Both conditions share many similar symptoms, including fatigue, exhaustion, depression, brain fog, and varying degrees of muscle and joint pain.
Some experts theorize that that like most cases of hypothyroidism in the United States, fibromyalgia is also an autoimmune disease.
Others theorize that the group of fibromyalgia symptoms are actually symptoms of hypothyroidism itself. But there is no question that there is a great deal of cross-over between the two conditions.
Fibromyalgia affects as many as 8 million people in the U.S., occurring mainly in women of childbearing age. In general, fibromyalgia strikes women seven times more often than men. Symptoms usually arise between the ages of 20 to 55, but the condition also may be diagnosed in childhood. Among the entire population, it’s estimated that as many as 3 to 6 percent of the general population, including children, meet the formal criteria for an official diagnosis of fibromyalgia.
A formal diagnosis is confirmed using the official American College of Rheumatology criteria for fibromyalgia:
Widespread pain for at least 3 months. Pain should be on both the left side of the body and the right side, and pain both above and below the waist. Cervical spine, anterior chest, thoracic spine, or low back pain must also be present.
____ The area where the neck muscles attach to the base of the skull, left and right sides (Occiput) ____ Midway between neck and shoulder left and right sides (Trapezius) ____ Muscles over left and right upper inner shoulder blade left and right sides (Supraspinatus) ____ 2 centimeters below side bone at the elbow of left and right arms (Lateral epicondyle) ____ Left and right upper outer buttocks (Gluteal) ____ Left and right hip bones (Greater trochanter) ____ Just above left and right knees on the inside ____ Lower neck in front left and right sides (Low cervical) ____ Edge of the upper breast bone left and right sides (Second rib)
This gland controls sleep, your hormonal system, temperature regulation, and the autonomic nervous system (e.g. — blood pressure, blood flow, and movement of food through your bowel). This is why you can’t sleep, you have low temperature, you gain weight, and (because poor sleep causes immune dysfunction) you are prone to multiple and recurrent infections. The hypothalamic dysfunction by itself can therefore, cause most of the symptoms! I suspect that problems with the “energy furnaces” in your cells (called the mitochondria) often cause the hypothalamic suppression.
If you are a thyroid patient who has signs and symptoms of fibromyalgia, you should consider being evaluated by a practitioner with expertise in the condition, whether it’s a holistic or complementary MD, an internist, or a rheumatologist.
And, if you are a fibromyalgia patient, it’s also worth digging somewhat deeper to determine if you have an underlying thyroid problem that may be contributing to–or even causing–your fibromyalgia symptoms.
People typically have a thyroid TSH test to determine if they have a thyroid imbalance, but the late expert Dr. John Lowe, who headed the Fibromyalgia Research Foundation and wrote The Metabolic Treatment of Fibromyalgia, questioned what he calls the four “conventional endocrinology mandates:”
The only cause of thyroid hormone deficiency symptoms is hypothyroidism
Dr. Lowe had to challenge these preconceptions as part of his long-standing effort to learn more about treatment-resistant fibromyalgia. The result was a treatment protocol based on his findings that the unresolved symptoms associated with treated hypothyroidism and fibromyalgia are actually evidence of untreated or undertreated hypothyroidism or partial cellular resistance to thyroidhormone.
A unique aspect of Dr. Lowe’s theories was his recognition that a patient with cellular resistance may have perfectly normal circulating thyroid hormone levels yet have the symptoms and signs of hypothyroidism. He found, however, from his discussions with other fibromyalgia/CFS researchers, that most are unaware of such potential mechanisms. He has said:
To them, if a patient has a normal TSH level, and especially if the patient’s symptoms don’t improve with replacement dosages of T4 (levothyroxine), her condition cannot possibly be related in any way to thyroid hormone. Recent scientific research, however, has shown this belief to be false.
If you have autoimmune hypothyroidism, it’s fairly common to develop some classic fibromyalgia symptoms such as muscle/joint pain, aches, and sleep disturbances. According to Dr. Lowe, conventional physicians are likely to consider any new or worsened symptoms as evidence that there’s yet another condition such as fibromyalgia in addition to the autoimmune thyroid problem. Dr. Lowe, however, interpreted that as evidence that the patient was showing evidence of undertreated hypothyroidism:
As thyroid hormone deficiency worsens, the number of tissues involved and the severity of the resulting symptoms increase. The patient typically experiences the worsening deficiency as an increased number of symptoms of greater severity. In most cases, such patients simply need a more appropriate dosage or form of thyroid hormone to recover from all their symptoms.
Dr. Lowe believed that rigid adherence to the so-called “normal range” does not show whether a patient has enough circulating T3 (the active thyroid hormone at the cellular level, which is produced in part by the thyroid, and in part by conversion of T4 hormone to T3) to maintain normal metabolism in cells. His research showed that safe but suppressive doses were often more effective at eliminating the associated health problems that are of greatest concern. T4 to T3 conversion can be impaired, so the fact that a patient has a normal TSH level does not mean that her tissue metabolism is normal.
According to Dr. Lowe, one study showed that replacement dosages of thyroid hormone, dosages that keep the TSH within the normal range, mildly lowered patients’ high cholesterol levels, but TSH-suppressive dosages lowered the levels significantly further.
Many published reports and our studies show that the TSH level does not correlate with various tests of tissue metabolism. Dr. Lowe feels this isimportant because making tissue metabolism normal should be the goal of all treatment with hypothyroid patients. When the hypothyroid patient is restricted to a dosage of T4 that keeps the TSH within the normal range, testing will produce evidence of abnormal metabolism in multiple tissues.
Some researchers dismiss thyroid hormone replacement as a possible treatment for fibromyalgia symptoms or CFS. According to Dr. Lowe, however, “replacement” as defined by these researchers typically doesn’t work because replacement means the use of only T4 to keep the TSH within normal range. He felt that was not enough to free most hypothyroid patients from their symptoms.
He also believed that assuming that replacement dosages of T4 are the only acceptable treatment prevents other researchers from seeing the cause of most patients’ fibromyalgia was inadequate thyroid hormone regulation of tissues. Dr. Lowed believes that the combination of T4 and T3 generally works better than T4 alone with hypothyroid patients, and in some cases, T3 alone worked best. Dr. Lowe found that when hypothyroid patients were treated with T4 first, gradually increasing the dosage, if it didn’t provide much benefit or any at all, patients were switched to T3.
T4 alone is a poor option for many hypothyroid fibromyalgia patients, and it is useless for fibromyalgia patients with cellular resistance to thyroid hormone. Most of these patients, who make up about 44 percent of the fibromyalgia patient population according to our studies, benefit only from very large dosages of T3. Only a minority of hypothyroid fibromyalgia patients satisfactorily improved with the use of T4 alone.
Fibromyalgia may be known to cause widespread pain and fatigue, but there are a number of other symptoms and side effects we don’t talk about as often. For many with fibro, gastrointestinal symptoms are unfortunately a common occurrence. Although researchers are not yet clear on whether the fibromyalgia itself causes these digestive issues to occur, studies have shown that irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and other GI issues frequently coexist with fibromyalgia.
While this may be the case for some, others might have gastrointestinal symptoms as a side effect of medication, or even as a result of a different illness. Even though GI issues are common among those with fibro, it’s important to talk to your doctor about any symptoms you’re experiencing to determine the source of the issue and receive proper treatment.
Still, regardless of the cause, digestive issues can be frustrating and, at times, perhaps a bit embarrassing to deal with. It can be especially difficult if it feels like no one else really “gets it” – so, to better understand the reality of fibromyalgia and its coexisting issues, we asked our Mighty community to share the gastrointestinal symptoms they’ve experienced. If you have fibro and struggle with any of the following, know you’re not alone.
1. “Any stress I have normally shows as violent stomach cramps and diarrhea, especially when I have a high pain day.” – Elyse B.
2. “Getting stuck in the bathroom for an embarrassing amount of time.” – Lauren H.
3. “My stomach produces too much acid. The pain is horrible. I am getting my gall bladder checked. This has been going on since last summer.” – Crystal R.
4. “My doctor said that fibromyalgia and IBS-D [irritable bowel syndrome with diarrhea] tend to go hand in hand. It can be quite debilitating, especially when I’m on the downswing of my fibromyalgia because it makes the IBS–D so much worse.” – Taisha A.
5. “IBS, food intolerances, I’m uh… more poorly and gassy. Oh, bloated stomach always!” – Kirst F.
6. “I get stabbing pains in my abdominal area for no apparent reason. It’s random and severe and never in the same place so I can only imagine it’s something upsetting my gastrointestinal tract.” – Kelly W.
7. “I never know if eating will set off the IBS or not. It’s a guessing game I wish I didn’t have to play!” – Lori A.
8. “IBS with both constipation and the other end of the spectrum. I also get so bloated that I can’t wear pants sometimes. When I tell people they try to fix it with ‘Well what have you changed lately?’ or ‘Have you tried _____?’ But I know it is a matter of just waiting out the flare-up.” – Jaimie R.
9. “I have IBS ulcers, Barrett’s esophagus, bloating, trapped gas.” – Amethyst R.
10. “Almost constant nausea. And suddenly I have severe diarrhea and vomiting around my menstrual cycle.” – Christi S. F.
11. “For a few months, close to six months, I didn’t eat almost at all. I drank a lot of stuff. The thought of chewing made me nauseous and my stomach could only handle drinks basically. I can feel it trying to start again. It is the worst.” – Eloise T.
13. “Bloating which looks and feels more like ‘ballooning.’ I keep two sizes of clothes. My stomach dictates my fashion for the day. And add the gas… lots of it. I do mindful eating for my health and comfort.” – Vee Vee Y.
15. “IBS has to be one of the worst symptoms of fibromyalgia. I went for months on end with constant stomach upsets. It settled down but somehow the waiting and wondering when it’s coming back is almost as bad as a flare. It’s painful, it’s embarrassing and not being able to stray far from a toilet during a flare makes an already isolating illness that much lonelier.” – Sophie R.
16. “IBS. One day I can’t go and the next day I can’t stop going.” – Ashley W.
18. “There’s no way to prove it, unfortunately. But my GI issues damaged my pancreas so much that it doesn’t digest food properly. Took me five years to figure out I had exocrine pancreatic insufficiency. The excruciating pain that would land me in the hospital. My weight would fluctuate like crazy! (Still does.)” – Sydney L. V.
20. “Bouts of chronic diarrhea, especially in this heat. Which then leads to increased pain that wraps itself around my middle.” – Hayley C.
21. “What don’t I have? I feel like the Pepto-Bismol jingle. Heartburn, nausea, indigestion, upset stomach, diarrhea – yay Pepto-Bismol! Uggh.” – Brittany H.
Urinary incontinence is a term that basically describes any condition that makes it hard to control your bladder. Obviously, it’s not an easy thing to live with. It’s embarrassing, obviously. But many conditions that cause incontinence are very painful as well.
We usually imagine urinary incontinence as something that makes you suddenly urinate, or “wet your pants,” so to speak. But that’s not exactly accurate. More often, urinary incontinence is more like a weakened control over the muscles that control your bladder.
While sometimes it is difficult to get to a bathroom in time, more often an episode of incontinence causes urine to leak out slowly in small amounts. And there are actually a few different kinds of incontinence.
For instance, there’s something called stress incontinence. It’s caused by a sudden event, like a sneeze or laugh, that causes you to lose control of your bladder. Something similar is urge incontinence. Urge incontinence occurs when you suddenly have an intense need to urinate and you suddenly lose control over the bladder, allowing a small stream of urine to escape.
Urge incontinence is actually the most common type that people with fibromyalgia struggle with. Essentially, it occurs when you have a sudden, powerful need to urinate along with a minor leak. Although we aren’t sure what causes it, many people with fibromyalgia report having frequent urges to urinate. They usually occur at night, which can mean interrupting sleep to attend to the need to use the bathroom. As you can imagine, this isn’t the type of symptom you want to struggle with when you have a condition that causes chronic fatigue.
In addition, many people with fibromyalgia report chronic pain in their pelvis, along with frequent urges to urinate. This is a condition known as painful bladder syndrome (PBS). PBS is actually not one condition, but several. Any condition that causes these symptoms is considered to fall under the umbrella of PBS.
When it comes to fibromyalgia, the best explanation for PBS symptoms may be neurological. Fibromyalgia seems to affect the nervous system. And we know that other neurological conditions can cause urge incontinence by triggering the nerves that control the bladder. But until we understand more about the condition, we can’t say for sure why fibromyalgia leads to bladder problems.
Luckily, there are a few things you can do to manage the condition.
Obviously, if you’re experiencing urinary incontinence, you want to see a doctor and find a way to treat it. More importantly, it can sometimes be a sign of more serious health problems, so getting it checked out by a professional is always a good idea. Your doctor may also be able to find out what’s causing your condition. Just because you have fibromyalgia doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s causing your bladder problems. You might actually have one of a wide range of other conditions.
As far as managing the condition goes, there are a few lifestyle changes you can make that will help limit the urge to urinate. There are many different foods and drinks that act to stimulate the bladder and make urges worse. Anything with caffeine, for instance, works as a diuretic and triggers your bladder. So do alcohol, artificial sweeteners, and even chocolate.
Limiting your consumption of these things can help reduce the amount of urine you produce and help manage your bladder. And maintaining a healthy weight takes the pressure off your bladder, which can also help. Finally, smoking increases the amount of bladder trouble you will have, so quitting can help.
Doctors recommend a number of treatments to help control the need to urinate. They may instruct you in some pelvic control exercises that strengthen the muscles that control the bladder. This can help you hold in your urine more effectively.
In addition, you can actually strengthen your control over your bladder by waiting a few extra minutes every time you need to use the bathroom. This trains your body to hold urine in more effectively.
Finally, “double voiding,” or using the bathroom than trying again in a few minutes, can help empty your bladder more thoroughly and prevent the need to urinate.
Fibromyalgia is a chronic disease that has many different characteristics such as pain in the spine, hips, shoulders, neck, and yes- even a low-grade fever. Fibromyalgia can occur in all individuals, regardless of age or gender, but does occur more often in women between the ages of 30 and 59. The exact cause of fibromyalgia is not known, which has made it very difficult to figure out a cure for it. Another thing that complicates this is the fact that some fibromyalgia symptoms are also present in other diseases/disorders.
Fibromyalgia and fever are actually related because an individual who is suffering from fibromyalgia can actually have a low-grade fever at any given time. There isn’t really any specific evidence that connects the two but there is that possibility that fibromyalgia can cause a fever.
Individuals who have fibromyalgia also have a very weak immune system and infections can be easily picked up while symptoms are flared up. These infections can actually lead to a much higher fever. Additionally, the severe muscle pain/tingling that is common in individuals with fibromyalgia can cause fever. Your skin will get very hot and you may or may not start sweating. Additionally, though you may feel hot and think you have a fever, the thermometer will read normally. So, you could feel hot- but not really have a fever.
Fever related to fibromyalgia symptoms can also cause your glands to swell up. This happens in both individuals with fibromyalgia and those who are only experiencing a fever. Additionally, joint pain could flare up if you’re experiencing a mild fever.
However, typically the fevers are very mild and are not the main reason for discomfort in individuals with fibromyalgia. In fact, most individuals don’t even realize that they do have a fever, but are more focused on the symptoms that are causing them the most extreme discomfort.
In some cases, individuals with fibromyalgia could start shivering before, during, or after experiencing a fever. There isn’t really any known medication that can curb a fever with fibromyalgia, so the individual will have to continue with their normal course of treatment, despite having a low grade (or high grade) fever.
The only way to avoid having a fever with fibromyalgia symptoms is by taking care to reduce the other symptoms of your fibromyalgia. Make sure to take part in regular physical exercise in order to reduce muscle stiffness. Additionally, make sure that you are consuming a proper diet that will give you plenty of energy. You will also want to make sure that you get adequate sleep, which will help you to be relaxed and help to reduce the symptoms of fatigue and such.
Consuming a balanced diet- as in consuming lots of fruits and vegetables especially- can help to reduce the symptoms of fibromyalgia and fever. Vegetables have lots of fiber, which is essential for increasing metabolism and fruits have vitamins and minerals that help with the repair and rebuilding of the muscles. As an individual with fibromyalgia, you should take care to avoid caffeine, processed foods, soft drinks, refined carbohydrates, and other junk food.
For those individuals who are suffering from not sleeping and high levels of stress, medications that facilitate sleep and relaxation methods can be wonderful in reducing those symptoms of fibromyalgia, which can contribute to feeling feverish.
Both not getting adequate sleep and levels of stress are related because people who are stressed out don’t get the proper amount of sleep. The less sleep you’re able to get, the more likely you are to react negatively to stress. Therefore, relaxation methods, such as massage will help you to relax, which will help you to sleep much better.
Additionally, massage can help serve to decrease pain, which helps to alleviate other symptoms. In times of extreme lack of sleep, you can use sleep medication, but be sure that you don’t become dependent upon them entirely as a way to get some sleep. Also, keep in mind that sleeping pills do come with some undesirable side effects.
In order to relieve the fever that results from the pain and other symptoms of fibromyalgia, you could consider acupuncture as an option. This will typically relieve the pain in the tender spots and may very well serve to reduce stress. Both massage and physical therapy actually regulate the neurotransmitters in the brain, which help your body to actually have a much higher pain threshold. This also leads to the individual being able to more effectively overcome stress and pain.
Individuals who have fibromyalgia are prone to experiencing both spells of fever and spells of chills on occasion. In some cases, the individuals will have a fever the entire time that they’re suffering from fibromyalgia, most will actually never once experience a fever. Physicians say that individuals who are in the more advanced stages of fibromyalgia are less affected by fever and chills, and those in the early stages are more likely to be affected.
In conclusion, fibromyalgia is a chronic disease that has many different characteristics such as pain in the spine, hips, shoulders, neck, and yes- even a low-grade fever. Fibromyalgia can occur in all individuals, regardless of age or gender, but does occur more often in women between the ages of 30 and 59. The exact cause of fibromyalgia is not known, which has made it very difficult to figure out a cure for it. Another thing that complicates this is the fact that some fibromyalgia symptoms are also present in other diseases/disorders.
Fibromyalgia and fever are actually related because an individual who is suffering from fibromyalgia can actually have a low-grade fever at any given time. There isn’t really any specific evidence that connects the two but there is that possibility that fibromyalgia can cause a fever.
Fibromyalgia, a painful condition affecting approximately 10 million people in the U.S., is not imaginary after all, as some doctors have believed. A discovery, published this month in PAIN MEDICINE (the journal of the American Academy of Pain Medicine), clearly now demonstrates that fibromyalgia may have a rational biological basis located in the skin.
Fibromyalgia is a severely debilitating affliction characterized by widespread deep tissue pain, tenderness in the hands and feet, fatigue, sleep disorders, and cognitive decline. However, routine testing has been largely unable to detect a biological basis for fibromyalgia, and standard diagnosis is based upon subjective patient pain ratings, further raising questions about the true nature of the disease.
For many years, the disorder was believed to be psychosomatic (“in the head”) and often attributed to patients’ imagination or even faking illness. Currently approved therapeutics that provide at least partial relief to some fibromyalgia patients are thought to act solely within the brain where imaging techniques have detected hyperactivity of unknown origin referred to as “central sensitization.” However, an underlying cause has not been determined, leaving many physicians still in doubt about the true origins or even the existence of the disorder.
Now, a breakthrough discovery by scientists at Integrated Tissue Dynamics LLC (Intidyn), as part of a fibromyalgia study based at Albany Medical College, has provided a biological rationale for this enigmatic disease. The small biotechnology research company, founded by neuroscientists Dr. Frank L. Rice and Dr. Phillip J. Albrecht, reports on a unique peripheral neurovascular pathology consistently present in the skin of female fibromyalgia patients which may be a driving source of the reported symptoms.
“Instead of being in the brain, the pathology consists of excessive sensory nerve fibers around specialized blood vessel structures located in the palms of the hands,” said Dr. Rice, President of Intidyn and the senior researcher on the study. “This discovery provides concrete evidence of a fibromyalgia–specific pathology which can now be used for diagnosing the disease, and as a novel starting point for developing more effective therapeutics.”
Three years ago, Intidyn scientists published the discovery of an unknown nervous system function among the blood vessels in the skin in the journal PAIN.
As Dr. Rice explained, “we analyzed the skin of a particularly interesting patient who lacked all the numerous varieties of sensory nerve endings in the skin that supposedly accounted for our highly sensitive and richly nuanced sense of touch. Interestingly, however, this patient had a surprisingly normal function in day-to-day tasks.
But, the only sensory endings we detected in his skin were those around the blood vessels”. Dr. Rice continued, “We previously thought that these nerve endings were only involved in regulating blood flow at a subconscious level, yet here we had evidence that the blood vessel endings could also contribute to our conscious sense of touch… and also pain.”
Both pharmaceutical companies have developed FDA-approved medications with similar functions (Serotonin/Norepinephrine Reuptake Inhibitors, SNRI) that provide at least some degree of relief for many fibromyalgia patients.
“Knowing how these drugs were supposed to work on molecules in the brain,” Dr. Albrecht added, “we had evidence that similar molecules were involved in the function of nerve endings on the blood vessels. Therefore, we hypothesized that fibromyalgia might involve a pathology in that location”. As the results demonstrate, they were correct.
To analyze the nerve endings, Drs. Rice, Albrecht, and postdoctoral researcher Dr. Quanzhi Hou used their unique microscopic technology to study small skin biopsies (less than half the size of a pencil eraser) collected from the palms of fibromyalgia patients, who were being diagnosed and treated by Drs. Argoff, Wymer, and Storey.
The study was limited to women, who have over twice the occurrence of fibromyalgia than men. What the team uncovered was an enormous increase in sensory nerve fibers at specific sites within the blood vessels of the skin. These critical sites are tiny muscular valves, called arteriole-venule (AV) shunts, which form a direct connection between arterioles and venules.
As Dr. Rice describes their function, “We are all taught that oxygenated blood flows from arterioles to capillaries, which then convey the deoxygenated blood to the venules. The AV shunts in the hand are unique in that they create a bypass of the capillary bed for the major purpose of regulating body temperature.”
In humans, these types of shunts are unique to the palms of our hands and soles of our feet which work like the radiator in a car. Under warm conditions, the shunts close down to force blood into the capillaries at the surface of the skin in order to radiate heat from the body, and our hands get sweaty. Under cold conditions, the shunts open wide allowing blood to bypass the capillaries in order to conserve heat, and our hands get cold, and put on gloves.
According to Dr. Albrecht, “the excess sensory innervation may itself explain why fibromyalgia patients typically have especially tender and painful hands. But, in addition, since the sensory fibers are responsible for opening the shunts, they would become particularly active under cold conditions, which are generally very bothersome to fibromyalgia patients.”
Although they are mostly limited to the hands and feet, the shunts likely have another important function that could account for the widespread deep pain, achiness, and fatigue that occurs in fibromyalgia patients.
“In addition to involvement in temperature regulation, an enormous proportion of our blood flow normally goes to our hands and feet. Far more than is needed for their metabolism” noted Dr. Rice. “As such, the hands and the feet act as a reservoir from which blood flow can be diverted to other tissues of the body, such as muscles when we begin to exercise.
Therefore, the pathology discovered among these shunts in the hands could be interfering with blood flow to the muscles throughout the body. This mismanaged blood flow could be the source of muscular pain and achiness, and the sense of fatigue which is thought to be due to a build-up of lactic acid and low levels of inflammation in fibromyalgia patients. This, in turn, could contribute to the hyperactivity in the brain.”
Dr. Albrecht also points out that alterations of normal blood flow may underlie other fibromyalgia symptoms, such as non-restful sleep or cognitive dysfunctions. “The data do appear to fit with other published evidence demonstrating blood flow alterations to higher brain centers and the cerebral cortex of fibromyalgia patients” he stated.
This discovery of a distinct tissue pathology demonstrates that fibromyalgia is not “all in your head”, which should provide an enormous relief to fibromyalgia patients while changing the clinical opinion of the disease and guiding future approaches for successful treatments.
As if muscle pain and tissue tenderness weren’t enough, many fibromyalgia patients must also put up with a variety of digestive problems on a daily basis. The pain and discomfort can get so bad you don’t know where to begin to find relief, and you may simply give up on a comfortable lifestyle.
Luckily, there are several steps you can take to get some relief, beginning with a better understanding of the connections and communication happening within your body.
It’s no coincidence that fibro pain and intestinal pain go hand in hand. Recent studies have used brain scans to match physiological responses in IBS patients and fibromyalgia patients.
Not only do both groups of patients show greater neurological responses to pain, but IBS and fibro patients also seem to experience a heightened awareness of pain. Since they show such similar brain activity in regard to pain stimulus, experts suspect that the two conditions share underlying causes.
Another explanation for the range of GI discomforts affecting fibro patients involves the autonomic nervous system, which regulates the function of the internal organs. This general nervous system is composed of two subsystems: the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems, which rarely work simultaneously.
In fibromyalgia, the sympathetic nervous system (responsible for an increase in blood pressure, heart rate, and adrenaline) is almost constantly engaged, leaving the parasympathetic system (responsible for relaxation and digestion) sluggish or inactive.
Many people with fibromyalgia complain that certain foods irritate their stomach or exacerbate their fibro symptoms in other parts of their body. Any food could be a trigger, and while dairy and gluten are common culprits, many people have a unique set of food intolerances that can be difficult to identify without lots of time and careful attention.
The gastrointestinal system is made up of several parts: the esophagus, stomach, small intestine, and bowel. When digestion slows down, or an intolerance disrupts the natural process, a chain of events can push pain and discomfort through your entire GI tract.
Fibro patients often complain of frustrating digestive troubles, like:
Acid reflux. When gastric juices are not used in the stomach, they tend to travel back up through the esophagus, resulting in heartburn or a painful sensation in the chest.
Cramping and constipation. When the process of peristalsis (the smooth muscle contraction that moves food through the tubes of the GI tract) slows down, your irritated intestines can begin to cramp and prevent the movement of waste through the bowel.
Diarrhea. When the digestive process slows or halts, undigested food can move from the stomach and into the intestine, where it can irritate the lining of the colon and produce IBS symptoms.
Gas. The longer food stays in your stomach and intestines, the longer your natural GI bacteria has to break down the compounds, and the more methane gas is produced from bacteria metabolism.
IBS is a distinct condition caused by abnormalities in the nerves that supply the digestive tract, and physicians often use the ROME criteria to diagnosis the disorder. If your doctor isn’t convinced that your symptoms fit in with IBS, don’t throw in the towel just yet; there are several ways to address your digestive problems, regardless of whether you have overlapping conditions or fibro-triggered GI pain.
Since what you eat and drink directly affects your digestive system (and indirectly affects every other system) begin to mend your digestive breakdown with your food choices, supplements, and meal habits.
In some cases, one change can make a world of difference, and some find that a total dietary makeover relieves their discomfort for good.
By eliminating any and all suspect foods from your diet for several weeks, then reintroducing them one by one, you can find out if anyone ingredient has been causing your digestive problems. Remember to wait several days between reintroductions in order to easily isolate the culprit.
There’s no universal problem food, but watch out for caffeine, dairy, beans, citrus fruit, and cruciferous veggies, which have all been known to cause stomach cramps, and both constipation and diarrhea in susceptible people.
If your tummy troubles mainly involve gas, bloating, and constipation, you may want to try a soluble fiber supplement. In a recent study of IBS patients conducted by researchers out of New York’s Beth Israel Medical Center, about 9 percent of patients found relief with a boost in soluble fiber.
Many people are suspicious of holistic alternatives, but the same study out of New York returned surprising results on the use of peppermint oil: an astounding 40% of IBS patients found that peppermint extract relieved their discomfort.
Peppermint has been shown to improve the function of the stomach and intestinal muscles, and it has a calm numbing effect on the entire GI tract. Look for high volatile oil peppermint tea or enteric-coated peppermint oil capsules for an appropriate dose of the therapeutic herb.
A big swing in the healthy direction may seem like a good idea, but any sweeping change can shock your system. Avoid the unnecessary discomfort by making little changes over time: the first step is to eliminate processed food and additives (they contain unnatural compounds that are incredibly difficult to digest), and then consider an elimination diet, or increasing whole grains while lowering saturated fat.
Although the root causes of IBS and fibromyalgia are still not entirely understood, the fact that they’re physiologically related suggests that certain treatments could help both conditions.
While no one medication has been shown to relieve symptoms for everyone, some options include:
Nothing can be solved overnight, but rest assured that there is a lot you can do about your digestion as you treat your fibromyalgia. Consider making some dietary changes while you take your prescribed medication, but make sure you don’t start or stop any course of medication before consulting with your doctor.
Exercise is an excellent remedy for digestive problems and fibro symptoms, so be sure to stay moderately active most days, if not every day of the week. Often, a change in your diet and exercise regime can bring the quickest – and most powerful – results.
The symptoms can be frustrating, ranging from numbness to outright pain in the affected areas.
When you go to your doctor for treatment, they’re likely to prescribe pain medications, pat you on the back and tell you to continue with your day-to-day activities.
But not only are pain medications expensive – but they also come with side effects that can be even more severe than your initial sciatica.
An alternative to taking the meds is doing yoga specifically designed to treat sciatica. And while that’s certainly a viable option for those who can afford classes, not everyone can perform the most helpful posts.
Turmeric’s active ingredient, curcumin, can be used as a tonic to reduce the inflammation that occurs as a result of sciatica.
One way you can administer sciatica is by consuming it as tea. Dr. Weil’s recipe requires you to bring four cups of water to a boil, add one teaspoon of ground turmeric, simmer it for 10 minutes, strain and then add honey to taste.
If the tea is a bit too strong for your liking (turmeric does have a very distinctive taste), you can also, as per Home Remedies For Life’s instructions, sprinkle a quarter of a teaspoon of it on scrambled eggs or into soup, sauce or salad dressing. You should gradually increase the amount of turmeric you use until you make it to 1 teaspoon.
If you’re looking to skip tasting the turmeric altogether, you can also turn it into a paste that you apply on the area that is hurting.
To do this, boil half a cup of water and stir it into a quarter cup of turmeric. Reduce the heat and let it simmer for 7 minutes while you stir constantly.
The mixture will turn into a paste – once it does, take it off the heat and let it cool. If it’s too dry, add a few drops of water and leave it in your refrigerator in a tightly sealed container.
When you’re ready to use it, apply the paste to the sore areas of your skin and leave it on for 15 minutes. Then, have a shower and wash it off.
Turmeric works by lowering levels of inflammation-fueling enzymes. It’s been used as a painkiller for centuries due to its proven effectiveness. It was confirmed by Malaysian scientists in 2010 to get rid of nerve pain, but it was used all over Asia long before then.
How much turmeric is most effective? The suggested dose per adult for the purpose of reducing pain is 300mg taken 3 times a day.
One of the worst things about fibromyalgia, besides the chronic pain and fatigue, has to be the way that people who suffer from fibromyalgia are at risk of so many other conditions like autoimmune diseases and especially, chronic headaches.
It’s estimated that up to forty percent of people with fibromyalgia suffer from migraines or some other form of a persistent headache. But like fibromyalgia, it’s hard to get to the bottom of what’s causing your headaches. And like fibromyalgia, migraines are often misdiagnosed. In fact, some people who suffer from persistent headaches aren’t actually suffering from migraines, but from a related condition called occipital neuralgia. So, what is occipital neuralgia? How is it related to fibromyalgia? And what can you do to treat it?
Occipital neuralgia is a condition that causes chronic pain in the base of the skull. People often describe it as being like an electrical shock or even similar to being stabbed in the muscle. The pain usually radiates from the back of the head down the neck and up the sides of the head or behind the eye.
The root of the condition lies in the occipital nerves. These are nerves that run from the back of the neck and the spine up through the sides of the head to the scalp. But sometimes, injuries or inflammation of the muscles in the spine cause the tissue to start pressing on these nerves. This leads to a condition called neuralgia, where the nerves begin to send pain signals to the brain.
That produces symptoms that are similar to migraines, which makes it difficult to diagnose the condition. Doctors can diagnose the condition by performing a physical exam, pressing their finger into the base of the skull to see if your pain gets worse. In addition, they can also give you something called a nerve block, which shuts off the interaction between the nerves, which can help prove that it’s neuralgia rather than migraines.
But there are many different conditions that can lead to neuropathy, which is why it might affect people with fibromyalgia more frequently than the general population.
Fibromyalgia puts you at risk of a number of different conditions and some of them are also contributing factors to neuralgia. For instance, diabetes is a common complaint of people with fibromyalgia. And the nerve pain from diabetes can contribute significantly to the risk of developing occipital neuralgia.
In addition, we know that having fibromyalgia makes you more likely to develop autoimmune conditions. An autoimmune condition is one where the body’s immune system begins to attack the body’s own tissue. This results in painful inflammation all over the body. And a common autoimmune condition is something called arteritis. Arteritis causes inflammation in the walls of the blood vessels. This inflammation can put pressure on the occipital nerves and can be a root cause of neuralgia.
And fibromyalgia also seems to affect the nerves themselves. Fibromyalgia seems to trigger your nerves to send pain signals to the brain. And it could be that the same nerve connections can contribute to the symptoms of occipital neuralgia.
So, there are a lot of different possible reasons that fibromyalgia could contribute to the condition, but what you probably want to know if you suffer from it is what you can do to treat it.
There are a few things you can do to immediately provide some relief. The best thing to do is to get some rest. Moving your neck can make the pain worse. Instead, lay down and apply a warm compress to the back of the neck. And massaging the muscles of the neck can help, as can basic, over-the-counter pain medication.
Your doctor can also prescribe a number of medications that can help with the symptoms. Your doctor might prescribe muscle relaxants to help ease the overly-tight muscles that are pressing on the nerves. And they can also prescribe steroid shots that help reduce inflammation of the tissue.
In addition, the doctor can give you regular nerve block injections. These nerve blocks tend to wear off after a week or two, so you will probably need a number of treatments to help control the symptoms.
Combined with rest and warm compresses, these medications are usually enough to help resolve the worst symptoms of the condition.
