Fibromyalgia sufferers are sensitive to a lot of things along with pain. Weather, stress, smell, and even the things they eat can affect them. Use of GMOs is the best among the things which can be of concern when you are trying to plan the diet for the best results while having fibromyalgia. The question arises whether GMOs can a play a role in worsening fibromyalgia symptoms or not.
GMOs refer to “genetically modified organisms”. It seems as one term but it actually has reference to a lot of different things as no rule is set on how the organism is modified genetically. This is the reason why fibromyalgia sufferers may find it a problem to use GMOs.
GMOs are the plants in which actual gene has been modified when it comes to crops like vegetables and fruits. It is usually not explained how they are modified. It could be modified through cross-pollination, cross-breeding or adding the chemicals directly to the plants.
If you think that you eat pork, beef and poultry from the animals that are fed with GMOs plants, you may also say that it is also considered that meat is also GMO if this meat comes from the animal who fed GMOs.
GMOs first use could be seen as a positive attempt. Areas in which foods like flood-ravaged states could not be produced; areas with drought-ridden swampland or areas of constant high or low temperatures were not have genetically modified plants in growth. People who might have starved were able to get the food by using GMOs.
The question has been asked as to whether chemical engineering usage has gone too far. This has caused the people to be encouraged in getting to purchase the organic food which is free of GMO and have foods that have a label of GMO. So people who have fibromyalgia can decide whether to take GMOs in their diet or not.
It is simply not easy to give a direct answer to this question because this term refers to a lot of different things. Has the food been genetically modified for it to adjust to some different land? Is it a cross-breed of different plants that are brought together? Or has it been grown with above the normal amount of herbicides and pesticides?
Whether GMOs can affect the fibromyalgia overwhelming pain and fatigue has the biggest factor which shows that we can’t define the GMOs as following one particular plan of the creation so it is not possible to pinpoint the health consequences.
For people with fibromyalgia, diet and chemical sensitivities play a huge role. There is a possibility that GMOs could be a problem in the health of people who suffer from fibromyalgia. With the GMOs, you don’t know exactly what you are eating and whether it will affect your fibromyalgia symptoms or not.
GMOs that would be taken under consideration are vegetables, fruits and legumes are grown for consumption, as well as GMOs that are given as a feed to animals who produce milk, lay eggs or being raised for consumption. As a result, a lot of possible sources of GMOs would occur which may or may not contain the substances that will affect fibromyalgia people’s health.
Unfortunately, no way is there by which we can know for sure about the substances that are an issue without knowing the beginning to finishing process of production of these foods, and for the consumer, that information is not available.
Currently, it is not necessary for the U.S to label the food that contains GMOs. Due to this fact, we all have consumed GMOs at some time somewhere.
The only way to avoid taking the food that contains GMOs is to stay away from the foods that may possibly have those in it, if the GMOs may make you sick. You would have to take the dairy products, meat labeled organic and have to purchase the prepared and canned food that is labeled as 100% GMO-free. Although it is not a legal requirement but a lot of companies have decided to put this on the labels.
You should try to purchase only organic foods for some time if you are having trouble in dealing with the symptoms of fibromyalgia-like muscle pain, severe fatigue, headaches and flu-like malaise under control, in order to see if helps in easing your health problems.
A new study suggests that using bad words can actually help in dealing with pain. If you are suffering from fibromyalgia, this may somehow benefit you in certain ways.
The study investigating the connection between swearing and pain was published in the journal NeuroReport. The experiment was conducted by comparing the amount of time in which participants can soak their hands in ice water.
67 students took part in the study. The students were also given an option of choosing their own expletive words and to repeat it at their own will. It has been found that when participants swear, they experience lesser pain. As such, they were able to keep their hands soaked in cold water for 40 seconds longer than those who didn’t swear.
Researchers believe that although cursing is not a socially accepted behavior, there is a reason to think that it actually comes with benefits. According to a psychologist, swearing is a common response to pain. Furthermore, he believes that there is an underlying reason why people would do it.
Although researchers are not certain how swearing helps fibromyalgia pain, they suggest that it may be due to that part of the brain affecting emotion. Previous studies have shown that the part of the brain linked to neutral language can be found in the left brain. On the other hand, curse words came from an ancient evolved instinct. Moreover, part of the brain that is responsible for such process can be found deep within the brain’s right hemisphere.
Researchers believe that amygdala is responsible for the reaction. Amygdala triggers the fight or flight response which increases heart rate. Hence it enables the body to be less sensitive to pain. Scientists of the aforementioned study have also backed this by explaining that the heart rates of students in the study increased when they swear. This therefore suggests that the amygdala indeed was aroused.
Experts suggest that if you suffer from pain as a result of fibromyalgia, you can try swearing. However, they caution that the words can begin to lose their emotional potency if they are being repeated excessively. Therefore, try to be creative by coming up with new bad words each time you feel pain due to fibromyalgia.
I can’t breathe, and there is an almost unbearable weight on my chest.
I feel like I’m being crushed and the pain is excruciating.
All I can hear is thump, thump, thump – although at this point I’m not sure if it’s the beat of my heart, or if it is more earth being thrown on top of me.
Fear has taken over every cell of my body as the panic rises within me, my face is burning hot, yet my extremities are as cold as ice.
The level of terror I feel should prevent me from moving. But, from somewhere deep inside of me, the will to survive surges through my very being and I desperately try to claw my way out, frantically scraping the earth away, exhausting myself in this seemingly futile effort.
Nevertheless, I continue through the haze of exhaustion. My clawing becomes slower and less effective. I can feel the will to go on slipping away from me.
And then I see it.
The smallest pin prick of light. It’s so far away that at first, I think I have imagined it.
But as it opens out to the size of a petit pois, I can’t deny it. Despite the pain and exhaustion, I get a surge of hope and this gives me just enough energy to go on.
The cycle repeats at varying intensity and intervals over time. Let me tell you what I mean.
When I was first diagnosed with fibromyalgia, I had already been through months – if not years – of searching for an answer. I was already exhausted and felt broken. But the diagnosis itself was hope for me because I thought that surely in this day and age, pain can be controlled…Can’t it?
Over the past five years, I have repeated this process of being buried alive more times than I care to remember. Sometimes the weight, pain and darkness have been so relentless that I didn’t even believe the light existed anymore.
I’m sure you get the picture of the things that can bring that suffocating darkness, but now let’s look at finding the light.
On the odd days, the pain is less – I can see the pin prick of light in the distance
The hope of a new therapy or treatment – allows some of the earth to fall away naturally
A friend or family member showing me love and compassion with kind words or by doing things to help make my life easier – this feels like they are shoveling the earth away from me.
A coworker or manager understands and offers kind words of support.
Constantly looking for beauty or hope is like clawing away some of the dirt.
All in all, we cannot rely on nor predict the good days or opportunities for new therapies. The only constants can be our own search for beauty, hope and the kindness of others to help us keep the darkness at bay.
If you know someone with a chronic illness don’t be afraid to ask how you can help. Often helping the person to feel validated and valued can be enough. Other times we may need help with something simple, like opening a bottle or writing a paragraph. So often those of us with chronic illnesses are terrible at asking for help, and just the offer of help is enough to remind us that the light still exists.
Fibromyalgia is a complex chronic pain syndrome which comes with many symptoms and complications that we do not expect. For example, one of the less known symptoms that fibromyalgia patients would often suffer from is fibroma. Fibroma is basically an enlarged and benign growth on the skin, which is often painful and can sometimes be dangerous.
Fibromas are basically growth tissues in the body. However, the term could cover a wide range of growths and nails down to what is causing the fibroma so difficult.
If you have heard of the term “skin tag”, then you may be familiar with fibromas. Skin tag, which is a small growth of the skin, is a type of fibroma. These are fairly common especially for seniors. This kind of fibroma is not dangerous and can be removed easily. Moreover, skin tags are not often painful, but this is not really the case for all sorts of fibromas.
Fibromas are more common among people who suffer from fibromyalgia. However, the reason behind this has not yet been fully understood.
What is known is that fibromas are common for those who are suffering from chronic diseases such as diabetes and autoimmune conditions. This barely explains why fibromyalgia will make you more susceptible to skin tags in the same manner. Yet, it is hardly surprising since anyone who has fibromyalgia is aware how the condition will seem to trigger endless complications.
As of the moment, fibromas are among those conditions that lack proper medical research so it is hard to tell why it is closely being linked to fibromyalgia.
The good news is that fibromas are normally benign. This means that they are not dangerous for you at all. However, the bad news is that there is not a proper way to treat them through medications.
Of course, it would be great if there were medications that could help to shrink and then eventually eliminate them. However, for most people, the only option would be surgery. On a good note, the surgery involved is a simple procedure and can be done as an outpatient procedure, especially for cases of skin tags.
During the surgery the growth is usually cut away using a scalpel. The surgeon will then use a laser to seal the blood vessels instantly, making the procedure almost bloodless and extremely safe for the patient. Thus, the surgery can be done in about fifteen minutes and will only leave behind a small scar. Moreover, it also makes the procedure to be extremely safe for the patient.
In most cases, skin tag growths do not really need to be taken off. However, they can be unsightly and embarrassing for the patient and this is why those who have this will tend to suffer from stress, not to mention the other symptoms that come with fibromyalgia.
Neurontin and its newer more potent version, Fibromyalgia pain relief drug Lyrica, are widely used for off-label indications that are an outright flagrant danger to the public. These blockbuster drugs were approved for use even though the FDA had no idea what they actually did in the brain. A shocking new study shows that they block the formation of new brain synapses, drastically reducing the potential for rejuvenating brain plasticity – meaning that these drugs will cause brain decline faster than any substance known to mankind.
The problem of these drugs is compounded by their flagrant illegal marketing. Neurontin was approved by the FDA for epilepsy back in 1994. Fibromyalgia pain relief drug underwent massive illegal off-label promotion that cost Warner-Lambert 430 million dollars (the very first big fine for off-label promotion). The Fibromyalgia pain relief drug is now owned by Pfizer. Pfizer also owns Lyrica, a super-potent version of Neurontin. It has been approved by the FDA for various types of pain and fibromyalgia.
Lyrica for Fibromyalgia pain relief is one of four drugs that a subsidiary of Pfizer illegally marketed, resulting in a $2.3 billion settlement against Pfizer. Even though the marketing of these drugs has been heavily fined, they continue to rack up billions in sales from the off-label uses. Doctors use them for all manner of nerve issues because they are good at suppressing symptoms.
However, such uses can no longer be justified because the actual mechanism of the drugs is finally understood and they are creating a significant long-term reduction in nerve health. The researchers in the above study try to downplay the serious nature of the drugs by saying “adult neurons don’t form many new synapses.” That is simply not true.
The new science is showing that brain health during aging relies on the formation of new synapses. Even these researchers managed to question the common use of these medications in pregnant women. How is a fetus supposed to make new nerve cells when the mother is taking a drug that blocks them? These are the kind of situations the FDA should be all over.
As usual, the FDA is sitting around pondering a suicide warning for Fibromyalgia pain relief drug Lyrica while its off-label uses include bi-polar disorder and migraine headaches. The FDA is likely to twiddle its thumbs for the next decade on the brain damage issue. Consumer beware.
Living with fibromyalgia can make every day a challenge. Chronic pain and severe exhaustion are the two most common symptoms. However, people who suffer from the condition often experience other symptoms, like depression, headaches, memory loss, sleep disturbances, irritable bowel syndrome, and more. These can make it very difficult to go to work every day, which leaves many people wondering, “Is fibromyalgia a disability?” Depending on the situation, it can be, but it comes with some caveats. Read on for details about fibromyalgia disability benefits you may qualify for and how to apply for them.
When people ask if fibromyalgia is considered a disability, they’re typically referring to workplace accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) or Social Security disability claims. Not that this post should not be taken as legal advice, as it only scratches the surface of what you should know when it comes to benefits, work status, and qualifications. You can read more about chronic pain and disability benefits here.
The ADA doesn’t maintain a list of medical conditions that constitute a disability. Instead, there is a general definition of disability that you must meet. According to the ADA, you must have a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities. This includes people who have a record of impairment, even if they do not currently have a disability. It also includes individuals who do not have a disability, but are regarded as having a disability.
The Social Security Administration (SSA), on the other hand, defines a disability as “a severe “medically determinable impairment,” also known as an MDI. We’ll discuss what qualifies as an MDI in further detail below.
Based on this information, the short answer is yes, fibromyalgia can be a disability in the way it affects your everyday life. But as for applying for and receiving Social Security benefits or ADA modifications, the answer will be based on factors related to your personal symptoms and overall health condition. While one person with fibromyalgia may be suffering with debilitating symptoms, another may find work and other daily activities more manageable. Fibromyalgia is a condition that can vary greatly from person to person, so the answer to the original question is also unique to that person.
Depending on the severity of your condition and the work you do, it may or may not be possible to work. Many people with fibromyalgia experience extreme tenderness when pressure is applied to the knees, thighs, hips, elbows, and neck.
For this reason, it is best to do a job that doesn’t require you to stay in one position for too long. Both standing and sitting for extended amounts of time can lead to more pain. Further, any job that requires heavy lifting or intense physical movement may also be too demanding in most cases.
If you wish to continue working, work with the Human Resources contact at your for the best methods on how to accommodate your fibromyalgia symptoms. Through ADA guidelines and recommendations, HR can work with you to offer several ways to make you more comfortable while you’re at work.
These are just a few possible fibromyalgia accommodation:
Alternative lighting, flexible scheduling, or a modified break schedule for attentiveness/concentration issues
Chairs with head support, standing desks, or stand-lean stools for daily movement
Reducing any physical requirements of the job
Counseling, therapy, or even a support animal for stress management
Walkers, scooters, or wheelchairs, as needed
This is just a sample of the many options that could allow you to continue working. Your HR team will determine the best solution on a case-by-case basis.
In order to make your condition best understood, you’ll need to provide a full explanation of your current diagnosis, symptoms, treatments, and limitations from your doctor. This documentation should be similar to what you’d provide in an application for disability.
The Social Security Administration maintains a list of adult impairments that may qualify for disability benefits. Unfortunately, fibromyalgia isn’t included. While it is one of the harder disability claims to win, it isn’t impossible. In order to qualify, you must prove to medical examiners that you’re suffering from a severe “medically determinable impairment,” also known as an MDI.
Social Security may consider fibromyalgia an MDI if both of these are true:
You have evidence of widespread chronic pain that has lasted at least three months
Laboratory testing, mris, and X-rays have ruled out other possible conditions
In addition, one of these must be present in your case:
Ongoing occurrence of at least six fibromyalgia symptoms, such as fatigue, cognitive/memory issues (also known as fibro fog), waking up exhausted, irritable bowel syndrome, depression, and anxiety
Positive tender point sites in at least 11 of 18 tested areas, above and below the waist and on both sides of the body
It’s important to note that even if you meet these requirements, you will still have to prove that you’re disabled. That means documenting reasons why you’re incapable of maintaining employment in any capacity, whether at your previous job or any other job.
The process of applying for fibromyalgia disability benefits is complex. Even if you are formally diagnosed, there are a number of factors you must be able to prove in order to qualify. This usually takes multiple visits with your doctor over a long period of time.
The following gives a brief overview of what you can expect, but it’s best to work with an attorney who is experienced with disability claims. They can give you exact guidance about how to apply for and receive benefits appropriate to your case.
Here’s what you can expect to do during the process.
The more documentation you can gather about your medical history, the better your application will be. First, a confirmed diagnosis will be necessary. Due to the nature of fibromyalgia, which typically has no confirmed cause, doctors often diagnose it when they can’t find any other cause of your ongoing pain. This is why it’s important to have a specialist diagnose you based on lab tests and the current fibromyalgia diagnostic criteria.
Furthermore, a Residual Functional Capacity (RFC) about your impairments is necessary for a thorough application. This is an overall evaluation of your capacity to complete certain job-related activities, including your ability to:
Lift or carry weight, and how often you’re able to do so
Stand, walk, or sit during a normal eight-hour work day, and how long you’re able to do so
In addition to a formal application, your diagnosis, and an RFC, there may be a few other things that will be critical to your success. You may need to include:
Contact information for all of your doctors, as well as the dates of your appointments, treatments, or hospitalizations
Health records of lab tests, psychological evaluations, and prescribed medications
A summary of your job history
The Social Security Administration will take everything you provide into consideration, so provide a very clear picture of your day-to-day challenges. A journal (paper or mobile-app based) is a great way to do this. Spend time each day jotting down how you felt and how symptoms limited your activities. This can help you paint a picture of what you’re coping with on a daily basis.
After you’ve gathered all of your materials, there are a few ways to file your application:
In person at your local social security office
Online
By phone at 1-800-772-1213 -or- TTY 1-800-325-0778 if you are deaf or hard of hearing
On average, it can take three to five months to hear back regarding disability benefit claims. In some cases, you may have to supply additional evidence or documentation.
During the application process, a team of doctors for the Social Security Administration will do a thorough review of your application. A psychologist on this team may also evaluate whether your case of fibromyalgia has resulted in any mental impairments. These are based on:
Once they’ve reviewed your application, they’ll determine if you receive disability benefits or not. You can typically appeal this decision, if they’ve denied your claim. An appeal is an additionally complex process, on top of an already complicated task. Work with your local health advocates or an attorney when undergoing an appeal.
Much like the other disability benefits we’ve discussed, fibromyalgia long-term disability benefits can be difficult to obtain. Most long-term disability insurance companies deny or limit these requests since the condition is usually based on self-reported symptoms. Many insurance companies specifically exclude fibromyalgia from coverage. Others consider it a mental disorder in order to limit payments to one or two years. Examine your policy carefully to understand if it is possible to receive benefits for fibromyalgia, and for how long. Work with your Human Resources team if you’re unsure about any of the language or policy coverage.
As previously discussed, if you plan to apply for these types of benefits, you will need to be prepared with as much documentation as possible. You should be seeking medical treatment from a specialist and keeping a detailed record of your symptoms. It will also help to have written opinions from your doctors regarding your limitations and current condition.
Only you and your medical team can determine if seeking disability benefits is the right course of action for you. These are a few questions you should ask yourself before seeking fibromyalgia disability benefits.
Before applying for disability, it’s important to take a look at your finances. Allsup provides a free online calculator to estimate how much you may receive on disability.
Ask yourself if you’re comfortable with this amount of monthly income. Will it be enough for you to continue living in the same home? Will you have enough for groceries, a car payment, and any other monthly costs? Evaluate whether it’s financially possible for you to leave your job.
A job provides much more than just a paycheck. It often gives us a sense of purpose and fulfillment. It’s even a form of socialization. Co–workers become friends that you confide in and enjoy spending your days with.
Some people are surprised by the fact that they feel lonely and bored when they stop working. Others need the time and space to focus on healing.
Perhaps you would like to continue working, but can’t continue doing your current job because of physical or mental limitations. What are your other job options?
Take a look at your skillset and capabilities and research what else is out there. Ask your employer about other opportunities within the company, workplace accommodations they can make, or search for new jobs that allow you to work from home.
If you’re eager to continue working, there are treatment options that could give you the relief you need to do so. From chiropractic care to physical therapy, there are non-invasive options that can improve your comfort level.
If these remedies don’t work, there are currently three medications approved by the Food and Drug Administration. Lyrica, Cymbalta, and Savella may reduce pain and improve function in some people with fibromyalgia. Talk to your doctor about all of your treatment options.
Social Security benefits can be complicated. For this reason, it’s often beneficial to hire a disability attorney who can help you file the right forms and gather the information for your case. A skilled attorney who specializes in disability and other insurance benefits will be able to guide you through the process of completing applications. If your initial case is denied, your lawyer will be able to prepare you for an appeal that may require you to go before a judge.
For ADA accommodations, you’ll likely have to work closely with your company’s Human Resources team to create the best plan moving forward. While companies look to the guidance provided through federal resources, they will still have their own unique set of rules and regulations to work from.
Fibromyalgia is a set of symptoms characterized by widespread pain, but the disorder brings with it a signature symptom known as fibro fog. Fibro fog affects cognitive function, leading to feelings of exhaustion and mental cloudiness, even after a full night’s sleep. Researchers still aren’t sure about the causes or biological underpinnings of fibromyalgia itself, let alone one of its symptoms, but fibro fog is nevertheless a very real problem experienced with the disease. Here’s what you should know, and how to manage this classic symptom of fibromyalgia.
Fibro fog gained its name from the general feeling of mental confusion or inability to focus it imposes on those experiencing it. Along with it may come immobilizing exhaustion. This isn’t the type of fatigue that’s alleviated by a nap or sound night’s sleep. To the contrary, people with fibro fog often feel this way despite a full night’s rest. You can’t sleep fibro fog off because it stems from workings deep inside the brain.
Fibro fog makes it difficult to move through the day, concentrate on things that need to get done, or corral the energy necessary for work, school, or life tasks. It makes carrying on with normal life incredibly difficult. People who need sharp minds for their jobs may suddenly have trouble completing detailed assignments, according to the National Fibromyalgia Research Association (NFRA).
Episodes of this fogginess feeling may come intermittently. It can last anywhere from several hours up to several weeks or possibly the entire duration of a fibromyalgia flare, NFRA says.
While researchers aren’t exactly sure what causes fibro fog, this is an area of hot research and scientists have several hypotheses. One theory is that fibro fog is caused by a mix of depression and sleep deprivation, but studies so far haven’t found that to be true, reports Arthritis Today.
Another possible cause could be a lack of oxygen. Brain scans of those with fibromyalgia have revealed that some parts of patients’ brains receive insufficient amounts of the life-giving element. The same faulty nervous system firings that may play a role in causing fibromyalgia could also impact blood vessels in the brain, ultimately leading to fibro fog, according to Arthritis Today.
Yet another theory centers on the idea that chronic pain itself damages the brain, which may lead to fibro fog. A type of brain scan has found chronic pain sufferers tend to display excess activity in a part of the brain linked to emotion. This region is essentially always on, wearing out associated neurons and causing unbalanced brain chemistry, according to Arthritis Today.
Living with fibro fog can be challenging, but not impossible. Finding a few key anchors and strategies can help you reduce your pain, increase your own abilities, and improve your overall quality of life. There are some specific ways to manage the fog. Try some of the recommendations below to find what works for you.
Some people may be tempted to chain drink coffee in an attempt to caffeinate their way through the day. Ultimately, this causes more harm than good. First, caffeine is a diuretic, which could lead to dehydration, especially when drank in large quantities.
Second, you may have the misfortune of drinking too much coffee late in the day, making it difficult to sleep, exacerbating the seemingly endless mental fog you’re already in. Copious amounts of coffee could also lead to an energetic roller coaster marked by highs and lows throughout the day.
Skip the coffee and drink water instead, which helps the body function at its maximum potential. Staying well-hydrated could also help you minimize fatigue.
Navigating through life without mental clarity can be frustrating and confusing. Reduce the amount of information you must remember by writing everything down.
Consider investing in a good planner complete with a calendar and plenty of space for writing lists of appointments, to-dos, and other things you must remember. If you’re technology-savvy, you may want to use the calendar application in your cell phone or an app like Remember the Milk. Phones also typically have functions that allow you to enter tasks and even set reminder alerts.
Even simple things can be made easier with technology. Put dinner in the oven for 30 minutes? Ask your phone to remind you to take it out. This way, you have a little helper and don’t need to rely so much on your foggy brain. You might also consider setting a monthly cell phone reminder to pay your bills, and pay them all at once or as they come in, whichever you find easier.
This is easier said than done, but stress may worsen fibro fog and pain. Practices like breathing deeply and visualizing peaceful images like the ocean or a forest can greatly help manage stress.
Take a few minutes every day, or even several times a day, to lie down in a quiet place and regroup your thoughts. Focus on your breath and let all outside stimuli go. You may even consider creating a special corner or room in your house that’s relaxing for you with a comfortable chair or floor pillows and perhaps some flowers or other ornaments, but that’s generally free of clutter and conducive to relaxation. A Zen space.
Living life through the lens of fibro fog can itself be stressful and make you feel like you’ve lost something valuable. It’s difficult, but try to take it all in stride, perhaps seeking help from a support group either in person or online.
Although you probably wish you were functioning at 110%, the reality is that you’re not. Be kind to yourself and expect less. Simplify your life to conserve energy, prioritize so that you do the most important things and spend time with the most important people first.
Also, consider this change in perspective: you’re always functioning at 100%. It’s just that some days 100% looks a little differently than others. Do the best you can today and let the rest go.
Exercise is incredibly healthy, both for your body and mind. This one may be hard for you to fathom in a fatigued state, but exercise often helps people feel better. Start with low to moderate exercise when you move into a new program, and work extensively with your doctor to find an activity level that’s best for you.
Start slowly and build up to more moderate levels of activity over time. Most importantly, understand your limitations each and every day. Once you find an exercise program that works for you, it can decrease anxiety and depression, improve circulation, and help you stay functional.
Try a yoga class or bike ride. Perhaps do the elliptical at the gym or take a walk. Do something where you control the pace and amount of exertion, but getting the blood flowing will help you feel better and could alleviate the troublesome symptoms of fibro fog. Working out also helps to relieve stress.
Changes in cognition can be scary, but fortunately there are some options for working those brain pathways and keeping your mind in good shape.
Crossword puzzles and other games can challenge the brain and also help keep it in good shape. Engage with things and creative projects that excite you. During low pain days, you can try painting or coloring to give your brain a creative outlet.
Get involved in your treatment plan by becoming a part of your healthcare team. Ask questions. Research different treatment options. Be willing to make decisions specific to your needs. This also may mean joining fibromyalgia support groups or organizations.
Rather than becoming overwhelmed, getting involved will help you feel less like a patient and more like a person.
Decide what’s most important to you by setting specific goals for improvement and priorities to guide you when fibro fog flares up. Your pain and other symptoms may be different every day, so make sure to monitor your own abilities and make allowances for them on that day.
By looking past the daily fibro fog and pain and to a larger goal, however, you can better cope with your daily symptoms. You may not be able to do everything that you did before. However, there are many low intensity activities and hobbies that can fulfill those same needs. These may include photography, dancing, gardening, or writing.
Find time for self-care. This may mean using hot and cold therapy to help reduce pain. Try hot patches, freezer packs, heating creams, or cooling gels.
Sleep aids, such as body pillows or electric blankets, can also help you maintain better quality of sleep. Beyond these, find tools that help you minimize pain around the home. This may include recliners, shoe sole inserts, braces, shower seats, or lumbar support pillows.
Getting support from family members and friends may simply mean finding the courage to ask for it. You have the right to ask for help, find alternative ways of doing things, and share your feelings with those close to you.
Support groups can also provide another level of support and empathy from others with fibromyalgia. Lastly, look online for blogs and websites that talk about fibromyalgia. Websites with resources for pain management are available, but there are also personal blogs by others suffering from fibromyalgia, such as Felicia Fibro. Knowing that others struggle with fibro fog and other symptoms can help you feel less alone.
Fibromyalgia is a neurological disorder that affects approximately 12 million people in the U.S. This chronic disorder causes aches and pains in the body that are severe enough to impact normal activity and disrupt sleep. A person with fibromyalgia may feel pain in the muscles, tissues, joints, and tendons in different areas of the body. Along with these physical symptoms, people suffering from fibromyalgia also experience mental issues as a result of fibromyalgia, including depression and anxiety. Fibromyalgia can also cause deep fatigue and exhaustion, even with very little activity. Even with so many people suffering from fibromyalgia, it remains a difficult disorder to diagnose. One of the most valuable tools for diagnosis was defining fibromyalgia tender points.
Fibromyalgia is a term that has only been used in the last few decades to describe a condition of widespread pain throughout the body that also includes fatigue, poor sleep quality, and mood issues. It is possible, however, that mentions of a fibromyalgia diagnosis date all the way back to the 1600s.
Fibromyalgia has had many names throughout the years including:
Since physicians could not find any evidence of inflammation, these names were replaced with fibromyalgia in 1976. This translates from its Greek roots into “pain in the muscles and tissue.” While a fibromyalgia diagnosis is still difficult to establish today, there have been many recent advances. Research has led to promising tools and guidelines to help pain doctors and patients alike. One of the earliest was the fibromyalgia tender points scale.
Fibromyalgia affects about 4% of the U.S. population (~ ten million people) and is predominately found in women.
Fibromyalgia is not a condition of exclusion, but its symptoms are common in many other illnesses. To make things more complicated, fibro symptoms can appear on their own or in tandem with another disorder. Identifying the cause of each can be problematic. This situation is exacerbated since fibro is a waxing and waning condition, making patterns more difficult to recognize even with thorough tracking.
Although researchers agree that there is a neurological component to the disease, many previously believed that it was all in a person’s head. Some studies have pointed to risk factors such as a genetic predisposition to feeling pain more intensely. Other evidence connects the development of fibromyalgia to a stressful or traumatic event, repetitive injury, or other disease. Sometimes fibromyalgia has no clear cause or trigger and develops on its own.
Women are three times more likely to develop fibromyalgia as men, and people with certain illnesses already present may have an increased risk. Autoimmune disorders such as lupus and rheumatoid or spinal arthritis sufferers develop fibromyalgia at a higher rate than those without these conditions.
There is no simple, scientifically-supported test to identify if someone has fibromyalgia. According to the NationalFibromyalgia Association, it takes the average person five years to be diagnosed with fibro and this is generally after extensive other treatments have occurred. Misdiagnosis can still occur, but there are far more developed and data backed approaches that physicians use today.
In 1981, the first clinical study was published that confirmed that symptoms and tender points of fibromyalgia could be found in the body. This study also established the first data-driven criteria for this condition.
In 1990, the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) created the first set of guidelines to help diagnose fibromyalgia. These guidelines set forth the following formal criteria for a fibromyalgia diagnosis in a research context:
The patient must have a history of widespread pain lasting more than three months
This pain must affect both sides of the body and be present above and below the waist
Of the 18 tender points designated on the human body, at least 11 of them must be in pain
Before these guidelines were released, a fibromyalgia diagnosis was completely subjective and many were skeptical that the disorder even existed. Even with these new guidelines, fibromyalgia is a condition that can come and go, so using the fibromyalgia tender points criteria can be misleading or change from day-to-day.
Although most of the population has a spot or two on their body that may be more sensitive than others, people with fibromyalgia often experience excruciating tenderness in very specific locations that are spread across their body. Tenderness is generally mirrored on both sides of the body and is located at nine specific places on the body.
The nine fibromyalgia tender points locations are as follows:
Low cervical region: Front neck area just below the chin near the C5-C7 vertebrae
Second rib: Front chest area below the collarbone about 2 inches from the shoulder joint
Occiput: Back of the neck at the base of the skull
Trapezius muscle: Back shoulder area where this large muscle drapes over the top of the shoulder
Knee: Knee area on the inside where the fat pad sits
These nine areas are also sometimes called fibromyalgia tender spots. Because fibromyalgia cannot be diagnosed with a lab test, counting fibromyalgia tender points and taking a detailed patient history were often the best ways to get a clear diagnosis. Scroll to the infographic at the end of this post to see these.
To build on the fibromyalgia tender points scale, the Symptom Intensity Scale was developed using survey results from nearly 12,800 patients with osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, or fibromyalgia. These patients located pain in 38 anatomic areas of their body and then also completed a fatigue visual analogue scale. The fatigue analog scale requires a patient to mark their level of fatigue on a ten-centimeter line on the day they identified their pain symptoms.
In 2006, Frederick Wolfe and Johannes J. Rasker completed an evaluation of 25,417 patients using the Symptom Intensity Scale and found that it was the best and clearest diagnostic tool for fibromyalgia. They also found that higher Scale scores indicated increases in hospitalization, disability, serious medical issues, and death.
Because of this relationship, the Scale can be used to measure overall health and also predict outcomes for patients with a number of diseases. It uncovers “hidden” illness that accompanies the presenting illness, such as depression or anxiety in a patient with rheumatoid arthritis.
While the fibromyalgia tender points are still helpful, they’re not the only path to diagnosis for medical professionals. In 2010, the American College of Rheumatology published another set of criteria for fibromyalgia. It eliminated the fibromyalgia tender points count and replaced it with the widespread pain index (WPI) and symptom severity scale (SS).
The WPI calculates if a person has experienced pain in the last two weeks in 19 separate general body areas. Each body area is assigned a one if there is pain or a zero if there is no pain and these are added together to reach a score between 0 and 19.
The SS measures the severity of the person’s fatigue, sleep quality, cognitive symptoms, and somatic symptoms. Each of these four categories is given a score of 0 – 3 and added together for a total possible score of 12.
Using these new scales, the ACR changed the diagnosis guidelines to:
WPI ≥ 7 and SS ≥ 5 OR WPI 3–6 and SS ≥ 9
Symptoms have been persistent for at least three months
There is no other disorder that could explain the pain
Physicians must rely on a patient’s communicated symptoms to make a fibromyalgia diagnosis. Therefore, the first thing a doctor will do is conduct a thorough physical examination of the muscles and joints. After doing this, she or he will then discuss any symptoms a patient is currently having.
Pain: Constant full body pain with pain at the fibromyalgia tender points
Unrefreshing sleep: Even after an uninterrupted eight hours
Fatigue: Chronic fatigue or exhaustion after strenuous activity
Memory loss: Short-term memory problems coupled with bouts of confusion and inability to concentrate
Increased pain sensitivity: Hyperalgesia or allodynia
Depression
Fibromyalgia often is present with other health issues, so a doctor will likely ask about other conditions such as irritable bowel syndrome, headaches, restless leg syndrome, frequent urination, and anxiety.
Since fibro can occur with other illnesses, the next step is to start eliminating more serious medical conditions that could be causing your symptoms. The doctor will run tests on your blood, thyroid, and vitamin D levels. Other tests that could be required are X-rays, computed tomography (CT), and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Finally, a biopsy and a physiological exam could be necessary to rule out any suspected mental health issues.
Since fibromyalgia is mainly based off the symptoms that patients share, there are some smart things you can do if you believe you are suffering from fibromyalgia. These tips could save you time, money, and lots of frustration. And, they can help get you back on the path to being healthy and happy faster.
Make sure to communicate any mental or physical trauma that has occurred to you. A major event like this is sometimes associated with the development of fibro symptoms.
Keep a pain diary that includes the location of your pain, how it feels, severity, and the length of time it lasts. This can be a perfect tool to parse out fibro from other health issues.
Choose the right doctor. The stigma around fibromyalgia is fading as more research comes out, but some physicians will be reluctant to diagnose it. Make sure you go to a doctor who is specialized in pain management and has the experience to help you find the right diagnosis.
Treatment of fibromyalgia is best approached as a team, with doctors, physical therapists, and other alternative practitioners working together to treat the physical and mental symptoms.
Dietary changes to eliminate anything that causes inflammation or triggers a pain response (e.g., sugar and red meat)
Changes to exercise plans, including exercises for days when pain is present, and exercise that includes meditation
Prescription medicines as needed
Sleep counseling to develop proper sleep habits to combat fatigue
Changes to work schedules to accommodate good and bad days
Families also play an important role in the treatment of fibromyalgia. Suffering from an “invisible” but chronic illness such as fibromyalgia can be socially isolating. It is important that the family members are supportive of treatment and are understanding when their loved one needs to rest.
The National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS) is sponsoring more research on fibromyalgia to better understand this disease, specifically in relation to diagnosis, causes, and better treatments.
To get a fibromyalgia diagnosis, click here to find a certified pain specialist in your area. They have dedicated experience working with fibromyalgia patients and will use the latest diagnostic guidelines to help you diagnose your condition.
Notoriously difficult to diagnose, fibromyalgia causes very real pain to those affected by it despite remaining a mystery in many other ways. A musculoskeletal disorder, it’s characterized by a lowered pain threshold and extra sensitivity to situations that would cause an unaffected person no pain at all. Fibromyalgia research is constantly looking for emerging therapies that could help a patient reduce their pain. Here’s three of the latest.
Although fibromyalgia affects roughly 2 to 4 percent of the U.S. population (about 9.5 million people), its exact cause remains unknown. Maybe a single cause is so hard to pin down because the development of fibromyalgia has been linked to a number of different factors, some combination of which could be the culprit.
For example, a genetic mutation might make someone more likely to develop the disorder, while others argue that fibromyalgia can be triggered by an infection or sickness. And some experts link the onset of the disorder to physical or emotional trauma, as patients who present with fibromyalgia have often also been diagnosed with anxiety, depression, or post-traumatic stress disorder.
One thing’s for sure: Fibromyalgia affects more women than men, with nine women diagnosed for every one man. This may be a result of certain reproductive hormones present in women, but nothing can be decisively said as to why women are at a higher risk than men.
The cause may be unclear, but the pain is easier to explain. Once the condition presents itself, fibromyalgia pain results from an unusually high amount of certain chemicals in the brain that are responsible for triggering pain signals. This is also called a neurochemical imbalance.
At the same time, although we don’t completely understand why, pain receptors in the brain become extra sensitive to pain, causing contact that would otherwise not be uncomfortable to be very painful for a person suffering from fibromyalgia.
These pain symptoms can be accompanied by a range of other problems, including:
Irritability
Trouble falling asleep or staying asleep
Difficulty remembering things, also called fibro fog
Unfortunately, there is no chemical test available to directly confirm a person is afflicted with fibromyalgia. Instead, a doctor must use a number of other methods to make a diagnosis.
Initially the doctor will observe the patient’s pain symptoms. According to the American College of Rheumatology, fibromyalgia is characterized by widespread pain endured for a minimum of three months. The term “widespread” means the pain should be present on both sides of the body as well as on both the upper and lower body.
The ACR also describes fibromyalgia as tenderness or pain felt at specific places on the body, including the shoulders, the upper chest, the elbows, the hips and the knees. There are a total of 18 of these specific points listed by the ACR, and a person must experience pain in at least 11 of these for the condition to be considered fibromyalgia.
But the surest way a doctor can determine a patient suffers from fibromyalgia is actually to rule out every other possible condition — a process which can be involved and lengthy. Patients shouldn’t be discouraged at the sometimes long process, however, as it means the doctors and medical staff are being as thorough as possible.
Treatment plans for fibromyalgia can be complex. Since there’s no cure for the condition itself, treatment must instead focus on the symptoms, on any coexisting conditions, and on any underlying medical problems that could have triggered or aggravated the fibromyalgia in the first place. We’ll discuss some of these more common treatment plans, before discussing the emerging treatments that fibromyalgia research is focusing on.
Over-the-counter pain relievers, such as acetaminophen, or non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (nsaids) like ibuprofen or naproxen might be recommended to alleviate some discomfort, or the doctor may prescribe something a little stronger, for example, tramadol. In some cases, anti-seizure drugs can be prescribed to effectively reduce fibromyalgia pain symptoms.
The combination of medications a doctor prescribes will ultimately depend on the patient’s exact symptoms, since these are rarely identical from patient to patient. Every person’s case is unique, with different triggers, different levels of pain, and different conditions or symptoms occurring simultaneously. For example, an antidepressant might also be necessary to fight lethargy, or a relaxant may be required to initiate sleep.
Limiting intake of caffeine, nicotine and other stimulants
Due to fear of their symptoms and the associated pain and discomfort, people who suffer from fibromyalgia can be inclined to withdraw from society and become inactive. Doctors recommend against this, however, as those patients who remain as active as possible — without overdoing it — on a consistent basis, seem to have the best success with managing their symptoms and leading normal lives.
Many people also benefit from therapy sessions, in which they can not only discuss with a professional counselor the impact fibromyalgia has had on their lives, but also explore strategies for overall stress reduction on a day-to-day basis. This type of training can be crucial for giving patients the confidence to keep living their lives to the fullest potential, without the concern of being limited by their condition.
Fibromyalgia frequently doesn’t respond well to traditional medications, but the good news is that many people find alternative remedies helpful. Therapies like oxygen chamber therapy, low-level laser therapy, and transdermal magnesium are hitting the market, giving fibromyalgia patients new options for managing pain and improving quality of life.
Oxygen chamber therapy in particular has researchers making grand promises—promises not just of pain relief, but of the possibility to reverse fibromyalgia. The treatment is still early in the study stage. However, researchers understand more about fibromyalgia every day, and this increasingly deep knowledge could one day result in a cure.
This treatment, which involves breathing in pure oxygen from a tube or while sitting in a pressurized room—hence the term “chamber”—has shown promise for helping people with fibromyalgia.
Officially known as hyperbaric oxygen therapy, the treatment been used for some time to help scuba divers heal from decompression sickness, which is when gasses in the blood form bubbles as divers move toward low pressure. The treatment also works for slow-healing wounds related to diabetes or serious infections, according to Mayo Clinic.
Research from Rice University has also found the treatment offers hope for fibromyalgia patients. Scientists evaluated 48 women with fibromyalgia who underwent oxygen chamber therapy for two months and found that 100% of them experienced some form of benefit.
An increasing body of clinical evidence shows that fibromyalgia develops from abnormalities in the nervous system and brain pathways, many of them related to pain processing. Rice researchers found that hyperbaric oxygen therapy enhanced functioning in these faulty areas.
Fibromyalgia affects about five million people, most of them women. Researcher Eshel Ben-Jacob says:
“Symptoms for about 70% of the women who took part have to do with the interpretation of pain in their brains… They’re the ones who showed the most improvement with hyperbaric oxygen treatment. We found significant changes in their brain activity.”
In the study, participants underwent 40 treatments, each lasting 90 minutes, for five days each week over the course of two months. During treatment sessions, patients breathe in oxygen that’s pressurized three times higher than normal air. The highly pressurized nature allows lungs to absorb greater quantities of oxygen, which then gets absorbed systemically by the body.
Fibromyalgia patients receiving oxygen chamber therapy also experienced a dramatic reduction in pain. The body thrives off this pure oxygen and is better able to heal, fight off bacteria, or in the case of fibromyalgia patients, process pain. Many patients who participated in the study were able to decrease the amount of medications they were taking or, in some cases, stop taking pills all together.
Researchers said oxygen chamber therapy actually reversed fibromyalgia, targeting the condition’s source, while all the pills did was ease pain, and not heal the underlying condition. Researcher Shai Efrati says:
“The results are of significant importance since, unlike the current treatments offered for fibromyalgia patients, (oxygen chamber therapy) is not aiming for just symptomatic improvement…(It’s) aiming for the actual cause—the brain pathology responsible for the syndrome. It means that brain repair, including even neuronal regeneration, is possible even for chronic, long-lasting pain syndromes, and we can and should aim for that in any future treatment development.”
These promises aren’t as grandiose as they may seem: Efrati says 70% of the research participants no longer had diagnosable criteria for fibromyalgia at the end of the study.
Oxygen chamber therapy currently has federal approval for use in 14 conditions, including serious infections and burns, but not yet for fibromyalgia, according to webmd.
Unfortunately, until future studies prove the benefit on a wide scale and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approves the treatment, insurance plans won’t cover the treatments, which can cost tens of thousands of dollars because so many are needed.
We’ll be sure to keep you up to date as this exciting area of fibromyalgia research develops.
With laser therapy, lasers shoot through soft tissue, and the light of the beam raises the temperature. Data is so far mixed on whether the technology works, but fibromyalgia research does show benefits that are promising. Scientists aren’t sure how the treatment works, but are working to learn more.
One possible theory that explains how low-level light laser therapy works involves a process known as photo bio stimulation. This idea holds that when the energy of the laser penetrates the tissue, it creates adenosine tri-phosphate (ATP), which helps produce cellular energy.
Enhanced delivery of life-supporting materials like water, oxygen, and other nutrients
Research results for this therapy have been mixed, but several have shown promise. More research is needed to better quantify the potential for this therapy to treat pain from fibromyalgia.
Other names for low-level laser therapy are cold laser therapy, low-energy laser therapy, low-intensity laser, and monochromatic infrared light energy (MIRE) therapy.
Magnesium is an important nutrient for optimal body functioning, however many people don’t ingest enough of mineral. Fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue, and anxiety may all be symptoms of a deficiency.
People often take magnesium in pill form, but transdermal magnesium involves applying magnesium directly to the skin. One way of doing this involves rubbing oil directly on the skin, where it can easily be absorbed and distributed throughout the entire body. Another option is to take a bath with Epsom salt, which is magnesium sulfate.
Gels and patches are also available, however rubbing oil on the body and taking baths have relaxation and other therapeutic benefits, and are wonderful ways to receive healthy amounts of magnesium.
Only a few small trials of fibromyalgia research have found transdermal magnesium has a large benefit, but the anecdotal evidence is vast. Plus, with magnesium deficiencies so common, transdermal magnesium is a good health practice to have.
While fibromyalgia research continues to pave the way for new and innovative treatments, patients should first make sure they have an accurate diagnosis. You can work closely with a pain doctor to find out if you have fibromyalgia. They can also help you learn more about complementary and advanced treatments for reducing your pain.
The term “fibromyalgia” may be relatively new, but the condition itself has been around for quite a while. After several name changes, a definite set of diagnostic parameters are finally established for fibromyalgia.
The first known mention of fibromyalgia was in the 1800s, but at the time it was simply called “muscular rheumatism.”
When “muscular rheumatism” was first written about, doctors noted that it caused stiffness, aches, pains, tiredness, and difficulty speaking. In 1824, a doctor in Scotland first described the tender points that characterize fibromyalgia.
A psychiatrist in the United States described a condition called “neurasthenia” in 1880, which he believed was caused by stress. He ascribed the symptoms of widespread pain, fatigue, and psychological problems to neurasthenia.
The term “fibrositis” was introduced in 1904 by Sir William Gowers. “Fibro” refers to the body’s connective tissues. “Itis” indicated inflammation or swelling, so “fibritis” meant inflammation of the connective tissues. In 1913, a physician wrote more about fibritis, describing a worsening of symptoms as air pressure fell and rains came on. He also described temperature variations and fevers.
In the 1970s, Hugh Smythe described fibritis in papers and medical textbooks. This was the clearest, most cohesive description of the disease and its symptoms so far. The name was changed from “fibritis” to “fibromyalgia” in 1976, since inflammation was no longer believed to be the cause. “Myo” means muscles and “algia” means pain, so “fibromyalgia” means pain in the muscles and connective tissues.
Certain antidepressants were found to be effective in treating fibromyalgia in 1986. The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) published an article about fibromyalgia in 1987. Also in that year, fibromyalgia was recognized by the American Medical Association (AMA) as a defined disease and cause of illness and disability. The American College of Rheumatology first published diagnostic criteria for fibromyalgia in 1990.
There is no definitive test for fibromyalgia, so it’s typically a diagnosis of exclusion, meaning that a person can only be diagnosed with fibromyalgia when every other possibility has been excluded.
The Mayo Clinic website explains why diagnosing fibromyalgia is so difficult, stating:
“Fibromyalgia symptoms include widespread body pain, fatigue, poor sleep and mood problems. But all of these symptoms are common to many other conditions. And because fibromyalgia symptoms can occur alone or along with other conditions, it can take time to tease out which symptom is caused by what problem. To make things even more confusing, fibromyalgia symptoms can come and go over time.”
Tender points are still used by many specialists during diagnoses. There are 18 potential tender points on the body, and the physician must be able to elicit a response on at least 11 of these tender points. However, knowing precisely where the tender points are and how much pressure to apply can be tricky, so general doctors use a different set of diagnostic criteria.
Widespread pain that’s lasted for at least three months
Presence of other symptoms, such as fatigue, waking up tired, or trouble thinking (often called “fibro fog”)
No other conditions that could be causing the symptoms
Additionally, some physicians may score patients’ responses to a series of questions to judge the severity of the widespread pain being experienced. For instance, several symptoms are given a score as far as symptom severity. Zero means no problems at all, while three means severe, pervasive, or life-disturbing. Then the scores for all the symptoms are added together. If this score is above a certain level, it’s considered positive for fibromyalgia. This positive result, in addition to other positive results and the absence of any other conditions that could explain the symptoms, will usually lead to a diagnosis of fibromyalgia.
Gender, health condition, genetics, and trauma are all thought to play a role in fibromyalgia. However, it’s not known if all or any of these are the actual cause of the condition. It’s only known that these factors play a part in determining an individual’s risk for developing fibromyalgia.
External triggers, such as viral infection or repetitive strain, and some preexisting conditions, such as rheumatoid arthritis or lupus, may make people more likely to develop fibromyalgia. Depression, post-traumatic stress syndrome, or other mental illnesses are often found in people who have fibromyalgia. Additionally, being overweight, being inactive, or smoking might increase the risk for fibromyalgia. Women are also much more likely to develop fibromyalgia, although men and children can develop the condition, too.
Studies have been conducted looking at the role of stress in triggering fibromyalgia. Employees in a stressful job environment tended to experience more pain. Also, women who’ve experienced relationships with violent abuse are at an increased risk for fibromyalgia. People who feel as though they have very little support or who had a poor psychological response to pain also seem to be an increased risk for fibromyalgia.
Even though the cause behind fibromyalgia is still unknown, and diagnosing it remains a challenge, it’s thanks to the collective history of fibromyalgia that we have any understanding of it today. The symptoms and tender points described in the 1820s, the psychological (cognitive) problems acknowledged in the 1880s, and the issues with temperature regulation noted in the early 1900s all helped define the condition as it’s understood today.
