Your #1 source for all things fibromyalgia.

By on November 25, 2011 in General

Unfortunately, the science is still somewhat inconclusive in regards to the causes of fibromyalgia. This leaves us to draw from our own knowledge and experience to determine the best way to battle this painful condition. Now I realize this idea is a bit disheartening and intimidating to many.. and yes, there certainly is a lot to learn. But as you’ll see, small, incremental steps are the key to winning this fight. But first, to fix something, of course, you first must know what’s broken. I think most of us would agree to such a simple argument and that’s where your journey into recovery should begin.. The question that you should ask yourself is “What exactly is going on inside my body that’s causing these symptoms?”. The short answer is: inflammation, specifically, cellular inflammation.

This is common knowledge to self informed medical professionals that are dedicated to continue their medical education long after graduating from med school. But it still seems an all too common thing that doctors don’t quite make the connection between cellular inflammation, fibromyalgia, and the huge role that diet and environmental factors play. Food>Inflammation>Fibromyalgia. It all starts with what we put in our bodies, period. I think this is easily understood by most, but the problem is most of us were raised and taught to eat a certain way that’s predominant in our fast paced society. By the time we realize “Oh no, I’m sick because of my diet”.. the damage has been done, and on a very fundamental level.

The good news is that the human body is very capable of healing on the inside in the same manner that a cut on your finger would heal on the outside. It really comes down to you, and what your willing to do to achieve health and happiness in your life. Fibromyalgia can be a very difficult disease to have to live with, but the situation is FAR from hopeless. If you or someone you love is dealing with this painful infliction, 1Fibromyalgia.com has all the information you need to gain a better understanding of the many different aspects of coping with this disease. Let this site be a resource to those seeking info that will lead to healing.

With a bit of effort in educating yourself, you can learn to better manage the all too painful symptoms. One of the road blocks that occur on this path of self education, is the fact that many things about fibromyalgia are still unknown to the medical and scientific communities. In your research you might have to consider many different theories and methods to come to an over all broader understanding of the disease. It’s vital to consider all perspectives, ranging from official medical studies to more holisitic options, such as herbal remedies or diets structured specifically for the treatment of fibromyalgia.

There’s proponents and opponents of both perspectives. It’s up to personal responsibility, when victims want to improve their quality of lives through treatment efforts. Science doesn’t have all the answers for you on this one.

fibromyalgia symptoms
Whether it’s your aching joints and tendons, or the nagging pain in your lower back.. It isn’t going to get any better without a whole lot of effort. Einstein once said “Insanity is repeating the same actions over and over again and expecting a different result”. Matters of health abide by this rule as much as anything else. You have to change your lifestyle and your mindset in order to have any chance at all in defeating this debilitating disease.

Unfortunately, fibromyalgia is a chronic condition and there is no proven cure. That’s just all the more reason to learn all that you can about treatment, symptoms, and the experiences of others, who have already had success in accomplishing what you wish to. Being able to live normal as possible isn’t asking for too much out of life, so don’t allow yourself to be short changed.

Here’s a quick rundown of some of the info you can find on this site:

An overview of the different options available to those seeking effective fibromyalgia treatment. This info will get you up to speed on the two routes that can be taken.. One of the traditional medical line of thinking, in which prescription medications, and physical therapies are the norm, or you could take a more natural and hollistic approach. Both have their positives and negatives. So read up and decide which way is right for you.

What some like to call the “fibromyalgia diet” is something that should most definitely read up on. Many different paths to take here… and while there really isn’t anything that is officially considered the “fibromyalgia diet”, there certainly is a way of eating that is very anti-inflammatory, and to make a long story short, that’s precisely what your body needs to begin to heal and recover.

There’s also a handy guide to herbal remedies that many have purported to have success with. As you know, these types of treatments aren’t exactly “mainstream”, mainly because their results are difficult to quantify. Nevertheless, personal experiences shouldn’t be negated by the fact that herbal remedies haven’t been scientifically proven. At the very least, it’s worth reading up on others have to say about these unorthodox treatments.. you might be surprised.

Something that’s all too often over looked is brain health. I’ve seen it time and time again, victims neglect to take into account that the brain is the source of many of the conrtibuting factors leading to fibromyalgia disease. Inflammation is heavily linked to stress and states of mind. Recent science is only now discovering the connections between inflammatory response and mind control. Sounds almost like something out of Star Trek, but in the coming years, huge leaps will be made what we know about some of the inner workings of the mind.

It’s easy to avoid sitting down and really taking an accurate assessment of what fibromyalgia symptoms that you commonly experience, but taking the time to do this will help you know which way to go to start your educational path of treatment. Which symptoms you have, and the intensity of which you have them, will greatly affect how you want to proceed with any pain treatment.

You’ll quickly learn that this process of life improvement begins with your mind. Recent scientific advancements have conclusively shown that there are many benefits to be had in focusing your efforts on improving your mind, when dealing with symptoms manifesting in the physical form. This may seem counter-intuitive, which is why it isn’t given as much attention as it deserves, but one would be foolish to ignore the many studies in support of this type of treatment.

Diet is also a potential factor that deserves more attention than it normally gets. We are just now learning the effects of the common “western” diets. With proper nutrition being an area of such prevalent disinformation, 1Fibromyalgia.com has all the information you need to effectively sift all of through the ever confusing advice handed out by many dieticians, doctors, and other so called experts

This video does a good job illustrating not only the technical definitions and contradictions often associated with fibromyalgia, but also the emotional confusion and sometimes desperation.

 

To recap some of the more common Fibromyalgia Symptoms:

  • Women may experience painful menstrual periods.
  • Episodes of dizziness.
  • Chronic Fatigue
  • An increased sensitivity to one or all of the following: bright lighting, colder temperatures, loud sounds, smells and odors, food
  • Having to urinate more often than normal, or more often than seems reasonable.
  • Tender facial muscles, such as the jaws and cheeks.
  • Increased muscle soreness after strenuous workouts.
  • Severe headaches are an all too common symptom.
  • Swollen extremities, such as fingers an toes.
  • Persistent problems sleeping at night.
  • A feeling of certain body parts being stiff for prolonged periods of time.
  • A general sense of lacking focus, or a feeling of “foggy” minded.
  • Multiple digestive issues can be attributed to fibromyalgia.

With over 5 million people in America suffering from this condition, there’s an ever increasing need to expand our understanding on these medical fronts. The nature of the disease is such that it isn’t detectable by any advanced imaging machines. Doctors are forced to diagnose based solely on symptoms rather than proven, standardized tests. This is one of the main difficulties when dealing with fibromyalgia. The lack of the ability to clinically test for it, leads to obvious difficulties. That’s why it’s sometimes referred to as the “ghost disease”.

This site is here to compile a source of personal experiences and contributed information, in hopes to serve as a resource for those in search of this type of information. Please feel free to contribute in the comments sections.

 

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The importance of exercise.

By on January 28, 2012 in General

Often in our search for relief from fibromyalgia symptoms and pain, a consistent dedication to a carefully designed exercise and fitness plan is the last thing on our minds. This is a big mistake. Many are put off of attempting an exercise routine because of the pain that they are already. This is in fact the biggest hurdle for victims of fibromyalgia.. to say that the deck is stacked against you wouldn’t exactly be exaggerating.

The ever present chronic fatigue, muscle soreness and pain, tends to make just the thought of anything too physical a draining experience. Literally, the mental stress that some may experience when preparing to have to fight through such pain, can have a very real draining effect on a person.

There are a couple of ways to make this process a bit more bearable. Obviously, a slow, steady introductory routine is going to be a lot more manageable than a full on, heavy routine. This may seem simple to many, but let me assure you that this is where many people fail. They build up the motivation to finally get started and end up over doing it initially and losing motivation. Add on top of this the complications that inevitably accompany fibromyalgia, and it becomes an even more difficult situation. Below you will find a condensed but effective and well rounded workout routine to help you get started.

But first, lets talk about preparing yourself for that initial work out. This is where we inevitably go back to diet health. Many people are in too much physical pain to even attempt to start an exercise routine. They are well beyond pushing through the pain and first need to heal and prepare themselves for such physical exertion. You can read more here about using for as a healer of fibromyalgia symptoms.

Now lets describe what can be considered an introductory workout regimen. We’ll separate this into two categories: muscle training, cardiovascular training. Both are equally important for obvious reasons. For muscle training it is best to start with basic body weight exercises like push ups. If you have access to a gym, feel free to use weight s or machines, but be sure to start with low weight that you can do easily for at least 30 repetitions or reps. Eventually you will need to gain access to a gym or some type of home weight system to make any significant progress. But at first, by all means start with push ups and pull ups until you have progressed past them being effective for your goals. For many, these body weight exercises are too difficult to use at all, whether it’s because of fibromyalgia symptoms or perhaps it’s an issue of being over weight. Either way, it will be necessary to use a gym of some sorts from the very get go.

To get started, you will want to do two upper body exercises and one lower body exercise at least once a week for 30 reps. For example, on Monday, do 30 reps of an upper body “push” movement such as bench presses with very light weight (or as many push ups as you can manage). On Wednesday do 30 light weight leg exercises such as a leg press. On Friday do 30 light weight upper body “pulling exercises such as a cable row (or as many pull ups as you can do). Do this for about 3 weeks consistently, then at this point it’s time to add in some cardiovascular work.

If you aren’t familiar with the particular exercises that were referenced here’s a quick video tutorial. This particular videao uses kettle bells, which are a great an inexpensive way to get a basic functional home gym going. They’re also very effective to train with.

After you have competed the 3-4 weeks of light muscle training, slowly add in 2 brisk 30 minute walks on Tuesday and Thursday. After about another 3 weeks make those brisk waks brisk jogs but for only 15 minutes at a time. Add 5 minutes to your jogging session every week, until you’re jogging for 30 minutes at a time. Once you are at the point of jogging for 30 minutes at time you will be approximately 9 weeks into your training. At this point you should feel much more energetic, healthier, and ready to take it too the next level.

But what does all this have to do with treating fibromyalgia symptoms such as chronic fatigue and pain? Everything. The human body is one big bag of chemical reactions and everything that occurs in the body somehow, usually effects the entire system of reactions. You must treat your health and body as one. You need to get yourself functioning on optimal levels in every way possible to win your battle with fibromyalgia. In the future , 1fibromyalgia.com will post the next step in your training process, so stay tuned…

Disclaimer: An individual should always consult qualified physician before beginning any type of workout routine involving any type of physical assertion.

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Chronic fatigue sucks!

By on January 18, 2012 in General

Sorry, had to let out a bit of frustration there. As i’m sure many of you know all too well, chronic fatigue can be one of the biggest hurdles that you face. It’s also one of the most important symptoms to conquer, because once you submit your will to being chronically fatigued, life becomes a lot less fun. The feeling of waking up from a good night sleep and instantly feeling drained of vital energy that you needed for all the many things you have to get done that day, is a feeling I don’t wish on anyone.

Fortunately, in most cases, with effort and time this problem can be minimized to livable levels. But in order for this to happen, you need knowledge, and you need a game plan. To be honest, in my experience, there’s no specific set of directives that will lead you to improved energy levels and focus. I can tell you that CONSISTENT physical exercise helped the most.

A good routine that mixes in a medium weight lifting exercise in with a more aerobic exercise is a great way to get started in a time saving routine. Crossfit is one example of this type of training. There really isn’t anything too special about this specific kind of training, it’s just that it’s a very efficient program. All of the key areas of fitness are being targeted in a very short amount of time in these types of fitness and fat loss programs.

1fibromyalgia.com recommends that you fully commit yourself to a healthy, anti-inflammatory diet, and slowly work in your exercise routine. It’s a common mistake to take on too many changes at once. Again, we can refer to medical studies done that demonstrate that we as humans, only have finite limited amount of will power, as if it was water in a cup.. when it runs out, it’s empty. This is why most new years resolutions go unattained.. too many goals on the list.

In short: chronic fatigue sucks, consistent diet and exercise can help, only tackle one thing at a time, start with diet.

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