Fibromyalgia Management: How to Live with the Pain and No Cure

Fibromyalgia Management: How to Live with the Pain and No Cure : Recent studies pour some light onto the cause of fibromyalgia. However, this information is insufficient to understand and therefore cure this condition completely. With no effective fibromyalgia treatment in place, people suffering from it have no choice but to live with chronic pain.

Using a variety of therapies to relieve the symptoms of Fibromyalgia is the only hope they have for now. The good news is that there are some practices that show significant effectiveness in relieving some of the worst problems caused by the condition. This means that with a wise treatment plan, one can improve their quality of life significantly.

Fibromyalgia Overview: Causes and Symptoms

The exact cause of fibromyalgia remains unknown. However, the latest data from Massachusetts General Hospital indicates that there is widespread brain inflammation in people suffering from the condition. This and other research gives hope for those affected as determining the cause and understanding the condition better will help develop more effective treatments.

Fibromyalgia has many symptoms that do not always occur together and exhibit various levels of severity. The most notable symptoms of the condition are:

Widespread, chronic, unexplained pain
Increased sensitivity
Chronic fatigue
Stiffness
Sleep problems
Fibro-fog (cognitive impairment)
Headaches
IBS (irritable bowel syndrome)
Depression
Anxiety
Dizziness

Fibromyalgia Treatment: Best Options Available

With no cure in sight, fibromyalgia is mostly treated by lifestyle changes and pain medication. Some epilepsy drugs are used to reduce some of the symptoms, but they exhibit different results in patients. This means that for some people, they don’t help at all. Targeted chronic pain treatments seem to work best along with healthy lifestyle changes.

The most effective treatments for fibromyalgia today include:

Physical therapy.
A variety of physical therapy practices show great results for the treatment of chronic pains. For example, dry needling targets myofascial trigger points and thus can relieve some of the pain. You can learn more here. Water practices and strengthening exercises developed by a professional physiotherapist based on the patient’s personal requirements can also be effective.
Mind-body practices.
Mindfulness, yoga, tai chi, and other practices that combine physical and mental exercises seem to be a great help in fibromyalgia management. Note that it’s specifically the exercises that combine body and mind that show the best results. Physical exercising in itself helps the patient improve the quality of life, but does little to alleviate the pain. Aerobics seem to be most effective for that. However, mindfulness meditation shows some promise as is proven by a study published in the Annals of Behavioral Medicine.
Cognitive behavioral therapy.
The effect of cognitive behavioral therapy on fibromyalgia symptoms pain is moderate at best. However, it increases when the treatment is used as a part of a comprehensive program. It should be combined with exercise for maximum efficiency. This treatment can be particularly effective in combatting sleep problems caused by the condition.
Healthy anti-inflammatory diet.
The study that showed brain inflammation in fibromyalgia patients adds more credence to the fact that anti-inflammatory diet helps manage the condition. Going vegan can be a good option but it’s not necessary. What is necessary is to avoid inflammation-inducing foods. Those are highly processed products, fat animal meat, and foods that contain lots of trans fats. You should also cut down your intake of sugar and salt.

Fibromyalgia is a poorly-understood condition that affects about 2-8% of the plant’s population. Leading a healthy lifestyle and using alternative treatments are the best options for managing the condition known today.

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