Treatment for Fibromyalgia?

[Barry Crain]

I am trying to gain an understanding of this somewhat contraversial disease/syndrome, as my 65 year-old mother has been dealing with fibromyalgia-type symptoms for a few years. Anyone have experience with this?
By the way, this Non-Traditional Medicine forum is a fantastic addition to the CST site. I''m blown away by the amount & quality of information being made available.

-Barry

[James Boelter]

Hey, Barry!

Unfortunately, the medical community is using 'fibromyalgia' as a blanket term for a whole bunch of symptoms; essentially they are using medical terminology to say 'we don't know what it is, exactly, but we've got a term for it, so we hope you feel better now'.

If anyone were to ask me, based on the opinions I've read and the alternative health slant my massage therapy teacher (who is also a chiropractor and a specialist in 'cranial based release' therapy) is using, I would say that we are talking about a kind of autoimmune disorder brought about by chronic stress and long term, deep seated emotional issues. (Kind of like the John Sarno's mind/body theory of back pain).

Some good bodycare would be a place to start; a series of gentle 'swedish' style relaxation massages from someone with experience in dealing with clients with that condition. Nothing too rigorous or exhausting, just gentle, nurturing strokes to help her relax and lose some of the chronic tightness and tension.

I am eager to see what Bob and Art and the other 'pro' health practioners have to say about this.

[bob_stra]

>I am eager to see what Bob and Art and the other 'pro' health
>practitioners have to say about this.



Almost exactly the same thing you did!

I will add one thing further. Of the (scant) reading I've done into Fibro, these three manual approaches pop up most often: trigger point work, Feldenkrais work, Trager work. Whether that reflects my own subconscious biases in looking I can't honestly say. But I keep digging up those three names.

I would hasten to add that I believe CSB (craniosacral balancing) and acupuncture would also be of benefit. CSB is controversial and certainly I don't think its proclaimed "method of efficacy" (ie: readjusting skull plates, balancing spinal fluid flow) is accurate. Still, there is perfectly plausible biological model as to why such gentle contact would work. Don't let its hocus pocus put you off - try it and see.

Fibro is also sometimes confused for Chronic Fatigue syndrome and rheumatoid conditions. Basically, the way they distinguish between the three (IIRC), is to see if the patient has 10 of 23 common "painful" points. Kinda hokey, no?

There also nutritional, psychological and exercise considerations (hydrotherapy). You can find the *prevailing, accepted thinking* here -

http://tinyurl.com/2nazf

(some of it is probably ultra conservative so as to appear more "scientific" NIHM is good like that :roll:

Also, some useful links here -

http://www.masmith.inspired.net.au/

(use the pull down menu to select "treatment and research links" for all the really cutting edge, juicy stuff. Lots and lots of reading. The hyberbaric chamber stuff blows my mind)

Also, you can find further useful links here. You'll have to highlight the URLs with your mouse and copy / paste them to a new window, because they fail to link out

http://tinyurl.com/ypdaj

[James Boelter]

CSB is very interesting indeed, and is one of the areas I hope to get some advanced training in once I have 'matured' in the practiced and have all those cranial nerves, sutures, ventricles, etc. down firmly and instinctively - ie, able to visualize the structures in 3D based on what I see in the client, rather than having to refer to the texts. Dr. Weber is a believer in it and it is a large part of his practice (I should have called it 'CSB' above...it is the material Upledger invented/teaches, anyway.)

There is definitely something mystical going on in the process, or at least intent and entrainment on a level I can barely conceive of. Bonnie Bainbridge and Eric Franklin, among others, have been promoting the whole ideokinesis/imagery concept which CSB uses. It sounds distinctly like the kind of Taoist alchemy that Yin Shin Tzu and Jou Tsung Hwa have mentioned in their books.

Not that there's anything wrong with that. If I didn't believe in alchemy, I wouldn't practice chi kung!

Barry, I forgot to mention this, but Bob's mention of trigger point therapy reminded me; there is a layman oriented book called 'The Trigger Point Therapy Workbook' by Clair Davies which contains a detailed examination of FM and comments on most of the current thinking on it, including the '10 of 23' approach Bob mentioned. (It does indeed seem pretty hokey). You should be able to find it or order at any Border's or Barnes and Noble.

Here is the link to the book on Amazon.com:

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/search-handle-form/002-7961225-4440813


At points the book seems a little 'one size fits all' for my taste, but it does have some good, easily understood illustrations and diagrams. It reminds a lot of a similar book, "Myotherapy" by Bonnie Pruden, also available (I think it's in its 3rd or 4th edition) and also worth checking out.

[Barry Crain]

Guys,
Thanks very much for the info & the excellent links!

Barry

[Brett Jacques]

My experience with the cluster of symptoms known as fibromyalgia (FM) has been it is not diagnosable by any conventional means and there is not one particular etiology.

I believe FM has an autoimmune component, an endocrine component, a mental/emotional component, a lifestyle component etc. I have helped patients with FM by giving high dose magnesium, others got better with transdermal thyroid therapy and other just needed to get some real deep uninterupted sleep. And these are just a few of the treatments I've found effective.

The key is to keep investigating until you get to the bottom and truly understand when it started and what were the circumstances in the person's life leading up to the start of the problem.

[SiDaiJoey]

Sarno, John E."The mindbody prescription : healing the body, healing the
pain"..1998;:xxviii, 210

Dr. Sarno is a rehab M.D. who has been professing for many years that many common physical ailments, (including back pain and others) stem from psychological causes. I read the book and it helped me a great deal. He also mentions fibromyalgia as well. Perhaps it can help your mother.

(Plus, he's here at NYU, so I have to say something for institutional loyalty ;)

Be well,

Joey

[Arluk]

Other than agreeing with what others have posted; I have worked on a few fybromyagia clients. I found that very gentle myofascial unwinding seems to aid in alieving the physical symptoms of excessive tension and triggerpoint sensitivity.