Creative Eldering: Could My Pain Be From Fibromyalgia?

Could My Pain Be From Fibromyalgia?
Well it might be. The classic description of fibromyalgia is unexplained burning pain, a deep aching or even a throbbing character of the pain. Do you have pronounced fatigue, sleep difficulties, intolerance to cold, frequent headaches, swollen joints, periodic depression, memory issues, anxiety, or frequent brain fog? These are other symptoms that can accompany the chronic pain of fibromyalgia.

Many people describe this pain as being a persistent nagging aching and worrisome type of pain. The pain is focused in the muscle and soft tissue areas and can also affect joints. Fibromyalgia sufferers often have digestive disorders, fluid retention, restless leg syndrome, Sjogren’s Syndrome, Raynaud’s Syndrome or a multitude of other health issues.

Common locations for fibromyalgia pain to manifest include the back of the neck, and the upper half of the back to include the trapezius muscle and the shoulder and shoulder blade areas, hip joint regions, and the knees and tissues around them. Less common areas to be afflicted can include ankles, wrists, and jaws.

If your body is talking in this way what is it trying to tell you? Your body is trying to tell you that it is toxic. Your body is filled with toxins that it is not able to process and eliminate quickly enough before they spill over into your soft tissues. The presence of these toxins in your muscles, connective tissues, and even your skin triggers inflammation of the worst kind. Your body then perceives intractable nagging pain.

Fibromyalgia is a version of whole-body inflammation. I find it to be very much associated with leaky gut syndrome, also called intestinal hyperpermeability. By searching the archives of this publication, you will find my article on leaky gut syndrome from August 2018. Chapter 8 in my book YOUR BODY CAN TALK, second edition is a helpful resource for understanding this malfunction of the intestinal tract that allows toxins, allergens, and even bacteria to escape properly traveling down the entire digestive tract, but sneaking into the bloodstream and going throughout the body, landing in muscles and other soft tissues.

Food allergies or sensitivities, many medications including nonsteroidal anti-inflammatories (NASIDS), chronic candida, ingesting genetically modified organisms (GMO foods), or inefficient digestion may cause damage to the lining of the small intestine that results in the leaky gut syndrome. During this condition, more and more toxins leak into the soft tissues of the body causing inflammation. In some cases, this process precipitates fibromyalgia.
The most unfortunate factor in many cases of fibromyalgia is that neither the patient nor the doctor understands the causative agent or agents plaguing the fibromyalgia sufferer.

For many people, the crux of their problem is an intolerance to gluten, a difficult to digest protein that is found in wheat, rye, barley and other grains. Hybridization and, more recently genetic modification of gluten-bearing grains renders these foods intolerable by many peoples’ delicate digestive systems. A high percentage of people with fibromyalgia are gluten-intolerant and find a reduction of symptoms when they become stringently gluten-free.
Other foods, substances, even medications may precipitate the same set of events culminating in intractable fibromyalgia pain.

The very first tool to engage in assisting yourself to recover from fibromyalgia is to evaluate your diet thoroughly and seek the guidance of a knowledgeable natural healthcare provider. Simply making the appropriate changes in your diet could make all the difference in your chronic pain.

Look to the most natural foods diet possible and avoid gluten-containing grains and flour-based products. Avoid genetically modified foods. Seek out organic and unsprayed food sources. Look for a variety of vegetables, fruits, protein sources, nuts and seeds that you truly tolerate. Another wise step is to specifically avoid sugar, artificial sweeteners, chemical food additives, sodas, alcohol, and caffeine.

Adding nutritional supplements is helpful in many cases. The most common supplements to help with fibromyalgia include magnesium, vitamin D3, turmeric herb, and omega three fish oil. It almost goes without saying that a fibromyalgia sufferer probably does not have sufficient amounts of good healthy bacteria in their intestinal tract and will benefit by high-quality probiotic supplementation.

Some individuals may do well with a D-ribose supplement, a natural sugar found in the human body that may help some with achieving sleep, diminishing pain, and improving their energy level. D-ribose often is not recommended for diabetics on medication. So, you do need professional counseling for looking at how to supplement your body and help conquer fibromyalgia.

You may want to look at other resources for more specifics on a fibromyalgia diet and or seek nutritional counseling. Ultimately this approach will be more effective than subjecting yourself to a cadre of medications that could possibly irritate your intestinal system.

The good news is that your fibromyalgia was probably caused by lifestyle shortcomings and likely will be dramatically helped by solving them.

Article By Susan L. Levy, D. C.
Author of “Your Body Can Talk, 2nd Edition” and “Your Aging Body Can Talk”
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