Acupuncture
for Fibromyalgia Syndrome
Fibromyalgia
Syndrome (FMS) affects an estimated 2 percent of the population.
Conventional therapies are limited in the success of treating this
complex and unexplained condition. Current treatment is largely
comprised of prescribing different medications for the varying
symptoms in a trial and error approach. Research shows that as many
as 90 percent of people with fibromyalgia have turned to
complimentary and alternative medicine to manage their symptoms.
Acupuncture, in particular, has become a popular treatment choice
and has shown to be an effective treatment for FMS.
What
is Fibromyalgia Syndrome?
Fibromyalgia is a medically
unexplained syndrome characterized by chronic widespread pain, a
heightened and painful response to pressure, insomnia, fatigue, and
depression. While not all affected persons experience all associated
symptoms, the following symptoms commonly occur together:
•
chronic pain
• debilitating fatigue
• difficulty sleeping
•
anxiety and depression
• joint stiffness
• chronic headaches
and jaw pain
• difficulty swallowing
• dryness in mouth, nose,
and eyes
• hypersensitivity to odors, bright lights, and loud
noises
• inability to concentrate (called "fibro fog")
•
incontinence
• irritable bowel syndrome
• numbness or tingling
in the fingers and feet
• painful menstrual cramps
• poor
circulation in hands and feet (called Raynaud's phenomenon)
•
restless legs syndrome
Fibromyalgia is diagnosed when there
is a history of widespread pain in all four quadrants of the body
for a minimum duration of three months and pain when pressure is
applied to at least 11 of 18 designated tender points on the body.
This condition does not result in any physical damage to the body or
its tissues and there are no laboratory tests which can confirm this
diagnosis.
Symptoms often begin after a physical or
emotional trauma, but in many cases there appears to be no
triggering event. Women are more prone to develop the disorder than
are men, and the risk of fibromyalgia increases with age.
From an Eastern Perspective
The Oriental
medicine theory of pain is expressed in this famous Chinese saying:
"Bu tong ze tong, tong ze bu tong" which means "free flow:
no pain, no free flow: pain."
Pain is seen as a
disruption of the flow of Qi within the body. The disruption of Qi
that results in fibromyalgia is usually associated with disharmonies
of the Liver, Spleen, Kidney and Heart Systems.
The
Acupuncture Treatment
Oriental Medicine does not
recognize fibromyalgia as one particular disease pattern. Instead,
it aims to treat the specific symptoms that are unique to each
individual depending on their constitution, emotional state,
intensity and location of their pain, digestive health, sleeping
patterns and an array of other signs and symptoms. Therefore, if 10
people are treated with Oriental medicine for fibromyalgia, each of
these 10 people will receive a unique, customized treatment with
different acupuncture points, different herbs and different
lifestyle and dietary recommendations.
Because the symptoms
of fibromyalgia are highly variable form one person to another, a
wide array of traditional and alternative treatments has been shown
to be the most effective way of treating this difficult syndrome. A
treatment program may include a combination of psychological or
behavioral therapies, medications, exercise, acupuncture, herbal
medicine and bodywork.
If you have fibromyalgia,
acupuncture and Oriental medicine may be what you’ve been looking
for to ease your symptoms and reclaim your health and vitality.
Please call for a consultation today.
Study
on Acupuncture and Fibromyalgia
A recent study from the Mayo Clinic
found acupuncture helpful in treating the fatigue and anxiety
commonly experienced by fibromyalgia patients. In the trial,
patients who received acupuncture to counter their fibromyalgia
symptoms reported improvement in fatigue and anxiety, among other
symptoms. Acupuncture was well tolerated, with minimal side
effects.
In the double-blind study, Mayo Clinic doctors
gave 25 fibromyalgia patients acupuncture, and 25 “sham” acupuncture
treatments. Patients received six treatments during the two- to
three-week study. Those who received acupuncture treatments reported
less fatigue and anxiety one month following after treatment than
did the “sham” group.
"The results of the study convince me
there is something more than the placebo effect to acupuncture,"
says David Martin, M.D., Ph.D., lead author of the acupuncture
article and a Mayo Clinic anesthesiologist. "It affirms a lot of
clinical impressions that this complementary medical technique is
helpful for patients."
Dr. Martin says the study demonstrates
that acupuncture is helpful, and also proves physicians can conduct
a rigorous, controlled acupuncture study. Future research could help
physicians understand which medical conditions respond best to
acupuncture, how to apply it to best relieve symptoms, and how long
patients can expect to their symptoms to decrease after each
treatment.
Dr. Martin performed the study at Mayo Clinic
Rochester with co-authors Ines Berger, M.D.; Christopher Sletten,
Ph.D.; and Brent Williams. The study used only two acupuncturists
and examined only patients who reported more severe symptoms,
offering better experimental control. Still, the Mayo Clinic doctors
urged more study to see how acupuncture can best be used in treating
fibromyalgia patients.
Source: Mayo Clinic (2006, June
13). Acupuncture Relieves Symptoms Of Fibromyalgia, Mayo Clinic
Study Finds.
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In
This Issue
- Acupuncture for Fibromyalgia Syndrome
- Study on Acupuncture and Fibromyalgia
- 10 Tips for Preventing Fibromyalgia
10
Tips for Preventing Fibromyalgia
You
can help cut your risk significantly by incorporating a few simple
lifestyle changes into your daily routines and habits, according to
Bob Flaws, author of Curing Fibromyalgia Naturally with Chinese
Medicine.1. Eliminate processed foods from your
diet, especially white sugar and white flour products. These
products give our bodies little nutrition and over time can damage
our digestion as well as cause obesity, one of the common problems
related to fibromyalgia. 2. Include all unprocessed foods in
your diet, such as proteins, complex and unrefined carbohydrates,
vegetables, whole grains and legumes. 3. Eat foods that
support the functions of the spleen and stomach. In other words,
avoid overly greasy foods, ice cold drinks, alcohol, raw and
uncooked foods, hot, peppery foods, coffee, and too much fruit.
Avoid daily juice drinks since these are the same as eating a candy
bar in the amount of sugar introduced into the body. 4. Stop
drinking sodas. Sodas are acidic in nature and loaded with sugar and
chemicals. Sodas are detrimental to both the spleen and the
kidneys. 5. Find some type of exercise that you really enjoy
and just do it! Pumping iron is not for everyone. You would probably
benefit most from some kind of cardiovascular exercise to keep to
blood moving, like swimming, yoga, stretching, and
bicycling. 6. Take a walk every day. If you live with a dog
or cat, play with them daily. Animals live in the moment and love to
play. This is a great way to break stressful daily
routines. 7. Practice Chinese self massage every morning by
stimulating the acupuncture points on the body and limbs to help
promote the flow of Qi and blood in the channels. 8. Buy some
relaxation tapes with guided imaging. Learn how to really relax.
This means bodily relaxation as well as mental repose. Use these
tapes daily for the best results. 9. Take a look at the old
habits and patterns of your life and ask yourself what you can do to
make your life better. Take up tasks and hobbies that are
interesting to you and break the normal routine of your
day. 10. If you know that you have too much stress in your
life, find a solution. This may be finding a new job or new, more
supportive relationships. Understand that stress alone can kill you,
and if you smoke and consume alcohol to escape stressful situations,
you are only fooling yourself. |
