Saturday, February 9, 2013

Fibromyalgia and Inflammation



Inflammation? Bloating? Swelling? 

Whatever you call it, I have had it with fibromyalgia! There is debate on whether fibromyalgia (fibro) is in fact an inflammatory issue. As one who has had fibro for over 21 years, I'm no doctor, but it sure feel inflammatory!

Inflammation (Latin, īnflammō, "I ignite, set alight") from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/inflammation 


Inflammation |ˌinfləˈmā sh ən| noun A localized physical condition in which part of the body becomes reddened, swollen, hot, and often painful, esp. as a reaction to injury or infection

Inflammation is a normal response the body has to injury. It is suppose to happen quickly and start working on helping the injured area heal. The problem comes when the inflammation stays around for a long period of time. It is not designed that way and when it occurs for any length of time, additional damage can occur. Then the time comes for treatment and discovering the offending reason for the inflammation. 

When my fibro flares up it is centered usually in my traps (trapezius muscle, located where neck meets shoulder) which then causes tension, pain and headaches. I say "usually" because with fibromyalgia the pain can be one place one day and a different, unrelated place the next. There is no rhyme or reason with this syndrome. When the flare up comes it is sometimes like a burning, tearing pain. Sometimes numbing, sometimes tingling like pins and needles. Hard knots, painful tender spots or trigger points are present. I can have a sore spot on a finger that comes out of nowhere and for no apparent reason, and then later a spot on my toe will be flared up. 

People deal with fibromyalgia many different ways because fibro is so different in every person! I myself need regular massages and they need to be deep tissue massages that work out knots and stiff muscles. But many fibro patients can't stand to be touched or even hugged so a deep tissue massage would be torture! Stretching is very helpful whether you get massages or not. 

Chiropractic care has been essential in my care of fibro. I go at least once a week but many times I am there more often. I am blessed that I work for a chiropractor and she has been so helpful in helping me discover which treatments work for me. 

Diet change has helped many as well. Eliminating offending inflammatory foods can alleviate many symptoms and a challenge sometimes to find what is a trigger or not. Eliminating the food for a period of time (2 weeks to a month) and then adding the food back in to see if it an offender is a way to discover what should be removed form the diet. 

Some choose medications. I have not went that route. I don't handle pharmaceutical drugs well at all and have side effects that are sometimes worse than the condition itself! I have found that supplements help far better than medications.  It has been a long process to find what has worked for me. With the help of my chiropractor we have tried many combinations. It can get costly buying vitamins and minerals separate so we have looked for ways to get more for less. Over the years I have tried several supplement companies and through trial and error have found something that has been working for me for over a year now. When looking for a supplement it is important to look for all natural, whole food supplementation that is in a form that the body can efficiently use. I have found It Works Global. Their products have worked better and longer than any other company I have tried! I am a different person than I was before I started these supplements. I still have fibromyalgia and am adjusting diet and exercise daily to continue to improve but It Works has been my life saver and I thank God He brought them into my life and I will always take these products! 

Update: as of January 1, 2019 I still use It Works and I love them. I have added in 2 other products that have helped so much in my journey with fibromyalgia and issues that come with age. I use Zilis CBD oil and Somaderm HGH gel. Check out https://trinalynnconner.weebly.com/my-favorite-products.html for info on them both. 


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