What Is Fibromyalgia?
Fibromyalgia Syndrome (FMS) (fi-bro-my-Al-juh) is a widespread musculoskeletal pain and fatigue disorder for which the cause is still unknown. Fibromyalgia means pain in the muscles, ligaments and tendons – the fibrous tissues in the body.
Fibromyalgia is a common illness. In fact, it is more common than rheumatoid arthritis and can even be more painful. Yet it is hard to diagnose and for many is a very lonely illness. Your friends and family stop asking you how you are when for the umpteeth time you say “ill”. You may think people around you stop believing you are ill . . and then you start to doubt yourself and wonder if it is in fact all in your head!
To add to this there is no generally accepted cure and according to research Fibromyalgia can be a life long problem for most patients!
Fibromyalgia Symptoms
Fibromyalgia sufferers can experience a range of different symptoms. These include body pain and fatigue, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), chronic headaches, memory problems and sleep disorders. Most sufferers say they ache all over and musculoskeletal pain and fatigue experienced by Fibromyalgia patients can be a chronic problem.
Fibromyalgia Treatments
Pharmaceutical Fibromyalgia treatments are geared toward improving the quality of sleep, as well as reducing pain. Medicines that boost your body’s level of serotonin and noradrenalin—neurotransmitters that modulate sleep, pain and immune system function–are commonly prescribed. Examples of drugs in this category would include Lentizol or Tryptizol (amitriptyline), Sinequan (doxepin), Seroxat (paroxetine) and Dutonin (nefazodone). A low dose of one of these medications may be of help; they can improve the quality of sleep and may reduce pain perception.
Complementary Therapies
As well as the traditional pharmaceutical treatments, there are also many different types of complementary or alternative treatments available.
The benefit of complementary medicine is that it does not include pharmaceutical drugs or surgery and thus has significantly fewer side effects. It is for this reason that complementary medicine has become so popular and is many people’s first choice when dealing with chronic illnesses, such as Fibromyalgia.
Some of the most effective complementary remedies for Fibromyalgia include the following and often Fibromyalgia sufferers will use a combination:
| Emotional Freedom Technique | Acupuncture |
| Acupressure | Diet and Nutrition |
| Relaxation techniques | Osteopathic manipulation |
| Chiropractic care | Reiki |
| Therapeutic massage | Cupping |
| Neurofeedback | Reflexology |
| Gentle exercise programmes | Therapeutic massage |
| Hydrotherapy | Heat or hot baths |
| Ice massage | Biofeedback and other relaxation techniques |
| Stress reduction | Behaviour modifications |
| Body mechanics | Posture training |
| Cognitive behaviour therapy | Meditation |
| Flower essences |
How can using EFT help relieve Fibromyalgia?
As well as allowing individuals to take control of their pain and energy levels, EFT allows sufferers to remove long term emotional issues that may be contributing to their suffering. The sufferer may or may not be consciously aware of these limiting emotional issues.
After working with Fibromyalgia sufferers, I have noticed a common theme reoccurring time and time again. Whilst most people cannot pin point exactly when their Fibromyalgia started and/or link it to a traumatic time, by working through and eliminating any emotions that are still being held around past events that have caused them discomfort and hence ‘dis-ease’ in their life, EFT has always had a positive effect on their present lives.
For example, when Jenny remembered a particular incident involving a family member, it instantly made her feel very angry and betrayed, although this had happened more than 10 years ago! By using EFT to remove the angry and betrayed feelings, Jenny found that the incident was no longer of importance to her now, and although she could recall it, the incident “was blurry now”. In turn the chronic heartburn and bloated stomach that she has suffered with “for years” has now gone.
Another client, Harry, had suffered for years with limited sleep, each night managing 2-3 hours of sleep at best and therefore felt constantly shattered and ached all over. Using EFT to remove “hidden emotions” that may be affecting his sleeping, he worked through the grief, sadness, anger and bitterness that went with the memory of losing his mum to cancer, many years previously. Harry now finds he sleeps on average 6-8 hrs per night and this has had an amazing effect on his health and also on his, now positive, outlook to life.
So ask yourself – Can EFT Help YOU? . . . Yes!
Want more information about Fibromyalgia?
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