Fibromyalgia – It’s Not All In Your Head!

Fibromyalgia is a musculoskeletal pain and fatigue disorder for which the cause is widely debated. It’s estimated 2–4 percent of the U.S population has fibromyalgia. Fibromyalgia is mainly characterized by symptoms including pain, fatigue, sleep disorders, depression, allergies and irritable bowel syndrome.

Even though fibromyalgia affects several millions of people each year, the cause is unclear causing much controversy over the disorder. Many sufferers have done the rounds of doctors, specialists and tests with nothing to show for it. To add insult to injury they have been dismissed with “it’s all in your head”.

But a new study should put to rest this controversy. Fibromyalgia is a real and debilitating illness. People who suffer from it often report pain all over their bodies and the exhaustion is like dragging yourself through treacle. I know, because I suffered with it for 10 years.

In this study researchers evaluated 20 women diagnosed with fibromyalgia and 10 healthy women without the condition.

Researchers performed brain imaging called single photon emission computed tomography, or SPECT. They found women with the syndrome showed blood flow abnormalities in their brains. The abnormalities were directly correlated with the severity of disease symptoms and an increase in blood flow was found in the brain region known to discriminate pain intensity.

A similar study conducted several years ago had nearly identical results. In this study fibromyalgia patients underwent a brain scan known as functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) while an instrument intermittently applied different levels of pressure to their thumbnail.

All study participants received the same level of pressure but blood flow increased much more in the brains of patients with fibromyalgia than those in the control group. Again, the increased blood flow occurred in areas of the brain known to be associated with pain and fibromyalgia patients reported pain at half the level of pressure that caused the same feelings of pain amongst the healthy control group.

These studies reveal there must be something wrong with the way the central nervous system processes painful stimuli in people with fibromyalgia.

Many fibromyalgia sufferers also have other diseases like chronic fatigue syndrome or rheumatoid arthritis where several systems of the body are affected like immune, nervous and muscular. Because of these complexities treatment of fibromyalgia consists mainly of relief of discomfort, and improvement of quality of sleep, exercise and emotional balance. However, the role of nutrition is often overlooked.

Research in the area of glycobiology which studies the importance of a group of saccharides, called glyconutrients, which are essential to the health of bodily systems is creating curiosity. Cells communicate utilizing 8 glyconutrients in various combinations. If a person is missing any of these important glyconutrients then cells cannot communicate effectively which leads to malfunctions in our bodily systems.

Today, scientific research has shown that optimized nutrition has a beneficial effect on many disease conditions like fibromyalgia. In 2001 a study revealed fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome patients who had consumed glyconutritional products for nearly 3 years had the same functional level as healthy persons for a variety of day-to-day activities.

I am proof of this study. Until 2005 I suffered with fibromyalgia for 10 years. I was unable to function even with normal daily activities spending the majority of my day in bed racked with pain. I started taking glyconutrients and within 8 weeks I was symptom free and have led a normal healthy life ever since.

About the Author

If you would like to know more about glyconutrients and how they can help in the battle against autoimmune diseases like fibromyalgia go to….

http://www.diseasefightingreport.com/fibromyalgia

Ruth Webster, with her husband, Richard, are Health & Wellness Consultants who have a desire to help people struggling against major health issues. They have known the devastating effects of long term ill health and the consequences that brings on a family like financial hardship and isolation. They stumbled across a simple natural remedy which resulted in dramatic life-changing improvements, not only in their own health, but for their family and also for many many other people. They now have a successful Health & Wellness business offering natural solutions and free consultations for people looking to improve their health through natural means.