What is Fibromyalgia?

​Fibromyalgia is a debilitating condition that affects nearly 1 in 30 people globally.  It is characterised by chronic widespread pain and tenderness, but is also associated with fatigue, sleep disturbance, Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), difficulties with memory and concentration, headaches, anxiety and depression.  
 
A key feature that links all these symptoms in FM is nervous system hypersensitivity, where the central nervous system is overly sensitised and irritable, resulting in the experience of pain from usually non-painful stimuli.  A light touch for example can be painful to someone with fibromyalgia.
 
Symptoms are varied and can come and go, however they tend to be worse with stress, tension, overexertion, inactivity as well as emotional factors.  Women are much more commonly affected than men, and less so children, with this condition having a major impact on productivity, wellbeing and quality of life.  More recently fibromyalgia has begun to be more widely  recognised as an autoimmune condition, meaning that at its basis there is immune system dysregulation.
 
As there are no diagnostic tests for Fibromyalgia, diagnosis is one of exclusion.  This means that every other possibility must be explored before a diagnosis of fibromyalgia is given.  This can mean that people with Fibromyalgia generally have had all sorts of tests done, seen multiple practitioners, with few answers and often little recognition for their experience for many years before getting a diagnosis.   
 
Mainstream medicine says there is no cure for Fibromyalgia, with medical treatment focused on pain management and symptom relief, often with the use of things like analgesics and antidepressants.  
 
Naturopathic treatment however has so much to offer, with treatment focusing on dealing with the underlying issues and driving factors involved in fibromyalgia and on improving overall health and wellness.  It is my experience from working with clients over the last 10 years that people with fibromyalgia can totally recover their energy, health and quality of life through natural and holistic methods of healing.  For more information on what this involves look out for my upcoming blog post ‘The 7 steps to healing from Fibromyalgia’. 

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