Posted on August16,2008 by daryl johnson
Fibromyalgia is not a new disease, but rather it is a medical disorder with distinct severe chronic pain, stiffness, and tenderness of the muscles, tendons, and joints. Awareness of this disorder in the U.S. is catching on.
The following vitamins for fibromyalgia have been shown to be useful in the management of fibromyalgia and it’s symptoms.
Vitamin A helps prevent eye disorders, skin disorders like acne, cancer, colds, influenza and other infections. It enhances immunity and acts as an antioxidant. Vitamin A is needed for skin and mucous membrane health, bone and teeth formation, and protein utilization. It helps slow the aging process.
The B vitamins promote healthy nerves, skin, eyes, hair, liver, gastrointestinal tract, and brain function. The B vitamins are also coenzymes involved in energy production. B complex is important for elderly people and a deficiency can mimic Alzheimer’s disease.
Vitamin C performs hundreds of functions in the body. It is crucial for the production of antibodies, strengthens connective tissues, helps reduce the duration and severity of a cold, assists with wound healing, and protects other vitamins from oxidation.
Vitamin E is an anti-oxidant that prevents the fats and fat-soluble Vitamin A stored in the body from breaking down and combining with other substances that may be harmful to the body. It also protects red blood cells from rupturing.
By adding these fibromyalgia vitamins to your diet, you can now help manage the debilitating symptoms of fibro.
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Posted on August15,2008 by daryl johnson
Osteopathic manipulative treatment, or OMT, is hands-on care. It involves using the hands to diagnose, treat, and prevent illness or injury. Using OMT, your osteopathic physician (D.O.) will move your muscles and joints using techniques including stretching, gentle pressure and resistance This website is meant simply for learning and spreading the word about OMT. Reader input is highly encouraged.
How can osteopathic manipulation help fibromyalgia pain in your back?
Treating Fibromyalgia Back Pain with osteopathic manipulation is a very good strategy to use. Luckily, fibromyalgia sufferers aren’t forced to experience long-term chronic back pain. There are a number of effective back pain treatments that you can use to help alleviate your pain. Here is one of the best to use for effective back pain relief.
Using heat is an excellent remedy for most muscle aches and pains, and it works particularly well for the upper and lower back. Heat works to relax the muscles and encourage circulation, allowing your body to heal itself. Popular heat therapies used today include:
Heat Wraps: Heat wraps are made out of special, heat-retaining materials, and can be warmed in the microwave or in a tub of warm water. You then tie the wrap around the section of your back that hurts. Special wraps are available which are contoured to the lower back, upper back, and neck and shoulder regions. You can wear these all night long, for up to eight hours of relief.
Heating Pad: Heating pads are inexpensive and easy to use. Simply place a heating pad on the back of your chair or in your bed, just before going to sleep. Heating pads help to target specific areas of pain.
Warm Baths: Warm baths, spas, or hot tubs are also excellent for relieving fibromyalgia back pain. They help to encourage restful sleep, which gives your body the time it needs to heal itself.
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Posted on August14,2008 by daryl johnson
Along with the many symptoms caused by fibromyalgia syndrome, back pain is often a real complaint for the majority of FMS sufferers. Both upper and lower back pain can cause powerful discomfort, making it impossible to sit or stand for extended periods of time. The chronic back pain connected with fibromyalgia can also impact on the value of your sleep, making it difficult for you to build up your strength after a long day. But just because you have been diagnosed with fibromyalgia doesn’t mean you have to suffer with it.
If you are suffering from chronic back pain, then you may be wondering if you have somehow injured your spine or a disc in your spinal cord. However, the majority of fibromyalgia sufferers do not experience back pain due to injury.
So what exactly causes fibromyalgia back pain?
Your chronic back pain is probably due to a problem with your central nervous system called an overactive central nervous system or weakened muscles.
In order to keep your body properly supported and aligned, your spine is surrounded by a number of crisscrossing muscles. These muscles overlap with other muscles near your spine that have neurological connections to the pain processing centers in your brain. In fibromyalgia patients, though, these pain processors are overactive. This means that, as you move, your brain senses more pain than it generally should, resulting in chronic upper and lower back pain.
Weakened muscles also cause fibromyalgia back pain. These muscles are present throughout your back. Because fibromyalgia is such a debilitating disease, causing sleep loss and chronic fatigue, the muscles throughout the back often become weaker. This makes it even harder for your spine to stay properly aligned, thus contributing to constant back pain.
Filed under: fibromyalgia | Tagged: back pain, Chronic Fatigue, fibromyalgia, fibromyalgia syndrome, FMS, overactive central nervous system, sleep loss | No Comments »
Posted on August13,2008 by daryl johnson
Lyrica or pregabalin capsules was approved on June 21, 2007 by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of fibromyalgia. The approval of Lyrica was long-awaited because it is the first medicine that is FDA-approved to treat fibromyalgia. Lyrica is marketed by Pfizer. Lyrica has been prescribed to more than 5 million patients throughout the world. The drug was previously FDA-approved for the treatment of neuropathic pain associated with diabetic peripheral neuropathy and post-herpetic neuralgia and as an additional therapy for adults with partial onset seizures.
According to the American College of Rheumatology, fibromyalgia affects between 2 to 4 percent of the population. Other drugs such as analgesics, NSAIDs, sleep medications, muscle relaxers, and antidepressants have been used to control fibromyalgia symptoms including:
Pain and tenderness in the muscles and joints
Fatigue
Sleeping problems
Symptoms associated with fibromyalgia have been linked to neurological changes related to how patients perceive pain. Fibromyalgia patients experience a heightened sensitivity to stimuli that are not normally painful. Lyrica binds to a protein within nerve cells responsible for the heightened sensitivity. In clinical trials, patients receiving Lyrica had “rapid and sustained” improvement in pain levels compared to placebo. Patients receiving Lyrica also reported that they felt better and had improved physical function.
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Posted on August12,2008 by daryl johnson
Lupus is an autoimmune disorder that causes chronic inflammation throughout your body. It can affect any or all of your organs in the body, resulting in dozens of physical symptoms ranging from headaches to irregular heartbeats. The good news is that most of us are protected by an immune system that attacks invading bacteria and infections.
If you have lupus , then your immune system can’t tell the difference between invading foreign cells and your body’s own natural cells and tissues. As a result, inflammation starts to build throughout your body, causing many physical problems.
Lupus currently affects about one million men and women in the United States today. Every year, approximately 16,000 more people are diagnosed with this horrible disease. The majority of lupus sufferers are female, with women accounting for about 90% of all lupus patients. However, both men and children can also develop this disease.
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