FIBROMYALGIA

Fibromyalgia is a disorder which causes muscle pain and fatigue. The word Fibromyalgia means pain in the soft fibrous tissues in the body- the muscles, ligaments and tendons. Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) share a number of symptoms and the names are often used interchangeably with each other. People with fibromyalgia have “tender points” on the body; these are specific places on the neck, shoulders, back, hips, arms, and legs and these points hurt when pressure is put on them.

Women are more commonly afflicted with Fibromyalgia than men and it can occur at any age. Patients with Fibromyalgia say that they have ache all over the body. Their muscles may feel like they have been overworked or pulled. The severity of symptoms may fluctuate from patient to patient. Patients generally feel devoid of all energy and extremely fatigued without any apparent cause.

Common features of Fibromyalgia are:

• Pain: Deep muscular aching pain; at times there may be throbbing, shooting, and stabbing, burning pain. Pain generally involves muscle groups that are used repetitively.
• Fatigue: May range from mild fatigue to incapacitating lack of energy in others. Typically describes as “brain fatigue” in which patients feel totally drained of energy.
• Sleep disturbances: Un-refreshing sleep; waking up tired after sleep.

• Chronic headaches: a Recurrent migraine or tension-type headaches frequently seen in these patients.
• Other common symptoms:a)  Premenstrual syndrome and painful periodsb)  Chest pain

  c)  Morning stiffness

  d)  Numbness and tingling sensations

  e)  Muscle twitching

  f)  Dizziness and impaired coordination can occur

Probable causes of Fibromyalgia:

Fibromyalgia is a widespread musculoskeletal pain and fatigue disorder for which the cause is still unknown yet there are many triggering events thought to precipitate its onset. A few examples would be:

• An infection (viral or bacterial)
• An automobile accident
• The development of another disorder such as rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, Ankylosing spondylitis or hypothyroidism
• Repetitive injuries
• Researchers have found that people with Fibromyalgia may have abnormal levels of several chemicals, such as substance P and serotonin.

Remarks:

Conventional treatments do not have much to offer to a patient of fibromyalgia and are geared toward reducing pain and improving the quality of sleep. Homeopathy is one branch of medicine that can bring significant relief to the sufferers of Fibromyalgia. Homeopathy has effective medication that works at the physical as well as the mental plane and hence can be instrumental in giving maximum relief to these patients. The underlying stress that can be a trigger for this disorder can also be effectively handled with homeopathic treatment. It improves the general immunity and vitality of the patient and also targets the increased sensitiveness to the pain that these patients suffer from.