Fibromyalgia and How To Treat It.

Fibromyalgia and How To Treat It.

I have treated fibromyalgia successfully in quite a few patients over the years. Many have gotten better and on with their lives. Many just could not overcome the challenge. Long discourses could be written about the effects the psyche has on physical health, but I am going to keep this brief and instead concentrate on explaining my views on how fibromyalgia starts in the body. I will be speaking from the perspective of Chinese Medicine because Western Medicine does not have a an explanation that goes as close to the actual cause as does Eastern Medicine's 2000 year old energetic system of Chinese Medicine. The Western Medicine system picks up it's description at the start of symptoms by explaining that there are less mitochondria in the muscles than is normal which puts the muscles into lactic acid production and therefore accounts for most of the pain felt at the 18 pressure points on the body.

In Chinese medicine there is a definite avenue of pathology that addresses the effects the Psyche has on the Soma (muscles) and Viscera (organs). This is similar to the addage that Hippocrates taught "Psche, Soma, Viscera". As we get older and move towards adulthood we realize that many of our childhood dreams will be unfulfilled.  This can manifest as extreme disappointment. In the chinese medical system the organs where anger frustration, decision making, and planning are the Liver and Gallbladder. These organs and their meridians (channels of energy flow in our bodies) govern the muscles and regulate flow of energy in our entire bodies as well. Think of the Liver and gallbladder meridians as sort of a valve like the water valve attached to a garden hose. If it is tightened down due to stress the no energy flows and pathology ensues.
Emotional stress plus poor lifestyle choices like a carbohydrate diet, poor sleep and a lack of exercise can lead to a condition called damp heat in the liver. This leads to poor overall health and makes on vulnerable to infections from viruses. In Chinese medicine the Liver is known as the general that fights for you, but when agitated in the body due to stress of life and poor lifestyle, it can stagnate the flow of Qi(chee) or energy in your body and eventually affect your bodies ability to ward off ilness which is controlled by the lungs in Chinese medicine. Stagnation of Liver Qi can also affect the digestive system and is thought to be responsible for IBS (irritable bowel syndrome), Crohn's and Colitis.
In Chinese medicine we think of the body as having multiple lines of immunological defense. Most colds and flus never get past the first line, but in a condition of damp heat in the Liver the virus can penetrate the weakened body further and this is where the major viral event happens in the patients medical history of fibromyalgia. This is where the Epstein-Barr virus titer goes high. It can actually be set off by many viruses, it does not have to be the Epstein-Barr virus. That titer is permanently high after any severe viral infection. It is a measure of the immune systems having historically dealt with a severe viral illness.

So how do I handle a Fibromyalgia patient? I need to tell you that I am keeping things brief in this post. The truth is each patient needs an individual approach, but this is what I do for most Fibro patients;

1. Lot's of acupuncture to move the liver qi and get rid of damp heat.
2. I use xiao chai hu tang herbal formula and modify it for each patient to rid the body of the liver damp heat.
3. I will often mix #2 with herbs to improve digestion and if there are nagging flu-like symptoms then I use Jie Geng and Isatis herbs in the formula
4. I make sure the patient is eating a higher protein diet and minimal comfort food intake which is mostly carbs made from flour like bread and chips. Minimal sugar intake. Make sure the fat consumption is high quality and lots of omega-3 fat.
5. I put the patient on an alpha-glucan (not a beta-glucan which can increase inflammation in the body) like IMMPOWER.
6. I make sure they are sleeping because if there is insomnia then there is probably low levels of serotonin (which is common in adults over 40) and there is also concomitant depression as well. For this I use a highly effective formula called SleepSolve 24/7. This is a hybrid western supplementation/Chinese herbal formula that can be used to combat insomnia in adults and children.
   
7. I try to get my Fibro patient to get moving in some way. That is the only way the brain will tell the body to make more mitochondria for those muscles. The best way for my patients is to gently ride a bicycle because it is low impact, low demand, easily accessible and can be done in their neighborhood. Riding a bike also has a remarkable positive effect on the psyche. Problems get solved and the patient gets to see the green color found in nature while riding a bike. Green is the color that soothes the LIver meridian.
8. I don't use vitamins as I prefer that my patients start cooking and getting their vitamins that way. I teach them how to cook simply and easily. I have been doing this for years. I put a hevy emphasis on complex carbs such as vegetables and I incorporate herbs into their cooking like basil, rosemary, ginger, cinnamon and astragalus.
   

There is a lot more that I do with each patient but this is the start. I hope this can be of some value to someone out there. Yours in health! Dr Frank