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Relief from Fibromyalgia

by Dr. Susan Lark

Published 04/30/09

Lifestyle Changes are Helpful

Low-intensity exercise has been shown to reduce the severity of fibromyalgia symptoms. Be sure you don't engage in stressful, vigorous exercise or competition, but swimming or water exercises can be a wonderful way to both reduce your stress and relieve some of that painful stiffness.

Acupuncture helps to manage pain and fatigue

The Hoku point is widely used to relieve pain anywhere in the body. Spread apart the thumb and index finger of one hand with the palm facing your stomach. Use your other hand to encircle the first so that your thumb and index finger are pressing against the webbing. Press for a few minutes.

Called Stomach 36, this powerful energy point diminishes fatigue and improves energy and endurance. It relieves pain in the abdominal area and lower body, strengthens the body and helps to tone and balance muscles. The left hand holds a point four fingers below the knee cap of the right leg.

High Mountains is another potent pain relieving point. The left hand holds the point midway between the back edge of the outer anklebone and the Achilles tendon on the right leg. This point relieves sciatica, thigh pain, headache, lower-back aches, and rheumatism.

Healing meditations have also been wonderfully effective for my patients. Try this one I've developed and see if it works for you.

Release pain through golden light

Sit or lie in a comfortable position, your arms resting at your sides. As you take a deep breath, visualize that the earth below you is filled with a large reservoir of a deeply healing golden energy.

Now imagine that you are opening up energy centers on the bottom of your feet. As you inhale deeply, visualize the soft golden energy filling up your feet. When your feet are completely filled with the golden color, then let the color flow up through your ankles, legs, pelvis, and lower back.

Each time you exhale, see the golden energy leaving through your lungs, carrying pain and discomfort with it. See the pain dissolve into the air.

Continue to inhale the healing golden energy into your abdomen, chest, shoulders, arms, neck and head. Exhale the golden light slowly out of your lungs. Repeat this entire process five times and then relax for a few minutes.

New Research on Fibromyalgia Treatment

Discovered by Dr. Samuel Yue, relaxin hormone treatment for fibromyalgia, now in early stage testing, is based on his observation that women's muscle pain and spasm symptoms are affected by menstruation, menopause, surgically induced menopause or when the ovaries have been removed. A polypeptide similar to insulin, relaxin is involved in the production and remodeling of collagen and the increase in elasticity and relaxation of muscles, tendons, and ligaments during pregnancy.

Dr. Yue suggests that fibromyalgia results from a systemic deficit of relaxin hormone. He has had good results with relaxin hormone treating hundreds of patients. It's quite expensive and occasionally some women do experience side effects-breast tenderness, morning sickness, and occasional increase of menstrual flow-that are usually transient.

If you want to test this therapy, it is available as Vitalaxin from Sky Inc. BioHealth Solutions, 612-946-1550, or www.SKYBioHealth.com.

References

•       Affleck, G, et al.1996. Sequential daily relations of sleep, pain intensity, and attention to pain among women with fibromyalgia. Pain 68:363-8.
•       Buchwald, D., Garrity, D. 1994. Comparison of Patients with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Fibromyalgia, and Multiple Chemical Sensitivities. Archives of Internal Medicine 154:2049-2053.
•       Puttini, P.S., Caruso, I. 1992. Primary fibromyalgia syndrome and 5-Hydroxy-L-Tryptophan: A 90 day open study. Journal of Internal Medicine Research 20:182-9.
•       Romano, T.J., Stiller, J.W. 1994. Magnesium deficiency in fibromyalgia syndrome. Journal of Nutritional Medicine 4:165-7.

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