Fibromyalgia Q & A

What is fibromyalgia?

Fibromyalgia is a condition that causes physical pain all over the body, as well as sleep problems and fatigue, and is often accompanied by mental and emotional stress. When you have fibromyalgia, you may be more sensitive to pain than people without fibromyalgia. This can make daily tasks difficult, including running errands, doing chores, and exercising.

Symptoms of fibromyalgia include:

• Pain and stiffness throughout the body

• Fatigue

• Depression and anxiety

• Sleep problems

• Poor memory or concentration

• Headaches

• Digestive problems

• Numbness or tingling in the hands and feet

• Pain in the face or jaw, including temporomandibular joint (TMJ) dysfunction

Fibromyalgia symptoms can flare-up during times of high stress, weather changes, and when you’ve recently altered your daily routine. At LIFEstrength, the practitioners identify your symptoms and work to determine the root cause of your condition.

What causes fibromyalgia?

Unfortunately, there is no single cause of fibromyalgia. Often, fibromyalgia symptoms are related to autoimmune conditions, emotional issues including physical and mental trauma, infections, nutritional issues, and hormonal imbalance.

The LIFEstrength practitioners perform functional lab testing to determine if any of these factors are tied to your fibromyalgia. Other risk factors include:

• Being female

• Being middle-aged or older

• Having rheumatoid arthritis or lupus

• A history of stressful or traumatic events, including car accidents

• Repetitive injuries

• Obesity

• Family history

While you may be at a greater risk based on your family history or medical condition, the practitioners help you identify areas where you can improve your health to decrease your overall risk of developing fibromyalgia or reduce your symptoms.

How is fibromyalgia treated?

At LIFEstrength, the practitioners use a multifaceted approach to manage fibromyalgia and understand its root cause. This approach incorporates functional lab work, nutritional counseling, supplements, and lifestyle modifications. Your particular treatment strategy will be unique to you, based on your symptoms and lab testing.

Common strategies to improve fibromyalgia include eliminating gluten and other food allergens from the diet, reducing internal infections such as candida overgrowth and fungus, correcting vitamin deficiencies, supporting your thyroid for proper hormone production, and testing for gene mutations.

While some of these strategies may seem daunting, the practitioners provide you with consistent support and resources to ensure you understand your condition and how to move forward with beneficial health habits, including restful sleep, gentle exercise, and stress management.

We’d love to help put an end to your suffering, reach out to LIFEstrength Health Center by calling the office at 239-774-5433 or scheduling an appointment through email at Staff@LIFEstrengthHealthCenter.com.