What is Fibromyalgia?
Fibromyalgia is not a disease, it is a diverse collection of long term, body-wide symptoms that are characterized by chronic muscle or soft tissue pain and inflammation, muscle stiffness and significant fatigue. The incidence of Fibromyalgia in both men and women increases with age. It has been estimated to affect 8% of women aged 55-64. Some fibromyalgia pain patients indicate that the onset of their illness began with a traumatic event like illness, a car accident or other trauma, while others have a slower onset of symptoms.
Fibromyalgia Symptoms
Some of the common conditions associated with fibromyalgia pain include:
- low thyroid function
- adrenal exhaustion
- low libido
- swollen glands
- digestive disturbances
- brain fog
- sleep disturbances
- bowel and/or bladder issues
- food intolerances
- hypersensitivity to weather changes
- Occasionally, we see balance and coordination problems and excess sweating/perspiration for no known reason.
Are Fibromyalgia Symptoms Real?
There is no one cause of fibromyalgia, but rather multiple stressors contribute to it. Many medical providers that see patients with fibromyalgia symptoms wrongly conclude that it is a primary psychological issue and either prescribe psychotropic drugs for depression or anxiety, or make a direct referral to a psychiatrist. Occasionally, they will also try and treat it as a primary sleep disorder. None of these medical or pharmaceutical approaches address the underlying causes of Fibromyalgia.
How does Conventional Medicine Deal with Fibromyalgia Pain?
Conventional or standard blood chemistry panels, urinalysis, and radiology scans are typically not clinically helpful to rule out various pathologies. The traditional western medical treatment generally consists of:
- anti-inflammatory drugs
- pain killers
- selected physical therapy modalities
- and a patient is told to minimize stress
- When none of the above work, the next step is usually anti-depressive, anti-anxiety and /or muscle relaxant drugs
- And, because sleep is usually disturbed in the condition, sleep drugs are often added to the mix.
The end result of this type of medical approach is,at best, uncertain although occasionally there will be some symptomatic relief. However, many times, I have observed that there is no real progress or healing, and a worsening of symptoms, along with the complicating factor of dealing with the inevitable side effects of a multi drug approach. All in all, the standard medical model of treatment leaves a great deal to be desired and often turns out to be an exercise in frustration for both the patient and the prescribing physician.
How I work with Fibromyalgia Pain Patients
With that being said, I have found as a holistic physician, that fibromyalgia symptoms are reversible in most cases because I look for and treat causative mechanisms. Here is what can be done:
- Eliminate soft tissue contractures, trigger point syndromes and related myofascial syndromes when found.
- Neutralize scar tissue syndromes that cause referred pain and create functional fields of interference.
- Down-regulate inflammatory processes with high potency enzymes and selected supplements.
- Relieve bulging spinal disk syndromes and nerve root irritation with gentle chiropractic procedures and cold laser therapy.
- Correct functional hormonal imbalances especially those related to thyroid, adrenal, and hypothalamus.
- When needed, we use EFT to deal with your suppressed emotional issues that express themselves as body pain.
- Check for and eliminate food and chemical allergies/hypersensitivities with the revolutionary, non-invasive AllerCease™ technique.
- Using hair tissue analysis, we check for and correct any heavy metal toxicity and/or mineral ratio imbalances.
- Restore mitochondrial function to optimal levels for cellular energy.
- Treat liver and/or colon toxicity with proven naturopathic detox methods.
- Address chronic low-grade microbial syndromes such as chronic candidiasis and chronic Epstein-Barr and CMV.
- Perform an in-office bio-magnetic analysis of organs, glands and tissues and correct magnetic field reversals.
Our center’s holistic approach is comprehensive and multifactorial with the emphasis on finding and correcting the underlying causative mechanisms and “triggers.” This approach is very successful and gratifying to both the patient and the doctor because it resolves most of the troubling fibromyalgia symptoms.
If you are interested in seeing where the diagnostic fibromyalgia pressure points also know as fibromyalgia tender & fibromyalgia trigger points are, click on the link below:
Read Dr. A. I. Cushing’s biography
For more information or to make an appointment.
Telephone: 704-776-4185
Dr. A. I. Cushing