Learn how Fibromyalgia is diagnosed, including key symptoms, diagnostic criteria, and the tests used to rule out other conditions.
We all know the negative effects of stress and how quickly this can bring on pain and symptoms. Coping well with fibromyalgia means consistently learning and applying techniques that will lessen and mitigate overall symptoms.. Not that dealing with stress effectively will cure all that ails us; yet, it is an essential step if we want to experience greater levels of well-being and healing. How do you deal with stress? And could you do better…
It is not “mind over matter” when it comes to fibromyalgia, no, I like to say “it is the mind and body working together” I get it. I live it, breathe it, sleep it, and as fellow fibro and practitioner, I am invested in helping all of us live the best life with a complex condition. Negative emotions do not just go away, they can manifest and perpetuate disease. They ‘settle’ within the body, muscles…
Taking personal responsibility means we now realize that no doctor, pill, or the best healing plan can do it for us. We must individually take responsibility for our health and well-being. When dealing with Fibromyalgia on a daily basis, it becomes clear that this illness is NOT about taking a pill and simply getting on with our lives. This is a multi-system disease that affects various parts of the body and mind, especially the nervous,…
More and more, ever so slowly, we are beginning to see the concepts of mind body medicine make their way into the conservative “Conventional Medicine” community. Resistance to these concepts has been very strong despite glaring examples of success by highly placed members of that “community” such as Dr. John Sarno who authored “The Mindbody Prescription” decades ago. Even as the scientific basis was established in the ’70s, ’80s, and ’90s, our conventional medical practitioners…
The mind body connection to fibromyalgia ‘symptom and pain management‘ is crucial. When living with a chronic illness, it is not about mind over matter…. Just like you, that never resonated with me. No, I like to say “It is about the mind and body working together” It is learning how to use mind body conditioning. It doesn’t happen overnight, but it IS the ESSENTIAL first step. Remember, our bodies are great servants but terrible…
Clavicle or shoulder pain in fibromyalgia is like any other symptom in that it can easily wax and wane, but might be more common than you think. With a recent shoulder injury (and labral tear) myself, I have seen even more clearly the process of shoulder injuries, stiffness, and how fibromyalgia symptoms can “interplay” with common shoulder/ clavicle injuries or tears. One thing I do in working with fibromyalgia, is to convey the importance of…
It is not so uncommon to experience fibromyalgia and ankle pain. Although it might not be one of your first symptoms when living with fibromyalgia, you might find that you start experiencing pain in one or both ankles. This pain may extend to your toes, heel, and even up into your calves. It may also just stay around your ankles and may or may not come with swelling. This is an important weight-bearing area of…
Do you feel like your internal thermostat is broken? You are certainly not alone. Temperature dysregulation is quite common in fibromyalgia. And yet, as warm-blooded animals, human beings are usually quite amazing. When our surrounding environment heats up, our bodies are supposed to automatically kick into gear to cool things down internally. What happens when the surrounding environment gets chilly? Our bodies know just how-to warm things up. With fibromyalgia, we are susceptible to an…
If you’ve ever sat with a leg tucked underneath your body or fallen asleep with one arm at an odd angle, there’s a good chance that you’ve experienced paresthesia. This is the medical term for the pins-and-needles feeling that occurs when pressure is applied to a nerve for a long period of time. It can also feel like numbness, itching, burning or crawling across the skin. For most people, paresthesia is an occasional discomfort that is quickly…
It is important to note here that not all eye conditions are attributed to fibromyalgia, but some symptoms in the eyes and face can be exacerbated by fibromyalgia. I often say that fibromyalgia tends to be equal opportunity in regards to the areas and systems of the body affected. Yes, fibromyalgia has the ability to contribute to eye pain, and I will detail some of these ways here. However, we always like to extend a…