Dysphagia is a medical term that means that a patient has difficulty swallowing. There are a number of different conditions that can cause dysphagia. And someone who suffers from dysphagia often finds that it makes life very difficult. Depending on their condition, swallowing can be very painful, which makes eating and getting enough nutrition a challenge. And what’s even more alarming is that many people with fibromyalgia report having problems with dysphagia. So, what are some of the…
Thyme is an herb from the mint family. This is a truly ancient herb, used by the Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans for ceremonial and ritualistic purposes. Through the Middle Ages where it was also used for religious and medicinal reasons. It is an incredibly potent yet simple herb affecting multiple systems in the body and capable of treating dozens of diseases. It contains one of the strongest antioxidants known and is proven to kill 98% of…
Light and noise sensitivity in fibromyalgia (FMS) and chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) have been scientifically established since the early 1990s, but they’re still underrecognized and rarely make symptoms lists. Rest assured that you’re not alone in experiencing this symptom! When I used to take my kids to daycare, some mornings the noise would hit me like a brick wall. In an instant, I’d have pain, nausea, dizziness, trembling, and a looming panic attack. More than once, I had to…
Many fibromyalgia sufferers have been told that the pain is “all in their head.” New research indicates there may be some truth to that, and that overactive brain networks could play a role in the hypersensitivity of fibromyalgia patients. Fibromyalgia is a poorly understood disorder characterized by deep tissue pain, fatigue, headaches, mood swings, and insomnia. There is no known cause and successful treatments have been elusive. In a lengthy study published in the journal Scientific…
Let’s be perfectly honest. Most doctors have a difficult time with chronic pain patients. One physician described it to us many years ago: “When I see a patient suffering severe chronic pain come in the front door I want to go out the back door.” That’s because there are few good options. Drugs like hydrocodone or oxycodone used to be prescribed in huge quantities. Now gabapentin (Neurontin) and pregabalin (Lyrica) are on the ascendency and…
In 2014, a survey of more than 1,300 fibromyalgia patients by the National Pain Foundation and National Pain Report found medical marijuana is more effective than Lyrica, Cymbalta, or Savella, the three drugs approved by the Food and Drug Administration to treat the disorder. (If you’re curious about the effectiveness of Lyrica, Cymbalta, and Savella, then you might be interested in my post, “Why your fibro meds aren’t working.”) There’s growing anecdotal evidence that marijuana relieves fibromyalgia pain,…
Gluten has been liked to more than 55 diseases and is often called the ‘big masquerader’. The reason for this is that the majority of symptoms of gluten intolerance are not digestive in nature but rather neurological such as pain, cognitive impairment, sleep disturbances, behavioral issues, fatigue, and depression. Adrenal Fatigue:Adrenal fatigue is a result of chronic stress whether real or perceived. Chronic pain is a stress to the adrenal glands, though typically not the…
Are the eyes the window to whatever’s going wrong with the brain in fibromyalgia? Research published in 2015 and 2016 suggests that it just might be. Fibromyalgia is widely believed to be a condition of the central nervous system, which includes the brain and spinal column. It also includes the eyes and the structures that help our brains interpret what we see. Chief among these structures is the optic nerve, which is similar to a cable made…
I’m a fairly open person when it comes to physical and mental illness, but I can also be very reserved, especially about my chronic pain and fatigue. It’s not because I don’t want to share about what’s going on with me, but because I don’t want people to think I’m a “whiner” or “attention seeker.” I am neither of those things. In fact, I’m quite the opposite. A lot of people know I have fibromyalgia. What they don’t…
Whether it is you or a loved one, we all know people who just plain ache. They hurt all the time and are simply worn out by pain. This is what it is like to have fibromyalgia. Your muscles hurt and ache, they feel worse with touch or pressure, and being in pain all the time leads to chronic fatigue. Fortunately, a recent study shows that taking magnesium for fibromyalgia can help reduce both the number of tender…