How to manage fibromyalgia holistically without the use of opioids.

According to the CDC, approximately 4 million or 2-6% of adults are affected by fibromyalgia. Fibromyalgia disproportionately affects women making up 90% of the cases. 

How is  fibromyalgia diagnosed? 

Until recently fibromyalgia was almost impossible to “diagnose”, because it is represented by pain all over the body and can mimic inflammatory conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, and Lyme. It is a pain condition that can also accompany other illnesses which makes the diagnosis complicated. The pain experience can range from severe to diffuse.

How it is diagnosed is usually by excluding other illnesses that have more definitive test confirmations. Research now shows that there are markers in the blood that they believe can help identify fibromyalgia and other rheumatic conditions. What we also know is that there are specific tender points also known as trigger points that are present in pairs on both sides of the body.  These tender points were considered key to having a diagnosis of fibromyalgia.

What we do know about fibromyalgia is that it is an inflammation of the connective tissue as well as the muscle tissue. For some people suffering from fibromyalgia, they may experience more connective tissue pain versus muscle pain.

Studies show that psychological stress plays a role in pain and is linked with fibromyalgia and rheumatoid arthritis. In addition, hormonal fluctuations are associated with pain severity with fibromyalgia and can explain why women are more affected with pain conditions.

Treating fibromyalgia holistically without opioids:

Cultivating a balanced lifestyle, and managing stress and stress hormones can help prevent and mitigate pain flare-ups. 

Acupuncture is one of the best ways to treat patients with fibromyalgia and studies show that they do feel better when getting treated. Patients with fibromyalgia often experience additional symptoms such as poor sleep, fatigue, and mental fogginess. Their symptoms or flair-ups are often after stressful events or taking on too much. Acupuncture can:

• Help to reset the nervous system and release endorphins, “feel good” chemicals. 

• It improves blood circulation and lymph flow so that inflammations can be

• Improves quality of sleep 

• Relieves pain

• Relieves stress

• Improves immune function

Acupressure: Instead of needling you can press points that will help to relieve pain. Studies show that this is effective for fibromyalgia pain and can be part of self-treatment.

Yoga or Tai Chi: gentle movement and breathing help to strengthen the mind-body connection. 

Meditation: Helps strengthen the mind-body connections and relieve stress

Massage therapy: gentle massage can help with muscle tension and relieve stress, it also stimulates the rest and digestion states.

Essential oils: Lavender is one of the most effective essential oils for relaxation and for relieving pain. It is also effective for relieving anxiety.

Avoiding sugar and junk food: sugar is acidic and causes inflammation, junk food is processed with lots of chemicals and that are harder for the body to process and can cause a drop in high and low energy and fuzzy thinking. Make sure you can eat regularly and clean and adopt an anti-inflammatory diet, so that the body is supported and you don’t go for the sugar. 

Avoiding gluten: at least 80% of the population has sensitivity to gluten. This can cause systemic inflammation in the body.

Research shows Turmeric and Ashwagandha relieve inflammation in arthritis, joint pain, and rheumatoid arthritis.

What is Reflexology and Does it Work?

Reflexology and acupressure points and hands and feet can relieve back pain, improve digestion and help with sleep as well as fertility.

Reflexology goes far back to ancient China over 5,000 years ago.  Records depicting reflexology in hieroglyphs in Egypt reference its use 2,200 b.c. 

According to a history of reflexology timeline, more modern reflexology emerged in the 19th century called zone therapy. 

Reflexology is often referenced interchangeably as acupressure or shiatsu, though there are differences.

Reflexology differs from acupressure and acupuncture in that it uses a mapping of a microcosm of the body on the hands, feet, or ears. A reflexologist will press points on the foot, hand, or in the ears that are believed to be a reflex related to an organ. For example, the top of the toe may represent the brain and the arch of the foot the bladder. It is believed that you can access the body’s organ system, by pressing reflex points. Some reflexology maps differ slightly as well.

 Reflexology does not use a meridian/channel-based system. What they have in common is massaging an area or point of the body to promote health through the body’s natural healing mechanism.

Which benefits of reflexology have some scientific backing?

Studies do show that reflexology has a positive effect on quality of life, stress, anxiety, and pain. 

Studies also show that it can help with low back pain, migraine headaches, poststroke (improves connectivity in the brain) and diabetic neuropathy.

Research on reflexology and MRI imaging shows that specific parts of the brain would light up correlated with reflexology theory and body mapping. The belief is that stimulation of the reflex areas tap into the central nervous system. 

Much research on FMRI overlaps with comparing acupuncture points and their specific point functions and neural mechanisms that light up in the brain. With acupuncture points the “real” points light up areas of the brain related to organs and functions versus “inaccurate locations”. Usually, studies refer to non-acupuncture points as “sham”, but touch points on the body and meridians (energy pathways) will send messages through the body.  They may not show significance in a “study” trying to map the brain, but it does not mean they are without therapeutic benefit. 

What are the anecdotal benefits of reflexology? 

Reflexology is a non-drug way to relieve stress and anxiety and is safe and accessible as a therapy. It can be done just about anywhere and does not involve removing all of your clothes

Reflexology is very relaxing and has the benefits of touch therapy. Reflexology is considered a form of massage therapy and improves the mind-body connection increasing the awareness of the receiver of where they hold patterns of stress and pain. Helping the body go from a state of stress response to calm.

For people who have difficulty with sleep, the stimulation on the feet helps to bring the energy downward as opposed to in the head with racing thoughts.

Is there any risk?

With any massage or physical medicine, considerations such as whether the patient has diminished sensory in their feet or nerve damage. Some conditions can cause more inflammation such as RSD.

Women that are pregnant in their first trimester should make sure that the practitioner has experience working with pregnant women.

Is reflexology painful?

For some reflexology can feel painful, and it is believed that is because the reflex area or zone has congestion in the pertaining body part or organ.

Some people have more sensitivity on their feet from wearing shoes all the time. The muscles and connective tissue between the metatarsals and toes get stiff and have less flexibility or joint mobility so when they get mobilized it can feel painful. After reflexology they feel much better.

Fibromyalgia and Sleep

According to  the CDC, approximately 4 million or 2-6% of adults are affected by fibromyalgia. FIbromyalgia disproportionately affects women, making up 90% of the cases. 

How is  fibromyalgia diagnosed? 

Until recently fibromyalgia was almost impossible to “diagnose”, because it is represented by pain all over the body and can mimic inflammatory conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis, lupus and lyme. It is a pain condition that can also accompany other illnesses which makes the diagnosing complicated. The pain experience can range from severe to diffuse.

How it is diagnosed is usually by excluding other illnesses that have more definitive test confirmations. Research now shows that there are markers in the blood that they believe can help identify fibromyalgia and other rheumatic conditions. What we also know is that there are specific tender points also known as trigger points that are present in pairs on both sides of the body.  These tender points were considered key to having a diagnosis of fibromyalgia.

What we do know about fibromyalgia is that it is an inflammation of the connective tissue as well as the muscle tissue. For some people suffering from fibromyalgia they may experience more connective tissue pain versus muscle pain.

Studies show that psychological stress plays a role in pain and is linked with fibromyalgia and rheumatoid arthritis. In addition hormonal fluctuations are associated with pain severity with fibromyalgia and can explain why women are more affected with pain conditions.

Treating fibromyalgia holistically without opioids:

Cultivating a balanced lifestyle, managing stress and stress hormones can help prevent and mitigate pain flare ups. 

Acupuncture is one of the best ways to treat patients with fibromyalgia and studies show that they do feel better when getting treated. Patients with fibromyalgia often experience additional symptoms such  poor sleep, fatigue and mental fogginess. Their symptoms or flair ups are often after stressful events or taking on too much. Acupuncture can:

• Help to reset the nervous system and release endorphins, “feel good” chemicals. 

• It improves blood circulation and lymph flow so that inflammations can be

• Improves quality of sleep 

• Relieves pain

• Relieves stress

• Improves immune function

Acupressure: Instead of needling you can press points that will help to relieve pain. Studies show that this is effective for fibromyalgia pain and can be part of self treatment.

Yoga or Tai Chi: gentle movement and breathing helps to strengthen the mind body connection. 

Meditation: Helps strengthen the mind body connections and relieve stress

Massage therapy: gentle massage can help with muscle tension and relieve stress, it also stimulates the rest and digest states.

Essential oils: Lavender is one of the most effective essential oils for relaxation and for relieving pain. It is also effective for relieving anxiety.

Avoiding sugar and junk food: sugar is acidic and causes inflammation, junk food is processed with lots of chemicals and that is harder for the body to process and can cause drop in high and low energy and fuzzy thinking. Make sure you can eat regularly and clean and adopt an anti-inflammatory diet, so that the body is supported and you don’t go for the sugar. 

Avoiding gluten: at least 80% of the population has sensitivity to gluten. This can cause systemic inflammation in the body.

Research shows Turmeric and Ashwagandha relieve inflammation in arthritis, joint pain and rheumatoid arthritis.

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Autoimmune Conditions Seem To Be On The Rise...How Can Acupuncture Help?

Having an autoimmune condition really sucks. It usually takes years to figure out what is wrong and often no one believes that you actually have pain or suffer.

Many people with autoimmune conditions find Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine gives them relief. #acupuncture #painrelief #rheumatoidarthritis

What are autoimmune diseases?

Autoimmune diseases are an abnormal inflammatory response related to chronic illnesses. and they are on the rise in the us. According to AARDA (American Autoimmune Disease Related Association), close to 24% of the US population has an autoimmune condition. 

Environmental factors such as pesticides, and our food are a source of toxicity and inflammation. 

Conditions like MS, Crohn’s disease, Chronic Fatigue, Fibromyalgia, and Rheumatoid arthritis can have good days where everything is normal and days or weeks where you feel like your life is hijacked.

How Can Acupuncture Help?

Studies have shown it to be beneficial in treating Rheumatoid Arthritis, because of the anti-inflammatory effect, anti-oxidative effect and regulation of immune system function.

What causes autoimmune conditions to get worse?

Our lives are extremely stressful and stress hormones disrupt our immune system to then over respond and attack the body. 

Stress and stress hormones of fight or flight increase inflammation in the body and make it hard for the nervous system to rebalance. This is one of the underlying reasons why autoimmune conditions are so hard to treat. Once triggered the body becomes hypersensitive and can develop more sensitivities and triggers. Emotionally this also makes the worse.

Poor sleep will also interfere with the immune system and will inflammation, digestion and mood. It becomes a vicious cycle.

Are autoimmune diseases on the rise or is there more awareness than there used to be? 

There is more awareness about autoimmune diseases, but it is not always clear that the illnesses are autoimmune or a passing event. So many doctors don’t test patients for the autoimmune antibodies or 

Are there any theories about why?

There are lots of chemicals in our environment and pesticides, plastics, beauty products as well as processed foods and these are linked to increases in inflammation. Studies show that processed foods cause more inflammation in the body. 

Why are autoimmune commons, and so common in women?

Women have more nerve receptors as well as hormonal fluctuations compared to men.  Hormonal cycles along with stress can lead to more inflammation and contribute to chronic conditions autoimmune related illnesses such as fibromyalgia.  Research has shown estrogen plays a critical role in affecting pain receptors,  and inflammation. 

When do autoimmune illnesses typically surface and why they are they so difficult to diagnose?

Typically autoimmune conditions will surface after an event, such as the flu virus that can disrupt the intestinal flora and in turn cause an autoimmune response. Autoimmune conditions can also show up years later after suffering from mono or strep where the body never fully recovers and then over time develops more inflammations. This is what makes them so difficult to diagnose because the symptoms may come and go, and seem to be harmless, like a little allergy or digestive upset.

Something like food poisoning, can later cause chronic digestive problems such as IBS or colitis. 

Gut bacteria is crucial for our immune system and when it is out of balance our entire body suffers from a lowered immunity and a dysfunctional immune response.