Fibromyalgia’s New Name

If you have fibromyalgia, you know the frustration of seeing a bunch of doctors and not getting a straight answer as to what is wrong with you.  Even when the diagnosis of fibromyalgia is made, your doctor just gives you drugs to mask the symptoms.  You never get down to the cause.

In July of 2011, a paper was published in the Journal of Internal Medicine that may help you understand what is wrong with you.  The study is calling fibromyalgia and its diagnostic twin, chronic fatigue syndrome, myalgic encephalomyelitis.  (ME)

Myalgic encephalomyelitis means muscle pain caused by inflammation of the brain and spinal cord.  The authors of the study are saying that the term more accurately describes the condition and I agree.

I have been treating fibromyalgia cases since 2002, using the best available research.  The research has been pointing towards encephalomyelitis as a cause for more than a decade.

Swelling of the brain and spinal cord needs to be addressed for the pain to go away.  The inflammation can come from a variety of sources.  The largest single source is adverse mechanical tension on the spinal cord.  The spine misaligns in a way that stretches the spinal cord and irritates it until it becomes inflamed.  This causes the symptoms.

But other causes for the inflammation may also need to be addressed.  Diet, oxidative stress, excitotoxins, and dysbiosis can all contribute to the problem.  You need to find a doctor who knows what to look for and how to treat it.

For more information on how I treat fibromyalgia, log on to:  www.stopyourfibronow.com

Does Weather Make Pain Worse?

Any doctor who has treated people in chronic pain will hear the patients say that they feel more pain when the weather is bad.  Especially cool humid weather.

Is this all in the patient’s head or is there some scientific cause for it ?

Well a study done in the journal, Spine, in 2004, studied 26,862 patients from 23 different health centers in the National Spine Network.  They concluded that changes in barometric pressure caused people to have lower scores on general health surveys.  (SF-36).  This meant that people rated their general health, physical function, bodily pain, mental health, social function, fatigue and emotional health, lower when the barometric pressure changed.

A study in the Journal of Rheumatology in 1985 showed that falling barometric pressure indicative of a coming storm, increased arthritic symptoms in patients.

Another study noted that 76 to 83% of patients could predict rain by their arthritic symptoms.  (Ann Rheum Dis 1990;49:158-9)

Patients with higher self-reported pain were more weather sensitive.  (Pain 1999;81:173-7)

So there is a definite link to weather and chronic pain.  Research findings suggest that abnormal nerve impulses generated at injured areas could cause increased pain and that these impulses are sensitive to and aggravated by weather.

But the pain is not directly caused by the weather.  An injured or arthritic area is the cause of the pain.  The weather changes merely aggravate the problems.  It is important to get injuries and arthritis treated properly so your pain levels go down and you aren’t as sensitive to weather changes.

For more information on how I treat chronic pain, log on to www.stopyourfibronow.com or www.newbackpainreliefinfo.com.

Fibromyalgia- The Only Cure

Everyone seems to have an opinion on what fibromyalgia is.  Some say it’s a muscle problem, others say a body chemistry thing, still others a psychological problem.  The latest opinion I saw from one so-called expert, is that it comes from “stealth viruses”.  The viruses are so “stealthy” he can’t prove they exist.

I don’t believe in most of the theories on fibromyalgia.  There is no single thing that can cause aches and pains all over the body in every person.  What you really have is a collection of diseases, disorders and problems that aren’t handled well medically.

This can include things like chronic whiplash, failed back surgery, vitamin D deficiency, multiple disc herniations, chronic inflammatory disorders, hypothyroidism, adrenal fatigue, blood sugar disorders and on and on.

Since there is no single cause, there is no single cure.

The only thing that can cure fibromyalgia is the healing mechanisms of the human body.  A properly functioning body does not get fibromyalgia.  In order to activate these healing mechanisms, you must eat right, drink plenty of water, get proper sleep, exercise mildly and maintain a good attitude.

If you do these things, you will most likely start to feel better already.

From there, you will probably need to get some help removing any impediments that keep your body from functioning properly.   You will need to get evaluated by someone who is experienced in treating “fibromyalgia”.  Someone who can dig deeper into the cause of your pain, and either treat it (if it’s treatable) or give you the tools to solve it.

For more information on how I treat fibromyalgia, log on to: www.stopyourfibronow.com

Fibromyalgia Syndrome & Whiplash Trauma

A number of studies have linked Fibromyalgia Syndrome to physical trauma, including whiplash injury.

In their 1992 book, Painful Cervical Trauma, Diagnosis and Rehabilitative Treatment of Neuromusculoskeletal Injuries, C. David Tollison and John Satterthwaite state:

“A particularly frustrating group of patients are those with a typical whiplash injury who, rather than gradually improving, actually seem to progressively develop a generalized chronic pain state identical to the fibromyalgia syndrome.”

Tollison and Satterthwaite state that fibromyalgia follows trauma approximately 22% of fibromyalgia patients.

In 1992, Greenfield and colleagues reviewed 127 cases of fibromyalgia and determined that 23% were triggered by a traumatic event. They also noted that patients suffering from trauma fibromyalgia were more disabled than those suffering from primary (non-traumatic) fibromyalgia.

In 1994, Waylonis and Perkins evaluated 176 patients who had been suffering from post-traumatic fibromyalgia. The traumatic cause was determined to be whiplash injury in 61% of the subjects. Years after the initial diagnosis, “eighty-five percent of the patients continued to have significant symptoms and clinical evidence of fibromyalgia.

In 1997, Buskila and colleagues studied the relationship between cervical spine injury and the development of fibromyalgia syndrome. They assessed 102 patients with neck injury and a control group of 59 patients with leg fracture. Twenty-two percent of the neck injury patients developed fibromyalgia, while only 1.7% of those with leg fracture developed fibromyalgia. The authors concluded “fibromyalgia syndrome was 15 times more frequent following neck injury than following lower extremity injury.”

In 2002, Al-Allaf and colleagues stated that 25% to 50% of those with Fibromyalgia Syndrome have physical trauma immediately prior the onset.

In 2003, Neumann and colleagues evaluated the outcomes of 78 post-traumatic neck injury fibromyalgia cases. They determined that 60% were still suffering from their fibromyalgia symptoms at the three-year follow-up. They also determined that nearly all of the persistently symptomatic patients were women, indicating that whiplash fibromyalgia recovery is worse in women than men.

In 2005, Samuel McLean and colleagues from the University of Michigan Medical Center established the criteria to assign fibromyalgia to whiplash trauma. They state:

“To summarize, there are abundant data suggesting that it is biologically plausible that physical trauma, acting as a stressor, could lead to the development of chronic widespread pain, as well as a number of other somatic symptoms.”

“Using these above attribution elements, the association between fibromyalgia and motor vehicle collision meets criteria one (temporal association), two (lack of alternative explanations), three (biological plausibility), six (analogy), and possibly five (re-challenge). This meets or exceeds the recommended threshold for suspecting a causal relationship between an exposure and subsequent illness. To put the relationship between fibromyalgia and trauma in context, there are at least as much data supporting this relationship as there are for many other accepted environmentally associated rheumatic diseases.”

“Thus, trauma may be only one of many types of stressors capable of producing symptoms characteristic of fibromyalgia.”

For more information on how fibromyalgia can be treated log on to: www.stopyourfibronow.com

Fibromyalgia: Dietary Guide

Fibromyalgia (FM) is a chronic condition affecting multiple body systems is not limited to any one aspect of health. Because of this, there is no ONE diet that works the same for all FM patients. Since most dietary guidelines that address FM are based on general healthy eating principles utilized for many conditions such as hypoglycemia, diabetes, food allergies, headaches, digestive disorders, and fatigue, let’s review some of the most popular and successful dietary approaches that have been reported regarding FM.

Basic Guidelines:

1. Carbohydrates: AVOID all refined carbs (white flour products). Eat whole grain bread, oatmeal, granola, nuts. Avoid artificial sweeteners and limit sugar intake to a max. of 40g/2000 calories. Eat roughly 14 grams / 1000 calories consumed of soluble dietary fiber such as apples, oats, and legumes vs. insoluble fiber such as bran. Your total carb intake from all sources should be between 30-55% of your total calories.
2. Fats: AVOID saturated fats (these clog up circulation, lead to inflammation and pain).  That means <10% of total calories consumed, so limit or eliminate foods such as cheese, beef, milk, oils, ice cream, cakes, cookies, mayonnaise, margarine, chips and chicken skin. Eat mono- and poly-unsaturated fats and include regular amounts of omega 3-fats. Eat < 300mg/day of cholesterol; Try to avoid ALL trans fats such as cakes, cookies, crackers, pies, bread, margarine, fried potatoes, chips, shortening.  Take omega 3 fatty acids like alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) as these help make other omega 3 fats like EPA and DHA, and are very helpful for the brain.  ALA is found in flaxseed, linseed oil, or cod liver oil. Limit total fat intake to 20-35% of calories consumed.
3. Protein: Go easy on red meat as they are high in saturated fat. Instead, eat more fish and vegetable protein (legumes and soybeans are great). When eating meat or poultry, remove all visible fat and skin before eating. Maintain protein at 20-40% of total caloric intake.  AVOID: processed meats, especially salt-cured, smoked or nitrate-cured.
4. Fruits & Vegetables: Whole fruits are superior to juices.  Include blackberries, strawberries, raspberries, kiwis, peaches, mango, cantaloupe melon and apples. Some FM sufferers cannot tolerate citrus fruits but if you can, fruits like oranges and grapefruits are great.  Vegetables are crucial. Good choices include carrots, squash, sweet potato, spinach, kale, collard greens, broccoli, cabbage, and Brussels sprouts.  These foods reduce the risk of developing chronic diseases (diabetes, heart disease, stroke and cancers).
5. Dairy Products:  Choose organic varieties of milk. This also applies to yogurt and cheese.
6. Healthy drinks: Drink 8 glasses of water a day or diluted fruit juices, or herbal teas.  Drinking water helps flush out toxins.  Avoid coffee, tea, and alcohol as these increase fatigue, increase muscle pain and interfere with normal sleeping patterns. Limit or eliminate alcohol.
7. Healthy Snacks: Chopped vegetables, unsalted nuts and/or seeds; AVOID ALL commercial snack foods (except salt-free air-popped popcorn) as these are high in trans fats & salt.  Avoid chocolate and candy.
8. Junk Food: Regular consumption of this is BAD for FM patients due to the high levels of fat, sodium, calories and general lack of nutrition.
9. Artificial Sweeteners:  AVOID them!  Examples: aspartame, NutraSweet, & saccharine.
10. MSG:  (monosodium glutamate (MSG) and Sodium (Salt) can aggravate FM!
11. QUANTITY:  Eat smaller light meals, especially in the evenings.

We recognize the importance of including chiropractic in your treatment planning and realize you have a choice of providers. If you, a friend or family member requires care for FM, we sincerely appreciate the trust and confidence shown by choosing our services and look forward in serving you and your family presently and, in the future.

YOU MAY BE A CANDIDATE FOR CHIROPRACTIC CARE FOR FIBROMYALGIA! FOR MORE INFORMATION ON HOW WE TREAT FIBROMYALGIA LOG ON TO : WWW.STOPYOURFIBRONOW.COM

Why Fibromyalgia Can Kill You!

I have been treating fibromyalgia for about 8 years now and it has been an adventure to say the least.  Unfortunately, many medical doctors don’t even think it exists.  The average fibromyalgia patient that comes to see me has seen four other doctors.  When I started eight years ago it was six.

The story is always the same.  Pills, pills, pills.  No results.  Live with it.

When treating a fibromyalgia patient I’ve always tried to focus on what might be causing the widespread pain.  I’ve found that about 80% of fibromyalgia patients have a particular type of misalignment in the spine that can be corrected.  When the misalignment is corrected, most of the pain goes away.

I say most, but not all, because I have found that for about half the fibromyalgia patients, spinal adjusting is not enough. They need help with other problems as well.  These problems can lead to other more serious diseases like Alzheimer’s, heart disease and cancer.

The problems have to do with inflammation (swelling) that comes from oxidative stress.  Oxidative stress is a term used to describe what happens when the body is overwhelmed by toxic foods and drugs.  As the body tries to process these toxins, it gets swollen and damaged.  The swelling is systemic, meaning that it happens all over.  It affects the heart, brain, liver, kidneys and digestive tract just as much as the muscles and joints.

The all over pain of fibromyalgia is really a warning signal that more serious problems are going on.

The good news is that it is treatable.  If the body is given the nutrients it needs, it will repair itself.  The pain will go away and many other illnesses can be prevented.

How do you find out if you are one of the fibromyalgia patients that needs nutritional therapy ?  You need to get your blood checked for signs of inflammation.  These are the same tests your MD would use to look for cardiac inflammatory problems.  Tests like CRP, homocysteine and fibrinogen.

In an MD’s office, they would treat the inflammation with drugs.  In my office, I order the blood tests and then I treat the problems with nutrition.  The side effects are non-existent, it works better and the body gets what it really needs.

To find out more about how I treat fibromyalgia, log on to www.stopyourfibronow.com

Reference:  “Why myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) may kill you !: disorders in the inflammatory and oxidative and nitrosative stress pathways may explain cardiovascular disorders in ME/CFS”  Maes M, Twisk FN. Neuro Endocrinol Lett. 2009;30(6):677-93.

Blood Tests for Fibromyalgia

While there are no blood tests that definitively tell you whather you have fibromyalgia, there are tests that tell you some critical information if you want to get better.

A large percentage of fibromyalgia patients have problems related to chronic inflammation.    The inflammation is caused mainly from poor nutritional practices and intake of toxic drugs.  This leads to pain in the muscles and joints, and can also lead to depression and skin sensitivity.

Two tests that you should seriously consider having run, if you have fibromyalgia are a Homocysteine test and a C-reactive protein test (CRP).

Homocysteine is a toxic amino acid that can damage the linings of your arteries and increase your risk of heart attack and stroke.  It is also present in people who suffer from chronic pain and can be a primary cause of inflammation.

What causes Homocysteine to be high ?  A detoxification process called methylation isn’t working properly.  It isn’t working properly mainly because of nutrient deficiencies in the diet.

CRP is a special protein that is formed when there is inflammation in the body.  High levels are seen when you have a cold or flu or even if you have arthritis.  It may be responsible for some of the all over achy feelings some fibromyalgia patients feel.

These problems can be fixed and they can be a real key to getting out of your chronic pain.  Medical doctors try to treat them with drugs, but this approach has two big problems.  First, the drugs have all kinds of side effects, including stomach bleeding, liver disease, strokes, heart attacks and kidney disease.  Second, the drugs don’t fix the nutrient deficiency and can actually cause your body to burn up more nutrients to detoxify the drugs.

The best way to work on this is to use vitamins, minerals and anti-oxidants that work on getting these inflammatory toxins out of the body.  And, working with a doctor who is familiar with fibromyalgia and can prescribe doses that will actually work for you based on blood testing.

For more information about how I treat fibromyalgia, go to www.stopyourfibronow.com.  You will learn about some of the methods that have helped my patients get out of pain fast.

Fibromyalgia and the Spinal Cord

The theories about how the widespread pain of fibromyalgia occurs are numerous.  Far too many to go over in one article.  But the main theory that guides my treatment is a theory called spinal cord hypersensitivity.

To explain it, I have to lay down a little groundwork so you get a better understanding.  You will need to know a little bit about how the nervous system works.  Don’t worry, its not that difficult.

You may have noticed at some time in your life that you walked into a room and it smelled bad.  After being in the room a while, you probably noticed that you don’t smell it any more.  This is a normal function of your nervous system.  It filters out un-necessary information, so you can concentrate on other things.

Your body will also do this with pain, at least to a certain extent.  You cut your finger, it hurts for a while, then it goes away.  Partly because it is healing and partly because your brain realizes it’s just a cut finger and you don’t need to feel it as much anymore.

The filtering function happens in your spinal cord.  In a normal person’s spinal cord, sensations of pain get lessened over time.  In someone with fibromyalgia, the opposite happens, the pain gets worse.  So think about what would happen if you came into a room, it smelled bad, and the longer you sat there, the worse it got.  Well, welcome to the world of fibromyalgia.  The longer you have the pain, the worse it gets.

The phenomenon is called central sensitization and it was written about extensively in the January 2004 edition of the scientific journal, Pain.  The study explored how people with neck injuries and people with fibromyalgia get pain.  They concluded that “sensitization explains, at least in part, pain in the absence of detectable tissue damage, as found in both conditions.”

To treat fibromyalgia successfully, the issue of central (spinal cord) sensitization must be addressed.  In my office, we concentrate on getting rid of any posture problems that may be causing the cord to be stretched and irritated.  I also work on the patient’s diet and lifestyle to get rid of anything they may be eating that would cause the nervous system to be irritated or inflamed.  The treatment is very successful and allows people with fibromyalgia to return to a more normal life.

To learn more about how I treat fibromyalgia, log on to www.stopyourfibronow.com.

Fibromyalgia: What Is It And What Can Be Done?

Fibromyalgia is a complex disorder. It is complex because different systems of the body are affected and treatments need to be both comprehensive and specific. Fibromyalgia overlaps with other diseases such as chronic fatigue syndrome, which shares many of its characteristics. The patient usually has general fatigue and due to pain, may be impaired in their capacity to work.

Fibromyalgia literally means painful muscles and tendons, and patients will say there are painful areas throughout their body. They may have low back pain, neck pain, headaches, and painful knees. Not every patient will have the same painful areas but all patients will suffer multiple painful sites.

Because of this widespread pain, it is thought that there is a central cause in many patients such as hormone or brain regulation. Cortisol, a stress hormone, can be elevated in many patients.

Many patients also show problems at local (called peripheral) areas such as the spine. They may also have a history of injury to these areas and may have suffered sprains and strains. When these problems occur, the patient may not be able to function as before. They may be unable to do work or engage in physical activities. This can then create a downward spiral because it is movement that most fibromyalgia patients lack. When one does not exercise, spinal pain can become more severe. It is well known that prolonged bed rest actually increases low back pain.

By getting painful disorders of the spine and other joints addressed through chiropractic care, the patient can then re-engage in activities.

Because diet can be so important to overall well being and healing, it needs to be addressed in any comprehensive fibromyalgia treatment program. Many patients have poor diets and many more still are also overweight and obese. Nutrient deficiencies need to be countered, but diet does not end with meat, potatoes, and iceberg lettuce. Certain foods can actually promote more inflammation, which generally means more pain. There are dietary approaches that can decrease the promotion of inflammation.

Patients also need to consider psychological factors such as depression, which can compound the physical problems. Even if the patient is not clinically depressed, chronic pain will alter mood and their motivation to work or exercise. A positive mental attitude is important to adhering to a comprehensive treatment program. The patient is not passive and is instead an active participant in their recovery.

By approaching diet, exercise, spinal health, and other physical and psychological factors, the patient may be more able to decrease some of their fibromyalgia symptoms. Because the symptoms are widespread, a comprehensive treatment program will be the approach that will most likely succeed.

YOU MAYBE A CANDIDATE FOR RELIEF.

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Fibromyalgia Its Real and Its a Global Problem

What do I mean by global? Well it does occur in countries around the world, but more to the point, fibromyalgia is only one piece of a complex full-body puzzle. Patients with fibromyalgia will report widespread pain in the neck, back and in other areas, but there’s also much more to the story.

Usually, patients will have sympathetic activation-stressed nerves, which can result in a depressed immune system, obesity, TMJ problems, and even high blood pressure. Headaches are also quite common, as are other aches and pains. Fibromyalgia sufferers usually have a long list of symptoms they have had over the years.

And after years of pain, most patients have avoided certain movements and exercises, thus further diminishing their quality of life.

This can all seem daunting to many doctors who want to find a pill for every pain. You may have also been prescribed antidepressants thinking this would get at this global bodily disorder.

I’m Dr. Paul Kramer DC and I’ve treated many fibromyalgia patients over the years. There is not one thing that seems to help these types of patients-no silver bullet. If there were such a cure, I’d do it tomorrow.

Rather you need to address the problem globally by correcting misalignments of the spine and extremities.  Correcting your posture does absolute wonders in relieving pain. Diet is also an issue. For many patients they will need to lose weight and I can assist in doing this in a controlled way. Most patients need guidance about certain foods and fats that promote inflammation, which is a key point in addressing symptoms.

There may also be certain chemicals that you are ingesting that are contributing to the problem, rather than helping.
Lastly, all of my patients need to start exercising. Being a couch potato is no solution for fibromyalgia. Inactivity and inflexibility just makes joint and muscle pains worse.

I start patients off with simple daily stretches to add flexibility followed by walking. Some patients can barely get out of bed, so we start with walking to the end of the block. The goal is to get up to 15-30 minutes of fast paced walking each day. Once your weight is down to a manageable level, I encourage patients to join a gym, so they can develop more strength in all of their muscles. This comprehensive approach I believe is key to addressing fibromyalgia symptoms, as well as other important health problems that often accompany it.

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