Natural Solutions When Living with Fibromyalgia

Symptoms tend to manifest differently for different people, here are a few examples of common ways people living with fibromyalgia: 

• Persistent fatigue, sleep dysfunction, impaired concentration/memory, sensitivity to light/sound/tough, muscle & joint pains/aches without signs of inflammation, IBS, etc.
  

Fibromyalgia is largely a diagnosis of exclusion, there are some theories as to what an underlying cause may be:

• Connection with latent viral infections (EBV, HHV-6, CMV)
• Chronic sleep disturbances
• Central nervous system sensitivity
• Under-functioning HPA-axis (hypo-adrenalism, underactive thyroid)
• Increased intestinal permeability

Risk Factors

• Family history (3x as likely to develop if mother has FM)
• Psychological stress in childhood
• Being female aged 20-60, type A personality

Treating fibromyalgia needs to be multi-factorial, there is no one size fits all. Here are some treatment strategies to consider:

   1.  Dietary Considerations​

• Avoid refined sugars/carbohydrates (< 10 tsp of sugar/day)
• Identify food sensitivities—can increase inflammation and exacerbate symptoms
• Focus on nutrient dense foods
• Limit/avoid AGE formation when cooking—lower temperatures in presence of water (boil, poach, stew)

   2. Herbs and Nutrients to help support sleep

• Chamomile
• Lemon Balm
• Valerian
• Jamaican Dogwood
• Melatonin
• Siberian Ginseng

  3.  Herbs to Reduce Pain:

• Jamaican Dogwood
• Wild Yam
• St John’s Wart *
• White Willow Bark
• Devils Claw
• Boswellia

  4. Five Strategies to  Reduce Stress:

1. Find one thing to be thankful for each day
2. Schedule time for yourself (daily, weekly, monthly, yearly)
3. Laugh several times per day & practice mindfulness
4. Avoid multitasking & burning the candle at both ends
5. Do your best to eliminate, simplify, delegate, automate!