Fibromyalgia

[Guest guest]

I am interesting in starting a string to discuss treatment strategies

for fibromyalgia. And I would like to say at the outset that

fibromyalgia is not my diagnosis, rather it is the one they come in

with. I am not interested to have a debate about the question of what

is the real medicine, simply some discussion of treatment strategy.

Specifically I am interested to know what people have tried with

respect to formulas which are helpful to decrease the pain sx's and

improve sleep patterns. Sleep disturbances seem to be a common

component of the presentations. In my clients there seems to be a

consistant pattern of dampness, liver qi stagnation and lingering

heat,

spleen xu, perhaps we could say " Heart and Kidney not communicating. "

Unresolved issues from earlier in life, with some chronic

resentments.

Moving blood does not seem to work well for pain with these types, so

how does one effectively move dampness to reduce pain? Tonification

seems important for chronic types such as these, but I find that

there

is often significant difficulty with taking herbal formulas due to

the

weakness in the digestion. There frequently seems to be an

environmental sensitivity problem as well. Reactions to perfumes,

chemicals, bad air, obnoxious persons and situations, etc. Are some

herbs more likely to set off such types of problems?

 

Also I heard from one of my clients that 60% of women with a

diagnosis

of fibromyalgia were sexually abused when younger, compared with

stats

of 30-35% of the female population in general in the US. Can anyone

comment on this? How do the emotional and psychological factors

effect

the course of treatment, and are they relevant for the herbal

strategy?

I generally would describe the condition as one in which there are

" permeability issues, " problems with boundaries and weakness in

relation to life. From this perspective I would like to say that

there

is some Small Intestine, and Pericardium involved, but this would not

be a Standard TCM sort of viewpoint.

 

My practise typically involves acupuncture and herbs, understanding

psychological factors is almost always a key to effective treatments.

My herbal skill is not equal to my acupuncture, and I am interested

to

know what people have to comment on the emotional and spiritual

dynamic

of specific herbs and formulas. Is there anyone who is doing research

or who can recommend good sources for such information? I understand

it

to be a basic premise of this medicine that the mind and body are the

manifestation of a single indivisible phenomenon but sometimes it

seems

that this principle gets short changed in the parameters of the

diagnostics.