Fibromyalgia causes

[Guest guest]

Hi Joanna,

 

The more fibro patients I see, the more I see stagnation of one sort or another

- stagnation of blood, accumulated damp stagnation, certainly liver qi

stagnation also. On top of this, I frequently see an overlay of high stress and

anxiety, the sort of type A personality who pushes and pushes and just can't let

go. So the person is sort of like a pressure cooker - all this fight or flight

energy going on, and just sitting still at the computer, stewing in their own

juices sort of. I have one patient now who doesn't fit the type A workaholic

personality portrait, but when I described it to her as an internal phenomenon

(she worries and has obsessive-compulsive disorder), she understood right away

how this picture fits her.

 

Western medicine's ideas about the origins of fibromyalgia have more to do with

disturbed sleep patterns - fibro folks typically do not cycle into the deep,

restorative phase of sleep where minor muscle injuries are repaired, and so they

accumulate and become chronic and worsen over time. So addressing sleep

quality, is essential, and many of these folks need to learn about good sleep

hygiene as well. Your patient's yin xu could be relevant here; she may be blood

xu as well.

 

Western med also believes there may be a connection with a history of

mononucleosis - similar to the theories behind chronic fatigue and Epstein Barr

virus. This indeed is part of my own history. Other ideas include the notion

of profound of chronic trauma - illness, injury, or even stress - as causes. A

history of extreme child abuse is common among many fibro folks I have known.

Acute injury or trauma is also a common precursor - car accidents, acute

illness, even childbirth.

 

However, to address your question, I have not heard of fibromyalgia arising as a

side effect of pharmaceutical treatment, though I suppose this is possible. I

would read up on her meds and their side effects - and see how these translate

in TCM terms. I would also investigate how long she had hypertension, and what

are her constitutional and lifestyle factors that led to it. Hypertension often

involves the stagnation factors I mentioned above, and it could just be that she

was already well on her way to developing fibromyalgia and these meds just

pushed her over the edge.

 

If her pain is sharp, I would look into herbs that address blood stagnation, as

well as those that nourish and calm the liver, and downbear ascending yang.

This should address both the hypertension and her pain. You will also need to

strengthen her spleen, to rid dampness and to also produce more quality muscle

tissue. Look into her diet also. Fibro folks tend to be fond of sweets - no

big surprise. High quality protein is important, but in moderate amounts, and

refined carbs should be kept to a minimum. A wide variety of cooked veggies is

important - all colors - especially above-ground portions of plants. Roots tend

to be heavy and starchy, and further bog down the energy of folks with fatigue.

Whole grains are important, but also in small amounts. I especially like

buckwheat and quinoa, because they are light and not sweet. Millet is good for

drying dampness, but be cautions with hin xu. Fresh fruit is ok, but don't go

overboard. I think berries are particularly good -

no facts I can give you on this one, just personal experience - they are not

too sweet, not too sour, brightly colored, and hard to overindulge.

 

It is common for weight gain to be a complication of fibromyalgia, as patients

turn away from exercise because it hurts to move. Every fibromyalgia patient I

have ever known who has gotten better with exercise as part of their protocol

has told me that getting motivated to do the exercise was the hardest thing,

because of the pain, but that in the long run it made them feel better. I think

it is the single most important and useful thing a fibro patient can do, but I

can rarely get my patients to do it.

 

I sent another post out earlier today, with other thoughts on fibro. If you

like, you may contact me off-list. I hope this helps.

 

Blessings,

 

 

 

 

annahoj_mt <seonag wrote:

Hi Andrea

This is not so much in response to your insightful response to Adam's

IBS/FMS/CFS case, but more a general question as to possible

causes/triggers of FMS.

 

I currently see a patient with a Western dx of FMS. Over the past

three years she has repeatedly considered giving up her job and her

family life suffers from her continuous fatigue.

What struck me during the intake is that the onset of her FMS

symptoms and accompanying fatigue started shortly after she was put

on Atenolol and Bendrofluazide for hypertension. Muscle pains are

listed as a common side effect of Atenolol and I reckon that

the 'water pill' would disrupt the electrolyte balance and further

aggravate the situation.

Have you - or anyone else on the list - ever come across as those

meds causing FMS-like symtpoms? When she suggested this to her GP he

dismissed this idea, but is agreeable for her to discontinue the meds

and try to control her blood pressure with herbs.

 

Similarly to Adam's case this patient has SP/LV imbalance, is quite

overweight (the weight gain occured mainly with onset of symptoms)

and also has some Yin xu signs (she is 47).

 

Many thanks for any responses/feedback.

 

Kind regards

Johanna Schuster, MAOM, Lic.Ac., MATCM(UK)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

,

<> wrote:

> Hi Adam,

>

> This is a complicated case, indeed. I have fibromyalgia myself,

and am treating a few individuals with complicated, Western diagnoses

that are different from your patient, but the presentations and TCM

diagnoses are quite similar. I'm in my 3rd year of practice, and all

of a sudden I am seeing lots of knotty diseases, and I also feel like

a beginner - but my own journey through fibromyalgia and a lifetime

of weird diseases has taught me alot, and I do quite a bit of

research on my patients' behalf. So I hope what I say here is of

some use to you.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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