Does depression make fibromyalgia and chronic immune dysfunction symptoms worse?

Dealing with inadequate pain control, medication trials, exhaustion, fatigue, health care providers, family, friends, coworkers, self-esteem, stress, and medical and legal red tape, can lead to depression or anxiety.

We know that central nervous system chemical messengers are hijacked somewhere along the body’s information highway. Because neurotransmitter regulation is imperative to homeostasis (well-being) in the body, feelings of despair can have an effect.

Excerpt, Chapter 5 The Power of Mind, Body, and Spirit©

Every day you should spend all your available energy pennies, but not one more. One extra penny of effort today will cost the FM, CFID, CMP person a dollar tomorrow. Not smart! Make daily deposits in your well-being bank.

If you are not consistent at assessing your abilities, you can easily bankrupt your account…you need to do a balancing act with your unconscious process of self-accommodation and deceit, the permission we give ourselves to loaf, stall, or non-perform. This tendency to give up prematurely, surrender to dread, to drop our own ball at the first sign of difficulty is universal. That’s right, universal. Everyone knows the decision to let the Frisbee pass without diving to try to catch it…..

All blogs, posts and answers are based on the work in Integrative Therapies for Fibromyalgia, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, and Myofascial Pain: The Mind-Body Connection by Celeste Cooper, RN, and Jeff Miller, PhD. 2010, Vermont: Healing Arts press and are not meant to replace medical advice. www.thesethree.com

Author of Chapter Five, Living with and Coping Effectively Through Fibromyalgia: Detecting Barriers, Understanding the Clues, in Fibromyalgia Insider Secrets: 10 Top Experts, 2nd Ed. Ebook complies by Deirdre Rawlings, ND, PhD

What and Why: The role of complimentary therapies for improving fibromyalgia symptoms

Fibromyalgia is a centralization disorder, which means it begins in the central nervous system which has become easily over stimulated. We also know from many studies that what we think does affect the way our brain processes information. There are many good techniques that teach you how to calm our mind, and thereby lower blood pressure, heart rate, and the release of cortisol. Also important is addressing myofascial pain syndrome (AKA chronic myofascial pain) which is now known to be a common comorbid condition.

Addressing centralization, changing the way the brain thinks.

Anyone who has practiced biofeedback understands how our thoughts have the ability to change the way our body reacts. Because cortisol is already altered in FM, stressful emotional, mental, spiritual, or even physical events put us at higher risk for an upset in cellular metabolism putting micro-healing in jeopardy.

Mindfulness, creative visualization, guided meditation, biofeedback, Qi Gong, Yoga, and T’ai Chi (discussed in length in Chapter 5 of our book “The Power of Mind, Body, and Spirit”) are all good ways of learning how to turn down the volume on your stress meter. Identify known stressors and try to particularly avoid them when you are having a flare in symptoms.

The role of the myofascial and what can be done about it

If you have MPS/CMP, and most FM patients do, you have knotted up pieces of muscle fiber that shorten the muscle, radiate pain and cause dysfunction of the muscle. The only thing that will treat a myofascial trigger point (MTP) is direct stimulation. Bodywork in the form of MTP injections, specific MTP pressure therapy, active release therapy, and myofascial release are indicated. Some find TEN’s units effective in blocking the pain impulse from these significant peripheral pain stimulators.

Read more:

This blog is based on the question “What alternative therapies help with physical symptoms of fibromyalgia?” Visit my profile as expert, where you will find answers to many questions.

All blogs, posts and answers are based on the work in Integrative Therapies for Fibromyalgia, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, and Myofascial Pain: The Mind-Body Connection by Celeste Cooper, RN, and Jeff Miller, PhD. 2010, Vermont: Healing Arts press and are not meant to replace medical advice. http://www.thesethree.com

Author of Chapter Five, Living with and Coping Effectively Through Fibromyalgia: Detecting Barriers, Understanding the Clues, in Fibromyalgia Insider Secrets: 10 Top Experts, 2nd Ed. Ebook complied by Deirdre Rawlings, ND, PhD

Chiropractic and massage therapy in treating fibromyalgia

Prevalent in fibromyalgia is the comorbid condition myofascial pain syndrome (AKA chronic myofascial pain). If you have these knotted up pieces of muscle fiber that shorten the muscle, radiate pain and cause dysfunction, bodywork is indicated. These myofascial trigger points are called “neurological imitators” and help explain why so many fibromyalgia patients have neuropathies.

Soft tissue chiropractic therapies, such as active release therapy, are helpful in releasing myofascial trigger points, as does specific myofascial trigger point pressure therapy by someone trained in the work of Travell and Simons, see National Association of Myofascial Trigger Point Therapists.

The goal of treatment is to release myofascial trigger points, which restores the muscle to its normal resting length and restore joint function. This helps decrease painful stimulus that keeps the brain of the fibromyalgia patient in a phenomenon called wind-up.

All blogs, posts and answers are based on the work in Integrative Therapies for Fibromyalgia, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, and Myofascial Pain: The Mind-Body Connection by Celeste Cooper, RN, and Jeff Miller, PhD. 2010, Vermont: Healing Arts press and are not meant to replace medical advice. www.thesethree.com

Author of Chapter Five, Living with and Coping Effectively Through Fibromyalgia: Detecting Barriers, Understanding the Clues, in Fibromyalgia Insider Secrets: 10 Top Experts, 2nd Ed. Ebook complied by Deirdre Rawlings, ND, PhD

Where do those dust bunnies come from? Brainfog in FM and CFID at its worst and best

Cognitive dysfunction, brain fog, is common in fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue immunodysfunction. It could be due to the centralization of pain found in FM or CFID (ME/CFS) or it could be due to one of the comorbid conditions such as, insulin resistance, reactive hypoglycemia, hypothyroidism, other hypometabolism, poor sleep regulation, or some type of organic brain syndrome. It is important that you discuss all of your symptoms with your doctor so that any comorbid condition can be ruled in or out and be appropriately treated.

I know only too well how frustrating brainfog can be, losing words midsentence, transposing words and numbers. I cannot be trusted to write down a phone number for instance. Short term memory loss can be affected too, and at a greater degree than that of your friends who say, “Oh, I do that too.” In fact, they probably do that too, but not EVERY time they walk into a room, look around, and wonder what they are doing there, if they do, I suggest they too have the above mentioned conditions investigated. Comments like this makes us want to ask them how many times they have driven to their doctor only to be lost in a parking lot, not having a clue as to where they are or how to get to a place they have been many times before, then wondering if someone will want to take their license away if we share that information. (I do suggest that if you are in a flare, have someone else drive if at all possible. Asking for help is ok.) Frustrating seems a simple word to describe this dilemma that has robbed many of us from our livelihood.

We have tried about every supplement available to regain our cognition, and that can be a dangerous thing too, because many interfere with other medications we take.

There is no cure for brain fog, but it is important to understand there could be underlying conditions contributing to this unwanted side effect. There are helpful tools, which we discuss in our book. Being organized and learning to manage time can be very helpful. Will these tips broom away the dust bunnies? Probably not, but they will help with the frustration that is created as a result. Deep breathes, and try to treat yourself with loving care, understanding that your brain is trying to function, despite the road blocks getting in its way. It is chugging along, and we should too. Try to turn the experience into something positive. I am certain if we wrote down each episode, we could put together a really good comedy book.

Things always look brighter when we can look back on it and laugh.

Healing, harmony and hope, Celeste, RN, author, FM expert at Sharecare.com


All blogs, posts and answers are based on the work in Integrative Therapies for Fibromyalgia, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, and Myofascial Pain: The Mind-Body Connection by Celeste Cooper, RN, and Jeff Miller, PhD. 2010, Vermont: Healing Arts press and are not meant to replace medical advice. http://www.thesethree.com

Author of Chapter Five, Living with and Coping Effectively Through Fibromyalgia: Detecting Barriers, Understanding the Clues, in Fibromyalgia Insider Secrets: 10 Top Experts, 2nd Ed. Ebook complied by Deirdre Rawlings, ND, PhD

Does 2+2=3? The tender point model of fibromyalgia.

This is a great question and one that has always confused me too. First, the tender point model was never meant to be the diagnostic hallmark which has evolved. It was originally developed as a tool to be used for analyzing participants for a study.

Most likely the tender points were paired to indicate that the tenderness and pain of fibromyalgia occurs on both sides of the body. I doubt there was any other significance because the criteria actually says one must have at least 13 of the 18 tender points for a diagnosis of FM. Thirteen tender points would mean that at least one of the pairs was broken up.

Excerpt ©
Unlike other disease processes, the symptoms of fibromyalgia affect all four quadrants of the body equally. In other words, tender points are found on both sides of the upper body (above the waist) and both sides of the lower body (below the waist). If there is a tender point in the left elbow, there will be another tender point in the same spot on the right elbow. Painful tender points are consistent and are considered chronic because they persist for a period of at least three months. (Cooper and Miller, pg. 9, 2010)

An exact description and tender point model can be found at http://www.thesethree.com/fibromyalgia/tender-points.php Be sure to browse the site for more important information.

Since the adoption of the tender point model as a diagnostic tool, it has met much criticism. Some patients have tender points in other areas of the body, more than 18 or less than 18, but still meet other criteria that have continued to evolve as we learn more about fibromyalgia. As a matter of fact there are those that think the tender point model should go by the wayside. The new preliminary proposed criteria only considers a WPI, wide-spread pain index. This concerns me because it is a reported complaint and the examiner will not have to put their hands on the patient at all. A physical exam has always been the greatest diagnostic tool the physician or nurse practitioner has.

Other considerations of the tender point model is the suspicion these are not tender points per se, but myofascial trigger points (MTPs) or pain in the MTP referral pattern of pain and neuralgia and other consequences. This has been shown in several studies. Read more about this at http://www.thesethree.com/cmp/chronic-myofascial-pain.php

Other helpful information can be found at In with the New, Out with the Old: Fibromyalgia diagnostics
Blogger http://fmcfstriggerpoints.blogspot.com/2011/08/in-with-new-out-with-old-fibromyalgia.html

And

Helping your doctor diagnose fibromyalgia
Blogger http://fmcfstriggerpoints.blogspot.com/2011/08/helping-your-doctor-diagnose.html


All blogs, posts and answers are based on the work in Integrative Therapies for Fibromyalgia, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, and Myofascial Pain: The Mind-Body Connection by Celeste Cooper, RN, and Jeff Miller, PhD. 2010, Vermont: Healing Arts press and are not meant to replace medical advice. http://www.thesethree.com

This blog is based my answer to the question “Why are all of the fibromyalgia tender points paired?” as fibromyalgia expert at ShareCare.com

Sleep oh sleep, where art thou? Could your fibromyalgia medications be causing insomnia?

Yes, fibromyalgia medication could be causing your insomnia.

Cymbalta® (Duloxetine) and Savella® (milnacipran) which have been approved for treating fibromyalgia are in a class of drugs called selective serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs) and insomnia is a side effect for both medications.

Also note worthy is that many fibromyalgia patients have migraine headaches as a comorbid condition. Selective serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs) and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) can have serious, even life threatening interactions when combined with triptans such as zolmitriptan and sumatriptan used to treat migraine. If you are a migraineur, be sure to remind your doctor, close monitoring is suggested. If you have frequent migraine that requires abortive medications, I would certainly think twice before taking an SSRI or an SNRI. We are in an era where we must be our own best advocate.

Neurontin® (gabapentin) and Lyrica® (pregabalin) are anti-seizure drugs and are also used to treat the pain of fibromyalgia. Neither was found to have an insomnia effect in the studies except during the withdrawal process. However, there have been anecdotal complaints, which could suggest a paradoxical (opposite) reaction. When you have fibromyalgia, just about any reaction or sensitivity is possible. The important thing is to report any untoward effects to your doctor.

Because cognitive deficit and fatigue are common complaints by the fibromyalgia patient, medications to treat ADHD have been used to improve vigilance. This particular group of medications has a higher incidence of insomnia. With that said, there is also a group of patients that these type of medications help in slowing the brain response down.

We are each different, with different co-existing conditions and different responses to various medications. It is important to check with your pharmacist regarding your medications, any potential interactions, and side effects. Always report reactions to your pharmacist and healthcare provider and seek immediate help if you have an allergic reaction, swelling of the mouth, tongue or throat, which can block your airway.

This blog is based on my original answer at ShareCare, Could my fibromyalgia medications be causing my insomnia?

(Signature line appended, April 2018)

In healing,

Celeste Cooper, RN / Author, Freelancer, Advocate

Think adversity?-See opportunity!

http://www.CelesteCooper.com

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Jack Backwards, Fibromyalgia, the stress response what you can do about it.

Follow the link to my Share Care blog site.

http://www.sharecare.com/user/celeste-cooper/blogs/show/jack-backwards-fibromyalgia-the-stress-response-what-you-can-do