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| Fibromyalgia: Is It Real? - Understanding Your Pain. |
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Dr. Ata Kelly
You don’t even remember when the
mysterious pain and fatigue started. First
you thought you were getting the flu, but
now it’s been months, if not years, that you
have trouble with sleeping, wake up in the
morning tired, bloated, dizzy, stiff like a
wooden board and achy all over. You know
it’s not the flu but it will not go away.
You fear it will be with you the rest of
your life.
You slowly go to the kitchen to get your
first cup of coffee to cut through the fog
in your brain and remove those “concrete
blocks” tied to your legs and arms. You
already feel depressed and irritable- how
can you not!- half of the night you were
tossing and turning, trying to find a better
position for your neck and back, fighting to
calm your restless legs.
God only knows what you would do to get rid
of this deep burning, throbbing, stabbing
pain, torturing you day after day.
For a minute or so you contemplate the
upcoming day- hardly joyful: bright lights
in the room, high-pitched loud voice of your
boss, and this awful new perfume in the next
cubicle! In the evening, sitting in endless
traffic, you’ll hope that headache won’t be
as excruciating as yesterday and you will be
able to join your husband for your son’s
soccer game. You’ve already missed so many…
If only you won’t be as tired as you are
now…
For decades, doctors considered fibromyalgia
an emotional problem. As it turns out, it’s
NOT in your HEAD! Emotional suffering is not
the cause; instead, these problems are
believed to be a result of having constant
pain.
Fibromyalgia Syndrome (FMS) is a condition
affecting 3-6 million people, mostly women
between 35-60 years old. It is the most
prevalent rheumatologic disorder after
osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis-
hardly uplifting facts. The good news is
Fibromyalgia is not degenerating or
crippling. The bad news is you have to learn
to manage your symptoms, for life.
The cause of fibromyalgia is unknown,
although many patients report some traumatic
physical or emotional event prior to the
onset of their pain. Proposed causes for
Fibromyalgia include lack of physical
fitness, sleep deprivation, chronic muscle
spasm, nervous system dysfunction, various
hormonal disbalances, viral infection,
aluminum toxicity, nutritional deficiencies,
as well as impaired function of the
digestive system.
The diagnosis is given when no specific
underlying cause can be found for the
following set of signs and symptoms: a
chronic wide-spread severe muscle pain on
both sides of the body, above and below the
waist for at least 3 months duration. A
physical examination that reveals at least 9
or 18 specific tender trigger points on the
body confirms the suspected diagnosis.
Additional symptoms include: chronic
fatigue, stiffness, sleep disturbance,
headache, dizziness, fogginess, sensitivity
to light, noise, smell and stress, dry
mouth, tingling, numbness in the limbs,
irritable bowel syndrome, heart palpitation,
allergies, itchy skin, hearing disturbances,
propensity to infections, TMJ, multiple
chemical sensitivities, mood swings or mild
depression, and for women- painful periods
and cold extremities.
There are two possible approaches to
treating Fibromyalgia:
1. Drugs.
Conventional medicine typically involves a
symptom-like approach and includes
anti-depressants, non-steroidal
anti-inflammatory drugs and local
anesthetics injected into the tender points
such as Elavil, Endep, Flexeril, Prozac,
Paxil, Zoloft, Advil, Motrin, or Aleve.
******Elavil, Endep, and Flexeril are widely
used at night to modulate sleep disturbance,
however it appears that is long-term therapy
the benefits may be lost and the side
effects are often daunting.**** Non-steroid
anti-inflammatory drugs are not sufficient
to relieve that aching and discomfort. Drugs
only mask the symptoms and often cause a lot
of side-effects such as insomnia, dry mouth,
low libido, dizziness, increased fatigue,
stomach ulcers and risk of internal
bleeding- just to name a few. Keep in mind
that 56.6% of patients using Elavil, and at
least 46.3 % of patients using Flexeril,
show no improvement at all.
Now, let’s take a look at the following
natural approaches, which have shown the
most promise for people with Fibromyalgia
Syndrome:
1. Exercise.
Even though patients are often tired,
including moderate cardiovascular exercises
and stretching into their lifestyle helps to
reduce pain by increasing blood flow to the
muscles, bringing the oxygen and eliminating
the waste from the cells.
2. Detoxifying diet to reduce inflammation.
3. Nutritional intervention with supplements
such as vitamin B, Vitamin E, and
antioxidants.
Recent studies have linked Fibromyalgia with
aluminum toxicity. Where does it come from?
Aluminum cookware, soda cans, table salt,
antacids and baking soda, and underarm
deodorants, to name a few. The treatment
would include cleansing the body of toxic
chemicals as well as taking Malic acid and
Magnesium.
4. Acupuncture.
Oriental Medicine has been used in the Far
East for more than 5,000 years and serves
over 12 million Americans and 2 billion
people worldwide.
It is the oldest medical system in the world
and offers its own unique understanding of
FMS as well as a wide variety of treatment
modalities. Every TCM doctor knows this
saying, “If there is a pain, there is no
free flow of blood and energy. If there is
free flow- there is no pain.”
By using fine, hair-like, acupuncture
needles, doctors trigger a very complex
neurophysiologic response in the body and
basically restore the free flow of blood and
energy, which in turn, relieves the patient
from pain.
Specifically tailored to each individual
patient, powerful herbal formulas, massage
and QI Gong breathing techniques help to
balance compromised body functions.
5. Stress Reduction and relaxation.
Learning to relax, to mindfully cope with
the everyday stress through relaxation such
as meditation and yoga, consciously setting
aside the time to nurture your spirituality
and faith will help Fibromyalgia sufferers
to look into a pain-free future with the
smile and hope.
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Dr. Ata Kelly received her MD
degree from Moscow 1st Medical
Academy in 1990, Master Degree
in Acupuncture from Minnesota
Health Science University and
Master of Oriental Medicine from
Dongguk Royal University, CA.
She has been practicing medical
acupuncture for more than 15
years and continues to study
extensively with internationally
recognized Masters.
AK-U-puncture Clinic
4418 Vineland Ave, Suite 218 B
N. Hollywood, CA 91602
Tel: 818.763.8229/818.631.5292
www.akupunctureclinics.com
email: drata@akupunctureclinics.com
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