Facing Fibro

I know a lot of people who have been diagnosed with fibromyalgia, a stress-related disease that causes people to be particularly sensitive to pain. People with fibro often experience anxiety, depression and fatigue as well as pain.

It is now thought that fibro runs in families, as people in the same line seem to be more suseptible to the disorder. But it takes a traumatic or stressful event to trigger symptoms, such as an accident, injury, illness, taking certain drugs or experiening something very stressful or emotional.

Most of the people I know have fibro brought about and made worse by stress, so the first thing you can do to help yourself when diagnosed with fibromyalgia is to remove any stress from your life that you can. Work on relaxation techniques, take up yoga if you feel well enough. Do whatever you can to eliminate stress-related flare-ups.

More generally, it is recommended that people with fibromyalgia change their diets to eliminate partially hydrogenated oils, increase intake of Omega 3 fatty acids (from fish and flax) and eat more fruits and vegetables. Good advice for anyone, really. Additionally, people with fibromyalgia should eat or take supplements containing tumeric and ginger, as these herbs are potent anti-inflamatories and may help lessen the pain.

Exercise and breath work are also recommended, so try a yoga class or going for a walk daily. Do what you can to work through the pain and you will end up having less pain.

No one really knows all the answers about fibromyalgia, what causes it, what it does to the body or how to treat it, but as with all things, eating a healthy diet, exercising and limiting stress when you can are a big help.