As a Denver CAM doctor, I do not treat fibromyalgia solely a musculoskeletal disorder- because it isn’t solely a musculoskeletal disorder.
Fibromyalgia is far more neurologically based than muscularly based. It’s just that your muscles feel most of the pain. Most of the Fibromyalgia diagnoses that I see come from Rheumatologists. A Rhueumatologist, by definition, is a doctor that specializes in disorders of joints and soft tissues- not nerves.
In this article I will bring some evidence to the table that may cause you to question whether Fibromyalgia is more of a joint and soft tissue disorder or, as I and others feel it is, a neurological disorder.
Plenty of new research shows that a Fibromyalgia diagnosis is far more likely to be of a neurological origin then a rheumatic one. The term rheumatology originates from the Greek word rheuma, meaning “that which flows as a river or stream,” and the suffix -ology, meaning “the study of.” (Which is ironic to me since nerves and blood seem to flow like a river much more than joints).
Most of my Fibromyalgia patients are chronically tired. But what actually get tired is your brain.
“Nerve Exhaustion” is a phrase I’ve coined that I feel accurately describes what happens in Fibromyalgia.
One of the unique treatment approaches I employ for fibromyalgia patients is the use of oxygen therapy.
Listen to what noted Professor of Medicine MAJID ALI, M.D. has to say about the four major symptoms of Fibromyalgia sufferers……
- Explanation: Oxygen deprivation contributes to muscle pain.
- . Explanation: Oxygen deprivation in tissue can lead to fatigue and exhaustion.
- (problems of mood, memory, and implementation). Explanation: Oxygen deprivation in brain cells lead to brain fog and dysfunction.
- Explanation: Oxygen deprivation within the cells causes a craving for air.
I do not take the treatment or diagnosis of Fibromyalgia lightly and you should steer clear of anyone who thinks otherwise. A recent study uncovered evidence that a Fibromyalgia diagnosis can be far more damaging than you may realize.
In The Journal of Neuroscience , a study revealed that the brain can be prematurely aging in Fibromyalgia patients.
And what may be more important is that they found that the longer the individual had been diagnosed with Fibromyalgia, the more gray matter they had lost.
“Accumulating evidence now suggests that fibromyalgia may be associated with central nervous system dysfunction.”
Other studies also point to a possible explanation for the decreased gray matter in these disorders. It may be atrophy caused by excitotoxicity or exposure to inflammatory processes (Apkarian et al., 2004). In reviewing the above studies it’s remarkable that in Fibromyalgia patients, gray matter loss occurred predominately in regions of the brain that are most related to stress.
Stress can be managed and I believe it MUST be managed for you to get better. The above research should be all you need to be motivated to adopt some kind of stress management protocol that works for you.
The road to recovery often long and difficult. But there a road to recovery. I can assure you it’s bumpy but there a road- you just may not have found it yet.
My grandfather once told me,
“No matter how far you’ve gone down the wrong road, turn around… it’s the WRONG road!”
If what the above mentioned studies are saying in terms of brain aging is true, then every moment that you don’t get help counts against you.
The pursuit of health should be paramount in your habits and actions. I know it’s hard, but you have Fibromyalgia, so you’ve proven you can do hard. Fibromyalgia pain is hard.
With the addition of oxygen therapy to my Fibromyalgia syndrome treatment protocols I’ve noticed a marked improvement when other methods were not causing patients to get better. When it comes to what this CAM doctor thinks about Fibromyalgia treatment in Denver…I say never give up.
Journal of Neuroscience April 11, 2007 • 27(15):4004 – 4007 www.jneurosci.org/cgi/content/abstract/27/15/4004
As a Denver CAM doctor, I do not treat fibromyalgia solely a musculoskeletal disorder- because it isn’t solely a musculoskeletal disorder.
Fibromyalgia is far more neurologically based than muscularly based. It’s just that your muscles feel most of the pain. Most of the Fibromyalgia diagnoses that I see come from Rheumatologists. A Rhueumatologist, by definition, is a doctor that specializes in disorders of joints and soft tissues- not nerves.
In this article I will bring some evidence to the table that may cause you to question whether Fibromyalgia is more of a joint and soft tissue disorder or, as I and others feel it is, a neurological disorder.
Plenty of new research shows that a Fibromyalgia diagnosis is far more likely to be of a neurological origin then a rheumatic one. The term rheumatology originates from the Greek word rheuma, meaning “that which flows as a river or stream,” and the suffix -ology, meaning “the study of.” (Which is ironic to me since nerves and blood seem to flow like a river much more than joints).
Most of my Fibromyalgia patients are chronically tired. But what actually get tired is your brain.
One of the unique treatment approaches I employ for fibromyalgia patients is the use of oxygen therapy.
I do not take the treatment or diagnosis of Fibromyalgia lightly and you should steer clear of anyone who thinks otherwise. A recent study uncovered evidence that a Fibromyalgia diagnosis can be far more damaging than you may realize.
In The Journal of Neuroscience , a study revealed that the brain can be prematurely aging in Fibromyalgia patients.
And what may be more important is that they found that the longer the individual had been diagnosed with Fibromyalgia, the more gray matter they had lost.
Other studies also point to a possible explanation for the decreased gray matter in these disorders. It may be atrophy caused by excitotoxicity or exposure to inflammatory processes (Apkarian et al., 2004). In reviewing the above studies it’s remarkable that in Fibromyalgia patients, gray matter loss occurred predominately in regions of the brain that are most related to stress.
Stress can be managed and I believe it MUST be managed for you to get better. The above research should be all you need to be motivated to adopt some kind of stress management protocol that works for you.
The road to recovery often long and difficult. But there a road to recovery. I can assure you it’s bumpy but there a road- you just may not have found it yet.
My grandfather once told me,
If what the above mentioned studies are saying in terms of brain aging is true, then every moment that you don’t get help counts against you.
The pursuit of health should be paramount in your habits and actions. I know it’s hard, but you have Fibromyalgia, so you’ve proven you can do hard. Fibromyalgia pain is hard.
With the addition of oxygen therapy to my Fibromyalgia syndrome treatment protocols I’ve noticed a marked improvement when other methods were not causing patients to get better. When it comes to what this CAM doctor thinks about Fibromyalgia treatment in Denver…I say never give up.
Journal of Neuroscience April 11, 2007 • 27(15):4004 – 4007 www.jneurosci.org/cgi/content/abstract/27/15/4004