Effective Fibromyalgia Treatment Reached Through A Healthy Diet

January 10, 2008 5:17pm CST
Effective Fibromyalgia Treatment Reached Through A Healthy Diet by Kevin P Many Americans, mostly women, suffer from a chronic condition known as fibromyalgia. Fatigue, tender points, and chronic pain in muscles, ligaments, and tendons characterize fibromyalgia. The condition is not progressive or fatal, but it is extremely uncomfortable for the sufferer. Fibromyalgia treatment can help alleviate the symptoms, but they may never truly disappear. Such treatments will improve the patients overall health. The basics of treating fibromyalgia include reducing stress, getting enough sleep, getting regular exercise, pacing activity evenly, and eating a healthy, well balanced diet. Fibromyalgia and diet go hand in hand. Healthier foods help alleviate the symptoms even though there is no actual proven fibromyalgia diet. Depending on the patients individual symptoms, a particular patients diet will vary. It is wise for any fibromyalgia patient to consult his or her doctor before engaging in a special diet. Fibromyalgia diet nutrition not only helps most fibromyalgia sufferers, but would also serve to benefit almost anyone. One of the most highly recommended dietry changes is to eat smaller meals more frequently each day. Eating smaller meals five or six times a day compared to the traditional three meals a day can greatly reduce fatigue. When engaing in an effective fibromyalgia diet it is beneficial to balance meals. This means to eat equal amounts of proteins, carbohydrates, dairy, fruits and vegetables with each meal. While eating balanced meals will help, many fibromyalgia patients benefit greatly from vitamin supplements. Vitamin supplements not only provide a boost of vitamin and mineral necessities but also help the body to better absorb such nutrients from food. Because a healthy diet is so important to treating fibromyalgia, there are foods to avoid. First and foremost, if the patient has any food allergies, it is wise to eliminate those foods from the diet entirely. It is also important to limit the sugar, caffeine, and alcohol intake on a daily basis. Drinking all natural juices and avoiding high fructose corn syrup can greatly reduce the amount of sugar in the diet. While caffeine gives a boost of energy, it may also inhibit healthy sleep patterns, therefore should only be ingested in the morning. Alcohol can also affect sleep patterns and dehydrate the body. Other foods to avoid when adjusting to a fibromyalgia diet are preservatives, artificial sweeteners, and glutamates. Ahealthy diet, especially for fibromyalgia sufferers should be comprised of all natuaral ingredients. Artificial ingredients, even at a miniscule level can act as toxins within the body. An excellent way to see if the fibromyalgia diet is working is to keep a food diary for a period of time.
3 responses
@RosieS57 (889)
• United States
11 Jan 08
The author does not know what fibromyalgia is. It is a chronic pain condition characterized by widespread bi-lateral pain and lack of restorative sleep. No diet can give the FM'er restorative sleep. The widespread pain is NOT caused by dietary habits. A whole LOT of FM'ers suffer from exercise intolerance, so exercise will worsen the symptoms, regularly. If it were this simple most of us who do have FM no longer would. You CANNOT, I repeat CANNOT diet or exercise your way out of having FM. Could you get rid of CFS totally using these methods? No, of course not. So what would make you think it could possibly work for those with FM?
1 person likes this
11 Jan 08
Hi Rosie, i have not tried to change my diet so dramatically but i know that my dietician that i have to see has mentioned or suggested many of the things written in this article, thats why i posted it here. Some of these methods may work for some sufferers that are not so severe, i'm not sure really. I guess doing things more healthly should be a plus sign. I know that exercise makes my fms worse....
@RosieS57 (889)
• United States
11 Jan 08
You can print this out for your doctors and other professionals: http://www.mylot.com/w/discussions/1140836.aspx Without other treatments you can't get the FM under control -- diet and exercise, if you can, are only a small part of the picture. No one can avoid stress -- stress management techniques are important. But it just seems to me that the root causes of FM aren't being addressed. Be sure they know what FM is and have a full treatment plan (including effective pain management) thst covers ALL the bases. Otherwise they really can't say it is effective, because it is NOT.
1 person likes this
11 Jan 08
Thank you for that Rosie, see you think these people know what they are talking about... Thats the big problem here there's not enough training for your average gp ect.. Makes me mad.... thats why it took me four years to get diagnosed..
@patgalca (18391)
• Orangeville, Ontario
11 Jan 08
Fibromyalgia is not just an autoimmune illness, it is also neurological. When you can't find a cause (because every part of the body is affected in some way), it is pretty much impossible to find a cure. Every body is different and reacts differently to different foods, medications and supplements. I really find the only good dietary changes make are in easing the IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome) side of the illness. Exercise keeps the muscles from atrophying, gets the heart pumping and releases endorphines from the brain, but it in no way cures the illness. When I was first diagnosed the doctor said, "Exercise and in 6 months you will be better." My husband was with me at the time and he figured, "We can handle this." It has now been 11 years. I have exercised and dieted and lost 38 pounds. But when I overdo (like I have the last couple of days), am under emotional stress, or when the weather is out of control, I have no control over my illness. Medications and supplements can ease the symptoms and if you learn your limitations you might be able to manage the illness depending on the severity of your symptoms, your lifestyle, psychological past and present, even where you live. We can sleep all we want but we will never get into Stage IV restorative sleep. I don't think any diet will help with that, no sleeping pill helps with that. I sleep for 9 hours but I am still exhausted. And I don't think anyone is immune to stress. There are too may facets to this illness, many unknowns and no possible way of helping everyone the same way.
1 person likes this
11 Jan 08
from my own experiences, i second everything you have said. I guess thats why its so hard for them to find a cure, because no one thing works for everyone. This is why people find it so hard to understand, for years i just felt like a hypochondriac, until at last i was diagnosed, at that point i broke down in tears, not because of the illness but because i wasn't going mad it was conformation that it was real... I kind of relief i guess...
1 person likes this
@whittby (3072)
• United States
24 Jan 08
I've had fibro for a number of years now. One thing I should know better, but always do....when I'm feeling good, I overdo it. I know pacing is important but it feels so good to feel good, I run around and get tons of things done. And you know the rest. I'm so exhausted and hurting I can barely move by the next day. Also, I agree that exercise helps - but little bits of it. You get to know your tolerance level.
• United States
29 Feb 08
Well, here is the thing. FM is a Genetic condition which affects the kidneys...some people like myself, dad, aunt and sis have a genetic condition which makes your kidneys overproduce calcium..the calcium gets spread around the body and attaches itself to muscle..in time growing in size..hence the symptoms of chronic fatigue, moodiness, achiness, brain-fog, sensitivity to light (calcium around the brain). I am not a Dr. but a well informed patient of Dr. R. Paul St Amand who works in Marina Del Rey in Los Angeles Ca..he see's people from all around the world including china/japan. www.fibromyalgiatreatment.com Guaifeneson 600mg (antihistamine, like mucinex, but cheaper) is what the Dr. prescribes and there is a lifetime specific protocol to follow..NO natural ingredients maybe ingested, touched..like aloe vera, mint, root/fruit extracts..hopefully you see what I mean. I have been a patient for 10 years now..am almost 29 and workout/go to karate class on a daily schedule..dont get me wrong..I do have my aches/pains/moddiness sometimes but compared to years earlier..like night and day. email if you have any questions! Eric