Isn't it horrible to 'live with fibromyalgia pain'? Wouldn't it be better to learn to live without fibromyalgia pain?

It is so difficult to figure out how to offer strategies for people suffering with fibromyalgia pain because the medical community can't even agree to the mechanism that causes the disease.

For many years it was stated, as a matter of fact, that fibromyalgia was an disease of inflammation....rampant inflammation. Some doctors, however, found some interesting clinical findings. Prof. St Paul Amand, and his research team at UCLA discovered that nearly all of their patients with fibromyalgia did not have any inflammatory markers in their blood and didn't have joint damage demonstrated on plain film or MRI. If persistent, prolonged inflammation is present, you will almost always find joint damage. There was no trace of inflammatory antibodies found. Furthermore, they never found tissue destruction. The researchers were quite perplexed by these findings. What they knew, for certain, was that NSAIDS would be worthless on symptoms and the syndrome as a whole. However, they are still being prescribed for fibro patients.

New research looks at three components to minimize or reverse the signs and symptoms of fibromyalgia.

1. Gut Health: 70% of immune function is found in our intestinal lining. Strong research shows that eating dairy and wheat in many people led to 'leaky gut syndrome' which allowed large particles of food to pass through the cell wall. Leaky Gut Syndrome then led to item 2.
2. Food Insensitivities: This is a bit different than traditional food allergies but still wreaks havoc on the body. With traditional food allergies, there is a problem with histamine function and a disconnect with a component of the white blood cell, IgE. With food insensitivities, the trouble lies in another part of the white blood cell, IgG. Due to permeability issues with leaky gut syndrome, some of the food particles that passed through the cell wall caused seemingly healthy foods to cause dysfunction throughout the system. These insensitivities are different for different people.
3. Detoxification (especially Liver): With leaky gut syndrome, food insensitivities and other accumulated toxins (from long standing medicine use, pesticides, herbicides, steroids in food, antibiotics and so much more) it is imperative to remove toxins. There are many 'detox' products on the shelves of many stores. Thankfully, there are wonderful detox recipes you can try at home. It's easiest to start with a 2 day juice fast that includes kale, collards, brocolli, cauliflower. (Of course you can add a fruit or two to give it some sweetness.)

Proactive things to do right now would include eliminating dairy and wheat for a window of time to allow the gut to heal. Also, it's important to determine if you suffer with food insensitivites. Determining what foods cause you harm will go a long way in eliminating pain. Finally, after determining your specific food insensitivites, perform a juice fast to detox your gut and liver.

Exercise is critical, too. You must move the body, even though it's in pain. Being sedentary only worsens the condition.

If you take these suggestions to heart, you will feel a significant improvement. Of that I am certain.