Photo courtesy Keoni Cabral at FlickrFibromyalgia (FM or FMS)

Fibromyalgia is a disorder characterized by muscle pain, stiffness and easy fatigability. It is also called fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS). "Fibro" refers to fibers. "my" means muscle. And "algia" means pain. Put them together and you have fibromyalgia; painful muscle fibers.

1) There are many known and suspected causes of fibromyalgia.
2) Most fibromyalgia is treatable, i.e. can be improved or resolved.
3) Simply covering the pain and inflammation of fibromyalgia with drugs is not intelligent and can be very dangerous!

COMMON CAUSES OF Fibromyalgia
 -Food allergy and food sensitivity
         Dairy, wheat, and sugar are common, but many more exist. We are all unique.
 -Nutrient deficiencies
         Magnesium, essential fatty acids (fish oil), vitamin D, other minerals, B-complex, anti-oxidants
  -Environmental allergies and sensitivities
         Mold, chemicals, animal dander

TREATMENTS FOR Fibromyalgia
-Remove foods that are allergens or cause food sensitivity
    Common offenders are dairy products and gluten, but there can be many others
    Elimination diets and/or allergy testing using a blood sample
-Supplement daily with nutrients that have been shown to be beneficial
    Magnesium Glycinate 400-600 mg of elemental magnesiium - trusted and effective brand is Metagenics
    Vitamin D3 - usually 5,000-10,000 iu - must have blood testing done to correctly determine dosage  
    Essential fatty acids - fish oil - 2,000-6,000 mg of combined EPA+DHA
    Lipoic acid - 300-600 mg
    Multimineral
    B Complex
    Vitamin C - 2,000-4,000mg
    Vitamin E complex - 800 iu
-Remove environmental sources of allergy and sensitivity
-Exercise
-Skilled spinal adjustment can often provide relief for FMS patients.

DRUG TREATMENT OF Fibromyalgia
There is no question in my mind (Dr. Young) that drug treatment should be used if necessary, only as a first response to control pain, or as a last resort after food, vitamin, and lifestyle improvements have been made, and appropriate testing has been done under the supervision of a doctor that is truly knowledgeable. Most individuals will not need to use medications if they thoroughly commit to making changes designed to resolve FMS, and have excellent guidance.

COMMENTS BY DR. YOUNG
"My 2 cents regarding why women experience FMS more than men is that women tend to be more connected to/caring about others, and more aware of human and ecological injury in the world and are thusly more impacted by the suffering of others and of the planet. It does not seem unreasonable that this might impact the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis (HPA) and thereby create a chronic state of alarm that would be conducive to chronic inflammation, and the development of FMS."