Issue link: https://www.massageandbodyworkdigital.com/i/68013
BODYWORK FOR FIBROMYALGIA "One of the hardest parts of fibromyalgia is perhaps the fact that you need to tackle this huge challenge— figuring out which practitioners to see and the best treatment approaches." Mary Shomon These safe nutrients promote cellular energy production and pump up ATP.33 "We have good clinical success with this treatment to reduce pain and promote detoxification," says Virginia Hadley, RN, a nutritionist at the eminent Tahoma Clinic, in Kent, Washington.34, 35 Alan Gaby, MD, former Endowed Professor of Nutrition at Bastyr University, in Kenmore, Washington, who popularized the IV treatment, uses it extensively for chronic pain, including FMS, chronic fatigue syndrome, and migraine, all of which involve magnesium deficiency.36 According to David L. Katz, MD, associate clinical professor of Epidemiology & Public Health at Yale University, about 80 percent get good results from IVMT and experience few side effects.37, 38 NEEDLE ME Many fibromites pin their hopes on acupuncture, and for good reason. Needling increases blood flow more in FMS patients than in healthy people. One study found that 25–35 percent of subjects had a significant decrease in pain. A 2006 study of acupuncture for FMS patients in their 50s reported significant improvement in general symptoms, pain scores, and depression after eight weeks.39, 40 A landmark study appeared in the June 2006 Mayo Clinic Proceedings. This randomized, controlled trial, led by David P. Martin, MD, an anesthesiologist from the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, in Rochester, Minnesota, reported on 50 FMS patients, 25 of whom received acupuncture, and 25 who got fake needle pokes. After just six treatments over three weeks, the punctured patients reported significant improvement in symptoms, especially symptoms of fatigue and anxiety, which lasted up to seven months after treatment. VITAMIN D BRINGS NEW HOPE There's exciting new information about vitamin D for chronic pain.41 In 2000, scientists published a report that wowed the world. Five wheelchair bound patients, all with severe myopathy, were relieved of their disabling pain after taking vitamin D for four to six weeks.42 We now know this vitamin, which acts as a hormone, is chronically deficient in the population, and such deficiency is suspect in painfully disabled patients.43, 44, 45, 46 On the whole, about 85 percent of Americans measure deficient on standard blood tests. Numerous recent studies have shown 88 massage & bodywork may/june 2009 vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol) to be anti- inflammatory, immunomodulating, and antimicrobial, and to be surprisingly effective for musculoskeletal pain. We also see a dazzling panoply of newly discovered uses. The research is so new that no consensus has emerged regarding the right dose, but it's clear that this Swiss army knife of supplements is not nearly as toxic as was heretofore thought. Experts agree that daily doses of 1,000 IU per day are safe, and some suggest even higher maintenance doses. FINDING HELP "One of the hardest parts of fibromyalgia is perhaps the fact that you need to tackle this huge challenge— figuring out which practitioners to see and the best treatment approaches—at a time when you're most likely in pain, feeling exhausted, and often brain-fogged," Shomon says. Talk about a wrong time to try to delve into a complicated medical topic!" It requires diligence, and some help, to conquer this complex disorder, but conquer it you can. With treatment, most people will feel better over time. "With a condition like fibromyalgia, I urge patients to trust their own instincts," says Shomon, wearing her advocate hat. "You may choose to find a practitioner who inspires your utmost trust, confidence, faith, and hope, and follow his or her direction," she says. "I did not come upon one single protocol, treatment, or approach that is a 'cure' for fibromyalgia," Shomon says. "People with fibromyalgia do best when treated with a person-centered approach that includes treatments from among many options—supplements, nutrition, diet, mind-body, medication—to address the person's unique needs." These days Shomon is feeling much better. "My fibromyalgia trigger points flare very rarely now," she says. "I manage to keep up a somewhat busy schedule on eight to nine hours of sleep a night. I no longer have pain."