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A Chinese Approach to Fibromyalgia

The Western Approach

Many people experience chronic pain in the muscles, tendons, ligaments, and/or joints. Often the joints include the knees and shoulders. Localized pain in any of those locations is generally secondary to some other disease like arthritis or may be caused by lack of use, excessive use, or abuse of the joints or muscles. That is not Fibromyalgia.

Fibromyalgia is often misdiagnosed as either Chronic Fatigue Syndrome or arthritis. It is actually a form of rheumatism of the soft tissues or muscles that results in generalized pain throughout the body. Many people describe the pain as moving from place to place in the body.

The diagnostic for Fibromyalgia is widespread aching in the body that lasts more that three months and tenderness at at least eleven of eighteen specific trigger points on the body. These trigger points can only be located by a trained healthcare practitioner, but generally speaking they are located on the side and back of the hip, the elbows, the upper back, the knees, and the upper torso. In addition, you must experience at least four of the following symptoms.

  • Sore Throat

  • Muscle Pain

  • Pain in several joints

  • Tender lymph nodes

  • Headaches

  • Impaired memory or concentration

  • Deficient Sleep

  • Extreme tiredness and lack of energy after exertion

 The pain that is experienced is often described as deep aching, burning, soreness, shooting, or stiffness. The pain may be different at different times of the day, it may vary with the weather, and is also dependent on both stress and sleep. In fact, sleep disturbances are present in about 90 percent of the people who have Fibromyalgia, with the deepest sleep often deficient. Many authorities believe this sleep deprivation is a key factor in Fibromyalgia, because that is when the muscles normally repair and regenerate.

Some people may experience numbness or tingling in the extremities. There may also be some swelling in the feet, hands, and/or ankles.

Generally speaking, the standard approach is that there is no cure for Fibromyalgia and it is considered difficult to treat. Many suggest that you should "tough it out", perhaps with the help of some pain reducing medications like NSAIDs or tircylclic medicines. In fact, at one time Fibromyalgia was considered to be a psychological disease. Exercise is generally recommended and people are encouraged to do everything possible to get a good nights sleep.

 

The Chinese Approach

Here is the most important thing for you to understand if you have Fibromyalgia.

Fibromyalgia symptoms should be considered as arising out of your lifestyle and you will not see a reduction in the symptoms unless you change your lifestyle.

Honestly, if you think you have Fibromyalgia and are not willing to change your lifestyle then there is no point in you reading any further.

There are some key symptoms associated with the diagnosis of Fibromyalgia that should be considered.

  • Pain in the muscles, tendons, and ligaments

  • Increased symptoms associated with cold

  • Swelling in the extremities

  • Difficult urination and burning during urination

  • Tension or migraine headaches

  • Numbness in the extremeties

  • Fatigue

  • Sleep disturbances

  • Deficiency of an insulin-like growth factor secreted by the liver

  • Links to stress

Little alarm bells go off to Chinese Medicine practitions when they hear  most of these symptoms. They indicate specific long-term patterns of energetic imbalance in the body. These long-term patterns are the lifestyle issues and are probably ingrained in you as subconscious habits. Find a healthcare practitioner that can help you change these habits. Do not go to someone who will give you a list of things to do and not do. Ask them how they can help you to actually accomplish the changes that you need to make in your life.

Most commonly, the symptoms associated with Fibromyalgia involve imbalances in the energy of the liver and spleen  Liver imbalances can arise from emotional sources like anger or desires that are not met. They can also arise from insufficient blood nourishing the liver or deficiency of yang energy in the liver. Symptoms associated with the liver imbalance may include chest, rib, side, and/or abdominal pain, distention, and fullness.

Spleen imbalances are often associated with poor diet, lack of exercise, living in a damp climate, overuse of antibiotics, and excessive worry and anxiety. Symptoms include fatigue, cold hands and feet, loose stools often containing undigested food, and little desire for food. This is often accompanied by what the Chinese call excessive dampness in the body resulting in edema and phlegm. The spleen imbalance may also result in lack of defensive energy, resulting in frequent illnesses.

One of the challenges with this basic liver-spleen imbalance is that many other patterns can arise in association with it.  So, it is difficult to precisely determine the best intervention without the help of an experienced Oriental Medicine practitioner.

There are, however, some general principles that you can follow. First, focus on improving your sleep. This is extremely important, because the muscles repair and rejuvenate during periods of deep sleep. Ask yourself why you are not sleeping. Some of the most common reasons are

  • Excessive worry and rumination

  • A mind that won't stop racing

  • Digestive Problems

  • Sleep Apnea

 The 8ight sleep disc can be quite effective for the first two conditions, in particular. There is no research to indicate it is effective reducing the symptoms of Sleep Apnea, but many people have reported reduction in snoring and there is some link between snoring and Apnea. Experiment with the recommended placement of the patch, but start with the placement on the right temple. The right temple is on the Gallbladder Meridian and the Gallbladder and Liver are strongly coupled energetically.

The Egyptian Kont Healing Rod set can also very effective at improving sleep. If your sleep is due to a racing mind or caused by stress, then these Rods may help. However, unlike the 8ight sleep disc, the Healing Rods may take a while to produce effects. If you stick with the Rods for 30 days, you will notice an improvement.

Sleep is extremely important for relief so if the Rest Quiet patches are not effective in giving you a deep restful 8 hour sleep, then go to your local herb store and discuss alternatives like melatonin or homeopathics. If you have Sleep Apnea, go to a sleep clinic. Whatever it takes, get better sleep.

I suggest using the IceWave Patches for both the sleep and liver imbalances because they have both pain relief and energetic qualities, but the Energy Enhancer patches can also be used effectively. The most common points to use are:

  • SP-21

  • ST-36

  • SP-6

  • SP-9 if you experience phlegm

  • LV-3

You may find those points in the Energy Point Locator article. ST-36, SP-6, and LV-3 are all part of the 6 point rotation protocol for basic balance as discussed in Natural Energy Balancing. So the best general use of the patches are to follow the 6 point protocol and add SP-21 and possibly SP-9.

The IceWave patches may also be effective in the relief of pain in localized areas. The pain will often been excessive in nature, particularly at the trigger points. That means you should use the tan patch over the pain locations. If the tan patch does not work try the white patch. You may try additional pain protocols found in Natural Energy Balancing. The best practice is to use these localized patches until the pain diminishes and then remove them. You can always put them back if the pain returns. It is not necessary to place a white patch on the sternum, and that can be contraindicated for anyone with heart conditions.

Another approach to relieving pain is to use Light Tools. The Pain Buster product is particularly useful for many people.The model with red LEDs is effective at both pain relief and at rebuilding the tissues in the body. Pain relief can be rapid, but rebuilding will take time.

A third approach to pain is the Egyptian Kont Healing Rods. Please see the article Subtle Energy Cleansing For Pain Relief  for a further explanation of their use and effectiveness.

You may wish to consider Chinese herbs. If so, see a qualified practitioner because it is important that your particular pattern be discerned.

 

Lifestyle

Many sources consider Fibromyalgia to be a lifestyle disease. Two of the most important lifestyle areas are diet and execise. Find someone who can help you actually achieve the changes. That is important. It is also important to reduce the stimuli in your environment that result in habitual anti-life style choices.

The Chinese point of view is that certain foods benefit and other foods are detrimental to specific energetic conditions in the body. Recall from the discussion above that energetic patterns involving the liver and spleen energetic patterns are frequent in cases with the western diagnosis of Fibromyalgia. So, Chinese practitioners would recommend a diet to correct those patterns

For the liver:

  • Avoid alcohol, artificial sweetners, greasy foods, oily foods, excessive red meats, sour foods, sour drinks, spicy foods, and foods that are hard to digest.

  • Eat smaller, more frequent meals and do not overeat.

  • Ensure you get adequate amount of vitamin K, Biotin, Folic Acid, PABA, Beta-carotene, Iodine, Maganese, Silicon, Zinc, Cysteine, Methionine, Taurine, Tryptophan, and Tyrosine. Do some homework at your local nutrition store to find the best sources for these compounds.

  • Include kelp, raspberries, beef as your red meet, beets, celery, and western ginseng.

For the spleen:

  • Avoid sugars, sweets, raw salads, raw fruits, raw vegetables, cold food, cold drinks, dairy products, fruit juices, ham, pears, bananas, and buckwheat.

  • Eat barley, brocolli, carrots, cauliflower, cherries, chicken, cinnamon without sugar, steamed vegetables, garlic, ginger, grapes, green beans, oats, soups, soybeans, and white (not brown) rice.

  • Avoid excessive use of vitamin C, Echinacea, and Goldenseal.

  • Ensure you have adequate amounts of chromium, copper, potassium, and Alanine.

Do some form of exercise every day, avoid television, and practice stress reducing techniques.