Adjusting to fibromyalgia is not easy. Besides the pain, fatigue, and stigma associated with this condition, there are many other symptoms and effects that make adjusting to fibromyalgia a significant life change. Here are five tips to help make the adjustment a little easier for you.
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Once you have fibromyalgia under control, the symptoms should come and go. You will eventually learn your own triggers and avoid them more and more to increase the time between flare-ups. However, one trigger that almost all fibromyalgia patients have in common is stress.
Stress is unavoidable in the modern world. But you may be able to eliminate some forms of stress in your life. For example, use your time on people who are understanding of your condition rather than bearing guilt for those who just don’t get it. For some people, technology adds additional stress. You may want to purge from social media and other stressful forms of interaction.
On the other hand, you need to find suitable coping mechanisms for the stress that you do have. A few things to try include:
This may seem counterintuitive. You constantly experience pain. Overexertion makes it worse. Why would regular daily exercise help you to feel better? Researchers have shown that exercise has a number of positive effects for those dealing with chronic health conditions such as fibromyalgia. Here are just a few of the benefits.
The secret is to start gradually and work your way up to more activity. You may begin with simple stretching. By steadily increasing your daily activity, you can eventually have a regular exercise schedule without triggering a flare-up of symptoms.
There is no such thing as a fibromyalgia diet that will remove all your symptoms. However, there are certain things in your diet that may be making your symptoms worse. For example, fast food and highly processed foods are not beneficial for anyone, but you especially need to eat a cleaner diet if you are dealing with a chronic health ailment. Avoid large amounts of refined sugar and stay away from artificial sweeteners.
Most processed and artificial foods are going to increase inflammation, and inflammation equals pain. While inflammation doesn’t cause the pain associated with fibromyalgia, you don’t want to add a second source of pain to your health issues.
For some people, that means looking externally to find a fibromyalgia support group. Others can find what they need among understanding family members and friends. Either way, you need to have people you can speak openly with, be yourself around, and who will provide support without judgment. Knowing that you have a strong group to support you can also lessen your stress levels and reduce the frequency of flare-ups.
When it comes to adjusting to fibromyalgia successfully, giving your CNS a boost cannot be understated. Researches have linked fibromyalgia pain to the process of central sensitization, a circumstance under which the body increases the response to stimuli. This includes increased pain levels. While this is a natural process, it should only occur when the body is facing imminent danger, such as when you touch something that is burning your skin.
How can you get your central nervous system to function optimally? While there are many factors that can come into play regarding CNS function, an upper cervical misalignment can have a significant effect. Therefore, we would like to introduce you to upper cervical specific chiropractic as a means of adjusting to fibromyalgia.
Upper cervical chiropractic can restore proper alignment to the C1 and C2 in a precise and gentle manner. This can affect the CNS in several ways. For example, it can help brainstem function if a misalignment was putting pressure on this key CNS component. It may also help with cerebral blood flow since the cervical spine facilitates this vital flow of blood.
If you are experiencing the effects of fibromyalgia, upper cervical chiropractic care may be able to help you mitigate your symptoms naturally and improve your quality of life. To learn more, we encourage you to find an upper cervical specific chiropractor in your area. An examination of your C1 and C2 vertebrae may be the first step on the path to making it easier to adjust to fibromyalgia.
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TV show host Montel Williams describes how specific chiropractic care has helped his body.
The content and materials provided in this web site are for informational and educational purposes only and are not intended to supplement or comprise a medical diagnosis or other professional opinion, or to be used in lieu of a consultation with a physician or competent health care professional for medical diagnosis and/or treatment. All content and materials including research papers, case studies and testimonials summarizing patients' responses to care are intended for educational purposes only and do not imply a guarantee of benefit. Individual results may vary, depending upon several factors including age of the patient, severity of the condition, severity of the spinal injury, and duration of time the condition has been present.
