Nopalea Cactus Juice
Natural Pain and Inflammation Relief for Fibromyalgia
As many as 5 million people in the United States population (over 90 percent of them women) may have fibromyalgia, but many have yet to be diagnosed. In the meantime, they experience widespread pain and a diminished quality of life. We asked Kevin Fontaine, Ph.D., associate professor of medicine in the division of rheumatology at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, to explain this puzzling syndrome.
People with fibromyalgia complain of unrelenting body pain and tenderness. They experience poor sleep and fatigue, and some have other troubling symptoms. It's not unusual for sufferers to experience irritable bowel syndrome, chronic headaches, chemical sensitivities (such as to medications, foods and fabrics), jaw pain, discomfort in the bladder, restless legs syndrome and/or a mood disorder such as depression or anxiety. Many people also report so-called "fibro fog", or an inability to concentrate and recall information.
Typically, onset of fibromyalgia pain is fairly sudden. For some patients, there is a triggering event such as an injury, illness, surgery or emotional trauma. From one day to the next, they experience an increase in feelings of pain. And these symptoms never seem to abate, although they can wax and wane for reasons that are not understood.
A person with fibromyalgia could be struggling for months or years with these symptoms, going from doctor to doctor, before finally being diagnosed.
That person should not think that they're crazy. These symptoms are legitimate, and they require medical attention.
It's important to find a doctor who will listen. Patients report that some doctors don't believe that fibromyalgia is a legitimate medical condition, which may help explain why it can take years to be diagnosed and why patients sometimes feel disrespected and even stigmatised when they try to get help.
Since a doctor relies heavily on your self-reports to make a diagnosis and to guide treatment, keep a diary to track how well you're feeling from day to day. Include:
- Your level of pain: Note where you hurt, and rate your overall level pain on a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 indicating little to no pain and 10 indicating the worst pain you've ever experienced.
- Daytime fatigue: Jot down whether fatigue prevents you from doing any of your usual activities, such as going to work, exercising or running errands.
- A sleep history: Write down the number of hours you slept the night before and whether you had difficulty falling or staying asleep.
- Your mood: State whether you feel generally upbeat, mildly depressed or worse.
There are some clues that fibromyalgia is the actual culprit, often because other conditions are ruled out. Although the pain you feel is similar to that of arthritis, fibromyalgia produces no visible physical changes, so X-rays, biopsies and blood tests may show nothing unusual. You can rule out chronic fatigue syndrome, which is often mistaken for fibromyalgia, if you experience a higher level of body pain and tenderness. Pain from a musculoskeletal injury or a strain tends to be localized and usually improves with rest and, perhaps, anti-inflammatory medications, such as ibuprofen. Fibromyalgia, on the other hand, involves widespread pain and tenderness that doesn't seem to improve over time.
David Ogden
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