Natural Treatment for Fibromyalgia

Fibromyalgia (FM) or fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) continues to cause difficulties in medical research to all aspects of the condition – causation, diagnosis, treatment and possible cures. As difficult as living with the disease can be for those who suffer from fibromyalgia, its diagnosis and treatment for their doctors is just as difficult. This is because there is to date still no known specific causes and cures for the condition, and hence there is difficulty in targeting intervention measures, and symptoms are usually vague and ambiguous at best.

Risk Factors
The most conclusive results of research and studies on fibromyalgia are confined to the findings that the syndrome is more prevalent in women than in men. Other, less conclusive are findings that middle-aged people are more at risk, or have other rheumatoid diseases that can develop into FMS.

There is also growing evidence that the syndrome is usually comorbid with other ailments, particularly psychiatric disorders like depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and even sexual disorders, but so far studies seem inconclusive as to whether fibromyalgia is causative of psychiatric disorders, or vice versa, or both. That is, in a patient suffering both chronic pain and psychiatric disorders like depression or anxiety, it is often hard to determine if the chronic pain is a manifestation of the psychiatric condition, or if the psychiatric condition is a manifestation of the chronic pain.

Also, like other rheumatic, skeletal or otherwise widespread and debilitating pain disorders, fibromyalgia exhibits very similar symptoms and causes, and is difficult to diagnose as FMS, as opposed to, say, rheumatoid arthritis.

Causes
According to some research, the most dominant symptom of fibromyalgia – pain – is caused when the brain’s sensitization to pain signal is markedly increased, thereby making the person feel what should be mild pain or even just pressure as intense pain or discomfort.

What causes this is less known, and is thought to involve any of a combination of several factors. Genetics is often the most easily singled out causative factor for many diseases, and the same is true for fibromyalgia. FMS is easier diagnosed in those with a family history of the syndrome, as it has been seen to run in families.

Sleeping problems, though obviously one of those things that can be caused by fibromyalgia, can also be one of the causes of the same. The same goes for the aforementioned psychiatric disorders, as well as emotional, physical, or sexual abuse or trauma.

Certain illnesses, infections or injury, especially those affecting the nervous system, brain function, mental or emotional state, or the areas of the body identified as fibromyalgia trigger points by the American College of Rheumatology in 1990, have also been found to trigger the condition in most patients, albeit only exacerbating a physiological problem already present beforehand.

Fibromyalgia is a chronic condition that has quite a detrimental effect on the body. This condition affects a big majority of adults. Middle aged women are much more prone to this condition than men. Because of the severity of the condition, it becomes important to pay attention to the needs of the body suffering from fibromyalgia.

The prominent features of fibromyalgia include niggling pains throughout the body with certain areas acting as sort of epicenters. These are known as the pressure points. This pain usually affects the muscles and the tissues and is followed by long spells of depression, sleeplessness, fatigue, IBS and so on. These symptoms are known to reach certain highs and lows randomly.

It is understood that there are many options that one might implore as far as treatment is concerned. Medicines and natural ways to treat the condition have all proved to be good for certain patients. Throughout this article, we will be focusing on natural treatment of fibromyalgia. We do not aim to undermine the efforts of medical professionals. What we truly want is to share some natural ways of treating this condition at home. We will discuss some of the oils and herbs that have proven to be useful for treating chronic pain and inflammation caused by fibromyalgia.

Treatment for fibromyalgia pain
Oils of basil, ginger, lavender, chamomile, rosemary, black pepper, peppermint, cypress, clary sage juniper and sweet marjoram have shown favorable results in a host of patients. These can help a lot with the pain and hypertension. For best results, it is important that you treat them as preventive measures rather than ointments or balms.

Ways to curb fatigue
Another manifestation of fibromyalgia that most people complain about is the fatigue. Fortunately, oils like grapefruit, juniper, cypress, black pepper, peppermint, petitgrain, basil, lemon tea tree, lemon and eucalyptus can help you feel fresh and reinvigorated.

Fighting insomnia, depression and sleep disorders
For insomnia, depression and other sleep disorders, it is better to use herbs and plants like vetiver, lemon, mandarin, sweet orange, rosewood, spikenard, etc. These will help put your mind at ease. Basil, rosemary and peppermint are also known to help with the memory functions of the brain.

Massage therapy for relaxation of body
Massage therapy can also prove to be quite useful. It will put your body and mind at ease. This therapy improves the circulation of blood and movement of muscles. The improved blood circulation in the body helps the tensed muscles to relax giving you an overall sense of well-being. It is important that you realize that you have to manage your expectations. This therapy is not a miraculous treatment and will take some time in showing positive results.

Hot bath blends for pain relief and relaxation
A hot bath is also a very effective way of dealing with the symptoms of fibromyalgia. It can help relax the tensed muscles and is also quite effective against headaches and migraines. Adding one of the above mentioned oils to the bathtub prior to the bath will have a profound effect on your mood and body. You will feel the difference after taking the hot bath for a few minutes. Foot baths can also be used if you have a shortage of time.

Below are some of the proven bath blends that are sure to leave you energized and reinvigorated.

• Four drops neroli with four drops bergamot and 2 drops geranium
• Three drops vetiver with four drops rosewood and two drops sweet orange
• Three drops clary sage with three drops lavender, four drops chamomile and three drops sweet marjoram
• Three drops Cypress with two drops basil and two drops rosemary

There are also two kinds of daytime and nighttime blends that have shown excellent results in many patients. These can help you fight against almost all the niggling symptoms of fibromyalgia, especially chronic fatigue. Here is the composition of these blends:

1. Daytime blend - The blend for daytime should consist of ten drops grapefruit, five drops petit grain, five drops geranium, five drops lemon or ten drops neroli, five drops rosewood, and five drops patchouli.
2. On the other hand, the nighttime composition should have five drops vetiver, seven drops rosewood, three drops mandarin or five drops rose, five drops jasmine, and five drops frankincense.

The natural treatment methods for fibromyalgia have shown good results in people suffering from this condition. It is advisable that you use these methods along with the proper medication, diet and exercise so as to make the most out of the treatment. Learn to deal with your pain and depression so as to keep your mind and body in a positive state.