Anyone who suffers with fibromyalgia is all too familiar with the 'medication merry-go-round' to rid themselves from unrelenting pain. Sometimes, different 'cocktails' may help for a while only to lose their effectiveness after a period of time. However, there are a number of self-care practices that can help to manage the pain of fibromyalgia that do not involve the use of medications.
Heat and Cold Therapy
Managing pain at home often involves the use of hot and cold packs. Heat is useful for chronic pain while cold is more effective when used to relieve acute pain and the reduction of inflammation.
Cold slows down the blood flow and dulls the pain by sending a weakened signal to the brain. Heat increases the circulation and gets the blood flowing to the painful areas, thereby relaxing the muscles.
Heat can provide an immediate decrease in pain but doesn't usually give long-term relief or eliminate it. However, using cold packs can be quite effective in relieving migraine-type headaches by placing a bag of frozen vegetables at the base of the neck for at least twenty minutes.
People with fibromyalgia often tend to have cold sensitivity and usually prefer to use heat. Heating pads and microwavable packs can help to soothe sore, aching muscles.
Hydrotherapy
Starting the day with a warm shower can relieve morning stiffness.
A warm bath with epsom salt can be quite effective for pain relief. If you have access to a hot tub or whirlpool, all the better.
Contrast Shower Therapy
While certainly not as appealing as a warm bath, the use of alternating warm/hot and cool/cold water can stimulate the parasympathetic nervous system which aids in calming the body for a good night's sleep. Start with hot water and use for approximately three minutes, then switch to cold water for about thirty seconds. Repeat several times and end with the cold water. Go straight to bed to warm yourself.
Write in a Pain/Health Journal
Keeping a journal can help one to gain a sense of control over their pain. After time, a pattern may arise to reveal information about which daily activities affect symptoms. This knowledge can help in deciding how to manage them.
From "The FM Phenomenon:Living with Fibromyalgia" by Wendy Simpson...
Studies show...
I hope this information has been of help to those who read it, and I appreciate the encouragement from Mardy to post this on Lumigrate for others to benefit from.
Catherine Taylor http://www.maintaininghomeostasis.blogspot.com [1]
Links:
[1] http://www.maintaininghomeostasis.blogspot.com
[2] http://www.lumigrate.com/forum/managing-fibromyalgia-pain-everyday-things#comment-771
[3] http://www.lumigrate.com/forum/my-interview-naturopathic-medicine-cfs-and-fms-cinda-crawfords-website
[4] http://twitter.com/lumigrate
[5] http://www.lumigrate.com/forum/managing-fibromyalgia-pain-everyday-things#top
[6] http://www.lumigrate.com/user/login?destination=node/586%23comment-form
[7] http://www.lumigrate.com/user/register?destination=node/586%23comment-form
[8] http://www.lumigrate.com/forum/managing-fibromyalgia-pain-everyday-things#comment-772
[9] http://www.facebook.com/pages/Fibromyalgia-Support-Groups-by-Aimee/94975642116
[10] http://www.lumigrate.com/forum/managing-fibromyalgia-pain-everyday-things#comment-773
[11] http://www.lumigrate.com/forum/managing-fibromyalgia-pain-everyday-things#comment-774
[12] http://www.youcantoocan.com/search.cfm
Comments
Catherine, thank you so very much for this piece! And for those who don't know Lumigrate inside and out like I do (at least I hope to!), this is Catherine's first submission and she, like me, is 'technologically challenged' but enjoying the learning curve she said to me. I really value your courage, as I have many others in the year and a half Lumigrate has been collecting information from the public and medical consumers or medical providers who want to 'get the information out' with the tool of the Internet but it's all new to them.
I wanted to give a link here to a wonderful hour-long seminar / interview by Cinda Crawford of Christopher Lepisto, ND (who has three videos on Lumigrate.com and was one of the wonderful speakers I saw three years ago who inspired me to 'do' Lumigrate.com as a new way of educating patients. He talks about the hydrotherapy showers, and back when I met him I was doing 'contrast baths' with patients hands to reduce swelling but never thought about extending that technique to the overall body. I am actually looking to incorporate that into my 'new routine' of taking a shower at bedtime (as well as one to start my day, but that one is the warm one, as always). I used to feel like I should be conserving water, as that is an overall need in the world and most communities, but I decided that for what my body needs, I might loosen up on that renewable resource and focus my efforts for being 'green' in other areas instead. I mention this as it's an example of how we each have to take in ALL the information and then decide for ourSELVES what is best for ME. YOU, as seen on the home page model of Lumigrate....
www.lumigrate.com/forum/my-interview-naturopathic-medicine-cfs-and-fms-cinda-crawfords-website [3]. (And so ya'll know where to find this on Lumigrate: Forums. Fibromyalgia section (green header), Top Picks about Fibromyalgia on Lumigrate, because I really REALLY liked the one hour EASY to listen to format of this interview of Cinda Crawford and Christopher Lepisto ... it has a lot of information about superinfections, what fibromyalgia is from Dr. Lepisto's perspective (and he very much includes the psychological/mind aspect of health), as well as the universally available shower suggestion, such as what Catherine also included in this piece.
Thanks to all who contribute in the information stream at Lumigrate and remember, it's a lot more powerful to know something when you teach others as well! (Therefore the Print buttons on here, our facebook presence so people can post links, etc). ~~ Mardy
Live and Learn. Learn and Live Better! is my motto. I'm Mardy Ross, and I founded Lumigrate in 2008 after a career as an occupational therapist with a background in health education and environmental research program administration. Today I function as the desk clerk for short questions people have, as well as 'concierge' services offered for those who want a thorough exploration of their health history and direction to resources likely to progress their health according to their goals. Contact Us comes to me, so please do if you have questions or comments. Lumigrate is "Lighting the Path to Health and Well-Being" for increasing numbers of people. Follow us on social networking sites such as: Twitter: http://twitter.com/lumigrate [4] and Facebook. (There is my personal page and several Lumigrate pages. For those interested in "groovy" local education and networking for those uniquely talented LumiGRATE experts located in my own back yard, "LumiGRATE Groove of the Grand Valley" is a Facebook page to join. (Many who have joined are beyond our area but like to see the Groovy information! We not only have FUN, we are learning about other providers we can be referring patients to and 'wearing a groove' to each other's doors -- or websites/home offices!) By covering some of the things we do, including case examples, it reinforces the concepts at Lumigrate.com as well as making YOU feel that you're part of a community. Which you ARE at Lumigrate!
Thanks Cathy!!
I really do need to try the Contrast Shower thing. I hate being cold and can't handle cold paks, but wondering if cool would be enough to help. It's worth a shot, right?
The one thing I'll add is use of a rice sock, which can be heated or frozen!
Here's how to:
I spritz a bit of water on the sock and pop it in the microwave for 2 minutes or so (your micro may be different, so play with this) and then can wrap it around my neck, lay on it, use it nearly anywhere. For those who prefer cold, just keep it in the freezer, but use layers of material such as a towel between your body and the sock!
Grate info Cathy!! Thanks SO much for the time!
~~Aimee
Aimee Shannon is a licensed social worker who has fibromyalgia along with a collection of other illnesses. Aimee is passionate that those dealing with chronic illnesses need education and support to best manage their illnesses. Along with contributions of writing for Lumigrate in 2009-11, Aimee can be found leading a support group on Facebook, as well as in-person support groups in the Dayton, Ohio region. Please connect if you wish, at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Fibromyalgia-Support-Groups-by-Aimee/94975642116 [9]Thank you both, Mardy and Aimee, for reading my article. I appreciate your comments and encouragement. I enjoyed writing it very much.
Catherine
Catherine Taylor http://www.maintaininghomeostasis.blogspot.com [1]
Thanks, Aimee, for putting in your socks recipe! I'm always a believer in setting people up with information and options.
Here's a link to the page of Therabeads at the YouCan Toocan in Denver, which sells an amazing array of medical equipment, clothing/adaptive products. You can click on Search and look for other words such as cold pack, etc. I cannot more highly recommend this company as a source to purchase from if anyone is looking for a source (they'll ship anywhere in the US currently). Their staff is very well trained and can take you over the phone through quite the process of figuring out what you might want to be ordering/purchasing. I met the owner back when I was in OT school and she came to speak to our class, and I've been a MUCH better OT to many many people due to the nice catalogs she's send me to show people about adaptive equipment (then they could obtain it or make something similar on their own from there).
www.youcantoocan.com/search.cfm [12]
Live and Learn. Learn and Live Better! is my motto. I'm Mardy Ross, and I founded Lumigrate in 2008 after a career as an occupational therapist with a background in health education and environmental research program administration. Today I function as the desk clerk for short questions people have, as well as 'concierge' services offered for those who want a thorough exploration of their health history and direction to resources likely to progress their health according to their goals. Contact Us comes to me, so please do if you have questions or comments. Lumigrate is "Lighting the Path to Health and Well-Being" for increasing numbers of people. Follow us on social networking sites such as: Twitter: http://twitter.com/lumigrate [4] and Facebook. (There is my personal page and several Lumigrate pages. For those interested in "groovy" local education and networking for those uniquely talented LumiGRATE experts located in my own back yard, "LumiGRATE Groove of the Grand Valley" is a Facebook page to join. (Many who have joined are beyond our area but like to see the Groovy information! We not only have FUN, we are learning about other providers we can be referring patients to and 'wearing a groove' to each other's doors -- or websites/home offices!) By covering some of the things we do, including case examples, it reinforces the concepts at Lumigrate.com as well as making YOU feel that you're part of a community. Which you ARE at Lumigrate!