Natural Therapy for Fibromyalgia - Part One

As a Reiki master I am curious if there is a particular part of the Reiki or technique that has worked for you. I have just been diagnosed and also practice a spiritual path.

I have fibromyalgia. I started taking 5-HTP on 1/31/09. It has made a significant improvement in the quality of my life. I bought SAMe, too. I haven't started taking it yet. I am 60yrs old. I weigh 92lbs, 4'10" tall. I take 5-HTP 3/day-6hrs apart, on an empty stomach. I am completely dependent on my daughter, no bank account, no health insurance. I haven't been able to see a Dr since 2006, so no medications. The only thing I take is Tylenol, Motrin, Pepcid, and OTC allergy pills. I also take vitamins and minerals. I haven't started taking the SAMe, because I haven't been able to find out if it is safe to take both 5-HTP and SAMe together. Also since both have to be taken on an empty stomach; I have to take both at the exact same time. I have IBS, I can't have more than 12 hrs per day, an hour before and after. I also have hypoglycemia, so even the two hrs make me dizzy. Can I take the SAMe, also? Forgot, I take 100mg. three times a day. The SAMe is 200mg-suggested dosage is 400mg three times a day.

Dear Jane, It is not recommended that you take 5HTP and SAMe together, so you might want to choose between one or the other. Since 5HTP has helped you immensely, why not continue with it instead of changing medications? I was also concerned about your other chemical drugs which you are taking, so I ran them through the drug interaction checker, and found no drug interactions. However, both Tylenol and Motrin are hard on the liver and can also cause stomach upsets. Maybe this is the reason you are taking Pepcid also? I might suggest that you try choosing between Motrin and Tylenol and see if your stomach will feel better, then you will not need to take Pepcid. Decreasing your pills will also help your pocketbook. Good luck.

I was diagnosed a year ago with fibromyalgia. The past few months have been terrible as the pain has increased to barely tolerable levels at times. A second opinion by a rheumatologist confirmed that it is fibromyalgia, and I was prescribed Lyrica. I was told that I need not see the warnings or side effects, because it had a fairly good success rate. When I got home I read up on this medication, and was shocked to see what it did to a person's body. I have decided to take a holistic approach, but where do I start? Any suggestions?

Hi Cathy, I think the best place to start is by reading more about fibromyalgia. There is no approach that is perfect for everyone as we are all individuals. Then after reading you will be able to better evaluate where to start your healing journey.

I was also diagnosed with fibromyalgia almost one year ago and also decided to take a holistic approach instead of taking pills that were making me feel worse. I have changed my life in every aspect possible. I am more conscious about what I eat and drink. I recommend that you eat healthy and nutritious food, also drink lots of water. Try to exercise although it is painful at the beginning. Swimming is now a daily routine, also stretching is very good. I also have Japanese acupuncture and massage done by a miofascial specialist. I have even changed my clothes as the ones that are too tight on my neck are not good at all. One last thing is to listed to your body, try to have a diary to check what activities are good and which are not, specially around your menstrual period.

I have not been diagnosed, but I have sensitive touch pain, pain with impact of walking or jumping, and pain between joints. What I have discovered over time is that my propensity for pain increased and decreased for no apparent reason, so I started to do some research. Then, I found out about nightshades irritating pain for arthritis patients who when eliminating these foods from their diet, found their pain subsided. Tomatoes, potatoes, chili peppers, sweet peppers, spices, etc. are all my favorite foods, of course! When I stopped eating them, my pain subsided. When I ate these foods again, the pain came back. I have discovered most of all the hidden ingredients in foods containing these products: modified food starch, spices, potato starch on shredded cheese, etc. I have also just found information claiming that NSAIDs are derived from nightshades, which might explain why my pain never went away while taking these medications. Since I have stopped taking them, I have noticed my pain going away sooner. Is it possible to have fibromyalgia pain come and go like this? Maybe my condition is something else? I still have fatigue. I am not able to gain endurance in my workouts, and a ton of muscle stiffness. My biggest complaint is that if I do too much on days that I feel good, I pay for it with physical pain and exhaustion for several weeks. This morning I had 24 oz of purified water with two bags of red tea and felt pretty good all day. I currently take St. John's Wort for my depression and anxiety, which helps a little bit, and Estroven PM with Sleepy Time Tea for sleeplessness, which seems to work well. Stretching is frustrating, since it doesn't seem to be making any headway in my flexibility. Chiropractic care relieves me of my migraines and stretching my upper pectorals have relieved me of my back spasms. Nothing about a hot bath relieves my symptoms, but it feels great, especially when I have a deep chill and need to speed up my metabolism. I eat lots of fruit and oil to relieve my IBS, in fact I no longer have my IBS symptoms since I started eating more fruit and oil. I would like to know if anyone else diagnosed with fibromyalgia has found relief from not eating nightshades. I don't have severe brain fog, but I do have bad memory loss and struggle to get through the responsibilities of my day. Today went pretty well, so I'm thinking the water thing must work, and I will want to keep doing that for sure.

Interesting that you talk about nightshades. My health store guy was telling me about it as well. Not thinking of course, that potatoes chips would do it as well. I've been in terrible pain the last few days because I ate a bag over the course of a few days. Ugh, now I get it. Also on the list is eggplant. When I stay away from the nightshades, I do feel better. Also, when having muscle pain, if you take on an empty stomach Bromelain, it acts like Advil does. It helps break down the lactic acid due to it's enzymatic nature. Hope that helps someone, cheers.

I hope the folks above will read my comments and take away something helpful. I have been recovering from FM and CFS for ten plus years. I suffered for many years without knowing why. More than twenty symptoms from both conditions that put me out of work and close to suicide. I am a single woman who lived alone and no doctor could even come close to telling me what was going on. I am a person of faith who knows without a doubt that Western medicine is far from what God meant for our healing. I prayed and found wisdom in going back to nature and the basics to boost my immune system. The bottom line is what we put in our mouth effects every cell in our bodies. We must remove every ounce of irritant possible in order to give our bodies a fighting chance to heal itself. That means getting rid of all processed foods and white foods especially. These are acid foods and will kill your body that is already way too acid. The reason I say this is because all illness is acid and inflammation in your cells. How do you reverse this? You must eat a highly alkaline diet. Look it up on the web. There are many sites that will point you to this. Also, get the best, organic, food based multi-vitamin that you can find. This is imperative. Your body is starving for vitamins and trace minerals. Eat as macrobiotic as you can stand. If this does not sound feasible or affordable, then go with a really clean organic rice protein based meal replacement for at least three to five months. It may sound like a long time, but this is your life and health we are talking about. I recommend the "Ultimate Meal." It is life to me at this point. I did three meals a day until I cleansed for three weeks, then I will to two meals with a very clean lunch in between. You see the source of the issue is food allergies or sensitivities. I am allergic to white sugar and many other preservatives and a couple of whole foods like milk and almonds. You should really see a holistic MD for blood analysis and guidance. It is invaluable. I now sleep at least 6.5 hrs every night and feel really really well compare to where I was six months ago. Life is good and will get even better in six more months. I hope you all can find healing by God's wisdom and nature that he has given us all.

I have had FM longer than my doctor wanted to admit it was a real disease. I also have osteoporosis. I have found the natural way works best for me. Look up the real side effects of some of the drugs they prescribe for FMS. For sleep I take adrenal stress tablets, mostly B vitamins, as stress is deadly for me. I also take Melatonin chewable right before bed. St. John's wort, in liquid form, for depression and found it works wonders for me, also Serotonin for my brain fog and sleep, also liquid form. Collagen in pill form, vitamin E,C,CoQ10,Krill oil, which is better than fish oil, also in pill form, D, and Osteopeak for my Osteoporosis. Also take Osteo-biflex for knees and joints. A pro-biotic on rising, and lots of water during the day. I have had many bad experiences with the traditional medications. Cymbalta sent me to the emergency room after one pill. I had an allergic reaction to it. All the osteoporosis medications only thicken old bone, the Osteopeak has Osteoclasts and Osteoblasts in it that eat old bone and create new. I have proof as my hubby fell and shattered his femur socket and fractured his hip. Due to Femoral artery surgery, they could not operate, he had to lay in traction for three and a half months, so I gave him the Osteopeak and his healing time was cut by one month and he healed in two and a half months. The orthopedic Doctor knew of this supplement and advised taking it after age 55 all the time, which we both do. There are days I just "deal" with the pain, as I only took Motrin for pain relief, but the other day it shot my blood pressure up to 189 over 98 and my heart felt like it would pound out of my chest, scary. Then, I read the side effects of Motrin, I will not be taking that any more. My blood pressure has gone down to normal, once that got flushed from my system. The best thing is God, and getting family and friends to understand that just because you look OK, does not mean that you feel OK. I find I push myself and pay for it the next day. It's not worth it. I was a real go-getter all my life, and slowing down has been hard. But when the reality hits you to take care of your self for a change, it is a big adjustment, but one that is necessary. When you are a giver, as I was, the biggest adjustment comes for the family you used to slave for. But eventually, they get it I think? Keep as active as you can, even if it hurts a bit. Eat healthy and pray. That is the best anyone can do. And stay out of hospitals. They can make you sick. And please, before you take a drug, check out the side effects. I took Reclast, the last straw for me and it gave me high blood pressure for a year and a half. I was in the one percent that had that reaction. But none of the Osteoporosis drugs are good. We are all really guinea pigs for the establishment, after all. Good Luck and I pray this helps someone out there. God Bless.

I have recently been diagnosed with Fibromyalgia. Recently I was given Lyrica which I had an allergic reaction to and had to stop. It did help with the pain, but the side effects were terrible. I want to go with a more natural treatment, and I am seeking information and stories from other sufferers. I currently take Valerian Root at night to help with sleep and Darvocet for pain, when needed. I have also found Fibro Freedom, but I haven't really found it to be helpful. Any advise or direction you can give will be great. Thanks for all the information already on the site.

I have had fibromyalgia since about 1988. I don't eat as well as I should, and I am on about six different medications, for muscle pain and spasms, etc. I do know that not eating hydrogenated oils is one thing to watch. If I want potato chips, I buy the ones that say no Hydrogenated Oils. These type cause inflammation, so read your ingredients. Those oils are in your margarine and other items also, but I believe chips and snacks like that are the worst. I buy margarine that says they're not in it or buy butter. It's hard to know what to do. I've had a torn muscle in my neck and shoulder so that is why it hurts so much. I probably needed surgery but back in 1988, no one would run a CAT scan so I'm scarred for life now. My doctors still haven't run a test to confirm anything. I have scoliosis so bad in the upper part of my body. I know that also contributes to the pain. I go to my myofascial release chiropractor when I can afford him. Without them I'd never survive. It's been a long road and it takes a long time to accept your limitations, if you ever do. I am not sure I still have, but I've learned which pains need to be taken care of by one of my chiropractors and which ones I have to just wait for it to pass. Life is sure tough, but until it's our time to leave, there isn't much else to do but deal with it.