Guest Post by Henna.
Fibromyalgia is a musculoskeletal disorder, characterized by severe muscle pain, fatigue, memory loss, and other issues.
Medical science has many theories about this muscle condition. While the Arthritis Foundation considers Fibromyalgia as one of the hundred forms of arthritis, due to its classic symptoms of joint and muscle pain, and fatigue, recent researches indicate that the muscle condition is caused by an overactive nervous system.
The condition is often misunderstood and misdiagnosed for another medical problem because of its widespread symptoms. And since there are no particular scans or lab tests for the diagnosis of Fibromyalgia, knowing the symptoms by heart is the best way to identify and treat the condition.
There is no cure for this medical condition as of now, however, TMC (Traditional Chinese Medicine) approach considers essentials oils to be a natural cure for Fibromyalgia.
However, before you try any remedy or treatment, you must learn to self-diagnose the condition by understanding the following symptoms:
Pain and Tenderness
Muscle pain is the first common symptom of fibromyalgia. The pain can range from deep and sharp, to dull, to throbbing and aching. You will feel the pain in your muscles, joints, and ligaments across your body.
Your tender points (predictable, specific tissues under the surface of the skin near the joints) will be sore and very painful when you press them.
Swelling and Tingling Sensation
Tingling, pins and needles, numbness, and burning – these sensations are called paresthesia. Many individuals often experience bouts of Paresthesia, which lasts from few minutes to few hours. The sensations can worsen during the night or after you wake up. Paresthesia is also a sign of nerve damage and that’s why fibromyalgia is essentially linked with the nervous system. You may also experience swelling around your tender points.
Sleep Deprivation
Sleep disturbances, such as light and troubled sleep is part of Fibromyalgia. Even after an 8-hour sleep, you will wake up fatigued and exhausted. According to a study, people with Fibromyalgia often experience bursts in the brain that usually happens when we are awake. These sudden bursts can disturb our sleep and keep us awake.
Menstrual Cramps
Fibromyalgia is common in women than in men. Therefore, during the menstrual cycle, many women having this condition often go through painful periods. While painful cramps are quite normal and most women suffer from it and even end up taking medications and injections to curb the pain, if your menstrual cramp is followed by other symptoms of Fibromyalgia, you may want to get this diagnosed.
There are natural ways to treat menstrual cramps, such as yoga and herbal treatments.
Stiffness in the Morning
Getting out of the bed in the morning or after prolonged sitting can be a problem in people with Fibromyalgia because of excessive stiffness in joints and muscles in the legs, arms, and back. The stiffness usually stays around for 10 – 20 minutes in the morning. But some may experience it all through the day.
Irritable Bowel Syndrome
People with Fibromyalgia will most likely experience symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome, such as flatulence, gas, stomachache, constipation, diarrhea, bloating and nausea. You may also have the symptoms of GERD and acid reflux, such as heartburn, burps, metallic taste in the mouth, bad breath, and hiccups.
Mood Swings
Depression, mood swings, agitation, and anxiety disorder are also common in people with Fibromyalgia. Constant pain, lack of sleep, fatigue, and stiffness can impact individuals’ lifestyles, work, and relationships, which can lead to depression and mood swings. Few signs of mood disorders are less activity, lethargy, detained concentration, extreme emotions, fatigue, and short-term memory.
Headache
People with this medical condition often experience migraines and mild to medium headaches. The pain can also be felt in your neck and upper back. Your tender points in your neck and head can also trigger a headache. Frequent headaches can make it hard for you to go about with your regular activities. Peppermint oil is an effective essential oil for Fibromyalgia related headaches. You can mix the oil with a carrier oil like coconut oil and massage it on your temples and scalp to reduce the symptoms of headache.
Urination Problems
In many cases, individuals reported troubled peeing. A leaky bladder, urinary incontinence, and pain during urination can be common symptoms. All of these can lead to mental frustration and depression. In fact, all the symptoms of Fibromyalgia can cause serious mood disorders.
If urination problems are not handled in time, they can lead to kidney disease and bladder infection.
These are the most common symptoms of Fibromyalgia. You may experience more than three at a time. Apart from these, you may also have trouble concentrating, memory loss, excessive fatigue and lethargy, and confusion.
According to the National FibromyalgiaAssociation, around 10 million individuals suffer from Fibromyalgia in the US alone. Since the condition cannot be cured and there so no one particular treatment for all the symptoms, you can choose natural treatment such as essential oils, practicing yoga and medication, and exercising to manage the symptoms and prevent severe flare-ups.
Author Bio: Henna is a proficient writer who firmly believes in the age-old remedies and holistic medicine as a primary cure for several diseases. After graduating she embarked on a journey to find the truth about holistic and natural remedies.
