Fibromyalgia treatment is usually a roller coaster of ups and downs, but eventually becomes a horrible disappointment for the patient. Since the exact cause of fibromyalgia is not known, medical science has failed to find a proven cure. Fibromyalgia treatment consists mostly of therapy selections geared towards providing symptomatic relief. Unfortunately, most of the treatments are pharmaceutical in nature and can have negative known and unknown side effects which often rival FMS itself in their ability to escalate suffering.
This article will detail some of the common traditional and alternative FMS treatments, including the positive and negative aspects of each therapeutic option. There is no doubt that FMS treatment is an utter disaster as an industry and needs to be revised if patients are to have any hope at all of finding a cure, instead of ever-greater suffering.
Medical Fibromyalgia Treatment
Below are listed some of the most common medical modalities used to treat FMS. The recommendations will usually be made based exclusively on care provider belief as to the actual cause of the symptoms and their own experience in treating fibromyalgia. There is no normal or universal path to care:
Opioid pain killers are very popular therapies. These are highly addictive and can be harmful to overall health during extended usage.
Muscle relaxants are often given to calm spasming muscles. These drugs can also be addicting, can increase mental fatigue and can cause malaise.
Hormones may be given in an attempt to balance the body chemistry. Hormone treatments often have side effects ranging from body hair growth, to hair loss, to increased risks of certain cancers.
Sleep aids are often prescribed to increase the chances for enjoying restful slumber. These medicines are often addictive and patients may not be able to sleep at all without the drug.
Anti-depressants are often given to stabilize the patient’s emotional state. These drugs have known side effects ranging from increased risk of suicide to the creation of abnormal personality traits.
Alternative Treatments for Fibromyalgia
The following are common alternative and complementary therapies used to fight FMS. Of course, there are many others, both logical and illogical, available to patients who are tired of the traditional medical approach:
Chiropractic is one of the more widely used of all health practices. FMS patients often enjoy benefits from regular chiropractic spinal adjustments, although many patients also report these to be excruciatingly painful during treatment.
Acupuncture offers non-pharmaceutical pain management. Acupuncture can work well for many health issues, including FMS.
Massage therapy can help increase circulation, relieve pain, tension and stiffness, as well as relax the patient. Many FMS sufferers report good results from regular gentle massage.
FMS Treatment Tips
I hate to think of the side effects of many of the drugs used to treat fibromyalgia. The pain killers, especially, are some of the most addicting drugs available in medical use today. The alternative treatments have mixed results, but at least are not harmful. If you choose to pursue an alternative medicine approach to fibromyalgia treatment, I would strongly recommend avoiding the dangerous drugs. Stick to holistic treatments as much as possible. These therapies might help relieve your pain and will not cause you to risk drug addiction in the process.
A truly alternative fibromyalgia treatment recommendation is a mindbody approach which has succeeded for some patients. Knowledge therapy has some of it’s best results working with fibromyalgia sufferers who have not been able to find lasting symptom resolution from any other method of care. The mind is a much more logical place to begin treatment, since the cause has never been proven to be physical. The best part of knowledge therapy (besides its statistics for a cure) is that there are absolutely no side effects.
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