Looking for new tools to fight fibromyalgia? Natural remedies – from exercise to acupuncture – can treat symptoms and ease pain. here are 6 techniques to try….

When fibromyalgia stiffens limbs and makes muscles and joints tender and sore, you may assume pain medication is your only bet.

Fortunately, there’s new evidence that natural solutions – including breathing techniques, exercise and supplements – may assist your treatment of fibromyalgia’s symptoms and reduce stress, a common pain trigger.

The potential for natural treatments is great, says Howard Schubiner, M.D., director of the Mind Body Medicine Center at Providence Hospital in Southfield, Mich.

“In our research [a combination of mind-body approaches], 25% of patients were symptom-free after six months.”

However, these treatments do require participation from the patient, Schubiner notes.

“Some people like being an active part of their own healing, while others feel it’s too much work. much of the successfulness of a program depends on what you think will be effective,” Schubiner says.

Read on to find out which science-backed alternative approaches are best for you.

1. Yoga
How it works: Besides lowering stress, yoga helps reduce chronic inflammation, which many researchers believe is a main cause of fibromyalgia-related discomfort.

In fact, women who practice yoga have lower blood levels of cytokine interleukin-6 – a protein causing inflammation that’s also linked to heart disease, stroke and type 2 diabetes – according to a 2010 Ohio State University study.

Danielle Miller, 45, of Lancaster, Pa., tried “every medication on the market” to treat her fibromyalgia pain. When a friend suggested a yoga class, she was reluctant at first but soon became hooked.

The meditation, breathing and stretching exercises increased her flexibility, improved sleep and even eased her irritable bowel syndrome, a disorder often associated with fibromyalgia.

“After 6-8 sessions, I began feeling better,” she says.

How to get started: Look for a yoga instructor experienced with fibromyalgia. (Your physician may be able to refer you.)

Start slowly and build to a regular routine you can stick with.

“When I attended classes randomly, I was in more pain,” Miller says.

2. Nutritional supplements
How they work: Supplements can decrease chronic inflammation, which in turn may reduce pain, says Shawn M. Talbott, Ph.D., research director for Supplement Watch, an organization that evaluates scientific evidence for nutritional supplements.

Anti-inflammatory supplements include grape seed extract, resveratrol (a chemical found in red wine and grape juice), bromelain (an enzyme obtained from pineapples), ginger, turmeric (the yellow spice used in Indian food), boswellia (an herb common in Ayurvedic medicine), decaffeinated green tea and purified fish oil.

How to get started: Supplements can vary in quality, cause stomach upset or interact with medications, so consult your rheumatologist about which brands are best.

Also, check labels for information on purity and strength of active ingredients.

Changing your diet is another way to reduce inflammation.

Eat lots of colorful fruits and veggies. Trade refined carbohydrates for moderate amounts of whole grains. Lower consumption of saturated fats and increase the amount of “good fats” (including monounsaturated fats and omega-3 fatty acids) you eat with foods such as nuts, avocados, olive oil and fish.

3. Acupuncture
How it works: Acupuncture has been used in traditional Asian medicine for thousands of years to relieve pain related to a variety of conditions. new research shows it may also be effective for fibromyalgia.
In a 2009 University of Michigan study, women with the disorder were treated with either acupuncture or a “sham” (fake) version, in which their skin was pricked with a sharp device to simulate acupuncture sensations.

Brain imaging showed that those who received real treatments got more relief from pain-killers with codeine and morphine (opiates).

“We’ve seen a drop in 5-10 points on the pain scale [a 1-10 scale doctors use to assess discomfort levels] from fibromyalgia patients who’ve used acupuncture,” Harris says.

Annette Poizner, a 47-year-old psychotherapist in Toronto, Canada, says acupuncture reduced her discomfort. But those results took a long time, and she warns against looking at the ancient Chinese treatment as a quick fix.

“It’s a gradual recovery, not a 10-session miracle,” she says.

How to get started: Find a licensed practitioner.

Ask your doctor or look online for local clinics. The website for the National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine maintains a list of qualified acupuncture practitioners.

4. Mindfulness meditation
How it works: Mindfulness – defined as a calm, nonjudgmental focus on the present moment – can be a powerful stress-reduction method. When combined with meditation, it may reduce fibromyalgia pain and other physical complaints, according to a recent University of Basel, Switzerland study.

Researchers found that it helped patients cope better with the anxiety and depression that often go along with the disorder.

When women with fibromyalgia enrolled in an eight-week program of mindfulness-based stress reduction, they had significantly more relief from symtoms than those who received only physical or emotional support from loved ones and peers.
A follow-up found they were still benefiting from the mindfulness program three years later.

Because high stress levels can trigger or worsen fibromyalgia symptoms, it makes sense that reducing it brings relief, says Schubiner.

Still, he adds, meditation alone may not be enough.

“Results depend on how you incorporate these practices into your life,” he says. “If you have a lot of stress at home, for example, you can reduce it with meditation. But you’ll need to address root problems too.”

How to get started: some hospitals and medical clinics offer mindfulness programs for patients.

You can also buy meditation CDs (such as those by Jon Kabat-Zinn) in stores and online, or find free downloads from UCLA’s Mindful Awareness Research Center.

5. Breathing exercises
How they work: Deep-breathing exercises have been shown to lower stress, thereby easing symptoms.

Even slowing down breathing can reduce fibromyalgia pain, according to 2010 research at St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center in Phoenix, Ariz.

Patients with fibromyalgia were subjected to moderately painful heat pulses on their palms. When they slowed their breathing rates by 50%, some reported a reduction in pain intensity.

The patients’ attitude was a contributing factor: Those with a positive mindset saw results.

But those who said they felt overwhelmed by feelings of sadness and depression weren’t helped by the breathing exercises.
Researchers suggest that people with fibromyalgia have a stronger connection between pain and emotion.

How to get started: If chronic depression is part of your disorder, talk to your doctor about treatments.

For mindful breathing, Schubiner recommends a daily session in which you take long, slow breaths and pay attention to each one.

“You simply notice each breath, and then let it go,” he says.

Many yoga classes incorporate breathing exercises, and many books and CDs on breathing are available.

Try this simple technique by Dennis Lewis, from his book Free Your Breath, Free Your Life (Shambhala Publications):

The Smiling Breath
1. Sit comfortably on a chair or cushion and smile, even if it feels forced at first.

2. Imagine directing this smile inwardly throughout your whole body.

3. as you inhale, sense yourself inhaling through your smile, allowing the energy of the smile to combine with the energy of your breath, and direct this energy down to the painful area.

4. Exhale through pursed but relaxed lips (as if gently blowing on a candle without blowing it out). do this for a minimum of five minutes.

6. Exercise
How it works: Physical activity is an important fibromyalgia treatment, but don’t dive right in to an intensive exercise program.

“too much too soon can have a rebound effect, where you’re worse off than before you started,” Harris says. “The key lies in finding the right amount.”
The proper dose is moderate bursts of exercise that add up to 30 minutes a day, 5-7 times a week, according to a 2010 Johns Hopkins University study that found that patients following this regimen had reduced pain and less trouble functioning after 12 weeks.

How to get started: begin slowly, exercising for as little as three minutes at a time.

Gradually increase activity level to 20-30 minutes a day, recommends Rae Marie Gleason, executive director of the National Fibromyalgia Association.

“Exercising helps you gain some control over your life, something often missing in those with fibromyalgia,” Gleason says.

How much do You know about Fibromyalgia?
Fibromyalgia is one of the world’s oldest medical mysteries.

By Rick Nauert PhD Senior News EditorReviewed by John M. Grohol, Psy.D. on February 28, 2011

A new research effort studies a non-pharmacological approach to improving the quality of life for people diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease: storytelling.

University of Missouri scientists found that participation in TimeSlips, a drug-free, creative storytelling intervention, improves communication skills and positive affect in persons with dementia.

The discovery is important as nearly 16 million Americans will be diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease or another type of dementia by 2050, according to the Alzheimer’s Association. Symptoms include mood and behavior changes, disorientation, memory loss and difficulty walking and speaking. The effects of anti-dementia drugs on patients’ emotions and behaviors have been inconsistent.

TimeSlips is a nationally recognized storytelling program for people with dementia that encourages participants to use their imaginations to create short stories as a group.

Rather than relying on factual recall, participants respond verbally to humorous images presented by facilitators who record the responses and read narratives to further develop or end the stories.

“TimeSlips provides rich, engaging opportunities for persons with dementia to interact with others while exercising their individual strengths,” said Lorraine Phillips, Ph.D., assistant professor in the Sinclair School of Nursing.

“It encourages participants to be actively involved and to experience moments of recognition, creation and celebration. Meaningful activities, such as TimeSlips, promote positive social environments that are central to person-centered care.”

The storytelling program is an easy and affordable activity for long-term care facilities to implement and allows caregivers to interact with multiple residents at a time, Phillips said.

“TimeSlips offers a stimulating alternative to typical activities in long-term care facilities,” she said. “It is an effective and simple option for care providers, especially those who lack resources or skills required for art, music or other creative interventions.”

In the study, Phillips and her colleagues delivered the TimeSlips intervention in one-hour sessions, held twice weekly for six consecutive weeks. The results included increased expressions of pleasure and initiation of social communication.

Improvements in participants’ affect lasted several weeks following the final session. The intervention is acceptable for people with mild to moderate dementia, Phillips said.

The study was published in Nursing Research.

Source: University of Missouri

CONSERVATIVES AND GAYS AND MUSLIMS — OH MY…. the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), arguably the nation’s largest annual right-wing gathering, kicks off in about a month. under normal circumstances, the buzz would be about the speakers’ list and the size of the crowd.

And that would make sense. This should be an especially big year for CPAC — emboldened Republican Party leaders will be on hand to boast about their right-wing agenda, and a legion of likely presidential candidates will be on hand to kiss the base’s ring. the turnout should be huge.

But some prominent conservatives have decided to skip the party. about a week ago, several prominent religious right organizations, including the Family Research Council, announced they would not participate because organizers agreed to allow a gay Republican group to be part of the event.

This week, far-right critics of CPAC have decided to move in a more creative direction.

Incensed over the participation of the conservative gay-rights group GOProud in the Conservative Political Action Conference, or CPAC, far-right activists are now trying to connect the major conservative event to the Muslim Brotherhood. the American Conservative Union (ACU), which hosts CPAC, has been the target of Religious Right groups and leaders over their handling of GOProud’s involvement, with Joseph Farah even calling for conservatives to “purge” the ACU from the movement. [...]

Now, the conservative news site WorldNetDaily, a major cheerleader for the groups boycotting CPAC, is giving right wing activist Frank Gaffney a platform to charge the ACU with ties to the Muslim Brotherhood, a radical Islamist group. [...]

Gaffney outlines a theory that since the ACU is allowing the leader of an organization known as Muslims for America, a conservative group with ties to the GOP, to participate in CPAC, the ACU is supporting a “stealthy effort to bring Shariah” to America.

I wish I could say this is some sort of parody, but it’s not. Some fairly prominent right-wing voices seriously want conservatives to believe the preeminent far-right event of the year, with appearances from Republican leaders and the nation’s most prominent conservative leaders, has been “infiltrated” by Muslim radicals.

—Steve Benen 4:40 PM Permalink | Trackbacks | Comments (22)