Understanding the Reality of Fibromyalgia
Imagine being in pain all over your body, feeling crushingly tired and weak, and being so foggy-brained that you can hardly accomplish simple, everyday tasks. For someone who lives with fibromyalgia, this is reality.
Fibromyalgia is a debilitating syndrome that mainly affects an individual’s soft tissue and muscles. It results in pain throughout the body and mental distress. Fibromyalgia affects at least 1 in 40 people worldwide, although some estimates suggest nearly 1 in 20 people may be affected to some degree. It is characterized by widespread pain and crippling fatigue – often referred to as “fibro fog” – and usually develops between the ages of 25 and 55, although children can also get it. Similar to many autoimmune conditions, the vast majority of those affected (80% are women).
Common Symptoms of Fibromyalgia
Classic symptoms include stiffness and pain in the jaw, stiff joints and muscles, irregular sleep, painful menstruation, and restless leg syndrome. Other common signs are concentration and memory problems, widespread pain, muscle tiredness, headaches, irritable bowel syndrome, numbness and tingling in extremities, temperature sensitivity, and fatigue.
The Misdiagnosis Problem
Now, imagine feeling like this every day, for years, and being told repeatedly that it’s “all in your head.”
Finally, imagine your doctor telling you that it’s arthritis, Lyme disease, or even depression that’s causing these symptoms when you know it’s none of those things.
For years, doctors have considered fibromyalgia to be a condition that originates in the brain and has no known cause or cure, other than some symptom relief.
Breakthrough Study Changes Everything
But a breakthrough study has shown that fibromyalgia originates in another place entirely — and that effective treatments are well within our reach.
The Immune System’s Role in Fibromyalgia
Like an internal police force, a healthy immune system is always on duty, protecting you from the millions of harmful bacteria, microbes, viruses, and toxins you encounter daily.
If these invaders get inside your body through a break in the skin, nose, mouth, or a leaky gut, your immune system responds. This happens all over your body — in your blood, major organs, muscles, and bones.
Autoimmune diseases develop when the immune system becomes hyper-vigilant and attacks healthy and unhealthy cells. It can no longer tell the difference between your healthy body and the pathogenic invaders it usually goes after.
Immune response and inflammation go hand in hand, and T cell-mediated inflammatory response has been recognized for playing an essential role in developing autoimmune diseases, including lupus, multiple sclerosis, psoriasis, and rheumatoid arthritis.
Fibromyalgia Confirmed as an Autoimmune Disease
Now, thanks to a groundbreaking study, we can add fibromyalgia to the list of autoimmune diseases, opening the door to better diagnosis and treatment for the millions who live with this painful condition.
New research has shown that fibromyalgia isn’t all in your head — an overactive immune system causes it.
Researchers from the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience at King’s College London, the University of Liverpool, and the Karolinska Institute of Sweden have proven that fibromyalgia is an autoimmune disease, just like rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, or psoriasis.
They injected mice with antibodies from people living with fibromyalgia. They found that mice quickly developed two common fibromyalgia symptoms: increased sensitivity to pressure and cold, and reduced grip strength.
After a few weeks, the mice fully recovered once the injected antibodies had been cleared from their systems.
Treatments already exist that reduce antibody levels in patients, and these results strongly suggest that those same therapies would work against fibromyalgia.
“The implications of this study are profound,” says Dr. David Andersson, the study’s primary investigator from King’s College.
“Establishing that fibromyalgia is an autoimmune disorder will transform how we view the condition and should pave the way for more effective treatments for the millions of people affected. Our work has uncovered a whole new area of therapeutic options and should give real hope to fibromyalgia patients.”
Why the Immune System Fails
Doctors aren’t exactly sure why the immune system sometimes fails. But they do have clues.
The immune system is hardwired to our central nervous system (CNS), so when the CNS is healthy, the immune system runs on autopilot.
Unfortunately, we are our worst enemies when it comes to keeping our nervous system healthy and our immune system functioning correctly.
Habits and Deficiencies That Weaken the Immune System
We know that these habits and deficiencies have a direct (and harmful) impact on our immune system:
- Lack of sleep. Your body only releases cytokines (proteins that help the immune system) during sleep. So not getting enough hours of restful sleep makes it more likely that viruses and germs will make you sick.
- Stress. Just having anxious thoughts can weaken your immune response in as little as thirty minutes. Constant stress takes an even bigger toll.
- Low Vitamin D. Sunshine vitamins aren’t just good for strong bones and teeth. It is also essential for boosting your immune system.
- Low magnesium levels.
- Not enough outdoor time. Sunlight energizes special immune cells called T-cells that help fight infection.
- Medications. Corticosteroids, TNF inhibitors for inflammation, and chemotherapy for cancer can all inhibit the immune system. Talk to your doctor to see if your medications are keeping your immune system from working well.
- Not enough fruits and vegetables. Many nutrients in fresh produce, nuts, and seeds may help your body make more white blood cells to fight infection. Zinc, beta-carotene, and vitamins A, C, and E strengthen the immune system.
- Eating packaged and processed food.
- Eating too much sugar.
- A high-fat diet. Oils can hinder germ-fighting white blood cells. High-fat diets over time can upset the balance of bacteria in your gut, which can help the immune response.
- Smoking. Nicotine can weaken your body’s ability to fight germs. So can the other chemicals you inhale while vaping.
A Natural Remedy Option
The best natural remedy for autoimmune conditions causing Fibromyalgia is Olivir.
If you want to learn more about what you can do if you have fibromyalgia, get a FREE Consultation with one of our doctors (D.C) here
Sources:
Fibromyalgia is likely the result of autoimmune problems — Science Daily
