Fibromyalgia: Reduce Pain, Increase Energy, Without Drugs!

Taking a Few Simple Steps Can Improve Your Quality of Life Without Taking Dangerous Prescriptions

Fibromyalgia, a disorder characterized by intense, unrelenting body pain and crushing fatigue, affects an estimated one in five people worldwide. Nine times more women than men are diagnosed with Fibromyalgia. Not only do Fibromyalgia sufferers contend with pain and fatigue, other symptoms can include muscle weakness, hypersensitivity to light touch (called allodynia), "pins and needles" sensations, cognitive difficulties commonly called "fibro fog", and sleep disturbances. This is truly a diagnosis which affects every part of daily life.

Currently, the cause of Fibromyalgia is unknown. Some scientists theorize that sufferers are genetically predisposed to the disorder, while others think the symptoms may be due to stress, an undiscovered virus, or abnormal activity in the patient's own immune system. Fibromyalgia is not contagious but can run in families. There is no known cure for this condition.

However, Fibromyalgia sufferers should not give up hope. Studies are ongoing, and there are ways to reduce the sometimes disabling symptoms of this disorder. Some simple lifestyle changes can provide great relief. I personally have Fibromyalgia, and I am happy to share some of the things I've found through my years of research that have helped to defuse the pain and fatigue of this condition in hopes that it helps someone else, too.

The first intervention comes from the Mayo Clinic's online information page on Fibromyalgia. It recommends that Fibromyalgia sufferers discontinue all forms of caffeine to increase restful sleep. One wonderful side effect of giving up caffeine is that eliminating caffeine greatly reduces body pain and allodynia! If you drink several cups of coffee or sodas each day, a gradual taper is the best way to reduce and finally eliminate caffeine. Simply replace one caffeine-containing beverage daily with one that does not contain caffeine. This is done to avoid the agonizing "caffeine headaches" which are often triggered by abrupt cessation of caffeine ingestion. Also, remember that coffee and soda are not the only places caffeine is found.