Effective treatments for fibromyalgia and auto-immune diseases

Digestion is a complex task performed by the body. It begins in the mouth and finishes when the ingested food leaves the body through the rectum. For all we have learned over the years regarding digestion, there is still so much more we don’t know or are still learning. For example, it wasn’t until recently, the last 10 years or so, that modern medicine confirmed our gastrointestiAccording to WebMd: Fibromyalgia is a lifelong condition that affects about 5 million Americans. People with it have sore, stiff muscles, but nothing odd shows up on X-rays or most lab tests. Doctors diagnose it based on your symptoms and an exam. While fibromyalgia doesn’t damage joints or organs, the constant aches and fatigue can really impact daily life.

The hallmark of fibromyalgia is muscle pain throughout your body. Typically, you’ll also have:

• Fatigue

• Sleep problems

• Anxiety or depression

• Joint pain and numbness or tingling

Approximately 3.4 % of women in the United States suffer from fibromyalgia. Women are much more likely to develop fibromyalgia then are men. Many people who have fibromyalgia also have tension headache, temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disorders, irritable bowel syndrome as well as food sensitivities associated with gut dysbiois.

According to “The Fibro Bible” The causes of fibromyalgia is caused by long term stress, poor diet, and irregular sleep cycles. This creates a combination of gut dysbiosis (poor gut flora balance) improper distribution of gasotransmitters such as nitric oxide, and hormonal imbalances leading to chronic inflammation. It is a very similar etiology as chronic fatigue syndrome, multiple chemical sensitivity, and PTSD.

THE EIGHT MAIN FACTORS OF FIBROMYALGIA

Fibromyalgia is chronic pain caused by eight separate, yet overlapping causes. The predominant factor that causes pain can and does change based on weather patterns, diet, psychological triggering, sleep, and mitochondrial levels. This variability is why fibromyalgia seems so random. For anyone who has been on a fibro forum or talked to a fibro support group, you have heard stories that are terrifying and make the situation seem bleak.

A woman is diligently practicing yoga. She is feeling better by the day and then suddenly, for no apparent reason the pain is back with a vengeance. She was doing everything “right”. She summoned every bit of will power. Why was the yoga suddenly not helping anymore? This lack of understanding is terrifying and leads many to believe that they are cursed or that the situation is hopeless.

A doctor cured several patients with a special diet. It worked exceptionally for some, but not at all for others. Why?

A body worker made one person feel normal again, but caused the next patient to have an extreme spike in pain. Why?

The simple answer is because there are eight different overlapping causes. Seeing them with clarity will allow you to flexibly adapt. It will help you know what to use to help alleviate pain, when to use it, and when to stop. In most cases all of these mechanisms are at work to a varying degree, but one will play a predominant role and alleviating it will allow the others to follow. Finding that first domino creates a metabolic cascade that increases energy, decreases pain, and improves quality of life.

The Light of Context

To really understand fibromyalgia, imagine trying to renovate a dilapidated house. After years of neglect, it has fallen into disrepair. The windows are broken; the basement is flooded and plants are growing up through the moldy floorboards in the living room. Now imagine that someone has told you that uncomfortable homes are caused by moldy carpets. It’s a perfectly reasonable explanation. You tear up the carpet in the living room and replace it. There is less mold, but no one has repaired the windows or the leaky roof. After a while it starts to rain and the carpet is moldy once more. As a result, you forget the mold and hear from a specialist that in order to maintain a comfortable home the thermostat must be working properly. As a result you crank up the heat, but the house is still flooded and the windows are still broken. Repairing this house seems like an impossible task. This is because no one is looking at the big picture. Without context and an order of operations, most of the effort is wasted. As a result, people honestly believe that there is no cure. This is like deciding that a home can’t be functional because you installed a furnace while the windows were still broken. To make improvements that will last, you would first seal the windows and patch up the roof. After this you could drain off the flooded water, repair the electrical system, tear out damaged wood, hire workers, get materials, install new pipes, and finally a heating system. These stages overlap, yet must be addressed in the correct order or else it can lead to relapse. The stages address the following conditions in sequential order.

1. Lymphatic dysregulation and biofilms

2. Gut Dysbiosis

3. Nitric Oxide Dysregulation Associated with Elevated Cortisol

4. Prostaglandin Dysregulation and Platelet Adhesion

5. Mitochondrial Myopathy

6. Venous insufficiency

7. Due to Low DHEA’s /HPA-Thyroid Dysregulation

8. Dysregulation of ACTH and Cortisol Associated with Lumbar Pain and Low Body Temperature

Lotus Spring Acupuncture and Wellness Inc. offers 1 hour comprehensive examination to determine what stages you may be at and addressed accordingly by treatment strategy and therapy to relieve pain, improve sleep and digestion, increase energy level and improve your overall quality of life.

Here is a recent testimonial from a patient:

Lotus Springs Acupuncture and Wellness Inc. specializes in fibromyalgia treatment. The acupuncturist and owner, Dan Clark has a fibromyalgia program that includes herbs, acupuncture treatments and knowledge. This fibromyalgia treatment program has changed my life! I began treatment three months ago with a 10 point daily pain level and poor energy. Today I am pain free most of the time. After 25 years of painful suffering with fibromyalgia I recommend you give Dan and his fibromyalgia treatment program a try. Catherine Kelsey

Call to schedule your one hour examination to see if Lotus Spring Acupuncture can help at 385-498-3914nal tract is our second brain. This discovery is drastically changing the way the body and its many functions are viewed, because everything we put in our mouths can potentially have life-altering effects on the mind, as well as the body.

Digestive disorders are rampant in the United States. Surveys estimate nearly 70 million people in the United States are affected by some sort of digestive disorder. This could be anything from gallstones to acid reflux to pancreatitis. For many, these disorders are extremely debilitating. But for every person dealing with a debilitating digestive disorder, there are thousands more that just assume everything they are experiencing is “normal.”

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is just one of the many ways people can deal with their digestive disorders. TCM is a very old medical system that utilizes many different modalities to treat imbalances in the body. Acupuncture is just one of the modalities that can be used. More and more studies about the effectiveness of acupuncture are being performed every day, many of which hold great promise for those who suffer from digestive issues.

Acupuncture helps with digestion because it treats the person holistically, meaning all parts are considered when treatment is rendered. There is no compartmentalizing as in Western medicine. So, a person being treated by a licensed acupuncturist or TCM practitioner will not only notice changes in their digestive issues, but they may also notice changes in their psyche too. And since the mind and body are closely connected, this can be very beneficial for the patient.

Studies have shown acupuncture can stimulate peristalsis in the intestinal tract. This is very helpful for people who deal with chronic constipation. In as few as one to two treatments, a person suffering from chronic constipation may find relief.

Nausea and vomiting are another frequent problem associated with digestion. Acupuncture and even acupressure are wonderful tools for calming the upset stomach. One acupressure point on the underside of the forearm has been studied extensively just for this function. In most cases, the nausea and vomiting are greatly decreased or stopped altogether.

Bloating is another common problem associated with the digestive tract. This can be caused by eating too much food or improper digestion. Acupuncture treatments help the digestive process of breaking down foods without the excess gas that frequently causes bloating.

Diarrhea isn’t just a problem that occurs when somebody is suffering from the stomach flu. In fact, it is much more common than many people think. Acupuncture treatments can help resolve diarrhea by clearing either excess heat or excess dampness from the digestive tract, while also strengthening it.

If you are curious about how acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine can help you with your digestive issues, ask us! We are happy to guide you along your healing journey.