Are Herbs And Supplements For Fibromyalgia Safe And Effective
Herbs and supplements as fibromyalgia treatments may not work for everyone. If you decide to try an herb or supplement as a fibromyalgia treatment, be sure to talk with your doctor first to make sure itâs safe for you.
Even though they’re often labeled as “natural” products, herbs and supplements can have serious side effects and interact with other drugs you take. Unlike drugs, herbs and supplements donât have to have FDA approval for effectiveness before they can be sold.
Some preliminary studies indicate that some medicinal herbs and natural supplements may help treat symptoms of fibromyalgia. Other studies of herbs and natural supplements, though, are less positive. If you want to take a natural approach to treating fibromyalgia, it’s important to learn as much as you can about the therapies you consider. The herbs and natural supplements described in this article are just some of the complementary health approaches that may have an impact on fibromyalgia.
Begin By Ruling Out Underlying Diseases & System Dysregulation
A thorough evaluation is critical at the outset to rule out underlying diseases and system dysregulation. This includes a comprehensive physical exam as well as laboratory evaluation. If you have low iron due to anemia, then neither your liver detoxification nor you brain cells will be operating optimally. If your thyroid is under functioning, as in Hypothyroidism, then your whole body will be in a kind of active hibernation state where energy production and utilization will be lowered.
This evaluation typically begins with your primary care provider but depending on the exam and laboratory findings, you may require a specialist evaluation as well. The symptom checklist from Part I is a helpful resource to categorize your complaints and begin your multimodal system analysis. Below is an example of a laboratory evaluation for CF/FMS but this listing in no way replaces seeing your primary health care provider for your own personal evaluation.
- Complete Blood Count
The ultimate goal is to address the underlying root causes and let your body reboot itself.
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How Many Vitamins For Tiredness And Fatigue Should You Take A Day
The number of vitamins for tiredness and fatigue you should take a day is sadly not a one answer question. This will vary from one vitamin to another and also factors in that the bodys need for each of the individual vitamins and minerals is massively various. While women require 18mg of iron a day and men require 8mg, the adult body only needs about 1.5 micrograms of vitamin B12 a day.
For reference, if we look closer at a few of the vitamins on this list and their recommended dosages from their available Holland & Barrett offerings, you can see how they differ.
Their Vitamin B12 tablets are advised to be taken at a dose of one to two tablets a day, preferably with meals and emphasises that the dose should not be exceeded.
The Vitamin C Timed Release caplets suggests taking a dosage of between one and four capsules a day with the same guidance in conjunction with meals. This mirrors the instructions provided for Holland & Barrett Biotin tablets, also.
The brands Active Iron capsules should only be taken at a dosage of one a day with no specific timing of consumption recommended.
Additionally, always be careful to read the ingredients list to ensure that youre familiar with what youre increasing your intake of.
How Is Fibromyalgia Treated
There is no cure for fibromyalgia, but there are as many therapies as there are symptoms. Healthcare professionals may prescribe a series of therapies at once. They may include pharmacological drugs, alternative therapies or lifestyle changes, mental and physical healthcare specialists and natural supplements. Always consult your healthcare provider for diagnoses, accurate medical information and permission before embarking on any kind of therapy on your own.
Pharmacological Medication
Fibromyalgia patients are prescribed over-the-counter drugs such as aspirin, ibuprofen, acetaminophen and naproxen for mild pain. For severe pain, it may be oxycodone, fentanyl, codeine or medicines used to treat other ailments such as the anti-depression drug duloxetine or the anti-epileptic drug pregabalin , , , .There has also been a recent rise in the use of narcotics such as opioids for pain-relief, but research results are inconclusive .
Lifestyle Changes
Alternative therapies or lifestyle changes include exercise, meditation, yoga, reiki, tai chi and similar disciplines, massage, chiropractic therapy, physical therapy, acupuncture, cognitive -behavioral therapy, sleep programs, and dietary changes , .
- Exercises such as water aerobics, walking and biking may strengthen the muscles and build endurance over time .
- Meditation, yoga and massage may reduce stress and help patients relax , , .
- Restful sleep may also be improved with a healthy diet , .
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Mistake #5 Taking Individual Nutrients One At A Time To See Which One Has An Effect
Taking supplements one at a time to determine which ones work is often recommended, but Dr. Craig thinks differently. For one, taking single nutrients i.e. pills that contain only one nutrient can lead to a lot of pill taking, which is an expensive and rather complicated task. Dr. Craig reported she was taking 30-40 pills a day at one time.
Since ME/CFS is far too complex a disorder for one nutrient to have a major effect anyway, Dr. Craig recommends taking nutrients found in formulations that can provide synergistic effects. She pointed to an immune formulation called Immunitone that contains four different kinds of mushrooms and seven different herbs. You can either take tyrosine to support your adrenal glands or you can take an adrenal support supplement such as Adrenal Stress-End that contains all the adrenal support factors .
Finally Dr. Craig noted that the supplements found on the online dispensary on her website fit the parameters for quality, synergism, and effectiveness outlined in this talk.
- Part II of Supplements and ME/CFS and FM: Ive avoided supplements for years. In the second blog I explain why, lay out my criteria for engaging in a full-bore supplement program, and explore using supplements to combat ME/CFS further with Dr. Craig.
______________________________
Dr. Courtney Craig used traditional and integrative therapies to recover from ME/CFS
Five Supplement Mistakes You Don’t Want To Make With Fibromyalgia Or Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
by Cort Johnson | Sep 28, 2014 | Homepage |
Over the past fifteen years Ive spent thousands of dollars on supplements, most of which had absolutely no effect on my symptoms. Dr. Courtney Craig Youtube video
To take or not take supplements is a big question in disorders like Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Fibromyalgia where the list of FDA approved drugs is short and not particularly impressive.
Hope springs eternal with supplements. Better than hope, though, is a good guide.
Where there are no drugs, though, there are always supplements each purporting to be helpful each suggesting it might provide the critical nutrient you need to turn your health around. Hope springs eternal with supplements and maybe it should. The supplement field encompassing herbs, vitamins, minerals, neutraceuticals, probiotics, medical foods, etc. is enormous. With thousands of combinations available and new possibilities coming out regularly, supplements can potentially make a major impact on our health.
The very size of the field, though, makes the challenge of picking the right supplements and using them correctly a daunting one. Its an area you can very quickly dump a lot of money into without results.
In this first part of a two-part blog we check out some of the supplement mistakes we all may have made in Dr. Courtney Craigs video, The Top Five Supplement Mistakes and How to Avoid Them.
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Basics Of Creating The Best Diet For Fibromyalgia
Creating the best diet for fibromyalgia means focusing on nutrition. The right foods will help you reduce your symptoms, instead of causing them to worsen.
It might take a little bit of time, but youll figure out what foods help and which ones to avoid!
These diet tips will help you identify fibromyalgia-friendly foods at your local market. Once youve put together a list of foods that work for you, your shopping trips will become much easier!
Natural Ways To Reduce Fibromyalgia Pain
Although nutritional deficiencies are common in fibromyalgia, conventional physicians routinely overlook them and generally prescribe various medications. However, no drug can correct a nutritional deficiency. Following are some of the most important nutritional supplements for people with fibromyalgia.
Vitamin D
Relatively few studies have tested the effects of high-dose vitamin D supplements on fibromyalgia patients, and most of the benefits of the supplements have been found in clinical practice however, a 2009 study published in Endocrinology Practice did find that vitamin D supplements reduced fibromyalgia symptoms.14 Researchers tested the effects of vitamin D supplements against placebos on 610 patients. People receiving vitamin D for eight weeks benefited from a significant improvement in symptoms, based on a fibromyalgia assessment questionnaire.
Glutathione Precursors
Acetyl-L-Carnitine
Acetyl-L-carnitine, a form of the amino acid L-carnitine, may be of particular benefit to people with fibromyalgia. Researchers at the University of Verona, Italy, gave fibromyalgia patients a combination of 1,000 to 1,500 mg of oral acetyl-L-carnitine daily, plus a single 500 mg injection of it over ten weeks. Patients receiving acetyl-L-carnitine had significant reductions in pain, compared with patients receiving placebos.17 Acetyl-L-carnitine and other forms of this nutrient play essential roles in normal mitochondrial function.
Coenzyme Q10
SAMe
B-Complex Vitamins
Omega-3s
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Nutritional Medicine Treatment For Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
For the nutrition medicine practitioner treating chronic fatigue syndrome , there are several points of special note. Symptoms of bowel disturbance are extremely common and appear to be related to bowel dysbiosis and maldigestion. A person with CFS is likely to have atopic diathesis, which means a tendency to get hayfever, allergic rhinitis, bronchial asthma, or atopic dermatitis. Multiple food or chemical sensitivity reactions are common and exacerbate CFS symptoms and bowel disturbance.
University of Maryland Medical Center
The goals of nutritional medicine treatment of chronic fatigue are to treat underlying pathogens and improve energy levels.
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Turmeric For Fibromyalgia Pain
Although turmeric has not been investigated specifically for reducing pain in fibromyalgia, it has powerful anti-inflammatory, analgesic effects. Turmeric suppresses the production of inflammatory chemicals, including TNF-alpha, which is the same molecule targeted by new TNF antibody drugs used to treat severe inflammatory diseases, including inflammatory bowel disease and psoriasis.
Turmeric/curcumin extracts have been shown to halve the level of joint pain in people with ostearthritis, at a dose of 1000mg curcumin per day. If nothing else has helped your pain and tenderness, turmeric is well worth trying. Some supplements combine curcumin with black pepper extracts to boost absorption, while others formulate turmeric in liquid micelles.
See the best turmeric products at Healthspan.co.uk, Boots, or .
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Cannabidiol For Fibromyalgia Pain
Cannabidiol is an active ingredient extracted from the flowers, leaves and stems of industrial hemp plants. These plants are specially selected to ensure high levels of CBD but low levels of the psychoactive substance, THC found in marijuana. CBD is mixed with olive oil, coconut oil or hemp seed oil to maximise its absorption.
Cannabidiol or CBD oil has direct effects on the brain to reduce pain perception, relieve anxiety, lift mood and promote refreshing REM sleep. It works by enhancing the effects of other brain chemicals, such as serotonin, and through effects on the brains own endocannabinoid systems. CBD does not produce a high and is not addictive.
CBD oil is antioxidant and has anti-inflammatory effects to improve pain and stiffness. It also has a direct analgesic effects on pain perception in the brain, is relaxing and promotes feelings of well-being. CBD oil also improves sleep quality by promoting deep and refreshing REM dream sleep.
See the best CBD oil products at Healthspan.co.uk , or .
Nutritional Solutions For Fibromyalgia
Fibromyalgia, which affects an estimated 10 million Americans, with 75 to 90 percent being women, commonly frustrates patients and physicians alike. Fibromyalgia can be difficult to diagnose and often hard to distinguish from Chronic Fatigue Syndrome , in part because both illnesses share many common symptomsand a few people will have both illnesses. The distinguishing symptom of fibromyalgia, however, is overwhelming musculoskeletal pain rather than fatigue.
A person with fibromyalgia will often say she has pain all over her body, and that any type of touchlight or firmexacerbates the pain. Other common symptoms include joint stiffness, dry eyes and skin, brain fog, moodiness, depression, and anxiety. Fibromyalgia is also associated with sleep problems, irritable bowel syndrome, headaches, facial pain, and sensitivity to odors and noises.
Although the causes of fibromyalgia are not entirely clear, research has identified some important contributing factors.
Low Vitamin D Levels
Low Glutathione Levels
Low Magnesium Levels
Low magnesium levels might contribute to fibromyalgiaone study found that 45 percent of fibromyalgia patients were deficient in magnesium.9 10 Low magnesium levels can cause muscles to spasm and shorten, a major cause of fibromyalgia pain.11 And some research has also linked low levels of vitamin B1 to low magnesiumboth magnesium and vitamin B1 play numerous roles in the body, including the critical role of producing energy in the muscles.
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Curcumin For Muscle Pain And Fibromyalgia
Is curcumin good for fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome? The answer appears to be, yes, and with almost no side effects at lower dosages. Studies have shown significant evidence that curcumin can reduce both oxidative stress and chronic inflammation associated with these disorders and widespread musculoskeletal pain.
Curcumins properties may help with muscle pain, growth, and recovery following exercise-induced muscle damage. If youre looking for a natural way to control symptoms related to fibromyalgia while maintaining an active lifestyle, talk to a certified medical professional and ask if a curcumin supplement can improve your situation.
Fibromyalgia is a chronic condition characterized by a combination of widespread pain in the muscles, tendons, ligaments, fatigue, and multiple tender points on the body. Tender points are specific areas that are painful or tender when pressure is applied, particularly in the neck, shoulders, upper back, upper chest, elbows, low back, hips, and thighs.
The cause of fibromyalgia is unclear, but its believed to be related to dysfunction of the nervous system.
People with fibromyalgia may also experience other symptoms and conditions, such as unrefreshing sleep, irritable bowel syndrome, headaches, TMJ disorders, anxiety, depression, restless legs syndrome, numbness or tingling in the hands and feet, poor concentration, painful menstrual periods, and heightened sensitivity to odors, noises, bright lights and touch.
Natural Treatments For Fibromyalgia
Since there is no magic pill that can cure fibromyalgia symptoms, according to Mark J. Pellegrino, MD of Ohio Pain and Rehabilitation Specialists, A balanced approach is important.
A healthy diet, lifestyle changes and nutritional supplements are all part of the equation for fighting the symptoms of fibromyalgia.
Here are todays best supplements for battling fibromyalgia:
Acetyl L-carnitine: A small randomized trial tested acetyl L-carnitine and prescription duloxetine in 65 women with fibromyalgia. While both led to a general clinical improvement, the study found that the acetyl L-carnitine may improve depression, pain and the overall quality of life in fibromyalgia patients.
Magnesium : As mentioned above, magnesium deficiencyis often linked to fibromyalgia. Increasing magnesium can help to reduce pain and tenderness. In addition, it helps to increase energy and reduce both anxiety and depression.
Fish Oil: Fish oil supplements replace omega-6 fatty acids in the brain with healthy omega-3s. Fish oil is one of natures richest sources of omega-3 fatty acids and can help relieve anxiety, depression and improve brain function.
Turmeric & Black Pepper Combo : As mentioned above, its important to take it with black pepper. Fortunately, there are high-quality combination supplements available. A study recently published in Clinical Nutrition found supplements containing curcuminoids and piperine significantly improves inflammation and oxidative status.
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Lifestyle Changes For Fibromyalgia
The potential for lifestyle changes to help fibromyalgia symptoms cannot be glossed over. Nonmedical intervention is necessary to relieve symptoms, including a healthy fibromyalgia diet and supplements. Chiropractic care, reducing stress, regular exercise, acupuncture and massage therapy can all be helpful.
Regular Moderate Exercise: For many people in the midst of a fibromyalgia flare, the last thing that sounds appealing is exercise. That is understandable considering the pain and exhaustion. However, regular moderate exercise that includes walking, swimming, biking, yoga and Pilates can help relieve stress and pain.
A study published in the Archives of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation found a strong relationship between physical fitness and fibromyalgia. Higher physical fitness levels are consistently associated with less severe symptoms in women.
Yoga: An eight-week study considering the benefits of yoga in pain relief found that 75-minute yoga sessions, twice per week, reduces pain. In addition, it altered total cortisol levels in women with fibromyalgia and increased mindfulness.
Acupuncture: For over 2,500 years, acupuncture has been used to relieve pain, increase relaxation and so much more. A small study has found that acupuncture is a proven, safe and effective treatment for the immediate reduction of pain in patients with fibromyalgia.
Clearing the body of toxins helps to stimulate healing and can relieve many of the symptoms associated with fibromyalgia.
