Fibromyalgia
Fibromyalgia is a chronic pain syndrome that affects up to 4% of the population. It’s no secret, that because of it’s poorly understood pathophysiology it can be extremely challenging to treat successfully in Western medicine. Many therapies seem elusive and medications are limited in efficacy.
With fibromyalgia, the main symptom patients experience is generalized pain and tenderness throughout body. Patients also report fatigue, trouble sleeping, brain fogginess called “fibro fog” and anxiety.
Research Studies in Acupuncture and Fibromyalgia
Many researchers believe that the cause of fibromyalgia is repeated nerve stimulation that causes the brain and spinal cord to change, that change leads to an increase in certain chemicals in the brain that signal pain.
An increasing number of research studies support the use of acupuncture to treat fibromyalgia. In one study, researchers confirmed that the analgesic properties of acupuncture indeed had an impact on Neuropeptide Y (NPY), the neurotransmitter responsible for pain modulation. In another study at the Mayo Clinic, 50 patients found significant improvements with the most improvements around fatigue and anxiety. One of the most hopeful and impressive studies was an 8 week trial with 96 fibromyalgia patients who were unresponsive to medications. 85.4% of patients improved with Acupuncture in pain and neuropathic symptoms.
Fibromyalgia Through a Chinese Medicine Lens
In Chinese medicine, we don’t use labels like fibromyalgia or chronic fatigue syndrome or IBS, but rather we gather information, then paint our own picture of what is out of balance and causing the set of symptoms that the patient is experiencing. In fibromyalgia, one organ that we look to is the Spleen. The Spleen in Western medicine controls white blood cells for immunity, filters blood and stores red blood cells and platelets.
The Spleen in Chinese medicine is a little different and is responsible for:
✓ Digestion: The Spleen is responsible for the intake, processing and distribution of nutrients from food, a strong Spleen is imperative to transform and transport this out to the rest of the body. If there is a weak Spleen, a patient might have fatigue, foggy headedness, diarrhea, loose stools or irritable bowel syndrome.
✓ Blood production: The Spleen is considered the source of blood production and nourishes all the muscles throughout the body. It also “holds the blood up” in the body to deter prolapse, whether of organs, varicose veins or excessive bruising.
✓ Water metabolism: The Spleen is in charge of all things water. This ‘mist’ is transported up to the lungs and excessive water and metabolic waste is transported down to the Kidneys for excretion.
✓ Worry: All organ systems in the body rule an emotion. The Spleen is Worry and Overthinking.
With this in mind, if the Spleen is weak and not able to feed the body, fatigue will occur. Over time, with a weak Spleen and Qi (Energy) not being able to move the blood, the muscles will stop being fed which will create inflammation, pain and tenderness. As the Spleen is continuing to weaken, the worry and stress associated with the issue will continue to impact the Spleen and the Liver, which will create anxiety, worry and insomnia.
With fibromyalgia, there are likely other imbalances happening in the body at the same time, but the Spleen is definitely a commonly impacted organ.
With the treatment of fibromyalgia, our goal in Chinese medicine is to use Acupuncture, Chinese herbal medicine and lifestyle strategies to strengthen the Spleen, relax the Liver, build resources in the Qi (Energy) and blood, decrease inflammation and regulate neurotransmitters in the brain for pain modulation and also the sleep/wake cycle. With this, patient’s have a decrease in pain and an increase in energy and vitality. And also patient’s start sleeping deeper, so the body has a chance to recover and the mind can relax.
If you have questions about the work we do with Fibromyalgia, please don’t hesitate to reach out.
