It is becoming more and more common to hear stories in the news or to hear of a friend who has been diagnosed with fibromyalgia. But what exactly is fibromyalgia? Fibromyalgia is a syndrome characterized by chronic, widespread pain, painful sensitivity to pressure, and extreme, debilitating fatigue.
People with fibromyalgia may also experience insomnia, depression or anxiety, an inability to concentrate or to retrieve known information, chronic headaches, irritable bowel syndrome, numbness or tingling in the extremities, restless leg syndrome, or poor circulation.
Delray Acupuncture and Fibromyalgia – Learn more about Delray Beach Acupuncture from Dr. Tony Willcox at Acupuncture Zen by calling 561-274-4447 or contact us online. We are waiting to help you heal.
The individual has to have experienced widespread pain in all four quadrants of the body for at least three months. Specific points, called trigger points, are also assessed for tenderness using pressure. While it is not believed that fibromyalgia causes physical damage to the body, its cause is currently unknown and there are no laboratory tests that can be useful in diagnosis.
Approximately 2% of the US population suffers from the pain and fatigue of fibromyalgia that is medically unexplained by the modern Western medical community. Given the complex and widely varied symptoms of individuals with fibromyalgia, most Western doctors treat the symptoms using prescription medicine and a trial and error approach, hoping to find something that will be effective. Many individuals with fibromyalgia are frustrated by this approach and instead turn to alternative treatments such as acupuncture.
In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), fibromyalgia is not seen as a single disease. Instead, each individual is treated as a unique individual, receiving treatment for his or her own specific symptoms. There is a myriad of signs and symptoms a practitioner of acupuncture uses to determine the precise treatments that will best treat each particular person. Even though several people may be receiving treatment for the disorder Western medicine calls fibromyalgia, every single person will have a treatment that is different and distinctive for the special aspects of their body.
Traditional Chinese medicine teaches that a person’s energy, or qi, travels through paths in the body called meridians. If these paths are disrupted or blocked, pain or other health issues are created. Acupuncture seeks to restore the proper flow of qi in these paths in order to reduce pain and to improve the general health and working of the body. The tiny, thin needles are inserted at specific points along the meridians to balance the flow of the qi.
While many people think acupuncture would be painful, especially for someone suffering from the increased sensitivity to pain that characterizes fibromyalgia, most people who have acupuncture treatments report little to no sensation when the needles are inserted.
Many patients with fibromyalgia report that regular acupuncture treatments help with pain management and with alleviating the fatigue from which they suffer. Additionally, the natural stress relief granted by acupuncture helps many individuals combat any difficulties presented by the depression or anxiety that often occurs alongside fibromyalgia.
The scientific research also shows that acupuncture is an effective treatment for fibromyalgia. A study conducted in 2006 by the Mayo Clinic found that acupuncture was effective in reducing the symptoms of fibromyalgia, especially depression, anxiety, and fatigue. In the study, the acupuncture treatments were well tolerated by the fibromyalgia patients and had far fewer side effects than treatments using prescription medicine.
Are you interested in finding a different approach to treating your fibromyalgia? Then contact Dr. Tony Willcox at Acupuncture Zen in Delray, Florida, who can work with you to create a unique treatment plan to address your specific health needs.
Set an appointment to get Delray Beach Acupuncture from Dr. Tony Willcox at the office of Acupuncture Zen. Call 561-274-4447 or contact us online.