FIBROMYALGIA and Chinese Medicine

Fibromyalgia can affect your bones and muscles causing anything between tenderness and severe pain. It usually appears bilaterally (on both sides of your body) and is often accompanied by fatigue, varying levels of insomnia and can, quite understandably, affect your mood severely. Its origins are still not completely understood, but it is assumed that somehow the pathways of the pain signals of the nerves to the brain are affected. It can be a very frustrating syndrome, because strong pain exists for seemingly no reason whatsoever.

In Chinese Medicine, pain is always stagnation. Depending on the type of pain (sharp, almost knife-like or dull) different types stagnation are being differentiated and treated accordingly. Severe stagnation usually reacts nicely to electroacupuncture as it strongly moves Qi (Energy) and Blood in the area.

A quick look at the other symptoms such as fatigue, loss of sleep, and emotional imbalances suggest that there might also be a Qi or Blood deficiency somewhere. This is best addressed with some Chinese medicine herbal formulae. The exact mix of stagnation and deficiencies and therefore the exact treatment plan depends on each individual presentation.