Recent research hypothesizes that the abnormal pain processing associated with fibromyalgia actually occurs because of a problem with the healing process of fasica (the translucent connective tissue over muscle). 1 The idea behind this research is that fibromyalgia is caused by a dysfunctional healing response of injured fascia, that is characterized by inflammation, HPA dysfunction (Hypothalamus, Pituitary, Adrenal axis), leading to central sensitization (highly sensitized nerves that make every sensation painful).
This is a plausible symptom of fibromyalgia, but the question remains, why isn’t the fascia healing normally? If the answer is inadequate HGH (human growth hormone) production by the pituitary gland (which is mentioned by the author), then the next questions should be, well why isn’t there enough HGH? The questioning should go on and on until you get to a root cause. One thing you will discover as you learn more about fibromyalgia, there are probably 50 different hypotheses for the cause of fibromyagia. I encourage you, when presented with one of these ideas, that you always ask why. In this case, the proposed cause is the abnormal healing of fascia, but shouldn’t we be asking why isn’t the fascia healing normally? Always continually ask why until you are at the root cause, not just another symptom or side effect of a deeper underlying problem. I encourage you to go through this line of questioning, knowing that currently, there is not a completely agreed upon cause of fibromyalgia, but I think it is stress.
Stress in the form of chemical, physical and emotional stressors, that disrupt your body’s normal physiology/function. Once you have come to the conclusion that stress is at the root of your problem (and I firmly believe it is), your plan should be to figure out how to address the stressors in your life, and treat your symptoms without creating more problems as a result of the treatment, as some medications can do.
I’ve got a plan to help you begin tackling this problem, and to help you remove this stress from your life. I use all natural, drug free, neurologically based treatments to help you reduce stress. Here is an overview of the plan, that is not very specific. I designed this plan, and it’s my intellectual property, and part of the value in my care. It is also part of my competitive advantage, so I’m not going to explain it in great detail, but just give you a conceptual overview.
1) REMOVE – Remove all possible chemical, physical and emotional stressors.
2) REPAIR – Repair your body…there is a lot more to this.
3) MAINTAIN – Continue some aspects of the plan to maintain your health.
That’s basically the overview of how my program is designed to help patients with fibromyalgia. This approach is also successful at treating other conditions because it focuses on reducing the cause of so many of our health problems, STRESS.
If you have fibromyalgia our treatment may be able to help you. Dr. Shook is available for complimentary phone consultations to see if you could benefit from our care. If you would like to schedule an appointment or if you have any questions, just give us a call at (828) 324-0800, or email Dr. Shook at drshook@alliancechiropracticcenter.com.
Visit Us On the Web: www.alliancechiropracticcenter.com and www.ncfibroclinic.com
1. Liptan GL. 2010. Fascia: A missing link in our understanding of the pathology of fibromyalgia. J Bodyw Mov Ther. Jan;14(1):3-12.
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