Fibromyalgia and Energy Medicine

By Melanie Smith, AP, DOM Author of Energy Medicine for Healthy Living™ Resources www.wellwithin.net Free Newsletter and EBook Fibromyalgia Syndrome (FMS) affects an estimated 2 percent of the population. Research shows that up to 90 percent of people with fibromyalgia have turned to complementary and alte ative medicine to manage their symptoms. Acupuncture and other forms of energy medicine, in particular, have become popular treatment choices for fibromyalgia. What is Fibromyalgia? Fibromyalgia is a medically unexplained syndrome characterized by chronic widespread pain, a heightened and painful response to pressure, insomnia, fatigue, and depression. While not all affected persons experience all associated symptoms, the following symptoms commonly occur together: · chronic painrn· debilitating fatiguern· difficulty sleepingrn· anxietyrn· depressionrn· joint stiffnessrn· chronic headachesrn· dryness in mouth, nose, and eyesrn· hypersensitivityrn· inability to concentrate (called "fibro fog" or "brain fog") · incontinencern· irritable bowel syndromern· numbness, tingling or poor circulation in the hands and feetrn· painful menstrual crampsrn· restless legs syndrome Fibromyalgia is diagnosed when there is a history of widespread pain in all four quadrants of the body for a minimum duration of three months and pain when pressure is applied to at least 11 of 18 designated tender points on the body. On its own, fibromyalgia does not result in any physical damage to the body or its tissues and there are no laboratory tests that can confirm this diagnosis. Symptoms often begin after a physical or emotional trauma, but in many cases there appears to be no triggering event. Women are more prone to develop the disorder than are men, and the risk of fibromyalgia increases with age. An Oriental Medicine Perspective The Oriental medicine theory of pain is expressed in this famous Chinese saying: "Bu tong ze tong, tong ze bu tong" which means "free flow: no pain, no free flow: pain." Pain is seen as a disruption of the flow of Qi within the body. The disruption of Qi that results in fibromyalgia is usually associated with disharmonies of the Liver, Spleen, Kidney and Heart Systems. The Acupuncture and Energy Medicine Treatment Oriental Medicine does not recognize fibromyalgia as one particular disease pattern. Instead, it aims to treat the specific symptoms that are unique to each individual relevant to their constitution, emotional state, intensity and location of their pain, digestive health, sleeping patterns and an array of other signs and symptoms. Therefore, if 10 people are treated with Oriental medicine for fibromyalgia, each of these 10 people will receive a unique, customized treatment with different acupuncture points, different nutritional supplements and different lifestyle and dietary recommendations. Because symptoms of fibromyalgia vary greatly from one person to another, a wide array of traditional and alte ative treatments have been shown to be the most effective way of treating this difficult syndrome. A treatment program may include a combination of acupuncture, energy medicine techniques, energy psychology techniques (Clearing and Manifesting Energies™, Advanced Clearing and Manifesting Energies™), energy medicine exercises, nutritional supplements and bodywork. If you have fibromyalgia, integrative energy medicine may be what you've been looking for to ease your symptoms and reclaim your health and vitality. Please call 727-522-6515 for a consultation today. Energy Medicine Quick Tips for Fibromyalgia 1. Do the Daily Energy Medicine Routine. If you are new to Energy Medicine, download our free eBook to get started. 2. Homolateral Crossover Re-Patte ing - with Fibromyalgia the body's energies are not properly crossing over from the left and right sides of the brain. An easy way to begin to shift this pattern is to take your index finger and beginning between your eyebrows, trace a large Figure 8 around your eyes several times and then repeat in the opposite direction. The more times a day you do this exercise, the faster this pattern will change. (For the full exercise and more information, see page 19 of our free eBook) 3. Balancing Triple Warmer and Spleen Meridians - while there are many ways to do this holding the Triple Warmer Acupressure Sedating points and the Spleen Strengthening points are the most beneficial. Triple Warmer Sedating Points -- hold First Pair (TW10 and ST36) for 3-minutes on each side of your body and then hold Second Pair (TW 2 and UB 66) for 1.5 minutes on each side of your body. Spleen Strengthening Points -- hold First Pair (SP2 and HT8) for 3-minutes on each side of your body and then hold Second Pair (SP1 and LV1) for 1.5 minutes on each side of your body. For more information on Acupressure Strengthening and Sedating Points, Click www.wellwithin.net