Dr. Michael Brandon, DC
Colts Neck, New Jersey Pain is a part of life, unfortunate but true. However, it doesn’t have to be the focus of one’s life, but in many cases it may take the majority of our attention depending on the cause. One of the most frustrating circumstances for the individual, chiropractors, and medical professionals of all varieties occurs when the cause is unknown or misdiagnosed; welcome to the conversation of fibromyalgia. Fibromyalgia (FM) is a term coined for a condition in which a large portion of our musculoskeletal system is in frequent pain. It commonly comes with many other symptoms as well, such as:
A tricky aspect to FM is its difficulty in diagnosing. There are no blood tests, orthopedic exams, or imaging methods that concludes the diagnosis and has no become a diagnosis of exclusion, meaning that if it appears to be nothing else, it’s fibromyalgia. Though that may not sound like a solid way to note a disease (and it’s not), previous methods involved poking specific areas throughout the body and looking for tenderness. One of the major issues with this is that all those points were either where tendons attach or muscles most commonly get knots or myofascial trigger points, both of which can be tender on the average population. There are many different potential causes to systemic body pain other that can mimic traits of FM such as:
Knowing precisely what is wrong gets difficult when there are seemingly endless different symptoms, and in all reality, there could be multiple underlying health issues simultaneously, which confuses the matter even more. However, there is a known neurological connection between the majority of common symptoms and systemic body pain, and that involves the natural chemical of serotonin. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter, which in many ways is like a hormone for the nervous system. It is one of our endorphins that get released during pleasurable activities such as eating, sex, relaxing, and exercising. When serotonin levels become low or our bodies are unable to process it, we can get any and all of the symptoms listed above. It has also been shown that those with fibromyalgia have lower levels of serotonin, not only compared to the general population, but compared to other chronic pain disorders as well like arthritis. In terms of why having less than ample amounts of this chemical can cause pain, the likely reasoning is that one of the many things it does in our bodies is inhibit a neurological and psychological pain response. There’s another chemical called substance P, which acts on our nervous system to feel pain, and serotonin helps to inhibit this response. So if there is low serotonin, our bodies can’t stop substance P from taking effect and we get “random” and constant pain. So you have a lot of pain, have been depressed, get various muscle cramps, insomnia, and constant gastrointestinal (GI) discomfort, so what would your competent medical professional in Colt’s Neck Nj do for you, and why? Medically speaking, a class of drugs known as SSRI’s (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors) is usually the first line of defense. These stop our bodies from breaking down serotonin, so its stays in our systems longer, which limits the potential for a deficiency. Another common method is taking a serotonin supplement and/or makes specific dietary changes to increase natural serotonin. A Less common approach on the rise at Functionised is neurological retraining and biofeedback. While self treating even through “natural” means and supplementation without advice from your doctor is never a good idea, but there are a few simple things you can do in the interim that may help raise some of your serotonin and other neurotransmitter levels as well as several other health benefits.
If any of this information sounds pertinent to you or loved ones in the Colts Neck area, schedule a muscular and nutritional exam here at functionised.com, or call 848-444-9032. Stay happy, stay healthy, stay Functionised with FIT
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