NCCAM on Fibromyalgia

People with chronic health conditions have begun to seek treatment not with traditional medications, but rather with complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) techniques. Those patients with fibromyalgia, for example, increasingly use CAM for pain relief.

According to the Mayo Clinic, CAM techniques such as meditation and yoga have been in practice for thousands of years. Since that time, advocates have heralded the purported benefits. For people with fibromyalgia, CAM appears to offer a promising direction. Some experts, however, caution against optimism until the science is considered.

What is CAM?

CAM is loosely defined by the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) as those health care practices and products not generally provided by conventional medicine. The differences between both therapies, however, are not always discernible, largely because CAM continues to join mainstream practices. In addition, CAM is a fluid therapy in which adjustments and developments are continuously made.

CAM is intended to be used with conventional medicine, so that the practices are not exclusive of each other but instead are paired in balance. In turn, patients may be provided with an all-encompassing approach to curing illness and disease. CAM providers encourage people to tell their physicians about any alternative therapies they receive. This can ultimately create a care plan that works on the whole body, not just the area of complaint.

The Facts of Fibromyalgia

The NCCAM describes fibromyalgia as “a disorder that causes muscle pain and fatigue.” Patients with this condition often have pain throughout their bodies, with “tender points” on the neck, shoulders, back, hips, arms and legs. Said points can hurt anytime slight pressure is applied, making it difficult to lie or sit comfortably in some instances. The Mayo Clinic explains that frequent exhaustion is another ailment associated with fibromyalgia.

Additional symptoms of this condition may include:

• Trouble sleeping
• Morning stiffness
• Headaches
• Difficulty with thinking and memory (sometimes called “fibro fog”)
• Irritable bowel syndrome

According to the NCCAM, women who suffer from fibromyalgia may have painful menstrual periods as well as endometriosis. Additional conditions often associated with the disorder include chronic fatigue syndrome, depression, lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, post-traumatic stress disorder and osteoarthritis. The nature of fibromyalgia often makes it difficult for patients to receive deep, restorative sleep. Thus, restless leg syndrome and sleep apnea, both of which are sleep disorders, also have links with the condition.

The Mayo Clinic states that fibromyalgia occurs in around 2 percent of the American population. Exact causes are largely unknown, although health experts speculate problems with the nervous system may be involved.

Women are more likely to develop fibromyalgia than are men, and most people are diagnosed during middle age.

Anyone can suffer from the disorder, however, with symptoms occasionally appearing after a physical or emotional trauma. In some cases, no trigger is involved.

Sources:

http://nccam.nih.gov/health/whatiscam/

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/fibromyalgia/DS00079/DSECTION=symptoms

http://www.complemed.co.uk/fibromyalgia/fibromyalgiatreatment.htm

http://nccam.nih.gov/health/pain/fibromyalgia.htm

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