Fibromyalgia, pronounced feye-bro-my-Al-juh, is a collection of symptoms characterized by muscle pain, stiffness and fatigue. It is called a syndrome rather than a disease because there is not specific test that confirms or denies its existence. There is no known cause or cure. Rather, it is a confusing and frustrating collection of symptoms, which come and go and vary in intensity. The chief symptom of Fibromyalgia is widespread pain in the muscles, ligaments and tendons, stiffness, fatigue and non-restorative sleep.
While it is not life threatening, it completely re-defines the patient’s quality of life. Fibromyalgia can be as debilitating as rheumatoid arthritis. The pain is diffuse and widespread. Patients with Fibromyalgia (FMS) report that they ache all over. FMS patients are tired all the time. FMS patients sleep poorly and are stiff when they wake up or sit for extended periods of time. It can be particularly frustrating because the sufferer appears so healthy and normal on the outside and feels so miserable on the inside.
FMS has no known cause and affects 5%-10% of the population. Eight times more women than men are affected by Fibromyalgia and it strikes people of all ages.
Fibromyalgia has been called several names, including fibrositis, myofibrositis or fibromyositis. These are all inaccurate terms. The ‘itis’ at the end of the word indicates an inflammation but there is no inflammatory process in FMS. The suffix, ‘myalgia’ means muscle pain and is the accurate term for this condition. It is sometimes referred to as psychogenic rheumatism.
Traditional treatments aim at improving the quality of sleep and reducing pain. Recent research confirms that a multidisciplinary approach to treating FMS provides the greatest relief from symptoms and the best prognosis. This approach includes improving the quality of sleep, proper nutrition, physical conditioning, deep relaxation (hypnotherapy) and positive mental imagery (hypnotherapy). By combining therapies, the patient can frequently return to a healthier state and a more active lifestyle.
In one study published in the Journal of Rheumatology, 40 Fibromyalgia patients were randomly assigned to treatment with either hypnotherapy or physical therapy for 12 weeks and followed up at 24 weeks. The patients in the hypnotherapy group showed a significantly better outcome with respect to pain reduction, fatigue on awakening, and sleep patterns. In addition the patients treated with hypnotherapy showed a significant improvement in their overall levels of discomfort.
Dr. Bunny Vreeland is a Board Certified Clinical Hypnotherapist and can be reached at 805-984-1237 or www.bunnyvreeland.com
