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It has been speculated that fibromyalgia is an autoimmune disease although it has not yet been confirmed as such. Many people who have autoimmune conditions have symptoms of fibromyalgia – tender points on the body, extreme fatigue, inability to sleep, and gastrointestinal symptoms to name a few. Fibromyalgia is often the diagnosis when patients present with symptoms and no other physical cause can be identified.
Reflexology and/or massage performed on a regular basis can help relieve fibromyalgia symptoms by improving circulation to reduce pain intensity, releasing toxins to decrease inflammation, releasing muscle tension and re-establishing energy flow in the body. Dietary modifications may also be helpful.A preliminary study at the Center for Integrative Medicine at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia, PA “suggests that people with fibromyalgia may experience reduction in their symptoms if they eliminate one or more foods from their diet.” Results were presented in October 2001 at the annual meeting of the American College of Nutrition in Orlando, FL. In the study, 17 patients diagnosed with fibromyalgia eliminated corn, wheat, dairy, citrus, soy and nuts from their diets for a minimum of two weeks. Almost half of the test subjects reported reduced gastrointestinal symptoms like bloating and heartburn as well as headache, fatigue and respiratory difficulties. Upon reintroduction of foods one at a time every 2-3 days, many of their symptoms returned. The most problematic foods were corn, wheat, dairy, citrus and sugar.
The article referenced is from celiac.com and is titled, “Elimination Diet May Ease Fibromyalgia.”Emily Luttrell
I see here that fibromyalgia symptoms can be seen along side of symptoms associated with celiac disease. What about rheumatoid arthritis and MS? I like the work you cited Emily, I think it’s important to base our beliefs with solid research.
Rheumatoid arthritis is referred to as an autoimmume disease according to a July 2013 article from Mayo Clinic, and another from celiac.com states that it is “often considered to be an autoimmune disease,” but that “no disease is just internally generated and must involve outside contributions.”
According to an article from MedlinePlus, multiple sclerosis “may be an autoimmune disease.” Another article from the National Multiple Sclerosis Society states that MS “involves an immune-mediated process” because it is unclear which exact target the immune cells will attack.
Dietary modifications may affect both conditions. Articles from celiac.com titled “Studies Show High Instance of Rheumatoid Arthritis and Osteoporosis in Patients with Celiac Disease” and “Arthritis and Celiac Disease” state that “…joint disease was much less common in those patients who were following a gluten-free diet,” “…63% of patients with celiac disease show axial joint inflammation,” and a study showed that “33 of 45 patients with RA improved significantly on a hypoallergenic diet.”
From celiac.com, articles titled “Multiple Sclerosis and Celiac Disease” and “Higher Rates of Celiac Disease in People with Multiple Sclerosis,” there are “dietary and food allergy links to MS,” and “people with MS and their first-generation relatives have higher rates of celiac disease than the general population.”
Massage and reflexology may benefit these patients by providing relaxation, helping to move toxins out of the body, and allowing energy to move more easily through the affected muscles and joints.
The book LIVE RIGHT FOR YOUR TYPE by Dr. Peter J. D’Adamo indicates that following the blood type diet may provide significant improvement in arthritis, chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia as well as many other inflammatory conditions.
That’s an interesting point. I’ve seen it classified as a disease in it’s broadest terms though I think that classification is part of the debate that health care providers find themselves having. Not having clear a diagnostic path to pinpoint causes of the long list of common symptoms is also a conundrum our patients experience. We do know if a client has seen that 729.1 diagnosis on their chart, they’re in for a rocky and most likely, expensive, road and need help managing their symptoms. That’s where WE come in!
Is it more common to say that fibromyalgia is misdiagnosed or prematurely diagnosed? I am curious as to how many medical practitioners reliably arrive at such a broad diagnosis. Depending upon the localized severity of the pain, massage therapy seems ripe for assisting not only with the physiological issue but also the psychological component as well.
Not to lessen the impact of any individual’s diagnosis, reading through some of these online articles basically seems like a description for the results of daily activity. It would seem other than being on a restrictive diet, as Emily mentioned, or restricted activity with gradual reintegration, there’s no clear way to examine. However, it does seem clear that a body with fibromyalgia is being compromised somehow, whether it’s a state of unrest or otherwise.
Is fibromyalgia associated with neuropathy?
Also, I can attest that 729.1 is a “yellow flag” code for most insurances. I wonder how this will be handled once ICD-10 has been implemented…
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