Tic douloureux isn’t a fancy term referring to food or a place; it’s actually a debilitating condition often characterized by severe facial pain. It’s more commonly known as trigeminal neuralgia. To manage this condition properly, we prepared a quick guide with facts and tips! For a non-invasive and drug-free solution to this problem, our Farmington chiropractor can help you out!
Start achieving holistic and lasting trigeminal neuralgia relief in Farmington today. Call us at 248-780-8864 or click the consultation button.
Fibromyalgia isn't just an illness that affects your body—it can affect your mind as well, sometimes making it difficult to remember things and process information. Some people who have fibromyalgia say they feel like they're living in a fog all the time, even if they're not physically tired or sleepy.
If you have fibromyalgia and are experiencing cognitive problems like these, you're not alone, and we are here to help! This article will talk more about fibro fog and how an upper cervical chiropractor in Farmington can help you!
It's time to start feeling better. Book your appointment today! Fill out our online contact form or call 248 780 8864.
As you can see, fibromyalgia is a serious condition. The symptoms themselves are difficult enough to deal with—let alone the risk of developing associated conditions. We’re going to look at four of the more common ones and then consider a natural way of upper cervical chiropractic in Farmington to find some lasting relief .
Dealing with challenging conditions like fibromyalgia? Don't worry! Premiere Family Wellness is here to help. Learn more about our natural approach to healing by giving us a call at (248) 780-8864 or filling out our contact form.
Fibromyalgia relief in Farmington MI would be much easier to attain if only people knew more about their condition. Having a better understanding of fibromyalgia syndrome will help patients get the care they need. Also, it will help family members and friends of patients to better extend support to people they love.
Fibromyalgia or FM is a chronic pain syndrome that affects the entire body and involves other symptoms such as extreme fatigue, difficulty sleeping, headaches, irritable bowel syndrome, depression, and more. Its symptoms can hit patients suddenly, or they can come due to specific triggers like hormonal changes, stress, and changes in the weather.
More than most people realize, FM can have a substantial impact on a person’s emotions, body, and mental health. Not only does the road to diagnosis can be challenging, but patients may also face plenty of confusing relief alternatives that often just cover up symptoms.
Fibromyalgia tends to be more common in people who maintain a sedentary lifestyle and do not do any type of physical activity. If you have FM, a way to reduce your pain levels is through gentle and regular exercises.
Those who have stayed in the hospital for too long because of a disease or infection mostly develop fibromyalgia.
Dealing with a particularly stressful event like a divorce or death of a family member can both trigger and worsen the pain and symptoms associated with fibromyalgia.
Unfortunate events like a sports injury or car accidents can also trigger the onset of FM.
Some studies recognize the associations between specific genetic factors and FM. This sort of explains why fibromyalgia tends to run in families. Families with a particular gene factor are more prone to develop it.
Post-traumatic stress disorder can occur in people who have dealt with any type of traumatic experience. While PTSD is very common in soldiers returning from the war, PTSD can also affect people who had been sexually abused or had a major car accident. In some cases, these unfortunate events can trigger FM in people.
Although depression, anxiety and other mood disorders may not directly cause FM, they often co-exist with the condition.
Central sensitization is a condition that causes the central nervous system to be always in heightened reactivity. This is said to be the reason why fibromyalgia patients have increased sensitivity to pain.
You are more likely to develop fibromyalgia if you have other disorders such as osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, or lupus.
The brain is the first organ to know when you are in pain. Pain is a natural reaction and acts as a warning that there is something wrong in your body. Nerves carry the signals from the painful area, and it goes through the spinal cord to the brain where the decoding of painful sensation occurs. As your body mends, pain decreases, and it later disappears.
However, fibromyalgia patients experience widespread pain even when they are not ill or do not have any injury. The pain lingers instead of subsiding. Researchers believe that there is a disruption with the way the brain and spinal cord process the pain signals. Rather than responding to the pain appropriately, the nervous system magnifies the pain. As a result, the pain does not go away and stays.
It is very much similar to the “telephone game” where the message received by the last person in the line becomes distorted from the original message. The pain receptors in the brains of those with fibromyalgia have a heightened response to pain. This causes the overreactive to pain signals, leading to persistent and prolonged body pain during a fibromyalgia flare-up.
Fibromyalgia is challenging to care for as it can present differently in every person. Regardless of whether you experience tender points, fibro fog, sleep disorders, or other symptoms of fibromyalgia, there is one method that has helped thousands of fibromyalgia patients attain a long-lasting relief from their condition. It does not involve the stressful chasing of symptoms.
Upper cervical chiropractic care can offer relief for fibromyalgia patients by identifying and working on correcting the root cause of the problem. It often lies in your body's central nervous system and how it manages pain.
The atlas (C1) and axis (C2) are two vertebrae at the very top of your neck. They protect your brainstem. Wear and tear, injury, or accident can cause a misalignment of these vertebrae which can inflame the nerves in this region. The brainstem, being a major worker when it comes to the processing of pain signals in the body, should always be working properly. However, damage to the brainstem due to misalignment can lead to the misinterpretation of pain. An upper cervical misalignment can also restrict the blood circulation and cerebrospinal fluid flow which may contribute to fibromyalgia and other related health conditions.
Upper cervical chiropractic care can resolve these issues and provide customized care for each patient. Once a precise yet gentle adjustment has successfully restored the normal alignment of the vertebrae, the body can start to heal. The brain and body communication will return to normal, reducing the fibromyalgia symptoms. Sometimes, they even disappear altogether.
People seeking fibromyalgia relief in Farmington MI can request an appointment with Premier Family Wellness and Spinal Care in Farmington, Michigan today. Call the hotline at 248-478-6203.
To schedule a consultation with Dr. Perkins, call 248-780-8864 or just click the button below area
If you are outside of the local area you can find an Upper Cervical Doctor near you at www.uppercervicalawareness.com.
Many patients seek fibromyalgia relief in Farmington, MI, but very few seem to know the common fibromyalgia triggers. If you have fibromyalgia, one thing that can help your reduce flare-ups, or predict when a bad day is coming, is identifying your triggers. Let’s dive into the six leading fibromyalgia triggers. While some are inevitable, you can get other symptoms under control by simply doing some lifestyle adjustments. At the end of this post, I will introduce a natural technique that has been helping fibromyalgia patients get long-term relief.
Many people who have fibromyalgia experience persistent pain that does not seem to go away. However, pain levels are not stable, and the pain locations can change. Doctors look at tender points in the body to help them narrow down a possible fibromyalgia diagnosis. One must have pain in at least 11 of the 18 tender points.
If you don’t happen to have severe pain during your diagnostic day, you may not pass the first step toward diagnosis. This makes fibromyalgia a condition that is hard to diagnose.
Life will be easier if you watch out for these common fibromyalgia triggers.
Insomnia is a common symptom of fibromyalgia. This is a tough symptom as it can create a vicious cycle and reduce one’s energy for days. To get sleep better every night, I advise that you stick to a schedule. Firstly, go to bed and wake up at the same time every day. This helps your body maintain a pattern to follow and lets you achieve a deep and restful sleep.
Secondly, set up your room strategically for a good night’s sleep. Turn off the lights and sounds (unless you prefer white noise to sleep) and put away your electronic devises an hour or two before bedtime. Using your smartphone or tablet in bed can keep you up for hours and ruin your sleep.
Stress is bad for your health and any condition you may have. While some stress is avoidable, you can’t magically erase all stressors in your life. The key to good stress management is relieving stress through positive coping mechanisms.
Do not rely on drinking of alcohol or smoking as they can make you feel even worse. Having a conversation with a trusted friend, watching your favorite TV series, reading a book, enjoying a massage, and planning a vacation with a loved one are just few of the ways you can keep stress hormones from getting out of hand and affecting your disorder.
Fibromyalgia patients have sensory sensitivities, particularly those who also suffer from migraines too. Thus, sensory overload can cause a fibromyalgia flare-up. Since strong perfumes or chemicals in cleaners can be a trigger, I suggest switching over to unscented, natural products.
Use some thick rather than sheer curtains for your home and choose lighting that produces less lumens to prevent overstimulation of your senses during your time at home. If you have kids, loud sounds can be challenging to control, but having a conversation with them and explaining your need for quiet time can help to tone down the clamor.
If you’re having a good day, you may try to accomplish everything you missed doing during the past week of being unwell. However, be sure to limit your work and avoid overworking as it can also trigger a flare-up of your condition. To be more productive, it’s best to use your energy wisely and not throw yourself back into another week of idleness due to overworking on your first good day.
While overworking is bad for you, inactivity is also not good. A balance of the two is very important. It’s a bad idea to go completely in the opposite direction and do nothing. Also, exercise can help reduce stress, so stay active in moderation. Weight gain can increase your pain levels and being active can help you shred the extra weight. How do you stay active when you are in pain? Ask your doctor about the best exercise options for your condition. It’s always good to start slow and gradually work your way up to a mild to moderate exercise routine. Stretching is a good form of exercise for beginners.
Weather is a difficult trigger to deal with since it is inevitable and unpredictable. Also, you can’t rely on a long-term weather forecast to be accurate. The best thing to do is to be prepared for when you know a major weather change is coming. Try to stay warm when it’s cold or cool when it’s too hot. Get a dehumidifier at home if humidity bothers you.
Now that you have learned some of the possible fibromyalgia triggers, I’d like to recommend a natural method that can bring relief to your condition – upper cervical chiropractic care. This subspecialty of chiropractic practice helps in keeping the optimal function of the central nervous system (CNS) through gentle and safe adjustments of the atlas, the vertebra at the base of the skull.
An atlas misalignment can affect every critical function that occurs in the CNS and also the blood flow to the brain. If you live with fibromyalgia, schedule a consultation with Premier Family Wellness and Spinal Care in Farmington, Michigan.
You may be a few gentle adjustments away from gaining better control over your fibromyalgia symptoms. This would greatly help people of all ages, particularly those with a history of head or neck trauma.
To schedule a consultation with Dr. Perkins for your fibromyalgia triggers, call 248-780-8864 or just click the button below area
If you are outside of the local area you can find an Upper Cervical Doctor near you at www.uppercervicalawareness.com.
Fibromyalgia (FM) is a chronic health condition that is notorious for extreme fatigue and widespread pain in the body’s muscles and bones. The exhaustion can be due to the sleep deprivation experienced by people with fibromyalgia. If you’re one of those who has the condition, you can probably relate to the pain and difficulty in obtaining a good night’s sleep every night. To add on the agony, staying awake heightens the pain even more.
Here at Premier Family Wellness and Spinal Care in Farmington, Michigan, our fibromyalgia chiropractor in Farmington knows that a night of restful sleep is the foundation of your healthy waking life. Later we’ll share eight helpful tips to help fibromyalgia sufferers attain a good night’s sleep. Keep reading to understand the basics of fibromyalgia.
Chronic pain throughout the body and extreme fatigue are the hallmark symptoms of FM. Other symptoms associated with it are listed below:
To learn more about the connection between head and neck injuries and fibromyalgia, download our complimentary e-book by clicking the image below.
Sometimes patients may have more than one chronic condition that occurs with FM, such as the following:
While anyone can develop FM, some people are more susceptible to it, such us women, middle-aged adults, and those with a family member who has fibromyalgia. Furthermore, people who have one of these conditions are also more prone to having FM:
Researchers are still studying the exact cause of FM. Some things are believed to trigger or contribute to fibromyalgia:
If you believe you have FM, you may be required to see different doctors and undergo several tests before getting a final diagnosis. Until all other conditions are ruled out, doctors are reluctant to give a fibromyalgia diagnosis. To follow the procedures for diagnosing FM, there are some questions they may ask you:
Your first step towards relief should be finding a doctor who specializes in fibromyalgia and a skilled chiropractic clinic that is able to help you manage your condition. Natural relief options are recommended, such as lifestyle changes and therapy. Over-the-counter or prescription medications may also be added, such as the following:
One of the simplest yet most essential things you can do to care for your fibromyalgia is to get a full night’s sleep as much as possible. Here are some tips to help you develop better sleeping habits:
Another relief option to consider for those with fibromyalgia is maintaining the health of your spine and neck. A misalignment in the bones of the upper neck, particularly in the C1 and C2 vertebrae, is a common occurrence among fibromyalgia sufferers. When this happens, the proper function of the central nervous system is disrupted. The central nervous system is comprised of the spinal cord, brain, and brainstem. A misalignment in this area can put excessive pressure on the brainstem, leading to the sending of flawed pain signals to the brain. This can easily result in the symptoms of fibromyalgia.
We perform a mild, painless technique that helps the bones to realign naturally without using force on the spine to provide Farmington, MI fibromyalgia relief . We will move your bones into their original place, to restore the correct communication between your brain and brainstem. Many fibromyalgia patients who have received our care have noticed a decrease in their fibromyalgia symptoms and an improvement in their overall quality of life.
To schedule a consultation with Dr. Perkins call 248-780-8864 or just click the button below area
if you are outside of the local area you can find an Upper Cervical Doctor near you at www.uppercervicalawareness.com.
Fibromyalgia (FM) still remains a great mystery for researchers and physicians alike. There has been a great challenge coming to any conclusions regarding the direct cause of this condition. Not only that, but it has historically been very difficult to diagnose, despite a new blood test that could possibly assist with this issue. One theory regarding the cause of fibromyalgia is an over-stimulation of the nervous system reacting to a trauma of some kind. When you have fibromyalgia, the neurotransmitters that flow between the body and brain get interrupted, leading to pain and muscle spasms.
Fibromyalgia sufferers usually cannot get deep sleep, which prevents normal levels of serotonin from being developed. This growth hormone is usually produced while a person is sleeping. The outcome of decreased serotonin levels is that the body loses the ability to heal itself, and it may include fatigue and depression.This is why many are encouraged to seek the assistance of a fibromyalgia chiropractor in Farmington.
While the exact reason for fibromyalgia remains uncertain, a few studies show a connection with a decrease in the hormones that control thyroid regulation. Hormones such as estrogen, progesterone, and cortisol can be affected by certain lifestyle choices we make, like poor diet, certain medications, and lack of physical exercise. Every one of these contributing factors has the central nervous system in common.
The central nervous system is in charge of controlling all the other systems in the body. If any level of malfunctioning occurs, the negative effects are found throughout the body. This can hinder the endocrine system and the immune system. If you have fibromyalgia, it is a good idea to do all that you can to ensure that your central nervous system is performing optimally.
The nervous system is composed of several parts:
Fibromyalgia is closely connected to the dysfunction of the autonomic nervous system and the parasympathetic nervous system. It has been found that in patients with FM, the parasympathetic system functions at a very low level, leading to their being in a constant state of flight or fight. Therefore, they tend to have an increased heart rate whether standing and lying down. It has been noted that women appear to be more sensitive to this than men.
Alterations that occur in the nervous system due to fibromyalgia, like being unable to sleep and hyperactivity, can result in the following:
A 32-year-old woman was diagnosed with fibromyalgia and suffered from extreme exhaustion, depression, and pain. She experienced a rapid drop in her health as well as her energy. After suffering for 2 years, she began receiving care from an upper cervical chiropractor. They provided her with a thorough examination and looked closely at her patient history. They determined that she had a misalignment in the C1 (atlas) vertebra. After 6 months of periodic adjustments to correct this problem, she reported a complete remission of her fibromyalgia symptoms.
How is it possible that a misalignment in the bones of the upper neck could be connected to fibromyalgia? Based on the information mentioned above, the central nervous system includes the brainstem and the spine. The atlas and axis bones – the top bones of the neck – actually house and protect the delicate brainstem from damage. Unfortunately, the vertebrae are susceptible to misalignment due to their ability to move in a wide range of motion. This means that it takes only a minor blow to the head or neck or an accident that overextends the neck muscles (such as whiplash) to cause these bones to misalign. When this happens and the bones shift put of place, it puts stress on the brainstem, which in turn affects the communication between the brain and the body, hindering the sending of important signals about how much pain is felt in the body. This can result in a number of symptoms associated with fibromyalgia. However, there is hope! This kind of misalignment can easily be fixed by a professional who specializes in the way that the spine and brainstem work together.
Upper cervical chiropractors are trained in identifying these misalignments by doing a series of specific measurements and imaging. Then we use a very gentle method that is precise and effective at helping the spine or neck to realign the bones. This technique allows the bones return to their place more naturally, initiating the body’s process of healing and repairing itself from the damage done by the misalignment. In many cases that we see with our patients, this is all that is necessary to experience improvements and even find lasting Farmington, MI fibromyalgia relief.
To schedule a consultation with Dr. Perkins, call 248-780-8864 or just click the button below area
If you are outside of the local area you can find an Upper Cervical Doctor near you at www.uppercervicalawareness.com.
Fibromyalgia is a chronic pain condition that affects the central nervous system just as much as it does the musculoskeletal system. With that in mind, we would like to tell you how you may be able to naturally reverse fibromyalgia symptoms by means of upper cervical care in Farmington, MI.
First, let’s discuss some of the symptoms of fibromyalgia, as these will give us an indicator of a potential underlying issue.
Here are some of the most common fibromyalgia symptoms and a little bit about what they reveal regarding the condition:
While this is not a comprehensive list of every possible fibromyalgia symptom, you are no doubt beginning to see the pattern. If you are suffering from this painful condition, you want to give your central nervous system everything it needs to function optimally, and that means looking at the top of the neck. Here are some of the reasons why.
Upper cervical chiropractors focus on the top bones in the neck. These bones are in a unique position to help or hinder the central nervous system depending on whether they are properly aligned. Here are some potential effects of a subluxation.
As you can see, the upper cervical spine plays a vital role in helping the CNS function properly. That makes the work we do here at Premier Family Wellness and Spinal Care really important for patients suffering from fibromyalgia and many other conditions. In fact, some patients in case studies have seen fibromyalgia completely reverse thanks to upper cervical chiropractic care.
If you are suffering from fibromyalgia, especially if you have a history of head or neck injuries that could have led to an upper cervical misalignment, come and see our fibromyalgia chiropractor in Farmington to find out if upper cervical care is the right solution for you. This is a safe and natural way to help the body get back on track. Call 248-478-6203 today to schedule an appointment.
To schedule a consultation with Dr. Perkins, call 248-780-8864 or just click the button below area
If you are outside of the local area you can find an Upper Cervical Doctor near you at www.uppercervicalawareness.com.
Fibromyalgia is often misdiagnosed and misunderstood. Things can get confusing if you do not have all of the symptoms or if you have other medical conditions along with fibromyalgia (FM). There is no specific medical test that can be done to confirm or deny a diagnosis of fibromyalgia. This is something your doctor or fibromyalgia chiropractor in Farmington has to conclude after talking to you extensively about your specific symptoms and possibly ruling out other conditions that may cause similar symptoms.
If you suffer from fibromyalgia, you might have the following:
Let’s take a closer look at just a few of these and see what they involve. Then we will discuss a way to find relief.
Pain and tender points: FM causes you to feel pain all over such as osteoarthritis, bursitis, and tendinitis, but rather than being in one location, it is all over your body and probably causing you to visit your doctor. The pain is described as deep, dull, throbbing, sharp, or aching. It is in the muscles, ligaments, and tendons around the joints. It may be intermittent and travel through the body.
Tender spots are areas around your joints that hurt when pressed gently with a finger. If you do not have FM, you will simply feel light pressure. If you do have FM, you will feel extreme pain. The tender spots are in predictable spots in the body, often under the surface of the skin. It is the tissue that hurts rather than the joints themselves.
Fatigue: Most people with fibromyalgia have problems falling asleep. Or you may fall asleep but your sleep may be easily disturbed, causing you to feel very tired when you wake up in the morning. No amount of sleep completely relieves the fatigue. Sleep lab results show that people with FM are often disturbed from sleep by a burst of brain activity similar to what happens when we are awake. This limits their deep sleep, hindering the body from getting restorative sleep and making them feel exhausted.
Mood disorder: As many as 50 percent of people diagnosed with fibromyalgia also have depression or an anxiety disorder. This may be due to feeling tired all the time and being in pain. This can be stressful and cause you to continuously worry about how to keep up with your lifestyle. You may become less active and more withdrawn. It is also possible that anxiety and depression are part of FM itself. You might also have a hard time with short-term memory loss.
Morning stiffness: You might feel as if you need to “loosen up” after you get out of bed or before starting your day. This is because the back, arm, and leg muscles feel stiff. The stiffness can last a few minutes or as long as 15 to 20 minutes a day. In some cases, it lasts longer or lingers all day long.
Swelling and tingling in the hands and feet: This is referred to as paresthesia, and the cause of it is unclear. It happens randomly and can last for short periods of time or be a constant feeling. The stiffness can be bothersome but does not interfere with doing routine tasks.
If you are suffering from this disabling condition, you are probably wondering if anything can improve your condition. Well, it has been seen that upper cervical chiropractic care has had much success in helping people with fibromyalgia. Let’s look at one woman’s struggle and how she overcame it.
A 45-year-old woman had endured 2 head traumas, 10 vehicle accidents, and then was diagnosed with fibromyalgia. She had been suffering for 11 years before seeking the care of an upper cervical chiropractor. She was experiencing migraines, numbness in her fingers, sciatica that went down both of her legs, duodenal cancer, pain in her neck which was chronic, right knee pain, and depression.
Previously, she had sought care from 5 different chiropractors and her medical doctor. She found some relief but not enough. She still suffered. In fact, it got so bad that she needed to use a wheelchair just to perform her daily routine. She was unable to walk even 20 feet, she could not swim, and she could not climb the stairs.
After beginning to receive care from an upper cervical chiropractor, she noticed a great improvement. She was able to discontinue using her wheelchair. Sciatica in her left leg went away and her symptoms of fibromyalgia decreased greatly. She was able to sleep better and in any position without experiencing pain. She noted that she had more energy and felt much calmer. She was able to perform her daily routine and got off all of her medication. Her right leg sciatica improved by 60%.
At her second re-evaluation, it was reported that her migraines and back pain had disappeared. Her right leg sciatica was mostly gone. After just six months of care, her right knee was no longer hurting. She was now able to swim, do yard work, and stand for long periods of time.
A misalignment of the bones of the upper neck often follows a head or neck trauma. This can put pressure on the brainstem and cause it to send improper signals to the brain about what is happening in the body. This is often the cause of fibromyalgia. By correcting this misalignment, using a gentle method, we, here at Premier Family Wellness and Spinal Care, are often able to help our patients with fibromyalgia find Farmington, MI fibromyalgia relief.
To schedule a consultation with Dr. Perkins, call 248-780-8864 or just click the button below area
If you are outside of the local area you can find an Upper Cervical Doctor near you at www.uppercervicalawareness.com.
A diagnosis of fibromyalgia can be extremely frightening, especially if you know little about the condition. Let’s talk about what it is and what you can do to find Farmington, MI fibromyalgia relief and help keep it from overtaking your life.
Fibromyalgia (FM) is a chronic disorder that is associated with widespread pain in the bones and muscles, general fatigue, and spots of tenderness on the body. The types of symptoms that go with FM are referred to as subjective because they cannot be confirmed by medical testing, causing FM to often be misdiagnosed as another condition.
Some medical doctors question whether fibromyalgia is even a real condition. Thankfully, for anyone suffering from it, it is becoming more widely accepted among those in the medical field. Researchers are getting ever closer to understanding FM and this helps in the struggle to get it recognized as a real illness. This also is leading to more and more research in order to find a way to care for this painful condition.
When people think of FM, they often think of tender spots or trigger points on the body. These are areas of your body where even the lightest touch can lead to pain. In the past, these points were used to diagnose FM; however, that is not the case today. Because the pain of fibromyalgia can fluctuate, you may not feel as much pain on the day you visit your doctor for a diagnosis as you did the day before when you made your appointment. This can lead to a misdiagnosis and not getting the proper care. The tender points are helpful to your doctor in determining the cause of fibromyalgia. The pain caused by these trigger points is described as a constant dull ache. If you have had pain for over 3 months, your doctor will consider it a symptom of fibromyalgia. Common spots for trigger points are:
Other symptoms include:
These symptoms can be a result of the brain and nerves overreacting to normal pain signals.
The exact cause of fibromyalgia remains a mystery among medical doctors and researchers. Due to many years of research, some of the factors that play into the onset of fibromyalgia have been discovered. These include:
Doctors are really at a loss when it comes to explaining why widespread pain is happening with people that have FM. Theories suggest that the brain is lowering the pain threshold for some reason. What caused no pain in the past is now very painful. Another theory blames the nerves and receptors in the body as being more sensitive to stimulation, causing them to overreact to pain signals and cause exaggerated or needless pain.
Some new information has recently come to light in regards to fibromyalgia. The European League Against Rheumatism has released new suggestions on coping with fibromyalgia through exercise. Some may find this strange as it may seem like exercising while in pain can actually do more damage, but it’s not the case.
First of all, it is important to note that these researchers are not recommending you go out and run a 5K or begin lifting weights at the gym after a rigorous workout. This would not be safe or beneficial. Rather, low impact exercise is being recommended. It is known that a sedentary lifestyle is actually a contributing factor to pain and can increase the discomfort associated with fibromyalgia. In fact, not getting enough exercise can lead to weight gain and may explain why so many patients with FM have cardiac issues as well.
What kind of exercise are we talking about? Here are some suggestions:
Another great place to ease the pain of fibromyalgia is at your local upper cervical chiropractor’s office. Here at Premier Family Wellness and Spinal Care, our fibromyalgia chiropractor in Farmington uses a very gentle method that does not cause you any further pain and helps to realign the bones of the neck. We do not have to pop the neck or crack the spine to get the bones to move back into place. Rather, we adjust them more naturally, resulting in a longer-lasting adjustment. This is good for you because it eventually leads to fewer visits to our office. Many of our own patients and those in case studies have seen great improvement in their fibromyalgia symptoms after just a few adjustments.
To schedule a consultation with Dr. Perkins, call 248-780-8864 or just click the button below area
If you are outside of the local area you can find an Upper Cervical Doctor near you at www.uppercervicalawareness.com.
The word fibromyalgia explains the hallmark symptom of the condition – pain. Fibro refers to the fibrous tissue of the body, such as fascia, tendons, and ligaments. Myo is the Greek term meaning muscle, and algia means pain.
The best-known symptoms of fibromyalgia are widespread pain and tenderness as well as fatigue and sleep troubles. These characteristics, while certainly some of the more debilitating, just begin to scratch the surface of a very complex disorder.
Fibromyalgia is not a new condition, but it wasn't until recent times that it has become better understood and accepted. Some of the first documented descriptions of fibromyalgia were made in the early 1800s when a health condition called "muscular rheumatism" was described. Its symptoms were listed as aches, pains, stiffness, difficulty sleeping, and fatigue. The first scientific study to take a detailed look into the condition occurred in 1981, and research has been ongoing since then.
When the term fibromyalgia comes up, the first thing many people think of is the widespread pain associated with the condition. However, there is a multitude of other symptoms associated with fibromyalgia that are lesser known:
These other symptoms, which on the surface may not seem associated, highlight just how complex of a disorder fibromyalgia really is. It impacts many facets of a person's health and wellbeing. In addition to the symptoms mentioned above, many fibromyalgia sufferers also experience anxiety and depression that are extremely detrimental to overall quality of life.
Part of the difficulty in caring for fibromyalgia is that its origins are not fully understood and diagnosis itself is difficult. This creates solutions that are symptom-driven. Common recommendations include:
Some healthcare providers may recommend other, more natural solutions such as gentle stretching, light exercise, and stress management strategies. Another lesser-known but effective means of addressing fibromyalgia is through upper cervical chiropractic care.
The junction between your neck and your head is a complex area that's a delicate balance of strength and flexibility. In this area, the majority of our head's movement is made possible. The way the upper cervical vertebrae are shaped allow us to move our head in all directions – up and down, side to side, and tilting to the left and right. The vertebra that sits at the very top of the neck is called the atlas (C1).
Above the atlas is the skull, and below it is a vertebra called the axis, or C2. This small, 2-ounce bone has the tough job of supporting the weight of the head, which is approximately 10 to 12 pounds in the average adult. This, unfortunately, lends itself to instability and makes this area of the spine particularly susceptible to injury.
One of the other important jobs of the vertebrae of your spine is to protect the spinal cord that lies inside of it. The vertebrae form the spinal canal through which your brainstem and spinal cord pass. It is critical that this canal remain intact so that the spinal cord can do its job – transmit signals to and from the brain that coordinate every single function of the body.
When there is an injury to the upper cervical spine, it can cause a misalignment of the atlas or axis. As a result, it can hinder normal nervous system function due to irritation to the brainstem, spinal cord, and surrounding branches of the spinal nerves. The brainstem is the part of your nervous system that regulates many of your vital functions, including heart and lung function. It also acts as a "switchboard" for signals traveling between the brain and body.
Although there is still an element of mystery surrounding the exact origins of fibromyalgia, a known connection is that oftentimes an injury or illness precedes the onset of the condition. In an upper cervical chiropractic context, that makes perfect sense, and it's also part of the reason why many fibromyalgia sufferers are achieving such promising results with care. A neck injury doesn't need to be severe to cause damage to the upper cervical spine.
Current research is looking at fibromyalgia as a disorder of pain processing. It is known that people with fibromyalgia perceive pain differently than those without the condition. If there is a disturbance or miscommunication of pain signals over the central nervous system because of an atlas misalignment, then a logical solution would be to address the issue at its root cause. That is exactly our goal at Premier Family Wellness and Spinal Care.
We assess each of our patients as they visit our office to identify if an upper cervical misalignment, or subluxation, is compromising their body's ability to heal and function normally. The majority of fibromyalgia sufferers that find their way to us have, in their words, "tried everything".
When they experience the thorough, gentle and precise nature of an upper cervical adjustment and start feeling the results, many are pleasantly surprised. Once the atlas alignment is corrected, the body's natural healing processes can occur as optimally as possible and begin to repair damaged tissues. This is what leads to the lasting results that our patients experience. Some fibromyalgia sufferers report small, steady improvements in their quality of life and others experience a complete remission of their symptoms.
References:
https://www.niams.nih.gov/health_info/fibromyalgia/
https://www.fibrocenter.com/fibromyalgia-disease
To schedule a consultation with Dr. Perkins, call 248-780-8864 or just click the button below area
If you are outside of the local area you can find an Upper Cervical Doctor near you at www.uppercervicalawareness.com.
The name chronic fatigue syndrome may actually do the condition some injustice as it so much more than feeling tired all the time. Some other symptoms besides tiredness afflicting chronic fatigue sufferers are:
Some people may have severe, debilitating symptoms keeping them from performing their jobs and going to social functions, while other people may have mostly mild symptoms still allowing them to perform limited daily activities.
One theory about chronic fatigue is that it has come about by a virus or infection of some sort because many people have developed chronic fatigue after having such conditions as dengue, West Nile virus, or H1N1.
However, researchers agree it is the virus that triggers something within the body to respond the way it does. So, they continue to do research and try to find answers.
In the USA, three out of every four chronic fatigue patients are women. This may be because, as some theorize, men suffer in silence while women are more diligent about seeking a diagnosis.
Chronic fatigue requires one to undergo a number of different tests to rule out other conditions, often making men give up before finding out the answer. Another theory has to do with female hormones and how they can be involved with autoimmune conditions as women tend to have these more than men.
Here at Premier Family Wellness and Spinal Care in Farmington, Michigan, we focus on making sure the bones of the upper neck are properly aligned. The atlas – the top bone of the neck – is important to overall health of the body. If misaligned, it stresses the brainstem, causing it to send improper signals to the brain. This negatively affects the immune system and the central nervous system, leading to such things as chronic fatigue.
We use a gentle and precise method to help the bones to realign naturally. This often leads to a reduction in symptoms. Some patients see their chronic fatigue go away entirely.
To schedule a consultation with Dr. Perkins, call 248-780-8864 or just click the button below area
If you are outside of the local area you can find an Upper Cervical Doctor near you at www.uppercervicalawareness.com.
