Women and Fibromyalgia

“Stress is an ignorant state. It believes that everything is an emergency”, Natalie Goldberg 

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“If your teeth are clenched and your fists are clenched, your lifespan is probably clenched”, Adabella Radici 

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Eating can be one of life’s greatest joys. Eating for comfort can have an immediate effect on our moods, and it can often result in guilt. Eating can be a social event, or it can be done in private. Eating is sometimes only done to keep one alive. Eating a specific way is often done to either reduce weight, or gain weight. Eating often reflects cultural and ethnic backgrounds, and can be a way to show love to others. Eating and dieting go hand in hand and can bring about hope. So, is there hope for those who have fibromyalgia that in eating  particular kinds of food, and abstaining from others will bring about much needed relief? Is it realistic to give advice across the realm to those with FMS without taking individual factors into consideration?

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“We also often add to our own pain and suffering by being overly sensitive, over-reacting to minor things, and sometimes taking things too personally”, Tenzin Gyatso, The 14th Dali Lama quote 

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“Am I alone in my egotism when I say that never does the pale light of dawn filter through the blinds of 52 Tavistock Square but I open my eyes and exclaim “Good God! Here I am again” not always with pleasure, often with pain, sometimes in a spasm”, Virginia Woolf 

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“Movement is a medicine for creating change in a person’s physical, emotional and mental states” , Carol Welch 

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“Sometimes questions are more important than answers” , Nancy Willard. 

One of the major challenges that many people with FMS face is depression. The question that I pose here is which of the major daily struggles of living with fibromyalgia come first? Which of the ‘Gang of Four’ symptoms: pain, sleeplessness, fatigue or depression (the four most common plagues of fibromyalgia) first precipitates the vicious cycle ?

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“Meditation brings wisdom; lack of meditation leaves ignorance. Know well what leads you forward and what holds you back, and choose the path that leads to wisdom”, Buddha

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“Touch seems to be as essential as sunlight”, Diane Ackerman 

People who suffer from chronic pain have generally found that physical touch is a valuable source of relief which can alleviate (or at least reduce) pain and enhance well being. Those of us who have fibromyalgia and are able to afford any of the various techniques of body work such as remedial massage, and jin shin jyutsu have found short term release of pain. Some even think that therapeutic touch is helpful, and although I fail to see how not directly touching the body can be helpful, many do find just that! I suspect it is from a placebo effect. I am not an advocate of that technique as I do not believe that ‘energy’ is moved around as those practicing TT do advocate. Instead I believe that direct touch can help with releasing tight muscles and bring about relaxation of the nervous system. I have usually benefited from the effects of these therapies.

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