I am no stranger to back pain.  In fact, with my diagnosis of fibromyalgia, my lower back pain has steadily intensified periodically.  But, no where to the state I found myself recently, immobilized and bedridden for four days.  

We've all been there.  Those of us who share this elusive diagnosis.  Lying with our backs on the bed, staring at the ceiling fan wondering when this agonizing pain will subside.  Taking 'as needed' pain medication, breathing slowly deeply, trying to meditate on a far away planet until we regain sanity again.  But, usually we can attribute it to something.  We over did it, kept going the other day with no rest or reprieve.  Started lifting heavy objects while helping someone move.  Or, there was an all-day family affair, and we were feeling on top of the world and just stayed too late, feeling those effects slowly creeping on us as we're saying our goodbyes.  

But what if you're down flat on your back and can't move?  Your mind wanders aimlessly trying to latch onto a possibility so that it doesn't happen again?  And nothing comes up?  Pure panic I can attest.  To make things worse you can't get up to go to the bathroom?  To get a drink?  To make something to eat?  

Well, that's a whole 'nother animal I can tell  you.   It descends like a plague of fear that you can't get a grip on.

Recently, I walked out to my garage.  I was going to take my bike out and go for a leisurely spin.  There was a candy cane on a table and part of it was touching my handlebars.  It was light plastic and weighed all of 5 ounces.  I moved it to the left on a table about six inches to free my bike.  I didn't bend down, I didn't twist.  I just moved it.  All of a sudden I felt a "tinge". I've had these before.  I stretch, but usually I can do a little work and then just migrate to a heating pad for a few hours.  It wasn't too bad, really.  I went shopping that day, and even made it to the beach on Sunday.  I went to work on Monday with  a heating pad and just babied that lower area being careful not to move too much.  By Tuesday it felt better so I took the heating pad home.  On Wednesday morning I woke up nearly pain free and went into work again without the heating pad.  

For some reason by noon the right side of my back began spasming.  My co-worker had one of those lay over the chair seat pad massagers that provides heat.  I quickly slipped that on and laid back for a bi,t taking in deep breaths.  I had to go outside to retrieve the mail.  "Maybe this will loosen things up," I thought.  I barely made it 200 yards before there was definitely a feel of a hot knife jabbing into my lower vertebrates along with all those back spasms.  I stayed.  Not a bright idea, but I just had taken off four days for a virus-type sickness.  "Let me get through a couple of more hours," I prayed.  I held myself up in the chair, trying to straighten my back and pasted a smile on my face.

I got home around 5 pm.  I asked my youngest son to plug in the heating pad.  Something was wrong I explained as this pain was from another dimension.  I eased myself down, and that was it.  Thirty minutes later I could not move.  Not anywhere.  Not rolling from left to right, not even reaching for my drink on my nightstand.  My legs, though, I could prop up on a 90 degree angle to relieve some of the back spasms.  Then I waited.  I took medication to ease the agony, but it barely took the edge off.  

Three hours later into this intense pain I had to go to the bathroom.  My dear son looked up the best way to get out of bed with debilitating back pain on the Internet.  "Ok, Mom, let me get an ice block.  If we press on the nerve we can freeze it.  You just need to roll onto your stomach, slide/crab crawl down to the edge of the bed.  Then put one foot on the floor, and I will lift you up quickly but steadily," he said.

So the nightmare began.  Move a few inches, place the ice block firmly in the area, wait a minute and move again.  On and on we proceed for 10 minutes until my on foot is on the floor.  "Ok, you ok?" he asks.

"No," I answer, but I have to go.

"Ok, take a deep breath, I'm going to put my arms under you to help support your torso and I'm ready," he responds.  

Up I go, and I scream.  Scream so loud because the pain is excrutiating.  I can't seem to put any pressure on that disk in my back.  "What can I do?" he asks.

Put your two hands out, let me place my palms in them from behind I state.  And on I walk at a 120 degree angle like an old Popeye cartoon.  Gasping for breath and yelling.  Yes, yelling it was worse than childbirth.  

He lowers me, and I can't pee.  Well, pee a little I do, but how can you when you are in that much pain?  I've never experienced such intensity.  I quickly finish and make my way back to the bed.  This only intensifies the spasms, and I must endure more pain for another 30 minutes.

Another two hours I call him with my cell phone. He is sleeping in the next room.  "It's time for another round," I say.  This time the pain flares for over an hour when I get back into bed.

By 4 am I grab a towel to do my business.  I'm done.  I'm beaten. I can't do this any longer.  I feel like a broken doll.  I can't move, I'm alone, and I'm scared. Worst of all, the pain is still there immobilizing me.  

By the am I call my doctor and my son scours the local stores to find a bedpan with no luck.  He comes back with puppy pads.  "That will have to do," I say.   My doctor informs me of what medications to take.  No one seems concerned, they see this all the time apparently.  My friends are yelling to go to the ER.  "How?" I ask them.  "I can't even move!"

By the third day the spasms have subsided.  I try to sit up, still unable to put any pressure on my back.  It is still excruciating.  My primary instructs me to call my neurologist.  Five hours later his assistant calls back with instructions.  "Double your muscle relaxers," she says.

"It has been three days!" I yell.  "I can't go to the bathroom.  Should I go the the ER?" I ask.

"Do you have feeling in your legs?  Are you able to go to the bathroom?"

"Yes and yes," I reply.

"Most likely no," she says.  "I got an appointment for you in four days. Hang in there," and hangs up.

I take the muscle relaxers as instructed. Six hours later I can get up with the help of a cane.  By the following day I can move around a bit more and more.  It takes five days of bed rest before I can attempt work.  I call the assistant again, "Is this normal?" I ask.  "Should I go back to work?" 

"No, wait until your appointment.  He'll give you a work release to go back when he sees you tomorrow," she says.

I hang up and order a bed pain on Amazon just in case this happens again.  No more trying to make things worse the next time by moving I think.  

During my appointment he checks me.  Makes me stand.  Makes me bend over, tests my reflexes and orders an MRI and an EMG.  "We will have to wait and see," he says.

"Is this normal?  I mean pain to migrate like that? For over a week?" I demand.

"Yes," he says.

"Just peachy," I think.  "Just peachy."  

But apparently this does happen.  I probably could have saved myself some agony by just lying still.  I wanted to share this for all the other Avenger/Ninjas who will attempt and struggle to get out of bed. Don't, just lie there till it passes.  Get someone to wait on you.  You won't be able to move anyway.  

Here is some more points from the Illinois Back Institute:

​Often, the most debilitating lower back pain, for both men and women, is the type that comes on suddenly, leaving you in significant pain with limited mobility. The severity of the pain and the suddenness can be alarming—but it’s very common. In the vast majority of cases, this back pain is not related to a serious disease or severe back problem, but could be due to something simple like muscle spasm or another musculoskeletal cause. When the exact origin of back pain isn’t clear, it’s referred to as nonspecific low back pain. This “mechanical” back pain is generally eased by lying down flat and made worse when you move your back, sneeze or cough.

The next most likely cause of sudden onset back pain is irritation to the nerve root emanating from the spinal cord, called sciatica. What makes sciatica pain distinct is that you generally also feel pain down one or both buttocks and thighs, even into the calf or foot. You may also feel pins and needles and/or numbness/weakness through the buttock, leg and on down along the entire path of the sciatic nerve. Nearly 90 percent of the time, this pain is caused by a slipped disc, also called a bulging or prolapsed disc pressing on the nearby nerve.

Disc injuries can come to light suddenly with minimal trauma--and as much as one-third of the population at any given time are walking around with disc bulges. These previously painless, silent back problems can suddenly begin to put pressure on the spinal cord nerves--when you do something as minor as bending to pick up a pen from the floor. Then the pain begins.

​Less common conditions causing low back pain

Cauda equina syndrome is rare, but considered an emergency. Permanent nerve damage may result. Get medical attention immediately if you suspect cauda equina. This disorder causes pressure on nerves at the very bottom of the spinal cord with symptoms which may include:

• Lower back pain
• Bowel and bladder problems like inability to pass urine
• Numb sensation in the saddle region, below the tailbone
• Leg weakness

Osteoarthritis is a common form of arthritis causing spinal pain and joint inflammation in older people. Ankylosing spondylitis is a form of arthritis that may strike young adults, bringing on pain and lower back stiffness. Rheumatoid arthritis may affect the spine along with other joints throughout the body. Telltale signs of these arthritic conditions include:

• Pain that gets worse hours after going to bed or upon waking
• Stiffness, in addition to back pain, in the morning after rising, lasting over 30 minutes
• Pain eased (and not made worse) by activity

Rare bone disorders, tumors and infection cause less than 1 percent of sudden onset low back pain. Symptoms and signs may include:

• Onset of non-injury-related back pain in someone over 50 or under 20 years old
• History of cancer of any part of the body
• Depressed immune system
• Fever
• Unexplained weight loss

Abdominal aortic aneurysm (enlargement of the abdominal artery) occurs mostly in males over 60 who smoke, have high blood pressure or high cholesterol. Symptoms include:

• Pulsating feeling near the navel
• Constant pain in the abdomen/side of abdomen
• Back pain

The best way to distinguish between back pain’s many causes is to see your back specialist or health care professional. Seek natural, non-invasive treatment whenever possible, such as proven-effective Functional Disc Rehydration. This innovative treatment was developed at the Illinois Back Institute. It is offered along with other personalized treatments to help patients achieve a pain-free life. Contact us for a free consultation with a back specialist.  

So, if you don't fall into one of those above categories.  Don't freak out.  Call your doctor.  If I had to do it all over again, I would have went right to the the specialist, my neurologist.  I feel I would have hit the ground walking faster.  I was just so emotionally immobilized, too, with fear.  Which of course, doesn't help.  My hopes in you reading this, you will be aware and act rationally realizing that it will pass.  No, you will not be stuck in that bed forever.  God Bless, and hang in there.  

It was of no surprise to me along with the degenerative disc diagnosis so came Peripheral Neuropathy.  After all, at least there is a connections here due to the fact both affect the central nervous system.  

What does concern me is an original statement from my neurologist when I was first diagnosed with fibromyalgia.  I had asked him, "So, feeling as I'm going down hill fast here, is this going to to get worse?" 

"It shouldn't," he replied.

Well, I can tell you there have been a whole host of symptoms that came upon me over the period of seven years that I would deem as "getting worse".  I've come to the conclusion that getting worse may be on the fibromyalgia side only.  After all, they don't know how it operates completely, and if you're a medical major you're not going to focus on other doctors specialties- just your own.  So maybe it wasn't going to get worse in the neurological sense.  

​Fibromyalgia and peripheral neuropathy are two conditions that affect the central nervous system, resulting in pain. Aside from muscle pain, fibromyalgia also involves sleep disturbance, mood changes, and memory issues. It is believed to be caused by a physical trauma or psychological stress, but the exact cause is still unknown. Fibromyalgia is often accompanied by other conditions, such as anxiety, irritable bowel syndrome, and depression.

Peripheral neuropathy refers to damage caused to the peripheral nerves, resulting in weakness and numbness. Peripheral neuropathy commonly occurs in the feet or hands.

The link between fibromyalgia and peripheral neuropathy

Fibromyalgia and peripheral neuropathy may share common symptoms, but stem from very different causes. The cause of fibromyalgia is not understood really, while neuropathy, on the other hand, can be caused by a host of different underlying issues.

Both fibromyalgia and neuropathy affect the central nervous system and cause extreme nerve pain. Both conditions are chronic and could also share similar treatment options. In fact, both can be managed through treatment, so working with your doctor on an appropriate treatment strategy for your fibromyalgia or peripheral neuropathy can help.

Unlike fibromyalgia, peripheral neuropathy can be prevented with proper management of the underlying causes (e.g., diabetes).

Fibromyalgia vs. peripheral neuropathy: U.S. prevalence

Roughly two to four percent of the U.S. population are affected by fibromyalgia. Estimates of U.S. prevalence were done based on the 1990 American College of Rheumatology (ACR) guidelines for the fibromyalgia diagnosis, accounting for roughly 10 million cases. It has since been argued that these estimates are too low, and the guidelines fail to capture many patients who could be living with the condition unknowingly.

Peripheral neuropathy affects 2.4 percent of the population, but the prevalence can get as high as eight percent in certain population groups. The most common type of neuropathy – diabetic sensorimotor polyneuropathy – may be present in 66 percent of type 1 diabetics and 59 percent in type 2 diabetics.

Fibromyalgia vs. peripheral neuropathy: Signs and symptoms

The key distinguishing symptom of fibromyalgia is tender points on the body. Other signs and symptoms of fibromyalgia include chronic muscle pain, muscle spasms or tightness, moderate or severe fatigue, decreased energy, insomnia, waking up feeling unrefreshed, stiffness upon waking or after staying in one position for too long, concentration problems, difficulty remembering and performing simple mental tasks (“fibro fog“), abdominal pain, bloating, nausea, constipation alternating with diarrhea (irritable bowel syndrome), tension or migraine headaches, as well as jaw and facial tenderness. With fibromyalgia comes sensitivity to odors, noises, bright lights, medications, certain foods, and cold. Fibromyalgia patients report feeling anxious or depressed, numbness or tingling in the face, arms, hands, legs, or feet, increase in urinary urgency or frequency (irritable bladder), reduced tolerance for exercise and muscle pain after exercise, and a feeling of swelling (without actual swelling) in the hands and feet.

Signs and symptoms of peripheral neuropathy depend on the affected nerve. Nerves are classified into sensory, motor, or autonomic. Sensory nerves receive sensations, motor nerves control muscle movement, and autonomic nerves control functions such as blood pressure, heart rate, bladder, and digestion.
Some symptoms that may arise in peripheral neuropathy include:

• Gradual onset of numbness, tingling, or prickling from the hands and toes moving throughout the limbs
• Sharp, jabbing, throbbing, freezing, or burning pain
• Extreme sensitivity to touch
• Lack of coordination, falls
• Muscle weakness or paralysis

If the autonomic nerves are affected, a patient may experience heat intolerance and sweating, bowel, bladder, or digestive issues, as well as changes in blood pressure causing dizziness or lightheadedness.

Comparing fibromyalgia and peripheral neuropathy:

The cause of fibromyalgia is largely theorized, as it is not well understood. Researchers and doctors believe that a fibromyalgia patient experiences amplified pain as a result of abnormal sensory processing in the central nervous system. Much research has detected physiological abnormalities in fibromyalgia, including increased levels of substance P in the spinal cord, low levels of blood flow to the thalamus region of the brain, HPA axis hypofunction, low levels of serotonin and tryptophan, and abnormalities in cytokine function. Other fibromyalgia triggers include genetic factors and traumatic events or injuries.

Neuropathy can be due to many other conditions and ailments, and so there is no single cause. Peripheral neuropathy is associated with nerve damage, which may be caused  by alcoholism, autoimmune diseases, diabetes, exposure to poisons, medications, infections, inherited disorders, trauma or pressure on the nerves, tumors, vitamin deficiencies, bone marrow disorders, and other conditions, including diseases that affect the liver, kidneys, and thyroid.

Differentiating fibromyalgia and peripheral neuropathy: Risk factors and complications

Risk factors for fibromyalgia include sex – women are at a higher risk of fibromyalgia than men, a family history of fibromyalgia – a genetic component to the disease, and a rheumatic disease diagnosis.

One of fibromyalgia complications is poor ability to function due to lack of sleep, which worsens symptoms. Anxiety and depression, too, may be a result of fibromyalgia as it is not a well-understood condition. Living in pain can be frustrating when others simply don’t understand what you are going through, especially because there is no specific cure or treatment.

Risk factors for peripheral neuropathy include poorly controlled diabetes, alcohol abuse, vitamin deficiencies, infections like Lyme disease, autoimmune diseases, exposure to toxins, repetitive motions, a family history of neuropathy, as well as kidney, liver, or thyroid disease.

Complications resulting from peripheral neuropathy include burns and skin trauma, infection and falls due to loss of sensation – potentially leading to disability.

Fibromyalgia vs. peripheral neuropathy: Diagnosis and treatment

There isn’t a specific test for fibromyalgia, but doctors may use a form of testing that checks 18 specific trigger points that have been found to be present in majority of fibromyalgia patients. Not all doctors use trigger point exams anymore, but rather they narrow down on a fibromyalgia diagnosis if a person has experienced widespread pain for at least three months. Your doctor may also refer you for some blood work to rule out other conditions.

Treating fibromyalgia can be difficult as its exact cause is unknown. Therefore, the goal of fibromyalgia treatment is symptom management. A doctor may prescribe analgesics, or painkillers, to address fibromyalgia. However, there is a risk of developing addiction to these drugs, so doctors may recommend this option with caution. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) can also be taken for pain management, but once again long-term use of these drugs can yield unwanted side effects. In some cases, antidepressants may be prescribed as well.

Some alternative and complementary therapies and treatments for fibromyalgia include massages, acupuncture, cognitive behavioral therapy, movement therapies, and chiropractic.

Peripheral neuropathy is diagnosed based on a review of the patient’s full medical history and a neurological examination. Tests that could help diagnose peripheral neuropathy include blood tests, imaging tests like MRI, nerve function tests, nerve biopsy, and skin biopsy. Not only do these tests help diagnose peripheral neuropathy, but they also rule out other potential causes for your symptoms, too.

Treatment for peripheral neuropathy implies addressing its underlying cause. This could involve managing diabetes, treating infections, or treating other diseases. Some medications that may be prescribed for neuropathy include pain relievers, anti-seizure medications, topical treatments, and antidepressants.

Other therapies that can aid in the peripheral neuropathy treatment include transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS), plasma exchange and intravenous immune globulin, physical therapy, and surgery.

Patients may also be inclined to try acupuncture, alpha-lipoic acid, herbs, and amino acids as an alternative mode of peripheral neuropathy treatment.

It’s of utmost important to manage and control any underlying issues that might have contributed to the disorder. For example, cutting on your alcohol consumption or managing your diabetes. I know many of you many not be diagnosed with diabetes, but I'll bet if you have some form of neuropathy, your sugar tests are higher than normal.  

It didn't surprise me to have another interruption to my daily routine after I was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia. My back began to ache in my upper and lumbar spine with added stinging and jabbing jolts to add more effect.  I was baffled in the beginning wondering will all these new manifestations ever suppress?  

They didn't and new symptoms continue to evolve sending me to new specialists yearly.  But this back syndrome was one that stayed with me until it continually worsened and my neurologist sent me for an MRI and EMG two years after my initial diagnosis with fibromyalgia.  

When the results were in, I had degenerative discs and nephropathy in the the upper spine.  He mentioned an interesting point, "I'm not sure if the fibromyalgia caused this or this caused the fibromyalgia."  That is because there is not a lot of concreted evidence out there linking the two. But he also added, "Most of my fibromyalgia patients have nephropathy and degenerative discs." 

Cervical degenerative disc disease is a common cause of neck pain and radiating arm pain. It develops when one or more of the cushioning discs in the cervical spine starts to break down due to wear and tear. There may be a genetic component that predisposes some people to more rapid wear. Injury may also accelerate and sometimes cause the development of the degenerative changes.

How Cervical Discs Can Degenerate

Normally, there are six gel-like cervical discs (one between each of the cervical spine’s vertebrae) that absorb shock and prevent vertebral bones from rubbing against each other while the neck moves.

Each disc is comprised of a tough but flexible outer layer of woven cartilage strands, called the annulus fibrosus. Sealed inside the annulus fibrosus is a soft interior filled with a mucoprotein gel called the nucleus pulposus. The nucleus gives the disc its shock absorption property.

​In children, the discs are about 85% water. The discs begin to naturally lose hydration during the aging process. Some estimates have the disc’s water content typically falling to 70% by age 70,1 but in some people the disc can lose hydration much more quickly.

As the disc loses hydration, it offers less cushioning and becomes more prone to cracks and tears. The disc is not able to truly repair itself because it does not have a direct blood supply (instead getting nutrients and metabolites via diffusion with adjacent vertebrae through the cartilaginous endplates). As such, a tear in the disc either will not heal or will develop weaker scar tissue that has potential to break again.

​The Course of Cervical Degenerative Disc Disease

Cervical degenerative disc disease is not technically a disease, but rather a description of the degenerative process that discs located in the cervical spine go through. Essentially all people who live long enough will develop degenerated discs.

Studies show that a plurality of adults have no symptoms related to degenerative disc disease, even though a high percentage of these adults still shows signs of disc degeneration on an MRI somewhere on the spine. One study found that about half of people start showing some signs of disc degeneration on an MRI by their early 20s. Another study found that about 75% of people under age 50 have disc degeneration while more than 90% of people over age 50 have it.

​When degenerative disc disease develops in the cervical spine, it can occur in any of the cervical discs but is slightly more likely to occur at the C5-C6 level.

In cases where cervical degenerative disc disease does cause pain, it can happen in various ways. In some instances, the disc itself can become painful. People are more likely to experience this type of discogenic pain in their 30s, 40s, or 50s.

When symptoms from cervical degenerative disc disease become chronic, the pain and/or symptoms are likely related to conditions associated with disc degeneration, such as a herniated disc, osteoarthritis, or spinal stenosis. Depending on the cause, the pain may be temporary, or may become chronic. To give an example, pain from a herniated disc is likely to eventually go away on its own, but pain from osteoarthritis may require treatment on a chronic basis.

​Risk Factors for Cervical Degenerative Disc Disease

While nearly everyone eventually gets cervical degenerative disc disease with age, there are some factors that can make it more likely to develop sooner and/or become symptomatic. These risk factors could include:

• Genetics. Some studies of twins indicate genetics play a bigger role than lifestyle in determining when cervical degenerative disc disease develops and if it becomes painful.
• Obesity. Weight has been linked to risk for developing degenerative disc disease.
• Smoking. This habit can hinder nutrients from reaching the discs and cause them to lose hydration more quickly.

I can tell you I fall under none of the above categories.  So I must be an anomaly or my predisposition may be linked with fibromyalgia.  Despite several recent studies out there confirming there is no link to fibromyalgia. There was an interesting addition added to The Journal of Physical Science: 

​Fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) is a clinical presentation commonly seen in the middle age women, which is accompanied by psychosomatic complaints such as widespread pain and chronic fatigue along with sleep disorder or non-relaxing sleep, paresthesia and subjective swelling of the hands, migraine-type headache, irritable bowel syndrome and dysmenorrhea. Although musculoskeletal pains are generally localized in the neck, interscapular region and low back, they may also spread to the arm and to the chest. During the examination, objective findings other than sensitive points cannot be detected and laboratory analyses have normal results.

Most common reasons of the pain spreading to the neck and to the arm include cervical spondylosis and cervical root compression. Pains that result from the disc herniations located in the cervical region are generally radicular and they may be accompanied by neurologic deficits, such as loss of strength, paresthesia, reflex defect and atrophy. Moreover, in some cases, Raynaud-like swelling and vasomotor changes may be integrated in the clinical presentation.

Patients with fibromyalgia continuously present for a visit and for the periodic controls with the complaints of neck, shoulder, arm, low back and knee pains. The patients resist to the therapy and they ask why they cannot be healed.

It may be very difficult to convince the patients to be treated. Some patients are not so happy despite all therapeutic methods and the doctors may hesitate about the diagnosis with some patients. A cervical MRI may be necessary to elucidate the patients and to eliminate our doubts in the patients that raised a hesitation. In both diseases, cervical and arm-shoulder pains are similar and the laboratory values are normal.

Interestingly enough, they found a VERY HIGH rate of those suffering with fibromyalgia were diagnosed with disc degeneration MORE SO than the average population thought before to have the disease present normally.

Yet, many patients suffering from fibromyalgia are not sent to the usual MRI and EMG testing to note if such issues are present.  Be certain to ask for such testing if you feel you may suffer from such problems. Therapy is available for relief.   

Here's something we don't discuss here often. Back Pain. Yet several past studies have noted that as many as 90% of fibromyalgia suffers have encountered back pain in one form or another since their diagnosis.
​  
When you have fibromyalgia, it may seem as if you just can’t get a break from the pain — which may include an aching back. As many as two-thirds of people with chronic low back pain also have fibromyalgia. Looking at the numbers from the other direction, up to 49 percent of people with fibromyalgia have lower back pain. In fact, back pain is so prevalent among people with fibromyalgia that it was once one of the symptoms doctors looked for in making a fibromyalgia diagnosis.

There’s no doubt that living with fibromyalgia is challenging enough on its own, let alone when you have back pain. But it may make you feel a little better to know there is an explanation for the intensity of the pain you’re going through.

“Both back pain and fibromyalgia belong to a group of disorders called central hypersensitivity syndromes,” says pain management specialist Ronald Staud, MD, professor of medicine at the University of Florida in Gainesville. Although the roots of the two conditions differ for example, back pain could be caused by a damaged vertebral disk — the pain experiences of the two conditions bear some similarities. Among them is the sense that these chronic pain conditions cause you to be on a “high alert” setting of sorts (doctors call it hyperarousal). And then, to top it off, the pain wears you down, causing fatigue, depression, and anxiety that make living with fibromyalgia and back pain all the more draining.

“The hyperarousal is really a normal response,” says Dr. Staud. Normal, yes, but it throws a monkey wrench into finding the right combination of treatments to ease two very painful problems.

One essential is getting an accurate diagnosis of your back pain. According to Staud, many physicians who treat fibromyalgia can also assess back pain’s possible causes. However, ask for a referral to a pain specialist if you have any concerns about your doctor’s ability to parse out the factors contributing to your back pain and prescribe the appropriate medical treatment.

Treating Fibromyalgia and Back Pain

Pain medication is usually part of the prescription for fibromyalgia symptoms but often isn’t enough for most people, especially if a back condition is involved. Putting together a multipart pain plan is a must, says Staud. This is even more true if you need specific therapy for your back. Consider these additional ideas to create a comprehensive treatment strategy that may combine traditional and alternative approaches:

• Lifestyle changes. Both back pain and fibromyalgia symptoms may improve as you work on a healthier lifestyle — adjusting your diet, increasing exercise, and losing weight if needed.
• Mental health treatment. Anxiety, depression, and trouble sleeping can all make pain feel worse. Comprehensive treatment strategies may include therapy and medication targeted to depression and anxiety, says Staud.
• Physical therapy. “Back pain is the mainstay of physical therapists,” says Staud. Physical therapists can teach you how to move through your day more effectively and show you stretches to ease back pain and perhaps make living with fibromyalgia easier.
• Alternative treatment approaches. Acupuncture, biofeedback, and music therapy can help ease back pain. According to Staud, pain management specialists are well-versed in the complexity of pain treatment and will be open to any questions you might have about alternative approaches. Talking with your team about options you’re considering will also help you avoid any interactions between alternative treatments and prescription medications.
• Education. Finally, a little knowledge can go a long way toward easing some of the anxiety you may be feeling. Talk with your medical team about the physiology of pain and the complex factors that influence your perception of pain when you are facing conditions related to hypersensitization.

When you’re struggling with low back pain and fibromyalgia, you might feel as though you’re fighting two battles. But a combination of therapies — some aimed at fibromyalgia, some aimed at the back pain, and some aimed at both — is more likely to bring you symptom relief.
​
The most important thing to remember is that we are subjected to a myriad of strange pains. In fact, we become so accustomed to pain that we are unsure if those various pains could be significant.  If you have insurance, push that testing.  Get that MRI and EMG if you feel that something is just not right.  Don't just be lining up for that fastest drug on the clinic dispense list for relief.  

I recently had an unexpected accident.  Accidents for patients of Fibro can be numerous at times as we lose our balance, become disoriented, and drop items for some unknown reason.  That last one still resonates constantly with me as glasses have a tendency to slide from my hand crashing to the floor.

But this last one was odd.  I was moving a rather large picture frame that unbeknownst to me had a cracked glass in its framing.  As I moved it, a huge triangle of glass landed directly on the top of my foot. And of course it happened to be the very point of the triangle.  Within a matter of seconds there was a five- inch pool of blood forming under my foot.   As I scrambled to balance, large three-inch droplets of blood began scattering on the tiles below me.  I quickly put pressure on the gaping wound, and began hopping to my closet to attain a large, thick dish rag.  Blood quickly soaked the dishrag, and I was forced to form a tourniquet.  This only enabled a quick spray to ensue covering my walls from three to four feet in length.  Something was wrong, I was bleeding out.  I had hit a main vein.  

I rushed hobbled over to my son's bedroom and yelled out, "I need to get to the hospital, I'm bleeding out."

My son rushes from his room and comes in contact with the tiles in the bedroom, hallway, and bathroom and yells, "Oh, my God, Mom, what happened?  Get in the car we need to go to the ER."

After 2 hours in the ER wrapped up tightly the blood began to stop.  I was sutured and sent home. Things seemed fairly presentable until the next day when I began experiencing signs of anemia.  

Symptoms common to many types of anemia include the following:

• Easy fatigue and loss of energy
• Unusually rapid heart beat, particularly with exercise
• Shortness of breath and headache, particularly with exercise
• Difficulty concentrating
• Dizziness
• Pale skin
• Leg cramps
• Insomnia

But, it didn't last a day.  In fact, it has been one full week since the accident, and I'm still reeling from it.  I began to peruse the internet trying to find an answer.  I suffer from CFS, of course with the fibromyalgia, and my energy reserve is always on low ready for sleep mode at any given time.

What I found was an interesting article on blood volume and CFS/ME.  I'd like to share it with you.  Who would have thought that blood volume interacts with these chronic illnesses?  No one understands why, but it makes perfect sense that those of us afflicted may need to take more time to heal ourselves when these types of accidents happen.  Of course I was told by the ER doctor that I'd be good to go in a day or so to work.  It happened Saturday afternoon, and Monday was a work day.  Wish I knew this and took a day or two off.

By Dr. David S. Bell

During a recent lecture I mentioned some old data concerning blood volume. I was asked to put my thoughts and what I had said on paper. Although it is not new information (the first ME blood volume paper was in 19951) I think it is still an important piece of the puzzle. The first slide is a description of what is meant by low blood volume as distinct from anemia.

In this slide, imagine three buckets and in each is all the blood of three different persons. The first is a healthy person with roughly five quarts of blood divided into two portions, the red blood cells which carry oxygen and the plasma. The second is a person with anemia. In this person the total volume of blood is normal, but the proportion is not. In anemia, the red cells are reduced compared to normal, and this reduction causes fatigue. In the third bucket, a person with ME has low blood volume, but the proportion of red blood cells and plasma is normal. The accumulated volume, instead of being five quarts is down to three or four quarts.

In the first study of blood volume in ME, eighty percent of ME patients were abnormal compared to historical controls1. This was subsequently confirmed by a study out of Miami2. In addition, the volume has been studied in POTS which can co-exist with ME in up to 40%3. And the blood volume can be strikingly low.

Let us put this in context. If a person loses 25% of his or her blood in a car accident, it can be fatal. But the body’s mechanism of anti-diuretic hormone, shunting, and other mechanisms can correct the blood loss quickly. In ME, these mechanisms are not at work, something that has caused me many sleepless nights.

The measurement of blood volume is rarely done now. The most accurate test is the Chromium51 assay. In this test, done in the nuclear medicine department of a University hospital, a tube of blood is drawn from the patient, carried into the back room and the red blood cells are labeled with Chromium51. The Albumin in the plasma portion is labeled with Albumin 125 and the blood is re-injected back into the patient. After an hour or so the labeled blood is mixed thoroughly with the rest of the patient’s blood, and another tube of blood is drawn and carried into the back room. There the amount of Chromium51 and Albumin 125 are measured. By calculating with the patient’s weight, a very accurate determination of the blood volume is made.

A newer test, the Daxor BVA-100 (Blood Volume Analyzer) is similar, although I have not yet seen results from ME patients as yet.

The Chromium51 test was devised in the 1960’s to see how much fluid a clinician should remove with diuretics in hypertension and congestive heart failure. The test is not needed for this now, but it was said that with this test you could predict who lived at the bottom of a mountain and who lived at the top. (At the top you need more blood because the air is thin). Some people have said the blood volume reduction is no big deal because astronauts get it. But their reduction is in the 15% range. It is caused by the lack of gravity permitting the blood flow throughout the body to increase, and the kidneys, a little confused, get rid of what they see as the ‘extra’ fluid.

A few years ago, a woman astronaut who had been in the space station for a while returned to earth and gave a short interview to the press. During this interview she collapsed and had to be helped off the podium. Her volume was about 83% of normal due to her time in space. After returning to earth about a quart of blood went into her legs because of gravity while standing and this caused such a drop in cerebral blood flow that she became syncopal. And she had a small drop in volume. In contrast, ME patients have a volume that can be as low as 50% of normal.

Mechanisms of Blood Volume Loss

Reductions in Anti-diuretic Hormone (ADH) – There are several mechanisms that come into play when the blood volume falls. The first is the hormone ADH (anti-diuretic hormone) which is missing in diabetes insipidus (not sugar diabetes or diabetes mellitus). In diabetes insipidus an injury or tumor of the pituitary causes ADH production to halt and persons with this condition urinate a great deal and carry around water jugs with ice water (sound familiar?)

There have been a number of studies on DI and ADH and without going into details, ADH can be produced in persons with ME hypovolemia. It is just that the pituitary does not seem to think that the hypovolemia is wrong or bad, no big deal. However something recognizes it as a big deal because people with ME can drink up to three gallons of water daily. When I asked an endocrinologist about this, he said it was ‘psychogenic water drinking.’

Reductions in Blood Vessel Diameter – After wrestling with this problem for many years, the only explanation I can come up with is that the cumulative sum of blood vessel diameter is reduced. The pipes are smaller than they should be. This would mean that the body has re-adjusted to the decreased flow of blood. Part of the adjustment is to shunt blood to the heart, lungs and kidneys and avoid the brain. An excellent theory would be that there is an autoimmunity4 to something that regulates blood vessel size, and this decreases both circulating blood volume and cerebral blood flow5, 6. The amount of autoimmune vasoconstriction would not need to be great as there are many miles of blood vessels in the body.

Treatment Anecdotes

IV Saline Given Early in the Illness

One reason I favor this theory is that with the administration of one liter of normal saline can nearly reverse the symptoms of ME in about three quarters of patients. This effect, however, wears off within 24 hours and then everything reverts to the newly established normal decreased flow. A similar mechanism may be at play in septic shock, where, at a certain point, even with antibiotics and fluids, the mechanism causing the shock cannot be reversed.

However, and this point is very controversial, I saw two adolescents with two to three months of typical ME (note that it cannot be diagnosed until six months of symptoms have elapsed) and gave them saline infusions daily for a week. For both adolescents, the symptoms they had disappeared never to return, although I have not had contact with them now for several years.

Prior to these two adolescents, I saw many ME patients who had the illness at three months, and all stayed ill past the six month mark. If this is true, then early recognition may offer a way to avoid full ME. This material cannot be published because it is so speculative, but if I had a child or relative with what looked like early ME, I would certainly give IV saline.

IV saline was a treatment I used for 22 adults with ME. As mentioned previously, 20% of ME patients had a volume above 80% of normal, and IV saline did not help them. Ironically, they were the most ill of the patients I treated. When I tried to infuse saline they had to stop after about 200 cc’s. From what they said, I could imagine that their cerebral circulation was so constricted that trying to force more fluid into the vessels could not be tolerated. But, there has been almost no research in this area.

Blood Transfusion

Many years ago I published a book online called Faces of CFS. In this book I described a woman with very severe ME who had a blood transfusion. About six weeks before this episode, she had a standard blood volume test which showed her to have about 64% of normal blood volume. She had been feeling ill one day and had ingested two gallows of water or other liquids.

Then, probably because she took too many ibuprofen tablets, she vomited blood. At the emergency ward, a hematocrit (Hct) showed anemia, due to a low volume to start then diluted with two gallons of water. I don’t think the vomiting blood contributed anything. But she was given two units of packed cells to be on the safe side.

The next day she felt wonderful; she felt ‘almost normal’, the first time she had said that in the years I had known her. Because she had been a nurse at the local hospital, she saw a hematologist who took her on. After about six weeks she gradually began to decline back to where she had been prior to the transfusion. After a few weeks of decline, the hematologist gave her another transfusion, and again she felt well. This continued for many months until the hematologist said he could no longer give the transfusions because of the risk of her developing allergic reactions to them.

Many years ago there was a condition called ‘idiopathic hypovolemia’, a condition diagnosed by a low blood volume that no one could explain7. Some hematologists treated it with blood transfusion with good results. In what I have read concerning this condition I have not seen the symptoms described, perhaps because the symptoms were so typical of a low blood volume. I have always wondered if they were actually treating ME.
However, there is an important point to this treatment. It does not cure the illness, even when the symptoms have been largely relieved. It makes a person feel better but there is still ‘something there’; people can get back to work or return to school, but the hypovolemia is not the primary effect of getting ME, it is a secondary effect.

IV Saline II

There are a few other anecdotes I would like to share. I had a 38 year old man who was employed by the Navy who had developed typical moderately-severe ME. After his initial evaluation I ordered a blood volume test followed by the usual screening blood tests. His volume was about 70% of normal for his weight and sex. He was also hypertensive and very bright.

As no one had been able to control his hypertension, I suggested that we might try to treat his hypertension with an infusion of saline. Any hematologist or cardiologist reading this might faint straight away, because you normally do not want to volume expand someone with hypertension, but this is a true story. The patient agreed.

He lay resting on the examining table for ½ hour while his blood pressure and pulse were recorded, roughly 180/115 blood pressure and 110 pulse even though he was not particularly nervous. One liter of saline was infused slowly while Paula took his blood pressure frequently and I paced the halls taking Valium™.
The blood pressure came down to 90/60! He had ‘hypovolemic hypertension,’ meaning that because his blood volume was low, the muscles around his arteries had clamped down causing it to look like standard ‘too much blood’ hypertension. In retrospect, he remembered that diuretics made him feel worse.

IV Saline III – Sleep

Another weird anecdote: one patient with low volume and typical ME got a liter of saline and promptly fell asleep. She had a particularly bad sleep disorder with prominent insomnia, and whenever she had a saline infusion she would sleep well, with ‘restorative sleep.’ She would prefer saline to any sleeping pill available.

Military Anti-Shock Trousers 

A third anecdote: I accompanied one patient to Dr. Streeten’s office, a patient with very prominent orthostatic intolerance. When she stood quietly she would start swaying, become confused, have excruciating pain and slur her speech. At the time Dr. Streeten was studying the effect of MAST (Military Anti-Shock Trousers) trousers on the orthostatic intolerance. These trousers, found in every ambulance, inflate with air to create a sort of total body cast for patients with fractures of the pelvis and other problems.

My patient was standing quietly with the trousers in place but not inflated, and she began to have her symptom exacerbation. Dr. Streeten then inflated the trousers to 35 mm Hg, and within seven seconds she shook her head and said she felt wonderful. The slurred speech disappeared along with the pain, cognitive and other ME symptoms. Dr. Streeten published these findings8.

The reason this is such an important study is that the only thing the MAST trousers could have done is to improve the blood flow through the brain. Because of the instant and dramatic effect, several of my patients went and bought a set of MAST trousers, but they are not practical. Although you may feel better, you cannot do anything being encased in a whole-body cast. I have always wondered what would happen for a patient with very severe (bed-ridden) ME to have this trial.
​
All of this is interesting, but just a part of the 9,000 studies that have been done and forgotten in the history of ME. I think this is a shame because there is something important about the low blood volume in ME patients. And it has a cause, even though it has not been found to date. Actually, it has not been looked for, as far as I can tell.

​References

1. Streeten DH, Thomas D, Bell DS. The roles of orthostatic hypotension, orthostatic tachycardia, and subnormal erythrocyte volume in the pathogenesis of the chronic fatigue syndrome. Am J Med Sci. 2000; 320(1): 1-8.
2. Hurwitz B, Coryell V, Parker M, Martin P, LaPierre A, NG K, et al. Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: illness severity, sedentary lifestyle, blood volume, and evidence of diminished cardiac function. Clin Sci. 2009.
3. Stewart J, Glover J, MS M. Increased plasma angiotensin II in postural tachycardia syndrome (POTS) is related to reduced blood flow and blood volume. Clin Sci. 2006; 110(2): 255-63.
4. Fluge O, Risa K, Lunde S, Alme K, Rekeland I, Sapkota D, et al. B-lymphocyte depletion in myalgic encephalopathy/chronic fatigue syndrome. An open-label phase II study with Rituximab maintenance treatment. PLoS ONE. 2015; 10(7).
5. Loebel M, Grabowski P, Heidecke H, Bauer S, Hanitsch L, Wittke K, et al. Antibodies to ß adrenergic and muscarinic cholinergic receptors in patients with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. Brain Behav Immun. 2015.
6. Tanaka H, Matsuskima R, Tamai H, Kajimoto Y. Impaired postural cerebral hemodynamics in young patients with chronic fatigue syndrome with and without orthostatic intolerance. J Pediatr. 2002; 140(412-417).
7. Fouad F, Tadena-Thome L, Bravo E, Tarazi R. Idiopathic hypovolemia. Ann Intern Med. 1986; 104: 298-303.
8. Streeten D. The role of impaired lower-limb venous innervation in the pathogenesis of the chronic fatigue syndrome. Am J Med Sci. 2001; 321: 163-7.

 2

If you've been following the blog and recently watched the movie Heal, you may be wondering what effect the autonomic nervous system plays into healing.  Just looking at the above chart tells you the sympathetic nervous system works to enable the body to heal.  But how do you get the nervous system to over ride and produce that healing? That my friends is the million dollar question.

No wonder why there is so much searching for these "mystical" interventions.  The medical field does not fully understand the body's role in enabling it to heal itself.  And, they certainly can't offer us more than  medications to mask the symptoms or pain.  It is  not wonder we are consistently avidly searching ways to heal ourselves.   

But, in order to learn these methods we must self teach.  There is  no other way, as western medicine does not accept many of these principals because they just can't see it working.  After all, if you can't conduct an efficient scientific study, then it can not be simply plausible.  It's not the medical professional's fault, it's simply the way they are trained.  

It is well-known that parasympathetic nervous system when engaged produces healing.  This can be ascertained the minute we leave the doctor's office ill with the a prescription and the words, "Rest and hydrate".  Well, rest is engaging the parasympathetic nervous system to heal your aliments.  And, yes, this would apply to other phases of healing as well as the common cold.

So what are these two autonomic nervous systems?  

The human nervous system has two major divisions, the voluntary and the autonomic systems. The voluntary system is concerned mainly with movement and sensation.  It consists of motor and sensory nerves, among many others. 

The autonomic system mainly controls functions over which we have less conscious control.  These include the digestion of food, maintaining the blood pressure and heart rate, and much more.  Its nerves leave the spine and connect to all the major organs and glands, either inhibiting or stimulating their activity.  

​The autonomic system has two branches.  These are called the sympathetic and the parasympathetic branches.
 
The Sympathetic Branch

This activates the glands and organs that defend the body against attack.  It is called the fight-or-flight system.  Its nerves direct more blood to the muscles and the brain.  The heart rate and blood pressure increase, while it decreases the blood flow to the digestive and eliminative organs. 

It also activates the thyroid and adrenal glands to provide extra energy for fighting or running away.  Nervousness, stress or feelings of panic are what one feels when in a sympathetic state of readiness.

The sympathetic system is catabolic, which means it tears down the body.  Energy is used to prepare for defense, rather than for nourishment or for elimination of wastes.

In a human being, the feeling of an “adrenalin rush” is caused by activation of the sympathetic system.  It may feel good at first, but is always followed by a feeling of fatigue.  The reason is that this branch of the autonomic nervous system uses up energy and depletes the body.

​The Parasympathetic Branch 

This is concerned with nourishing, healing, elimination and regeneration of the body.  It is more anabolic, or concerned with rebuilding the body. 

Its nerves stimulate digestion, and the immune and eliminative organs.  These organs include the liver, pancreas, stomach and intestines.  The parasympathetic nervous system, when activated by rest, relaxation and happy thoughts, is essential for balanced living and for all healing.
            
Moving yourself into a healthy parasympathetic state, and staying there as much of the time as possible, helps heal all health conditions, both physical and emotional ones as well.

The feeling often associated with the parasympathetic state can be one of lethargy or fatigue, as you are so relaxed.  Do not, however, believe this is unhealthy.  Rather, it indicates a state of repair and rebuilding in progress.

Antagonism of The Sympathetic And Parasympathetic Branches

Only one or the other system can be active at a particular time.  The sympathetic branch powerfully inhibits the parasympathetic system.  This is, of course, a survival mechanism because the emergency system, the sympathetic, takes precedence over the relaxation and healing.

Thus, either one or the other branch is activated most of the time.  To promote balance and healing, the goal is to keep the sympathetic system turned off as much as possible.  This allows the maximum healing to occur.  Simple ways to do this are to rest, relax and think happy thoughts.  As soon as you think fearful or angry thoughts, or become too physically active, the body shifts into a sympathetic stance.

ANALOGIES
 
The sympathetic nervous system may be roughly likened to the gas pedal of a car.  The parasympathetic is more like the brake.  Unlike a car, however, when the ‘brake’ is applied to the body, it begins to heal itself.

Emotionally, the sympathetic branch of the autonomic system is associate with fear.  The parasympathetic branch is associated with feelings of love.  Love always drives out fear.

Also, activating one’s sympathetic nervous system is like putting most of a nation’s resources into military service.  This may be needed, at times, for emergencies.  However, if continued too long, the nation becomes depleted, out of balance, and much poorer for lack of productive commercial activity – making things in factories, growing food on the farms, and so on.

A flexible oxidizer is like a car that can drive slowly and can drive fast, depending on the need.

​Relatively few people today have a strong and balanced autonomic system.  Most people favor the sympathetic branch over the parasympathetic branch.  Before discussing these types of individuals, let us discuss the ideal situation.
 
The Balanced Individual – A Flexible Oxidizer

When the sympathetic and parasympathetic systems are working as they should, the tendency is to rest often and easily.  One can, however, perform at “top speed” with equal ease. When challenged by stress, the balanced person is able to respond with vigor and fortitude.

The parasympathetic system reduces the activity of the brain, the muscles, and the adrenal and thyroid glands.  When no situation is pressing, the balanced person can comfortably choose to rest and can go to sleep easily and deeply.  Babies often have this ability.  However, few adults have this capability today because they overuse their sympathetic system, which is the emergency alert system that inhibits rest and sleep.
 
In hair analysis terms, the balanced individual will be a flexible oxidizer.  This means the person is able and comfortable slowing down at bedtime and yet also able to run, play and even fight when needed.  These activities tend to speed up the metabolism.  Thus the balanced individual may be in slow oxidation, at times, and in fast oxidation at other times.

It is important to note that just because a hair analysis reveals a fairly balanced oxidation rate, however, does not mean the person is a flexible oxidizer.  In fact, the test may be skewed in many ways by toxic metals, living habits or other factors that can make it appear balanced or flexible.

For example, cadmium will raise up the sodium and, to some extent, the potassium levels on the test.  So if a person is a slow oxidizer, but they smoke cigarettes or have some other source of exposure to cadmium, the test may superficially appear balanced or flexible.

In fact, this is the reason why some people enjoy cigarettes.  However, the point is that many factors can cause the body to compensate for its imbalances at a superficial or even deeper levels.  Thus we never regard a first or even later hair test as the deepest reality.  Later tests will show deeper layers of adaptation and compensation in all cases.

In fact, there is no limit to how many layers of compensations and adaptations may be unloaded in a person who desires the greatest level of health and well-being.

FAST OXIDATION, A MORE SYMPATHETIC STATE OF BODY CHEMISTRY
 
Fast oxidation is an alarm stage of stress in the stress theory of disease.  This is also called a fight-or-flight reaction.  Fast oxidation is a more sympathetic state of body chemistry, meaning that the sympathetic nervous system (also sometimes called the fight-or-flight system) is activated more in these people.

We define the oxidation types based upon a properly performed and properly interpreted hair mineral analysis.  Some doctors use blood, urine or other tests to determine the oxidation rate.  However, we do not find these methods accurate or reliable.  Fast oxidation can be healthy or unhealthy.

Healthy fast oxidation.  Almost all babies, and most children up to the age of about 3 to 10 are naturally fast oxidizers.  This means that their adrenal and thyroid activity tend to be adequate or high. 

For example, medical science is well aware that newborns have a high heart rate, and even their body temperature tends to be a little higher than older adults.  These are symptoms of fast oxidation. 

Babies do well on lots of dietary fat and the high level of calcium found in mother’s milk.  These are other indicators of fast oxidation.  They also are usually warm and pink and have rather loose bowel movements.  These, also, are indicators of fast oxidation.

On their hair tissue mineral analyses, in general, they have low levels of calcium and magnesium and elevated levels of sodium and potassium.  This is the way fast oxidation looks on a hair mineral test. 

Babies and young children are in a sympathetic state, or fast oxidation, because they are healthier than adults with more etheric energy in their bodies.  They are also usually excited to be in the world.  Some also have a lot of stress that can keep them in fast oxidation.

Unhealthy fast oxidation.  This occurs in adults, in whom fast oxidation is not the normal state.  Some adults are in a fast oxidation state because of extreme stress, the presence of toxic metals, an illness, or perhaps for other reasons.  When these people follow a development program, their oxidation rate eventually changes to slow oxidation, which is normal for adults.

 Unhealthy Slow Oxidation.  This is very common.  It is revealed on up to 90 % of adult hair mineral analyses, for example.  It is basically the end stage of sympathetic burnout.  People in this condition have exhausted their sympathetic systems so much, their bodies flip into a default parasympathetic state we call slow oxidation.

It is a condition in which the sympathetic organs, the thyroid, adrenals and the muscles and brain, in fact, are operating more sluggishly.  These people are often tired, apathetic, and tend to get depressed easily.

This state is far more common in adults than it is in young children.  However, it is seen more and more commonly in children, as they are born far more toxic and depleted today. 

This state corresponds to an exhaustion stage of stress according to the stress theory of disease, another important concept to master if one is to use hair analysis prope

In this condition of body chemistry, one cannot fight back as well as in fast oxidation.  It is more of a state of acceptance and give-up.  It can cause symptoms such as discouragement, fearfulness, depression, apathy and even despair and suicidal thoughts when extreme.

The hair analyses of these people have elevated calcium and magnesium levels and lower sodium and potassium levels, providing the hair is not washed at the laboratory.  

This is, of course, the exact opposite of the fast oxidizer hair analysis.  The causes of this unhealthy parasympathetic states are quite a few.  Recall that it is just a late stage of excessive sympathetic activity.  This causes nutritional depletion, excessive tissue breakdown and eventually general destruction of the body tissues and organs. 

It is made far worse by lack of rest, improper diet, poor eating habits, worry, fears, angers and more.  Other causes include victim thinking, electromagnetic pollution, toxic metals and toxic chemicals in the food, air and water.

 HOW TO BALANCE YOUR AUTONOMIC NERVOUS SYSTEM 

There is much anyone can do to keep the autonomic system functioning well.
 
Rest often and sleep a lot.  Nap often, and sleep at least 8-11 hours or more each night.  The hours before midnight are by far the best for sleeping.  Avoid excessive activity of any kind.  Even exercise is often overdone.  Exercise is a powerful sympathetic stimulant.  Avoid getting exhausted by any activity you engage in.  Be careful when using exercise to “run away” from stress, for example.  More rest is often what is really required.
 
Eat well.  The nervous system must be properly nourished to function correctly.  Animal protein is particularly helpful for the brain and nervous system as it contains fats and proteins essential for the nerves.  These include the omega-3 and omega-6 essential fatty acids.  Excellent foods for the nervous system are eggs, meats, nuts, root vegetables and oily fish such as sardines and salmon.

Supplemental nutrients that calm the sympathetic system are calcium, magnesium, kelp, selenium, manganese and zinc, among many others. 
 
Reduce your stress level as much as possible.  Stress is a major activator of the sympathetic nervous system.  It can arise from within the body due to fatigue, muscle tension, spinal misalignment or nutritional deficiencies, among other reasons.

Stress can also come from outside, such as financial, work or family stress.  Other types of stress to minimize or avoid are living in a noisy environment, or in one with contaminated air and water.

Electromagnetic stress is also very real, although it cannot be seen.  Reduce your use of computers if possible, and do not keep televisions, computers and other electrical devices on when not in use.  Be sure to turn them all off when you sleep, and keep even clocks and radios away from your head in the location where you sleep.

Activities like driving and even exercise are also stress-producing, even if you are not aware of it at the time.  A simple lifestyle and gentle exercise is a step in the right direction to reduce or limit your stress.
 
Keep your thoughts and your emotions as uplifted and positive as you possibly can, all of the time.
 
Do your very best to stay in gratitude.  This will help keep you in a positive, uplifted state.
 
 Practice forgiveness.  This places you in a position of power and compassion.  It is much better than allowing yourself to feel like a victim, which always leads to a fight-or-flight response.
 
Cultivate contentment.   This is different from feeling you need to be ecstatically happy all the time.  This type of happiness, as most people know it, is often short-lived.  It is often an attempt to overcome feelings of unhappiness.  Contentment or joy, in contrast, is a state in which you are at peace with yourself and the world, even if the world around you is not to your liking.  You can learn to let the world go and choose contentment and joy rather than attempting always to control the world around you.
 
Do not to compare yourself with others.  This causes fear, and often anger and resentment. The world never seems fair from our limited perspectives.  There is much that is hidden.  If you knew more about others’ lives, you would be less anxious to trade places with them.
 
Train you mind to stay out of negative emotions.  These include worry, fear, anger and guilt.  These emotions turn on the sympathetic system and keep it active. Meditation, affirmations, counseling and other natural therapies all can help.  Also, surround yourself only with uplifting books, tapes and other forms of media.  Pick your friends and relationships carefully.  Work, school and all your activities either contribute to your contentment or detract from it.
 
Become aware of who and what truly give you energy, versus who and what mainly use up your energy.  This is rather complex.  Meditation of the type we recommend can help a lot to identify these feelings accurately, since one cannot go on feelings alone. 

Practice breathing deeply.  This is one way to control the autonomic system with a voluntary action.  Slow, deep breathing by itself turns off the sympathetic system.
 
CONCLUSION 

The health of the autonomic nervous system is a critical aspect to healing that is often overlooked.  Most people today have some degree of sympathetic nervous exhaustion.  It is, in fact, a major cause of all disease that should receive much more attention. 

On a brighter note, nervous exhaustion can also cause a person to begin searching for answers deep inside.  This can lead to changing your lifestyle and eating habits, and developing your inner potential. As more people become willing to change their thought patterns and lifestyles, they will experience a state of contentment and bliss that comes with having a balanced autonomic system.

I found myself sick again after completing the seven day required regime of antibiotics for an acute sinus infections.  Before the illness had morphed into a brain-blasting, non-breathing catastrophe, It felt as if the flu was taking over.  I was unable to rise from my bed for several days before seeing my physician.  It was like Deja Vu.  

I had this experience right before I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia.  There was some unknown illness that reminisced of flu-like symptoms settling into my sinuses and chest.  No test would prove so, but nonetheless, I was terribly sick then confined to my bed for months.  

One thing I do remember with vigor is that each time my doctor unwilling prescribed antibiotics I'd feel much better during the course of therapy.  This went on for four months through three different prescriptions of various antibiotics. Each time symptoms began to abate only to return a day or two after that last pill was ingested.

​I cam upon an interesting article from Pro Health I'd like to share a few tidbits with you.  It was written by Gabe Mirkin, MD.  

Before I prescribe any medication, I ask myself whether it will help or hurt. All of the autoimmune diseases cause severe disability. Conventional medications neither cure these diseases nor stop the progressive destruction that they cause. Doctors prescribe immune suppressives that sometimes have deadly effects. Antibiotics are far safer that the drugs conventionally used to treat these diseases. So, if antibiotics can be shown to help control these diseases, they should be used long before a doctor thinks of using the conventional immune suppressives.

When a germ gets into your body, you are supposed to produce cells and proteins called antibodies that attach to and kill that germ. These diseases are felt by many doctors to be caused by your own immunity. Instead of doing its job of killing germs, your immunity attacks your own tissue. If it attacks your joints, it's called reactive arthritis; if it attacks your intestines, it’s called Crohn’s disease; your colon, it’s called ultra ulcerative colitis; and if it fills your lungs with mucous, it’s called late onset asthma. I do not believe that your immunity is that stupid.

Accumulating data show that all of these conditions can be caused by infection. Many diseases that were thought to be autoimmune turn out to be infections: stomach ulcers are caused by bacterium, helicobacter pylori and others; multiple sclerosis may be caused by HHS-6 virus; rheumatic fever is caused by the bacterium, beta streptococcus, group A; Gillian-Barre syndrome may be caused by the bacterium, campylobacter; Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis by E. Coli, Klebsiella and Bacteroides; and so forth.

​Shouldn’t We Be Concerned About Resistant Bacteria?

The argument that giving antibiotics causes bacteria to be resistant to that antibiotic is reasonable, but it has no place in discouraging people with these diseases from taking them. First, these people have serious diseases that cause permanent damage life and death. Second, the treatments that are available are toxic, shorten life, cause cancer, and have to be followed by frequent blood tests. On the other hand, I prescribe derivatives of tetracycline and erythromycin. These are extraordinarily safe and do not require drawing frequent blood tests.

If you were to become infected subsequently with bacteria that are resistant to these antibiotics, you would have lost nothing. No reasonable doctor would prescribe erythromycin or tetracycline for acute serious diseases, such as meningitis, pneumonia, or an abscess, because tetracyclines and erythromycins do not kill germs, they only stop them from multiplying. Instead, doctors prescribe far more bacteriocidal antibiotics that kill bacteria.

Many doctors criticize my use of antibiotics, but many antibiotics are far safer than conventional treatment, cost less, can be administered by a general practitioner, and often cure the condition, rather that just suppressing symptoms. I know that most physicians who develop these conditions will treat themselves with antibiotics because they know that conventional treatments with prednisone, chloroquine, azathioprine, and methotrexate are toxic and my treatments with erythromycins and tetracyclines are safe.

​The Hidden Epidemic—Mycoplasma, Chlamydia, and Ureaplasma

Mycoplasma, chlamydia, and ureaplasma are the smallest of free-living organisms. They are unlike all other all other bacteria because they have no cell walls and therefore must live inside cells. They are unlike viruses because they can live in cultures outside of cells and can be killed by certain antibiotics. However, they cannot be killed by most antibiotics, as most antibiotics work by damaging a bacteria’s cell wall. They can be killed by antibiotics such as tetracyclines or erythromycins that do not act on a cell wall.

If you feel sick and your doctor is unable to make a diagnosis because all laboratory tests and cultures fail to reveal a cause, you could be infected with one or more of these bacteria. The only way that you will be cured is for your doctor to suspect an infection with these germs and for you to take long-acting erythromycin or tetracyclines for several weeks, months or years. They are the most common cause of venereal diseases and are a common cause of muscle and joint pains, burning in the stomach, a chronic cough, and chronic fatigue. They can cause transverse myelitis (paralysis of the spine); gall stones; a chronic sore throat; red itchy eyes, pain on looking at light and blindness; arthritis; brain and nerve damage with symptoms of lack of coordination, headaches and passing out; spotting between periods or uterine infections; kidney stones; testicular pain; asthma; heart attacks; strokes; cerebral palsy; premature birth; high blood pressure; nasal polyps; stuffy nose in newborns; chronic fatigue; belly pain; muscle pain; confusion; passing out and death; coughing; bloody diarrhea; and anal itching and bleeding.

Mycoplasma, chlamydia, and ureaplasma infections are extraordinary difficult to diagnose and treat. No dependable tests are available to most practicing physicians that will rule infections with these bacteria in or out, and most doctors will not prescribe antibiotics to patients unless they have results of a laboratory test that confirms a specific infection. If you feel sick and your doctor unable to make a diagnosis because all laboratory test and cultures fail to reveal a cause, you could be infected with mycoplasma, chlamydia, or ureaplasma and will be cured only by taking long-acting erythromycin or tetracyclines for many months.

Usually the first symptoms from chlamydia, ureaplasma and mycoplasma are burning on urination, a feeling that you have to urinate all the time, terrible discomfort when the bladder is full and vaginal itching, odor or discharge. Other first symptoms include itchy eyes, a cough or a burning in your nose. The bacteria are transmitted through sexual contact, or you can be infected when an infected person coughs in your face or you touched nasal or eye secretions from an infected person and put your finger in your nose or eye. Your chances for a cure are high if you are treated when you have only local symptoms; but after many months the infection can spread to other parts of your body and make you sick or damage nerves, joints and muscles.

Once these infections are allowed to persist for months or years, they are extraordinarily difficult to cure and often require treatment for many months. Even if your doctor is willing to prescribe antibiotics, treatment can be difficult. Often patients do not take the medication long enough to be cured, or they may have a close contact with an infected person and become reinfected. One patient in four takes of medication as prescribed and almost all women who had chlamydia one month after treatment had been reinfected by new or old partners.

My recommended treatment: I often prescribe 500 mg of azithromycin twice a week and/or doxycycline 100-mg twice a day. Many physicians disagree with these recommendations, so check with your doctor to see if you may be a candidate for this treatment.

Fibromyalgia, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome or Multiple Chemical Sensitivities

Fibromyalgia means that a previously healthy person develops unexplained exhaustion, fatigue and muscle aches and pains that last for more that six months; all blood tests are normal and doctors can’t find a cause. One recent report shows that a large number of people who were diagnosed with having fibromyalgia really had polymyalgia rheumatica, which does have abnormal blood tests. A recent report shows that many sufferers have low spinal fluid levels of vitamin B12 can be treated with 1000mcg of B12 each day.

The diagnosis of fibromyalgia should be made only after all other causes have been ruled out. Many infections can cause fatigue and muscle pain.

The evaluation should include tests for infectious diseases; such as Lyme disease and Hepatitis B or C, cytomegalovirus, toxoplasmosis or the helicobacter that causes stomach ulcers; autoimmune diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis; hidden cancers such as those of the breast and prostate; hormonal diseases such as low thyroid; or side effects from a medication or illicit drug. Around 20 percent will be depressed. Most people miss work and complain of illness long before their diagnosis, but the majority will not have a known cause.

Chronic fatigue means that the primary symptom is exhaustion, but most also have constipation and diarrhea. Fibromyalgia usually means that muscle and joint pains are major symptoms, but muscle biopsies are normal, pressure points are not reproducible and ultra sound is normal. Multiple chemical sensitivities mean that patients think that their symptoms are caused by factors in their environment or they consult doctors who think the same thing. Untreated, the symptoms that that lead to any of these diagnoses will usually continue in adults for the rest of their lives. I have prescribed doxycycline 100-mg twice a day for several months, and sometimes azithromycin 500-mg twice a week, and some of my patients get better. However, this treatment is not accepted by most doctors. Please check with your doctor.

​Stomach Problems

If you have belching, burping, a sour taste in your mouth, mouth odor, a white-coated tongue or a burning pain in your stomach or chest that gets worse when you are hungry and better when you eat, you probably have too much stomach acid. Doctors may say you have ulcers, esophagitis, gastritis, duodenitis, achalasia, chalazia, hiatal hernia or reflux. These terms mean that stomach acid is burning your gastrointestinal tract. Most people who have these symptoms have an infection with a bacteria called helicobacter pylori.

If you have these symptoms, you need blood tests to see if you have helicobacter and a special x-ray called an upper GI series to rule out a cancer. Since there are several bacteria that cause stomach cancers ulcers, a negative blood test does not rule out an infection. I usually treat all people with gastritis symptoms with a one-week course of antibiotics: metronidazole four times a day, clarithromycin 500-mg twice a day and omeperazole 20-mg once a day for one week. At least 12 weeks later, you need a follow up blood test for helicobacter.

If your symptoms are gone and the titer drops, you are probably cured. If your helicobacter titer is still high, your helicobacter is probably resistant to metronidazole and your need to be treated for at least ten days with amoxicillin 500-mg four times a day, tetracycline 500-mg three times a day and omeperazole 20-mg once a day. If you have regurgitation of stomach acid into your esophagus (reflux, hiatal hernia), you may need to be treated with 20-mg omeperazole once a day and 10-mg cisapride four times a day. Virtually all physicians have now accepted the infectious causes of stomach problems. Only the manufacturers of over-the-counter remedies still try to make you believe that stomach pain is caused by stress.

Doxycycline, Minocycline and Tetracycline

Many doctors have asked why I treat some of my patients with acne, arthritis, chronic fatigue syndrome, and late on-set asthma with antibiotic, doxycycline, when minocycline is probably more effective. Doxycycline is a fairly safe drug, although it can cause a sore throat, sunlight sensitivity, pigmentation and abnormal liver tests. It causes sore throat and heartburn when it gets stuck in your esophagus, so take it with large amounts of water to wash it down to your stomach. To prevent sunburn, avoid excessive exposure to the sun.

Minocycline is fairly safe, but it can cause more serious serum sickness-like reaction, hypersensitivity syndrome reaction, and drug-induced lupus: characterized by fever, joint pain, a rash, a feeling of being sick, hives itching and severe pain. Other reported side effects include dark colored eyeballs, and liver damage.
Minocycline is more effective than doxycycline because it achieves much higher concentrations in the tissues where it does work in reducing swelling, killing germs, and stopping pain. Although minocycline and doxycycline are in the same class of antibiotics as tetracycline, we rarely use tetracycline because it does not achieve high tissue concentrations. Doxycycline achieves much higher tissue concentrations than tetracycline, while minocycline penetrates tissue far more effectively than doxycycline.

I've had a recent bout with an illness that left me dumbfounded.  With all my research in tow, you'd think there'd be an enlightening (a booming epiphany) when new symptoms manifest, but I can tell you with strains of illness varying each season, it is hard to come to grips with it all. 

On a Monday evening I felt a bit of a scratchy sore throat and a tad of fatigue.  By Tuesday morning I couldn't bring my head off the pillow, and slept deeply throughout the day.  This continued through Wednesday with severe muscle aches and cramping.  "What is this?" I thought.  It began as an onset of an upper respiratory infection.  

I scoured the internet for flu symptoms as I was waiting until the onset of fever and congestion.  

​When you get a cold or other upper respiratory infection, it usually starts out slowly. You may feel a headache, a mild sore or irritated throat, some congestion or any number of other cold symptoms. They start out mild and get worse after two to three days and then gradually go away.

That is not how the flu starts. The real flu - influenza - comes on suddenly and in full force. Most people feel completely normal when they go to bed and then wake up in the morning feeling like they were "hit by a truck". A majority of people who have the flu will have a fever, body aches, headache, and cough. Congestion is a symptom as well but is often not severe.

Contrary to popular belief, vomiting and diarrhea are not common symptoms of the flu. They are more common in children with influenza but only occur in about 10% of people that have it. If your primary symptoms are vomiting and diarrhea, you most likely have a gastroenteritis - or stomach virus.  

Influenza (also known as flu) is a contagious respiratory illness caused by flu viruses. It can cause mild to severe illness, and at times can lead to death. Flu is different from a cold. Flu usually comes on suddenly. People who are sick with flu often feel some or all of these symptoms:

• Fever* or feeling feverish/chills
• Cough
• Sore throat
• Runny or stuffy nose
• Muscle or body aches
• Headaches
• Fatigue (tiredness)
• Some people may have vomiting and diarrhea, though this is more common in children than adults.

I was missing the fever, runny nose.  I had experienced some sweating and chills.  But, the pain in my head  and extreme fatigue was what alerted me that this was not a normal cold.  

​If you're living with fibromyalgia, this time of year can be especially trying. That's because two of the most common fibromyalgia symptoms are all-over musculoskeletal pain and fatigue feelings similar to those experienced with a bad cold or the flu. In fact, about half of patients with fibromyalgia experience a “flu-like” illness that precedes the development of their symptoms.

So how do you know if you've come down with the flu, or if your aches and pains are due to fibromyalgia? There are important differences that can clue you in, including:

• Fibromyalgia doesn’t cause fevers. “Some patients will say that their temperature is consistently a little higher or lower,” says Kim Jones, PhD, an associate professor at the Oregon Health and Science University in Portland and head of the Fibromyalgia Information Foundation. But spikes in fever from fighting off an infection are not due to fibromyalgia.
• Fibromyalgia doesn’t cause coughs and congestion. Classic cold symptoms, such as coughs, sniffles, a runny nose, and a sore throat, are not fibromyalgia symptoms.

I was well aware of the above points but still  had no fever! So I waited a few days.  Suddenly without warning, my head exploded into a myriad of pain.  Pain could be felt at all sides on all levels reaching deep within my eyeballs.  It wasn't enough I had been sleeping for three days straight, now I couldn't breathe as the head pain tripled in intensity and my air waves soldered shut.  What if this breached my lungs as quickly as it did my sinuses?  I'd be in a whole hoot of trouble and unable to breathe.  I took a shower releasing a bit of an airway in the steam of it all and decided I could wait until morning.

I was luckily enough to get in early.  I can tell you by then I was a real mess unable to keep my head afloat on my very shoulders.  The doctor took one look at me and said, "You waited too long."

"How was I to know?" I thought.  "I'm always sent home unless I have some type of phlegm and fever."

"There are new strains coming out.  We've seen several in the office who have had the flu with no fever or severe chills," she explained. "You missed the two day window for a swab so we'll never know for sure."

She did note that the intense facial pain was due to an acute sinus infection that apparently began trying to drain in my nostrils.  Of course, little luck was had there as to why I was unable to breathe. Antibiotics were prescribed and I was sent home.  Lesson learned: when overwrought with severe fatigue and pain seek medical attention quickly. Here are some other remedies to make life a bit easier if you get the bug.

​Coping With Flus and Colds

If you do get sick this cold and flu season, here’s how to help yourself feel better:

• Drink fluids. Staying well hydrated is important for feeling your best with fibromyalgia, but it’s even more important during dry winter months and when you’re trying to fight off or manage a dehydrating fever.
• Take acetaminophen (Tylenol). If you want to ease the aches and pains of fibromyalgia or flu symptoms or the soreness of a vaccination, take acetaminophen instead of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS), which have not been shown to relieve fibromyalgia symptoms and can cause more gastrointestinal discomfort.
• Treat your symptoms. Colds and flu are viral illnesses, so antibiotics won’t help. But there are ways you can treat your symptoms in order to feel better. If you are taking prescription medications for fibromyalgia or other health conditions, make sure you check with your doctor or read labels to avoid any negative interactions with cough and cold medications.
• Practice infection prevention. Wash your hands often, or use alcohol-based hand sanitizer, and minimize your contact with people who are sick. Fibromyalgia is not a condition of low immunity, but it’s good to avoid exposure to illness whenever possible.

​Finally, if you're confused about when to contact your doctor, follow this advice: “New headaches that are different from any in the past, and new symptoms that have not been experienced by you in the last few months, are worth running by your health care provider.”

​

Back pain is a common culprit for those who suffer from fibromyalgia.  Although the picture shows lower and mid pain, it really doesn't serve justice for those who suffer from upper spine pain and joint swelling as well.

The fibromyalgia spine is a tricky area.  Not only do we suffer from various joint, ligament, and muscle pain, we are also prone to periodic back soreness or all-out throbbing and stabbing in various areas of the back.

I hate to mention I have any type of pain to friends and family.  I'm always met with, "Oh, Dear, were you lifting something heavy?" 

"No, not at all," I retort.

"Well you must have forgotten, you need to be more careful."

Unfortunately, fibromyalgia back pain can come on at any time, at any place, and for any unknown reason. I remember one evening distinctly in which I was enjoying a much need rest while watching a fabulous movie on Netflix.  I got up (not too fast for those questioners) and immediately felt a knife-like jab in my lower back. This lasted for several days.  And, for some reason, I can never get a handle on prevention.

Did you know that as many as two-thirds of people with chronic low back pain also have fibromyalgia? Looking at the numbers from the other direction, up to 49 percent of people with fibromyalgia have lower back pain. In fact, back pain is so prevalent among people with fibromyalgia that it was once one of the symptoms doctors looked for in making a fibromyalgia diagnosis.

There’s no doubt that living with fibromyalgia is challenging enough on its own, let alone when you have back pain. But it may make you feel a little better to know there is an explanation for the intensity of the pain you’re going through.

“Both back pain and fibromyalgia belong to a group of disorders called central ​hypersensitivity syndromes,” says pain management specialist Ronald Staud, MD, professor of medicine at the University of Florida in Gainesville. Although the roots of the two conditions differ for example, back pain could be caused by a damaged vertebral disk the pain experiences of the two conditions bear some similarities. Among them is the sense that these chronic pain conditions cause you to be on a “high alert” setting of sorts (doctors call it hyperarousal). And then, to top it off, the pain wears you down, causing fatigue, depression, and anxiety that make living with fibromyalgia and back pain all the more draining.

​One essential is getting an accurate diagnosis of your back pain. According to Staud, many physicians who treat fibromyalgia can also assess back pain’s possible causes. However, ask for a referral to a pain specialist if you have any concerns about your doctor’s ability to parse out the factors contributing to your back pain and prescribe the appropriate medical treatment.

Treating Fibromyalgia and Back Pain

Pain medication is usually part of the prescription for fibromyalgia symptoms but often isn’t enough for most people, especially if a back condition is involved. Putting together a multi-part pain plan is a must, says Staud. This is even more true if you need specific therapy for your back. Consider these additional ideas to create a comprehensive treatment strategy that may combine traditional and alternative approaches:

• Lifestyle changes. Both back pain and fibromyalgia symptoms may improve as you work on a healthier lifestyle adjusting your diet, increasing exercise, and losing weight if needed.
• Mental health treatment. Anxiety, depression, and trouble sleeping can all make pain feel worse. Comprehensive treatment strategies may include therapy and medication targeted to depression and anxiety, says Staud.
• Physical therapy. “Back pain is the mainstay of physical therapists,” says Staud. Physical therapists can teach you how to move through your day more effectively and show you stretches to ease back pain and perhaps make living with fibromyalgia easier.
• Alternative treatment approaches. Acupuncture, biofeedback, and music therapy can help ease back pain. According to Staud, pain management specialists are well-versed in the complexity of pain treatment and will be open to any questions you might have about alternative approaches. Talking with your team about options you’re considering will also help you avoid any interactions between alternative treatments and prescription medications.
• Education. Finally, a little knowledge can go a long way toward easing some of the anxiety you may be feeling. Talk with your medical team about the physiology of pain and the complex factors that influence your perception of pain when you are facing conditions related to hypersensitization

​When you’re struggling with low back pain and fibromyalgia, you might feel as though you’re fighting two battles. But a combination of therapies some aimed at fibromyalgia, some aimed at the back pain, and some aimed at both — is more likely to bring you symptom relief.

Another interesting noteworthy point worth taking into consideration is positive thoughts.  I notice when I am off from the hectic work routine for a week or so, I am less apt to feel such symptoms.  In fact, as long as I can keep happy and positive about all aspects of life,  my pain levels plummet.  But how can we assess that every minute of every day to feel somewhat whole again?

I am sitting here staring out my window waiting for a few rays to stream so that my body can feel its healing grace.  I want to run out back, drop in my chaise lounge, eagle-spread feeling those first rays of medicinal warmth.  It is like I'm plugged into something greater and my pain and suffering begins to ease the moment my skin is kissed.

Right now my body feels like it is slowly degenerating.  Winter months come so harshly and wreck such havoc that I never know what its going to leave in its aftermath.  One year it was pancreatitis, another year it was Left Ventricular Hypertrophy.  Each of these past eight years of winter blues leaves something malfunctioning in my organs.  Weirdly, it is always by March before the suns rays begin to openly display daily here in the southern belt.  

I know what it is.  It's that natural vitamin D.  I am a whole 'nother person when its out.  Right now though, I am met with "Are you feeling ok? You don't look good.  Go home and rest."  Rest is  not going to help me I want to shout!

And, I'm sorry to say, but I don't feel the same with Vitamin D supplements.  It helps, but just doesn't do the job like the real thing.  I am so grateful that I don't live up north.  I don't know how some of my readers do it.  Cabin fever for an extended period of time would just kill me coupled that with lack of natural sunlight to bathe in.

Anyway, I cam across and article my Dr. Northrup I'd like to share that shows the unique benefits of Vitamin D our our need to utilize daily especially if you have chronic health aliments: 

​Vitamin D is necessary for the health of every cell in your body. Yet, Vitamin D deficiency has reached epidemic proportions. Overall, Vitamin D influences more than 200 genes, each of which has the propensity to become impaired without adequate Vitamin D. According to a number of studies, Vitamin D deficiency can result in many diseases and conditions, including obesity, diabetes, hypertension, depression, rheumatoid arthritis, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, osteoporosis, Alzheimer’s disease, and cancers of the breast, prostate, and colon.

Yet, maintaining an optimal level of Vitamin D can improve your immune system function and prevent many diseases, including colds and flu, cancer, and “autoimmune” diseases.  Plus, an optimal level of Vitamin D can improve your mood, regulate insulin, support heart and lung function, protect your brain from toxic chemicals, and may help reduce pain in people with chronic pain conditions.

Know the Risk Factors for Vitamin D Deficiency?

The average Vitamin D level for all women in the US is 29 ng/ml – well below the recommended 40 ng/ml. For African Americans, the average is even lower – 21 ng/ml. Typically, people who are Vitamin D deficient do not know it because symptoms are subtle and often attributed to other conditions. The problem is, some of the symptoms of Vitamin D deficiency can be serious. They include getting sick frequently, experiencing fatigue, chronic fatigue syndrome, bone pain, muscle pain, back pain, fibromyalgia, hair loss, depression, and poor wound healing. If you suffer from any of these symptoms, I recommend that you test your Vitamin D levels.

But, many people who don’t have symptoms are at risk for Vitamin D deficiency. If you live in a climate where you do not get enough sunshine (such as above the 35th parallel), your stores of Vitamin D most likely will be low, at least from November through March. Also, if you have dark skin, you are more likely to be deficient in Vitamin D because melanin reduces your skin’s ability to synthesize Vitamin D from sunlight.

Other individuals who are at greater risk for Vitamin D deficiency include women who cover themselves from head to toe, such as women who wear burqas or niqabs for religious reasons. Also, people who use SPF 30 or higher are at greater risk because sunscreen reduces your body’s ability to synthesize Vitamin D by 95%! Plus, people who work the night shift (and sleep during the day) and people who are homebound are at greater risk of Vitamin D deficiency.

Office workers and people who live in highly polluted areas often have lower Vitamin D levels. So do vegetarians and vegans. Finally, infants who are solely breastfed can develop low Vitamin D levels and should receive 400 IU per day of an oral vitamin D supplement. (You can get drops made specifically for babies.)

Vitamin D and Breast Cancer Prevention

There are many studies that show the connection between Vitamin D and breast cancer prevention. Reduction in risk can range from 55% to as high as 80%, depending on Vitamin D levels. And, it appears the higher your serum Vitamin D the better in terms of preventing cancer.

In addition, much research shows that Vitamin D is extremely important for regulating cell growth. This is very exciting news because not only do adequate Vitamin D levels in women appear to reduce the risk of breast cancer up to 80%, some studies suggest that Vitamin D may reduce the progression of cancer by slowing the growth of blood vessels within the cancer cells, thus causing cancer cell death and reducing the chance of cancer spreading (known as metastasis).

Even more exciting is the fact that Vitamin D is associated with better survival rates among breast cancer patients. A 2014 statistical analysis performed by researchers at the University of California San Diego School of Medicine showed that Vitamin D receptors are not lost until a tumor is very advanced. So, as long as Vitamin D receptors are present, tumor growth can be prevented when Vitamin D levels are adequate.
If you are concerned about your breast health, or you have breast cancer, I recommend getting your Vitamin D level tested and taking a high-quality Vitamin D supplement to get your Vitamin D level to around 60 ng/ml.

How to Test Your Vitamin D Levels

I recommend that everyone test their Vitamin D levels. It’s good to do this when you are feeling well so you have a baseline. If you are having health problems, I definitely want you to get your Vitamin D tested, especially if your symptoms are vague, or if you suffer from a serious condition and are not improving with standard treatments.

Testing is easy and you can do it from home with a home test kit. I like the ones from Grass Roots Health. If you are healthy and looking for your baseline measurement, start with the basic Vitamin D test kit. You can also get one of the more comprehensive kits that allow you to test your Omega 3 index, C-Reactive Protein (CRP), and A1c along with your Vitamin D. You can also do a complete inflammation panel, which is good for people with chronic conditions.

Vitamin D tests are serum tests. This means that you will need to prick your finger. If that bothers you, then I suggest you ask your health care provider to perform a blood test to check your Vitamin D levels. You should specifically ask to have a 25(OH)D test performed, also called a 25-hydroxy Vitamin D. Be sure to get your actual number. Don’t settle for hearing that your Vitamin D is “a little low” or that “you’re okay.”

Ideally, your Vitamin D level should be at least 40 ng/ml – somewhere between 40-60 ng/ml is optimal. Higher levels are also fine up to approximately 100 ng/ml. If you are below 40 ng/ml, I suggest taking Vitamin D supplements until you are in the ideal range. You can use the calculator on Grass Roots Health to determine the amount of Vitamin D you need take to reach your goal of 40-60ng/ml.

Other Ways to Increase Your Vitamin D Levels Naturally

If you are deficient in Vitamin D, the best way to increase your serum levels is to take a high- quality supplement. However, there are two more ways you can increase your Vitamin D levels naturally.

The first way to increase your Vitamin D level is to spend more time outside in the sun. In order for your skin to synthesize Vitamin D from the sun, you need to expose your skin directly to sunlight with no clothing barrier and no sunscreen. Soak in the sun for 5-10 minutes every day or until your skin turns slightly pink. If you have darker skin, you may need to stay outside a bit longer.  I don’t recommend doing this when the sun is hottest, but around 10:00 am is usually a good time.

If you live in a climate where you cannot get adequate sun exposure during any part of the year, invest in a broad-spectrum light box. These produce the light you need – but without the UV rays – and are effective in helping your body synthesize Vitamin D. Plus, light therapy can reduce symptoms of Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), help you get a better night’s sleep, and reduce cravings for sweets and carbohydrates. Alaska Northern Lights makes good products, but there are many others on the market to choose from.

The second way to increase your Vitamin D levels is by eating Vitamin D-rich foods. These include fatty fish, such as cod, salmon, tuna, swordfish, sardines, and herring. Four ounces of cooked sockeye salmon contains roughly 596 IUs of Vitamin D. But, canned tuna in water contains only 68 IUs. So, you need to do your homework if you plan to get your Vitamin D this way – and be committed to eating a lot of fish!

Fish oil is also a good source of Vitamin D. For example, one tablespoon of cod liver oil contains about 1,360 IUs of Vitamin D. So, if you take a fish oil supplement, be sure to take this into consideration when calculating how much additional Vitamin D you need from a Vitamin D supplement.
​
A couple of other foods also contain some beneficial Vitamin D. Eggs (from chickens) contain about 44 IUs. And, one cup of maitake mushrooms contains 786 IUs of Vitamin D. (Maitake mushrooms are also a good source of prebiotics and a great way to keep your microbiome healthy.)