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.)

Research suggests a bias in how people with fibromyalgia (FM) recall pain, with intense pain usually exaggerated in recall.

Researchers suggest that psychosocial factors, such as patients’ own assessment of their physical abilities, may affect FM patients’ pain recollection.

The study, “A longitudinal analysis of pain experience and recall in fibromyalgia,” was published in International Journal of Rheumatic Diseases.

Pain in FM is usually measured via self-reports; however, this has been shown to lead to disparate results, likely linked to the fact that how people experience pain is often different than their memory of that painful episode.

Increasing research suggests that memories of painful experiences are “more powerful predictors of future pain than the actual previous pain experiences,” researchers said.

“These findings engender questions of what pain recollections truly reflect, how pain recollection differs by populations, what factors moderate pain recollection accuracy and how they operate similarly across differing populations,” they stated.

Evidence shows that pain recall is affected by psychological, social, and biological factors — depression was shown to negatively affect pain recollection and one study showed that glucocorticoid cortisol, a hormone released during a stress response, also changed how a group of healthy males experienced pain during a controlled experiment.

While research into factors that affect pain recollection has been done in some populations of patients with an identifiable cause for their pain, “no research has been done to assess these processes among those with fibromyalgia.”

Researchers analyzed data from 572 FM patients to understand how they experience and recall memories of pain.

The patients were asked to perform — in five different moments over a period of one year — a self-assessment of their FM-related pain levels at that “present moment” (experiential pain or EP), an assessment of what they considered the level of the highest FM pain they had ever experienced (historical peak pain or HPP), and the level of their lowest FM pain (historical valley pain or HVP).

Recollections of FM pain were compared to recollections of other types of pain, such as the worst toothache pain, or the worst stomach pain, that were recorded at the same timepoints.

The authors found that pain recall in FM patients changes over time, with a tendency for a decrease of all FM pain experiences, which didn’t happen when patients were asked to recall other non-FM pain experiences.
Moreover, momentary pain experiences of those with FM are systematically closer to their lowest levels of pain than they are to their highest levels of pain.

Of note, and in accordance with previous studies, the accuracy in recalling pain levels was lower among depressed FM patients — this set of patients seems to have a tendency to inflate past peak pain levels and momentary pain, but not so with lowest pain levels. “Depression does not relate to inflations of all pain, but only peak recollections and present pain experiences,” the authors wrote.

The authors identified other factors that can contribute to fibromyalgia pain syndrome (FMS) pain recollection, such as self-efficacy (i.e. the assessment the patients do of their own ability to perform physical tasks), or sleep impairments.

In this study, higher self-efficacy seems to lessen pain experiences in FM and to deflate recall of the severity of historical pain, while impaired sleep was correlated with inflation of all FMS pain experiences.

Researchers could also corroborate previous data that suggest age seems to alter the intensity with which individuals remember past negative experiences, in this case peak FM pain.

Over the year that patients were asked to recall their current FM pain compared to past FM pain experiences, all of them said their pain experience levels decreased. This suggests that the act of recollection might help FMS patients cope with their momentary pain levels.

Because current pain levels were always closer to lowest historical pain, it seems that “asking patients to report their average pain on ‘good days’ (pain at its least) might be a good reflection of their typical daily pain experiences,” researchers said.
​
Moreover, these results suggest “that memory related to pain might be a worthwhile target for intervention,” the study concluded. - Shared by Patricia Inacio, PhD

Some of the less defining symptoms of fibromyalgia and often least discussed is the addition of anxiety and panic attacks.  

You are already on a cruise of multiple syndromes where few family members can identity your state of mind and what's causing it. Add to that the consistent withdraw mode during family affairs, and you're already labeled as a bit off and untouchable.  

So to totally immerse in the anxiety/panic disorder ordeal may become a bit too intense to share with loved ones, too.  Some of us prefer to keep that to ourselves and deal with it internally as much as possible so we don't look way-out-there. 

But, why does this happen? Speculation in scientific studies discusses it is possible due to the chronic pain we suffer.  It kind of sets our systems out of wack and makes us more vulnerable to sensory stimulation.

But, I didn't have this heightened anxiety during my first couple of years first diagnosed with Fibromyalgia when pain was more intense.  I can tell you I remember my first incident like it was yesterday when panic disorder first surfaced.  I had been on a family trip and we decided to check out Ruby Falls.  We are avid nature lovers when we are away so this type of excursion was not out of the ordinary.  

Cave tours was always part of the vacation venue.  We've always tried to fit them in when the area allowed. To  get to this cave, you had to take an elevator.  Twenty six stories down.  I've done this before, "I got this," I thought.  It didn't seem to out of the ordinary.

We immediately got into line and perused all the local art on display as we moved along.  Things were going along pretty smoothly until we were about two minutes to entry.  Then a jolt of energy pierced my brain and began stimulating obscure thoughts.  "How far down is this elevator?" "Why don't you have more information on this?"  "How long are you going to be down there?"  "You really haven't taken anytime to overview this before departure." "What are you doing?"

I pushed them aside.

The closer I came the more exclamatory the thoughts became.  They were no longer a whisper, but an all out howl demanding for more intercession before proceeding.

I have never experienced this before.  What was happening?

Still standing tall, I walked into the elevator.  "This is crazy," I thought.  "I am an adventurer, this too shall pass." 

I looked at my son.  He looked at me taking mental notes something is really off.

Then it started.  My heart began to race.  Well, not actually race, rattle would be a better term as it bounced within my chest walls. My throat began to close.  I could not breathe.  Oh, this was real and not passing.

"I have to leave," I told my son and darted off.  They proceeded without me, and I spent two hours sniffling on the side barrier wondering what has become of my life until they returned.  

People with fibromyalgia (FMS) and chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) often experience anxiety symptoms and panic attacks.

Panic disorder can be debilitating and have a major impact on your life. It can make you afraid of every-day situations like going to work; strain your relationships; and cause you to avoid things that might trigger symptoms. When you add this to FMS and ME/CFS, which are debilitating on their own, the problems can compound each other.

Sometimes, symptoms are mild and don't require treatment -- you just learn to deal with them. I call this avoidance therapy - which has constricted my life a bit. Other times, though, when more severe, they may be an overlapping condition such as panic disorder. If that's the case you with, you'll need proper diagnosis and treatment in order to stop being held captive by anxiety.

​Even if your panic and anxiety symptoms doesn't meet the criteria for a formal diagnosis, certain treatments and coping strategies may be beneficial to you. Therefore, it is important to discuss these symptoms with your doctor and make some lifestyle changes.

​Physical and Emotional Symptoms of Panic Attacks

According to the DSM-5, a panic attack is characterized by four or more of the following symptoms:

1. Palpitations, pounding heart, or accelerated heart rate
2. Sweating
3. Trembling or shaking
4. Sensations of shortness of breath or smothering
5. Feeling of choking
6. Chest pain or discomfort
7. Nausea or abdominal distress
8. Feeling dizzy, unsteady, lightheaded, or faint
9. Feelings of unreality or being detached from oneself
10. Fear of losing control or going crazy
11. Fear of dying
12. Numbness or tingling sensations 
13. Chills or hot flushes

The presence of fewer than four of the above symptoms may be considered a limited-symptom panic attack. In order for a diagnosis of panic disorder to be made, recurring, spontaneous panic attacks must be present.

Treating Panic Disorder

Most of the treatments for panic disorder are also utilized in FMS and ME/CFS, so they may do double duty for you. When deciding on treatments, be sure your doctor is aware of all your diagnoses so he/she can choose the best options for you.

• Antidepressants
• Benozodiazepines
• Choose a Therapist

Also see:

• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Fibromyalgia
• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for ME/CFS

​Self Management

You can do a lot on your own to manage the symptoms of panic disorder. The information and strategies below can guide you toward healthy ways to prevent panic attacks and how to get through them when they strike.

• Living with Panic Disorder
• How to Stop Worrying
• Getting Through a Panic Attack

Panic Disorder and the People in Your Life

Coping with any illness is difficult, and it can be worse when it's mental illness. These articles on relationships and helping other people understand your condition may help you and the people in your life come to terms with your disorder.

• Panic Disorder and Relationships
• Help Family and Friends Understand

Above all, talk to you physician and ensure this doesn't get out of control.  Make sure your symptoms are documented. Most of all remember you are not alone.  

As the sun wanes down, and winter begins to take effect, getting out in the sun makes is all but impossible to gain that helpful nutrient Vitamin D.  One thing that is becoming a constant plague is hip flexor pain.  It seems as the week drones on, pain begins to radiate on both sides of my hips while walking.  I'm sharing an article from Living Smarter with Fibromyalgia to offer some insight:

​It is not uncommon to have hip flexor issues or pain in this area when living with fibromyalgia. The hips, hip flexors, and lower back correlate with fibromyalgia pain areas due to tender areas around the lower back, many more trigger point areas and other conditions that affect the surrounding areas. 

The hip flexor muscles allow your hips to move with flexibility. You are engaging these muscles whenever you move your legs, and that means your hips are involved in most of the movements that you make throughout the average day. 

A healthy person may not realize how often they use their hip flexors, but anyone living with fibromyalgia who experiences hip flexor pain will be well aware of this on a more regular basis. 

I have personally dealt with hip flexor pain and then later re-strengthening of these areas while developing more fibro safe exercises after my full hysterectomy three years ago. Yes, I do get it. I will address more of this later in the lower part of this article.

While there are some known injuries and medical conditions that can cause pain in the hip flexors, it can be difficult to identify a direct cause of this pain in someone with fibromyalgia, except for the many daily activities that I often refer to. 

We might treat the pain as another symptom of the diagnosed condition or take more time to determine an exact cause for the pain. Either way, the fibromyalgia and hip flexor pain is often debilitating if not treated efficiently and promptly.

​Hip flexor pain is often referred to as flexor tendinosis. The pain from this condition typically comes from one or both of the following muscles: Illicacus and Psoas. These muscles are often lumped together as one unit, referred to as the illiopsoas. 

The psoas is responsible for a lot of general back and leg pain because the sitting positions that most people hold throughout the day cause the muscle to shorten for a long period of time. When you stand up and start moving around again, that muscle doesn’t want to lengthen and function properly.
For those suffering from fibromyalgia, the pain may come from other muscles that help the hips move. This includes the quadriceps, even though those muscles are lower than most hip flexor muscles. 

While flexor tendinosis caused by an injury or issue not related to fibromyalgia may focus on one particular muscle or area of the hip, fibromyalgia patients may experience pain that spreads out throughout this region of the body. The cause of the pain is often unexplainable, as is typically the case with fibromyalgia pain.

​One simple way to prevent some fibromyalgia and hip flexor pain is to avoid sitting in one position for a long period of time. Get up and move around periodically so that your muscles don’t have time to set in one position. 
You often hear me recommending safe and effective exercise and the importance of participating in some level of exercise in order to keep your body strong and more flexible, and this is another recommendation for hip flexor pain as well. 

As an alternative to straps and/or bringing the neck forward, bring a chair up to you close while lying on floor, then cross one leg over the other just above the knee, and hold. The chair really acts as a person or therapist helping you to stretch in a safer and more effective way. 

The stretch I am performing here is great to do anytime, especially after sitting. We draw up on one leg (no shoes) to just above OR below the knee, (this loosens the hips) then draw the arm up on the same side and feel the light stretch from your hips through your obliques. Here, I am putting my heel just ABOVE the knee, not on the knee itself. ​
​
Slightly different than yoga, what we do is more range of motion techniques for fibromyalgia. Therefore, avoid pushing into the knee or inside of opposing leg. The idea is to lift and stretch through the movement. 

If you spend much of your day sitting at a desk, invest in an office chair that is highly adjustable. Set the chair higher, allowing your hips to rest above your knees. This position is healthier for your hip flexors and may eliminate pain caused by the shortening of those muscles in the typical office chair position. You may also want to consider a standing desk that allows you to easily lift your work space.

These last couple of months I shared several studies concerning heart failure in patients with fibromyalgia.  I also shared a recent blog post on the importance of having a sleep study done.  After further research, it seems that it is believed that 50% of fibromyalgia patients also suffer from Sleep APNEA.  So, you are already, I'm sure, making the connection that sleeping disorders can also attribute to high blood pressure, heart disease, and heart palpitations.  

It is inconclusive if the sleeping disorder causes the fibromyalgia, or if the fibromyalgia causes disruptions in the breathing canal due to relaxing the the nerves within the muscles too much so that it blocks the airway.

I have been a candidate to use a CPAC due to moderate Sleep APNEA.  If I can get used to using this machine is another blog all together.  But, I can tell you the newer machines are quiet, have comforting flexible tubing, and are completely automatic when aligning your breathing needs to computerized software that gradually increases your air pressure needs without any prompting.    They are, by far, the most up-to-date available and can meet the needs of the most sensitive individual.  Best of all, with most insurances they are free.  On top of all that, most supplies are free, too, and can be interchanged every three months to ensure cleanliness.  

That said, if you haven't spoken to your doctor about a sleep study yet, I leave you with the following article from Fibromyalgia Today:

​Researchers at Istituto Figlie di S. Camillo in Italy recently reported that fibromyalgia is common among patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). The study was published in the European Journal of Internal Medicine and is entitled “Fibromyalgia is frequent in obstructive sleep apnea and responds to CPAP therapy”.

Fibromyalgia is a medical disorder characterized by a set of symptoms including widespread chronic musculoskeletal pain, incapacitating fatigue, stiffness and numbness in certain parts of the body, painful response to pressure, headaches, unrefreshing sleep (poor sleep quality), anxiety or depression and mood alterations. Fibromyalgia can affect people’s ability to conduct simple daily tasks, compromising their quality of life. It is estimated that 5 to 15 million Americans are affected by this disorder, especially women where a prevalence of 3.4% has been reported in comparison to 0.5% in men.

The poor sleep quality experienced by fibromyalgia patients has been suggested to be a key factor of disease pathogenesis. The prevalence of OSA (an obstruction of the upper airway characterized by repetitive episodes where the individual stops breathing during sleep) among fibromyalgia patients is not clear. In addition, data is also lacking on the impact of continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) use, a device that helps individuals with OSA to breathe more easily during sleep.

Now researchers determined the incidence of fibromyalgia in OSA patients and the role played by CPAP as a therapeutic option. In total, 900 OSA patients were assessed in the study through a sleep test with a 25-channel portable polysomnography recording device, an Epworth sleepiness questionnaire, a full medical examination and a detailed analysis of their medical history.

Researchers reported that 15% of all OSA patients (135 individuals, mean age of 40 years) met the American College of Rheumatology (ARA 2010 version) criteria for a fibromyalgia diagnosis, and that of these, 74% were men (100 individuals). This is a curious fact as fibromyalgia is more common among women in the general population. All these patients were then submitted to a 6-min walking test, completed the SF-36 standard questionnaire (health survey form) and assessed in terms of symptoms severity scale and CPAP titration scores. Of these patients, 30 were excluded because they failed the scheduled follow-up, and five refused treatment. The remaining 100 patients were treated with CPAP, with follow-up visits at 3 and 6 months. As controls, 50 patients with fibromyalgia were treated with conventional therapy (tricyclics, serotonin reuptake inhibitors and gabapentanoids).

The team found that treatment with CPAP resulted in an overall superior improvement in the functional symptoms of the disease compared to conventional therapy. Patients under CPAP treatment had a significantly decrease in the apnea hypopnea index (AHI), an improved 6-min walking test result, and a reduction in symptoms severity scale.
​
The research team concluded that fibromyalgia is frequent among OSA patients, and propose CPAP treatment as an effective therapy for these patients.

The use of oral fluoroquinolones (FQs) poses the same level of fibromyalgia risk as other antibiotics such as amoxicillin and azithromycin, a study suggests.

The study, “Oral Fluoroquinolones and Risk of Fibromyalgia,” was published in the British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology.

Oral FQs, which are the most prescribed antibiotic, received a black box warning in 2016 from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The warning was based on severe side effects reported after the use of FQs that resembled fibromyalgia — widespread amplified pain in the muscles and joints. But the prevalence of this risk has not been quantified in detail.

Of significance, respiratory infections, for which FQs might be prescribed, may also lead to fibromyalgia, which could confuse the association between fibromyalgia and FQs.

In this study, researchers in Canada aimed to correlate the use of FQs to cases of fibromyalgia that were part of health claims filed between 2006 and 2016.

Using a large health claims database in the U.S., PharMetrics Plus, the team identified cases reported as fibromyalgia by a rheumatologist. All FQ prescriptions were identified, and only those individuals whose FQ prescription preceded their fibromyalgia diagnosis entry by three months to a year were included. Patients who were prescribed amoxicillin and azithromycin were also included.

Amoxicillin and azithromycin, which are chemically different from FQs, served as a control for any effects seen because of a bacterial or viral infection mimicking fibromyalgia.

The team identified 5,148 such cases and included 51,480 cases without a fibromyalgia diagnosis as controls. Of the 5,148 fibromyalgia cases with past FQ, amoxicillin, or azithromycin use, 87% were women.

Of these three antibiotics, the researchers found that the chances of a fibromyalgia diagnosis being associated with FQs was 1.63 times higher, amoxicillin 1.64 times higher, and azithromycin 1.68 times higher than in the control group. No significant difference was noted between the three antibiotic groups.

These results indicate that the risk of fibromyalgia with FQs is similar to that of amoxicillin and azithromycin, according to the authors.
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“Despite the case reports of fibromyalgia and FQ use in both the literature and various drug regulatory agencies, risk seems to be similar with amoxicillin and azithromycin,” they wrote. “Risk might therefore be due to possible infection that triggered fibromyalgia symptoms.” - Shared from Fibromyalgia News Today