In our clinic in Salt Lake City, Utah, we see many different health conditions. One of the more common conditions that we see quite often is fibromyalgia.  Fibromylagia is a chronic condition that includes wide spread pain throughout the body.  There are many treatments for fibromylagia, mainly different types of medication.   One treatment that has been shown to be effective for fibromylagia is acupuncture and Chinese medicine.

Over 6 million Americans, mostly women, have been diagnosed with fibromyalgia.  For years there really was not a diagnosis and it was difficult to diagnose fibromyalgia.  Many people with fibromyalgia were not diagnosed with it until years after they started to have chronic pain.   Until fairly recently within the past 10-20 years diagnoses for fibromyalgia has been refined and physicians can better diagnose the syndrome. 

The American College of Rheumatology has set some guidelines for diagnosis of fibromyalgia:
•    Three month history of wide spread pain
•    Pain on both sides of body
•    Pain of at least 11 out of 18 specific tender spots on the body

Secondary symptoms of the syndrome:
•    Fatigue
•    Emotional disorders
•    Memory difficulties

Fibromyalgia because of the complexity of the syndrome and the many symptoms one can experience can be very difficult to treat and manage.
Chinese medicine and acupuncture has shown to be effective to treat fibromyalgia and manage the chronic pain those with the syndrome may experience.  It is truly a great alternative to treat the syndrome.  According to Chinese medicine fibromyalgia there are different causes for the chronic pain syndrome.  Some of the causes include wind, cold, damp, emotional disorders leading to qi stagnation, qi, blood, yin, and yang deficiency.  All of these causes can cause the qi and blood not to flow properly throughout the body leading to pain.  Whenever there is no free flow there will be pain. 
By utilizing acupuncture and Chinese herbs, the blood and qi will be able to flow better which in turn will take away the pain.  Acupuncture and herbs will balance your body and promote your body’s self healing mechanisms.

The treatment of fibromyalgia within Chinese medicine is a process.  Usually one will feel a gradual improvement over a series of treatments.  Along with acupuncture and herbs, exercise especially Tai Chi will be important to manage the pain and improve your health.

For more information about how we can help you with your fibromyalgia please feel free to contact us and schedule an appointment.