Chiropractor Rye Brook Ny | Fibromyalgia Will Prove You Aren't A Witch

Back in the days of witch-hunting, both in the United States and Europe, one of the many well-thought-out and scientifically tested methods for determining if a person was a witch, was to poke - usually her, but occasionally him - with a needle until a place was found on the suspect's body where s/he felt no pain. Essentially, if, after being repeatedly stabbed with something sharp and pointy, you finally became numb to the process, you were a witch. A person suffering from fibromyalgia has such a consistent level of pain that she is very likely to have been able to avoid a guilty verdict.

Symptoms of The Condition -
The very simplest definition of fibromyalgia is that of all over, constant pain. More specifically, it is long-term pain that encompasses the whole body with specific points that are especially tender. The levels of pain are variable, both from person to person and on a day-to-day basis. Some days it is entirely absent, on others it is fairly bearable, and some days it is completely debilitating. It can sometimes mimic arthritis pain and is often misdiagnosed as such, until specific tests determine that there is no joint destruction going on, as happens in arthritis, lupus and other auto-immune conditions.

However, to complicate the issue, it can develop along with these conditions. Unfortunately, there is no definitive test that proves fibromyalgia, although there are certain testing methods that tend to end up with this as the most likely cause of the various symptoms.

Beyond the pain, which is bad enough, there are a number of concomitant problems. Fibromyalgia may cause or worsen fatigue, morning stiffness, sleep problems, headaches, numbness in hands and feet, depression, and anxiety, memory problems, and irritable bowel syndrome. Whether these are actually parallel conditions of the disease, or simply the result of living with constant pain, that too many will dismiss as all in the sufferer's mind, is again, something that has yet to be determined. Either way, they add to the suffering.

Treatments -
Because fibromyalgia is so variable in its manifestations and the havoc it wreaks on sufferers, treatment is equally complex. There is one prescription medication approved for it, but off-label use of anti-depressants has proven effective in some cases as well - although, it is entirely possible that this has more do with relieving some of the secondary problems, which will contribute to feeling slightly better in general.

There are also a number of studies being done on the impact of traditional and holistic treatments such as acupuncture and various chiropractic methods. Both of these have been shown to have significant positive impact on the pain itself. Tissue and physical manipulation seem to provide relief for fibromyalgia sufferers that many of the medications do not.

This is especially important information when one considers that this condition is generally lifelong, meaning that any medication is likely to be the same. Not everyone is comfortable with the amount and range of painkillers and medications that will be consumed trying to treat fibromyalgia strictly through pharmaceuticals. Not to mention the havoc that can wreak on a body. The holistic methods of chiropractic medicine work with the body to help it heal itself.