Fibromyalgia, Irritable Bowel Syndrome And The Brain

Fibromyalgia is a little understood illness that still has the stigma of not being a real disease to many ignorant people and doctors. However, people who do have fibromyalgia would argue that the reality of their life with fibromyalgia includes pain, stiffness, fatigue, and difficulty sleeping. As a recent patient told me "everything but my eyeballs hurt!" I have also been told by patients that it feels like you have the flu...achy all over...but it never goes away! Perhaps studies of the brain changes and chronic pain may help researchers and doctors better understand illnesses like fibromyalgia. The latest research is suggesting that fibromyalgia has a connection with the central nervous system and is the result of a malfunction, or dysfunction, of the central nervous system. A. Kuchinad and colleagues studied 10 women who had fibromyalgia and compared them with 10 women who did not have the illness. Among the women with fibromyalgia, Kuchinad's team found a reduction in brain tissue that wasn't found in the controls. This finding was backed up by yet another study not long after. Other research has shown awake like brain activity in patients with Fibromyalgia when sleeping. No REM sleep leads to the unrefreshed sleep common with the condition.

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is another syndrome that has its skeptics. There is no test for IBS (nor for fibromyalgia). Diseases that have no tests are diagnosed through exclusion. This means that doctors must do

tests to rule out all other possibilities and IBS is only diagnosed when all other illnesses are ruled out. People with IBS experience pain and cramping, and diarrhea or constipation, or both. As with fibromyalgia, brain imaging of patients with IBS has found a loss in brain tissue and the patterns are very similar to fibromyalgia and other chronic pain issues.

So what is wrong with the central nervous system with people who are suffering with these mysterious conditions?

Frequently, an undetected head or neck injury that is affecting the brain is the cause. A Brain Stem Subluxation causes pressure on the central nervous system at the level of the atlas (top bone in the neck). When accidents and injuries tear loose the connective tissue that holds the spine together it will create a weakness and allow the spine to break down and lock into a stressed position. The most vulnerable area of the body to trauma is the upper neck because it is the most movable area of the entire body. If that top bone is misaligned it disrupts the function of the central nervous system.

I have seen hundreds of patients with brain stem subluxations in my practice and frequently it is an underlying cause of conditions like Fibromyalgia and Irritable Bowel Syndrome. For instance my patient who 3 months ago said that everything but her eyeballs hurt...reported today that 80 % of all the Fibromyalgia symptoms are gone! This is a condition that she has struggled with for over 9 years and has seen a half a dozen different doctors.

What has happened to her body?

Due to a head trauma that had occurred earlier on in her life, her head and neck were significantly misaligned and that misalignment was causing pressure into the brain stem. As the pressure has been removed her body has begun the healing process. The longer that nervous system has been dysfunctional the longer it takes to heal. But at 3 months she has already had a dramatic decrease in pain and stiffness, can sleep through the night and has near normal energy.

Patients with Irritable Bowel Syndrome have similar results. As the nervous system begins sending the proper messages to the digestive system again...digestion frequently becomes normal.

So does this type of treatment help everyone with Fibromyalgia and Irritable Bowel Syndrome? Of course not! Nothing is 100%. But if you have had a head or neck trauma prior to the onset of the symptoms then Upper Cervical Chiropractic could be the answer.

Here is a quick way to see if you may be a candidate. Postural problems are common with Upper Neck Misalignments. So stand in front of a mirror and close your eyes. Bring your head down and back up and then open your eyes. Do you notice that your head is tilting to one side? Are your shoulders level? It is not definitive...but if you have a history of any type of head or neck trauma then the chances that you are a good candidate go up dramatically. Sometimes it is difficult to remember head or neck traumas especially if they have been years or even decades earlier. So here are some questions to ask yourself. Have you had a concussion? Been knocked unconscious? Had stitches to your head?

Most doctors will do a complimentary consultation to see if you are a candidate.

Don't give up hope...there is a cause behind every effect in the body.

Just when you thought you checked everything...have you checked to see if your head is on straight?