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Acupuncture for Fibromyalgia

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What is Fibromyalgia?[1]

Fibromyalgia is a neurologic chronic health condition that causes pain all over the body and other symptoms. Other symptoms of fibromyalgia that patients most often have are:

  • Tenderness to touch or pressure affecting muscles and sometimes joints or even the skin

  • Severe fatigue

  • Sleep problems (waking up unrefreshed)

  • Problems with memory or thinking clearly

  • Some patients also may have:

  • Depression or anxiety

  • Migraine or tension headaches

  • Digestive problems: irritable bowel syndrome (commonly called IBS) or gastroesophageal reflux disease (often referred to as GERD)

  • Irritable or overactive bladder

  • Pelvic pain

  • Temporomandibular disorder - often called TMJ (a set of symptoms including face or jaw pain, jaw clicking, and ringing in the ears)

 

What causes fibromyalgia according to Traditoinal Chinese Medicine?

1. Liver depression and qi stagnation syndrome

The symptoms are marked by muscle pain, anxiety, irritability, breast bilges frowsty, dreams, each for depression, or when the emotional tension, or stay burping or abdominal pain diarrhea, fatigue weakness, loose stools, or pain at night, chest, a stabbing pain, menoxenia, or dysmenorrhea.

2.Cold and dampness obstruction syndrome

The symptoms are marked by muscle distension, pain, stiffness, weak limbs, cold extremity discoloration pain, no sweat, or swelling of floating limbs, loose stools, adverse urination.

3. Syndrome of phlegm-heat disturbance

The symptoms are marked by muscle pain, heaviness, heavy head and body drowsiness, chest puffiness, palpitation and restlessness, bitter and upset mouth, headache, insomnia, loss of appetite, thirst for cold drinks, irritability, recurrent nightmares, abdominal distension or loose stool.

4. Liver and kidney deficiency syndrome

The symptoms are marked by muscle pain, weakness, lethargy of limbs, tendon contraction, hand and foot paralysis, fear of cold limbs cold, or limb numbness, or pale complexion, or complexion white, emaciated, insomnia and forgetfulness, women see less menstruation.

 

How to treat fibromyalgia by TCM?

1.Liver stagnation and Qi stagnation

For this type of fibromyalgia, we will combine acupuncture and Chinese herbs to nourish the blood, soften the liver, smooth the liver and regulate qi.

2. Syndrome of cold and dampness obstruction

For this type of fibromyalgia, we will combine acupuncture and Chinese herbs to dispersing cold and dehumidifying, relieving muscles, and dredging collaterals.

3. Syndrome of phlegm heat disturbance

For this type of fibromyalgia, we will combine acupuncture and Chinese herbs to Clear heat and dissolve phlegm, calm the mind.

4. Liver and kidney deficiency syndrome

For this type of fibromyalgia, we will combine acupuncture and Chinese herbs to tonifying liver and kidneys, nourishing the liver soft tendons.

 

Reference

[1] https://www.rheumatology.org/I-Am-A/Patient-Caregiver/Diseases-Conditions/Fibromyalgia

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