Strengthening Your Legs
More than half of fibromyalgia patients have significantly weakened leg muscles, yet this loss in strength can be regained, according to two recent studies. Strong leg muscles are essential for moving with ease and preventing balance mishaps. But images of post-exercise soreness can get in the way. Overcome this obstacle by making it easy on yourself. In just ten minutes a day you can improve strength, joint stability, and balance.
Physical Therapist Ken Lamm, of Tucson, AZ and author of the "Respect Pain Programs," offers simple, illustrated isometric movements in the November issue of the Fibromyalgia Network Journal. These activities are designed to strengthen the key muscles in your legs, including your ankles and toes. “The ankles are like the foundation for your house,” says Lamm. “If you don’t have a good foundation, then nothing else matters.”
Overcoming Insomnia
An article in the September issue of Yoga Journal discussed ways to overcome insomnia. With sleeplessness as a common symptom for FMS patients, here are some potentially useful technques that you can try to deal with this issue and find restful sleep.
1. Maintain a set schedule, going to bed and getting up at the same time every day.
2. Do not take naps during the day.
3. Limit intake all foods and chemicals that cause sleeplessness several hours prior to going to bed.
4. Limit all distractions such as computer and television a couple of hours prior to going to bed.
5. Do a vigorous workout in the afteroon or early evening then a series of gentle stretches just prior to sleep.
6. Keep the core temperature of your body cool.
7. Create a dark and quiet sleep atmosphere.
If none of these techniques work for you, you can recondition your body through cognitive reconditioning. This is done as follows:
1. Figure the amount of time that you actually sleep during the night, not including time that you are restless. For example, you may be in bed for seven hours but only sleep four of those so your "sleep time" would be four hours.
2. Set your time in bed for only your "sleep time"- i.e. if your sleep time is four hours and you go to bed at 11 p.m. then you would get out of bed at 3 a.m.
3. If you awaken prior to your "sleep time" get out of bed until you are sufficiently ready to go back to sleep.
4. Keep following this process until your latest wake-up time but never exceed your appointed "sleep time".
By scheduling your sleep in this way, you can recondition your body within a couple of weeks to sleep the full night.
Journaling
When I read my journal entries I haven’t a clue what I did on that day. But I do have an intimate picture of what I was experiencing emotionally and intellectually. When I reread my journal I am sharing intimately with the only person in the world who really knows what I’m experiencing: me. There is comfort and truth to that.
Now, I haven’t a clue how journaling works, or why writing without editing feelings and
thoughts can actually make me feel better. No one really knows how journaling about illness or traumatic experience actually improves the efficiency of our immune systems—it just does. No one really knows how journaling creates greater emotional well-being and helps people feel better physically—it just does. My goal in this article is not to cite studies of journaling, or to convince you to try it. I simply want to tell you a bit about why I think it works and how you can get started. And for those of you who already know how powerful journal writing can be, I’ll give you a few ways to spice up the process.
Why Journaling Works
Journaling works in some of the same ways as talking to a therapist, being a member of a support group or sharing with family and friends.
- We name the unnamable.
We give a face to the invisible. And when we can label a condition and describe an experience, there is relief.
- We bring thoughts and feelings to our conscious awareness.
I start clients with “free-write.” You write non-stop, anything and everything, without censoring or editing what comes to mind. When we free-write, we put into words what we have buried or don’t want to admit to ourselves. We write whatever pours out, whether it makes sense or not. And then we read it back. We consciously hear what poured out of our unconscious. This awareness leads to choice—we can choose to ignore it, do something about it, talk to someone—and conscious choice is empowering.
- It can calm the stress response
One of the primary ways to deactivate the stress response is to go on automatic pilot. Journaling, without editing, analyzing, or criticizing, is doing exactly that—and as we all know, stress reduction is a top life management goal for fibromyalgia.
- We become objective observers.
By externalizing our thoughts and feelings—writing them on paper—we distance ourselves from our experiences and look at ourselves from a different perspective.
It’s the difference between looking at the ground under our feet while we are standing on it and looking at the ground from an airplane. Same fibromyalgia, different perspective.
- Journaling gives us a frame, creates a boundary.
Having a chronic condition like fibromyalgia feels unending. We think it will never get better and it’s hard to remember what life was like without it. Journaling gives our experience a frame. Our thoughts and feelings are contained within the boundaries of our page. And there is comfort in the ritual of closing the book when we are done.
- One-way interaction.
We often don’t acknowledge what we are thinking and feeling to others, so we won’t be a burden or, worse yet, a bore. I often don’t share because it takes too much energy to answer questions, listen to, and interact with a live person. Next to Max, my dog, sharing thoughts, feelings, and secrets with a journal is the best! My journal always listens, never talks back, never judges, is always available and won’t betray my confidence. Journaling is a private process and it’s under my control (one of the few things that is!).
Source- National Fibromyalgia Association, www.fmaware.org
Weathering the Heat
While many people affected by fibromyalgia prefer spring’s warm weather to the winter cold, the months of summer can sometimes get too hot, triggering or exacerbating a host of fibromyalgia symptoms. Patients often report increased fatigue and pain, disrupted sleep patterns and an inability to cool down during hot weather.
These characteristics may be due in part to increased sensitivity often seen in fibromyalgia patients. Recent studies, for example, have suggested that FM patients have generalized disturbance in pain processing and an amplified response to stimuli that would not ordinarily be painful in healthy individuals. More specific to temperature, a study published in October 2008 in the journal Pain showed that fibromyalgia patients experienced greater sensitivity to heat and cold pain stimuli than healthy individuals.
By taking a few simple steps, you and your family can protect yourself from the effects of the blistering sun. In fact, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the best defense against heat-related symptoms is prevention. The health agency offers these tips.
- Drink more (nonalcoholic) fluids, regardless of your activity level. Don’t wait until you’re thirsty to drink. Warning: If your doctor generally limits the amount of fluid you drink or has you on water pills, ask him how much you should drink while the weather is hot.
- Don’t drink liquids that contain alcohol or large amounts of sugar. These actually cause you to lose more body fluid. Also, avoid very cold drinks, because they can cause stomach cramps.
- Stay indoors and, if at all possible, in an air-conditioned place. If your home does not have air conditioning, go to the shopping mall or public library; even a few hours spent in air conditioning can help your body stay cooler when you go back into the heat. Call your local health department to see if there are any heat-relief shelters in your area.
- Electric fans may provide comfort, but when the temperature is in the high 90s, fans will not prevent heat-related illness. Taking a cool shower or bath or moving to an air-conditioned place is a much better way to cool off.
- Wear lightweight, light-colored, loose-fitting clothing.
Yoga for Fibromyalgia Patients
Easing the Pain- People with fibromyalgia often have chronic tension in the upper back, shulders, and neck- places where 10 of the 18 tender points are located. All three areas are easily targeted with a few simple yoga poses. "A favorite pose for many of my students is seadted Garudasana (Eagle Pose), because it stretches the muscles around the shoulder blades in the upper back," says Shoosh Lettick Crotzer, te author of Yoga for Fibromyalgia. She also recommends Bhujanqasana (Cobra Pose) to extend the back while opening the chest as well as gentle head rotations to relieve tension in the large muscles onthe sides of the neck. She also offers this advice: stay warm, because cold can tighten muscles; move slowly; breathe into painful areas; and work both sides of the body evenly to maintain balance, even if the pain is only on one side. Healing Breath- People in chronic pain often default to short, shallow breathing, which can set of the body's fight or flight response and trigger the release of the stress hormones like cortisol. Breathing deeply counters stress by stimulating the vaqus nerve. Running from the brain to the diaphragm, the vaqus nerve activates the parasympathetic nervous system. That's why breathwork is crucial for people with fibromyalgia, says Crotzer. She recommends what she calls the "healing breath" to help assuage the pain. To try it, lie in a supported Savasana (Corpse Pose), inhale and exhale slowly, focusing on how the air feels as it passes through the nose, into the body, and back out. Let each new inhalation bring energy to expand and soften, cleanse and release. With the exhalation, let the tension and heaviness of the pain flow out of the body. Continue until you feel quiet and more relaxed. Come out of the pose when you are ready.
Source- Yoga Journal, September 2009 (You can find instruction on pose positions online)
Magazine for Chronic Pain Sufferers
Pain Pathways is a national magazine that is produced by clinicians in Winston-Salem, NC who regularly work with chronic pain sufferers. The magazine not only provides medical information but also personal stories of living with chronic pain. The magazine is produced four times a year and is available for subscription. Proceeds from the subscription sales go to support The Scepter Foundation, a program for research and education in chronic pain conditions. Go to
www.painpathways.org for more information.
Even Mild Exercise Can Reduce Pain
You want to exercise, but you're afraid that the amount of exercise your doctor tells you to do might throw you into a flare. On the other hand, you want to keep your strength up to continue with your daily activities and responsibilities. Besides, exercise is not only good for your heart and other muscles, but also for your self-esteem and overall well-being. A study presented at this year's America Pain Society (APS) meeting by Dane B. Cook, Ph.D., of the University of Wisconsin, in Madison demonstrates that you might not have to work as hard as you think to benefit from an exercise program.*
Cook noted that the APS recommends moderately intense aerobic exercise two to three times a week to help manage fibromyalgia pain. But the words "aerobic" and "intense" are scary, and patients often wonder if they'll be paying the price with more pain later. "The guidelines for a chronic pain management exercise training program may be considered unmanageable or too intense for some fibromyalgia patients," says Cook. "Research suggests that adherence rates to high-intensity exercise are lower compared to low-intensity exercise programs."
For the study, 21 women with fibromyalgia (averaging 44 years of age) rode a stationary bike for 20 minutes on two separate occasions, each at a different level of intensity. Before and after the rides, all of the women were asked to rate their pain and their pain threshold levels were measured. In one of the sessions, the women were allowed to ride the bike however hard they wanted. They could decrease or increase the pedal resistance (ease of pedaling) of the ride as long as they maintained the preset cycling speed. On the other bike ride, the women were required to exert a "prescribed" amount of energy that maintained their heart rate at an predetermined intensity for the individual based on their maximum heart rate, weight, age, etc. In other words, the pedal resistance made them work harder (like going uphill) to maintain the preset speed over the 20-minute workout.
Every five minutes during the tests, all the women recorded how much they felt they were exerting themselves and how much muscle pain they were experiencing. In addition, the researchers kept track of their heart rate and the amount of energy they expended. Needless to say, when the women were riding the bike at their chosen level of intensity they felt like it was easier, they actually recorded using less energy, and their heart rates also were lower than when they rode at the required settings. Overall, the women preferred the lower-intensity ride compared to the prescribed ride. Surprisingly, the amount of muscle pain experienced by the women was significantly lower during and after both style rides, even up to four days. So it really didn't matter how hard the women rode the bike, because even the easier, self-paced exercise was equally effective at reducing the pain.
While these results are somewhat contrary to previous findings, Cook says, "The preferred exertion (self-paced) model could be promoted as an appropriate and more generalized strategy to reduce pain in patients with fibromyalgia, especially since the pain and other debilitating symptoms are highly variable."
Adjust Your Anger Management Style—Reduce Your Pain
By Dr. John Fry
Researchers published some very interesting findings this April in the European Journal of Pain regarding how much pain you feel when you’re dealing with angry feelings. The authors conclude:
“Our study suggests that anger and a general tendency to inhibit anger predicts heightened pain in the everyday life of female patients with
fibromyalgia. Psychological intervention could focus on healthy anger expression to try to mitigate the symptoms of fibromyalgia.”
Previous research has shown that inhibiting anger increases pain in other pain conditions, as well. It turns out that when you suppress anger, you’re actually more aware of it and are angrier inside. This internal churning then creates more pain for those with fibromyalgia.
The 10 Commandments for Eating for IBS
1. Always eat soluble fiber first
2. Minimize your fat intake to 25% of your diet
3. Never eat high fat foods on an empty stomach or without soluble fiber
4. Eliminate all triggers from your diet
5. Never eat insoluble fiber on an empty stomach
6. Eat small portions frequently, calmly, and leisurely
7. If you are unsure about something, don't eat it
8. Take the time and make the effort to eat safely and enjoy yourself
9. Remember you have absolute control over your diet
10. Practice creative substitution, not deprivation
Source- Heather's Tummy Care, Help for IBS
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