How to know if you have Fibromyalgia

The Symptoms Clinically Diagnosed with Fibromyalgia are:

Tenderness or pain in at least 11 of the 18 specified tender points (refers to tenderness that occurs in precise, localized areas) when pressure is applied.

Widespread pain in all four quadrants of the body for at least 3 months.

Other Symptoms Present in Fibromyalgia Sufferers:

Sleep Disorders: Usually, almost 95% of patients with Fibromyalgia are affected with sleep disorders. They have difficulty keeping a deep sleep. The sleep tends to be superficial and interrupted. With the lack of deep sleep, the person wakes up tired even though he/she had slept for a long time.

Fatigue: The fatigue of Fibromyalgia is an all-encompassing exhaustion that interferes with even simple daily activities and can leave the patient with a limited ability to function both mentally and physically.

Irritable Bowel and Bladder: The patient can have abdominal pain and alternated periods of diarrhea and constipation. The bladder can become more sensitive and the patient needs to urinate many times a day.

Headaches and Migraines

Restless Legs Syndrome (Periodic Limb Movement Disorder): A discomfort in the legs when a person lies down. The patient feels like moving the legs or walking to alleviate the discomfort.

Impaired Memory and Concentration

Skin Sensitivities and Rashes

Dry Eyes and Mouth

Anxiety

Depression: About 50% of the Fibromyalgia patients suffer depression.

Ringing in the Ears

Dizziness

Vision Problems

Impaired Coordination, among others...

Is there a Cure to Fibromyalgia?

Not yet, but with the newest treatments for Fibromyalgia, the patient can live without pain or with a low level of pain. The other symptoms such as sleep disorders, fatigue and depression can also be treated properly.

Definition of Fibromyalgia

'Fibro' refers to fibrous tissues, like tendons, ligaments and fascia

'Myo' refers to muscle

'Algia' means pain

Hence, the term Fibromyalgia refers to pain in muscles and fibrous tissues. Fibromyalgia is called a "syndrome because it is characterized by a group of symptoms with a single underlying cause.

What are the Causes of Fibromyalgia?

There is no known cause for Fibromyalgia, but recent researches agree that Fibromyalgia is a disorder of central processing with neuroendocrine/neurotransmitter dysregulation. The Fibromyalgia patient experiences pain amplification due to abnormal sensory processing in the central nervous system.

How is Fibromyalgia Treated?

There are four main points in the treatment for Fibromyalgia:

Exercise
It's the most important point of the treatment. A regular physical activity is the only way that can bring the patient back to a normal life. The other steps of the treatment must have only one goal: to allow the patient to feel better in order to exercise! The patient has to exercise daily; choose an activity that exercises the whole body, such as swimming or jogging, and also do exercises to stretch the muscles. The patient has to start slowly, only after a while he/she must reach the total exercising time: 30 minutes a day. The earlier the patient starts exercising, the best for him/her.

Sleep Management
Improved sleep can be obtained by implementing a healthy sleep regimen, which includes going to bed and getting up at the same time every day, making sure that the sleeping environment is conducive to sleep (i.e. quiet, free from distractions, a comfortable room temperature, a supportive bed), avoiding caffeine, sugar and alcohol before bed, doing some type of light exercise during the day, avoiding eating immediately before bedtime and practicing relaxation exercises as you fall to sleep. When necessary, there are new sleep medications that can be prescribed, some of which can be especially helpful if the patient's sleep is disturbed by restless legs or periodic limb movement disorder.

Pain Management
Over-the-counter pain medications may be helpful in relieving pain. The physician may decide to prescribe one of the newer non-narcotic pain relievers or low doses of antidepressants. Patients must remember that antidepressants are "serotonin builders" and can be prescribed at low levels to help improve sleep and relieve pain. If the patient is experiencing depression, higher levels of these or other medications may need to be prescribed. Another beneficial pain therapy, which works well on localized areas of pain, is lidocaine injections into the patient's tender points. An important aspect of pain management is a regular program of gentle exercise and stretching, which helps maintain muscle tone and reduces pain and stiffness.

Anxiety and Depression Control
If these symptoms are present, they must be treated properly. In some cases the patient should see a psychiatrist.

It's also necessary that the patient recognize the need for lifestyle adaptation. Most people are resistant to change because it implies adjustment, discomfort and effort. However, in the case of Fibromyalgia, change can bring about recognizable improvement in function and quality of life. Becoming educated about Fibromyalgia gives the patient more potential for improvement. An empathetic physician who is knowledgeable about the diagnosis and treatment of Fibromyalgia and who will listen to and work with the patient is an important component of treatment. It may be a family practitioner, an internist or a specialist (rheumatologist or neurologist, for example). Alternative treatments, such as physical therapy, therapeutic massage, acupuncture and acupressure can be very beneficial.

Nutrition and relaxation techniques play an important role in Fibromyalgia treatment as well.

How Can O24 Fibromyalgia™ Help?

O24 Fibromyalgia™ is a revolutionary new formula in the fight against pain. Designed to provide temporary relief of aches and pains, O24™ is very effective in the treatment of Fibromyalgia.

A clinical study developed by Dr. Eckart W. Friedl, Medical Director, Klinikum Bad Bocklet with 41 women (average 49.9 years) who had been suffering from Fibromyalgia over several years concluded that in the patients suffering from Fibromyalgia examined in the course of the study the application of O24™ Essential Oil Pain Neutralizer three times a day over a period of 5 days resulted in a significant pain relief by approximately 61%.

According to this study, the patients suffered from an average initial pain intensity of 78% (VAS). The average value of pain intensity on the 5th day of treatment was 48% (VAS). This is equivalent to a pain reduction of 61%, illustrating that the preparation offers an excellent efficacy.

O24 Fibromyalgia™ has been chosen by Dr. Gordon Ko (Sunnybrook Hospital, Toronto, Canada), a physiatrist and leading researcher in the study of Fibromyalgia and Iris Weverman, one of Canada’s most respected physiotherapists, to be clinically tested and then published in over a dozen medical and alternative papers and journals. O24™ has been endorsed by the Gutman Pain Clinics and the Sinai Hospital in Florida as the best topical analgesic on the market.

O24 Fibromyalgia™ can be used 3 or 4 times a day, simply applying to the painful area and gently rubbing into the skin or during massage or physiotherapy sessions.

For further information on Fibromyalgia visit the National Fibromyalgia Association's website: www.fmaware.org