Even if you don't suffer from fibromyalgia, you might know someone who does. Therefore you are familiar with and presumably empathetic about a chronic condition that is painful, persistent, pervasive, and perplexing. What makes it somewhat mysterious is its cause - in fact, no one really knows what its source is, only that it resembles arthritis (although it is not arthritis).
Medical experts have concluded that the presence of fibromyalgia could be related to a dysfunctional nervous system. It is also known that those with fibromyalgia typically have a 40 percent deficiency of coenzyme Q10 in their blood and a reduced antioxidant activity.
The pain typical of fibromyalgia is not just chronic, often experienced 24/7, it is also widespread, affecting your muscles as well as tendons and ligaments. It is also usually accompanied by fatigue and multiple points on your body that are tender to touch. In other words, there is a lot of 'ouch' going on here, although many sufferers are still able to lead relatively normal lives, to include physical activity which can also.
Still, fibromyalgia can be daunting, accompanied by other symptoms such as intermittent sleep, irritable bowel syndrome, headaches, anxiety, numbness or tingling in the extremities, and concentration problems. Upwards of 12 million US residents, predominantly women, are afflicted with fibromyalgia, and they are typically between the ages of 30 and 50.
Supplements Deemed Effective for Fibromyalgia
There is no known cure for fibromyalgia, but there are a few medications and natural remedies that have been shown to be effective in alleviating many of the disease's symptoms. Following are six nutritional supplements that can help make a sufferer's life more bearable and productive.
CoQ10. Another theory behind the presence of fibromyalgia is that mitochondrial dysfunction could be a cause and therefore a contributor to the presence of pain. Also, a 2012 study revealed that CoQ10 administered to patients low with the enzyme experienced improvement in headaches brought on by their fibromyalgia.
Magnesium. It's hard to go wrong with magnesium regardless the health issue you are dealing with or health benefit you are looking for. Regardless the cause, any condition that brings with it muscle spasms, weakness, and pain can usually be aided by magnesium, which is almost always a good part of any treatment program, and that includes fibromyalgia. Researchers in Korea conducted a study in which they collected hair from more than 160 women - many of them with fibromyalgia - and discovered those in the latter group had a magnesium deficiency. That tells us something.
Vitamin D. Studies have shown that not only do fibromyalgia sufferers have lower-then-normal vitamin D levels but also that consumption of vitamin lessens the amount of pain in such people.
5-HTP. That's the abbreviation for 5-hydroxytryptophan, which is believed to be effective at bolstering levels of serotonin. That's a neurotransmitter in the brain quite possibly capable of cutting down the number of tender points in the body where fibromyalgia pain resides..
L-carnitine. A 2007 study indicated success on the part of L-carnitine in reducing the level of pain in patients with fibromyalgia.
Fish oil. Fish oil is well-known for being loaded with anti-inflammatory properties, making it a natural for helping with the treatment of fibromyalgia. It accomplishes this by diminishing the body's manufacture of inflammatory hormones, which, among other things, could reduce the kind of stiffness and joint tenderness typically linked to fibromyalgia.
Although it remains a mystery, both in terms of its origins and its cure (there is none, as far as we know), fibromyalgia and its symptoms can be managed to a certain degree with the help of supplementation. For good measure, other such helpful nutrients include the likes of vitamin B12, capsaicin cream, melatonin, and various essential oils.