It’s not in your head! If your physician claims that it is, it’s time to find a new one! The problem with chronic illness’s like Fibromyalgia (FM) is that there is no testing for it, and no definitive cure yet. This leads a lot of physician’s to test you for everything else, and then reluctantly giving you the diagnosis. Some won’t even give you the diagnosis at all because “there is no cure.” I know, that’s a pretty ridiculous statement, but that’s what a specialist actually told me! Last I checked cancer doesn’t have a known cure either, but they still give out that diagnosis quite frequently. Then they recommend chemo and radiation even though they are not 100% effective cures.
The good news is that despite what your physician may be telling you, there are ways to effectively reduce your pain and symptoms. Fibromyalgia may not be well understood, but it is very real, effects men and women, and should never be dismissed! Here are some of my top tips for how to get your FM under control and live an abundant life again!
Top 5 Tips to get your FM under control
- Find a good physician
- Healthy Diet
- Exercise
- Sleep
- Positive Mindset
Find a Good Physician
Finding a good physician goes without saying, but can be very challenging. In my experience with Chronic Fatigue and FM, just getting a diagnosis can be near impossible. For me, it was a series of test after test, medication after medication just to see if anything changed. I actually had one specialist that used a trial and error mode of diagnosing FM. My blood markers for internal inflammation were through the roof, but they weren’t sure which chronic illness I had. I was tested for Lupis, MS, and many others.
Since they can take a while to show up in blood work, he decided to try different medications to see what I responded too. If the medication didn’t change anything, he crossed that option off the list, and moved to the next possibility. Needless to say, after six months of switching medications my body didn’t need every 6 weeks, I was worse off than when I started! I had one doctor that said I didn’t have chronic illness I was just severely depressed. Of course I was depressed! After several months of being poked and prodded without any answers, depression was inevitable.
Don’t Take No For An Answer
The bottom line is that if you are not getting the answers you need from your doctor, start researching doctor’s in your area that specialize in chronic illness, or at least recognize it. Online forums, and social media posts can be a good way to locate a physician that will be able to help you. Trying naturopaths, or holistic medicine professionals are great options to get you the answers you need. With our online world, you can even get help remotely. Do your homework, and don’t take no for an answer.
Healthy Diet
The one thing that has had the greatest effect on my FM is my diet. The gut effects how everything functions in our bodies. Whether we like it or not, the old adage of “you are what you eat,” is bang on. Just like the quality of the gasoline you put in your car effects the engine performance, what we put into our mouth effects us. You can’t eat chocolate bars at every meal and expect to be healthy. (Believe me I wish we could!) A healthy gut improves not only brain function, but every aspect of our health and appearance.
A healthy gut will provide you with optimal health. An unhealthy gut will create inflammation and dis-ease in our body. Remove the inflammation and you remove the pain and discomfort it radiates throughout the body. We remove the inflammation in our gut by providing it with the nutrients it needs to function at it’s best. This means reducing your intake of sugar, oils, wheat, corn, rice, genetically modified foods, meats, dairy products, fried foods, carbohydrates, glutamate, preservatives and artificial sweeteners. For more information check out this article about managing FM flareups.
There are lots of great healthy recipes out there. I highly recommend The Autoimmune Plant Based Cookbook: Recipes to Decrease Pain, Optimize Health, and Maximize Your Quality of Life created for the Med Missionary program that I am certified in. When I’m on this meal plan my symptoms are gone within 6 weeks and my energy returns. Reach out to me at andrea@nopainallgain.ca and I’ll help you get the same results.
Water
Water consumption is a very important part of a healthy diet. Drinking at least eight, 8 ounce glasses of water a day is vital to healthy cell production and function. When your body is dehydrated it will seek to conserve water in your body. The first place it will take water resources from is your joints and muscles. When this happens your joints become painful as they don’t have the lubrication they need to function properly. When you are in pain, put a grain of salt under your tongue and drink a glass of water. Repeat this every hour, and you will find your pain will start to decrease as the fluids are returned to your joints. My article on the importance of sea salt and water explains further benefits of staying well hydrated.
Exercise
As counter intuitive as it may sound, exercise is another great way to decrease your pain levels. By moving your body you will keep it functioning better for longer periods of time. There are so many ways you can get this benefit; walking, yoga, swimming, cycling, dancing. Whatever exercise you enjoy, as long as it’s not a full contact sport, will work. If I miss more than a day of exercising, my body will start complaining. Another benefit of exercise is the release of our feel good hormones that help relieve depression. You don’t have to exercise for hours, as fifteen minutes to half an hour will provide great benefits!
Sleep
Sleep is essential to reducing your pain and flareups. I know this may be frustrating to hear, as sleep is often hard to come by because of the muscle aches and pains! Magnesium spray has become my new best friend when it comes to sleep. Spraying it on the areas that hurt and massaging it in reduces the pain and helps me relax so I can fall asleep. For faster results, massage it in with Castor Oil and it will get even deeper into your muscles. It never ceases to amaze me how simple and incredibly effective this is. Give it a try, you’ll be glad you did!
The reason sleep is so important, is that your body is designed to do all it’s healing while you sleep. If you don’t sleep, your body can’t get rid of the dead and dying cells that cause disease. You also need it to feel well rested for your day ahead. There is a reason that one of the top forms of torture is sleep deprivation. Sleep deprivation effects your mental, emotional, and physical health. So make sure you are getting at least 8 hours of sleep a night. Prioritize it, and make it non negotiable. Every aspect of your life will benefit when you do.
Positive Mindset
It’s not in your head – I really want to emphasize this!!! When I promote a positive mindset, I always get pushback that I’m saying it’s in your head – which could not be further from the truth! Chronic illness and FM are NOT IN YOUR HEAD. That said, having a positive mindset does greatly increase your ability to manage your FM and live an abundant life. Having a positive mindset will help you adjust better to your flare ups, and get you out faster. A negative mindset will only prolong and deepen your pain. Research with cancer patients has shown that those with a positive mindset have much better outcomes than those that don’t.
Our brains actually have something called Neuroplasticity which allows us to actually change the way we think, and improve our health. I have used this to reduce my brain fog, and improve my health within 30 days. It can also help you lose weight, and develop better habits for a healthier life. It never ceases to amaze me how effective this is. When I feel myself slipping, I start the process again and it works every time! If you are interested in learning how to do this, I have a new course out The Rewiring Your Brain 30 Day Challenge which will show you how to use the neuroplasticity of the brain to improve all areas of your life.
In Conclusion:
It’s not in your head! Chronic illness and FM are real and there are ways you can reduce your pain and live an abundant life. Yes, it does require consistent effort on your part, and most likely a major shift in your diet and lifestyle. The important thing is that with a good support system, healthy diet, exercise, sleep, and positive mindset you can reduce your symptoms. Even on my really bad days, knowing that this is only temporary and with a few adjustments I will be pain free again is priceless.
If you are ready to become victorious over your Chronic Illness and FM, reach out to me at andrea@nopainallgain.ca and we can start your journey to recovery today!!!
Grab a copy of my new book: Tips for Living With Fibromyalgia and Chronic Illness:
- Amazon.com Link: https://amzn.to/4f1CkFp
- Amazon.ca Link: https://amzn.to/3Y5eXUt
- https://andrea-gamero-coaching.ck.page/12890691b3
As a natural encourager, I live to help others!!! One-on-one coaching is a great way to start building your confidence, and improve your health! I help people with Fibromyalgia and chronic illness manage their symptoms with ease, so they never feel held back again! Click here for an application form and I would be happy to help you in your journey. Subscribe to my weekly newsletter by clicking here. You can also contact me at andrea@nopainallgain.ca or check out my website: www.nopainallgain.ca
