The Inflammatory Side of Fibromyalgia

Fibromyalgia is very complex in presentation and in causes, but one study demonstrates that there is a link between fibromyalgia and the inflammatory process.

Lucas et al. found that hormones and other biological markers associated with inflammation were found to be present where they normally were not, or higher than normal in the cerebro-spinal fluid, blood and skin of fibromyalgia sufferers.  They do not say that fibromyalgia is an inflammatory disorder, but that inflammation plays a critical role in its onset and progression.

So what does that mean to patients with fibromyalgia?  It means that keeping your body's pro- and anti-inflammatory processes balanced, may help limit flare-ups and prevent some of the fibromyalgia related inflammatory disorders, such as migraines, cystitis and irritable bowel syndrome.   

A huge part of this is proper nutrition, supplementation and exercise.  If you suffer with fibromyalgia and have not found someone to help guide you through this process, find a functional medicine provider that can find out what your specific needs are and start the journey to restoring your health.

Thiamine and Fibromyalgia

A quick search of fibromyalgia support websites reveals that for the great majority of sufferers there is no quick and easy fix.  There has been a plethora of treatments both medical and natural, some offering help and other a waste of time and money.  In reality, as with most chronic conditions, there are many causes for the symptoms collectively known as fibromyalgia and therefor many ways to correct those underlying causes.

For example, in an article put out by the British Medical Journal in May 2013, three women suffering with fibromyalgia symptoms were all found to be deficient in the B-Vitamin, Thiamine.  When they supplemented with doses of Thiamine ranging from 600-1800 mg per day they were all found to have a reduction in fatigue and pain levels.  You can see the percent of reduction for each patient below:

• Patient 1:  71.3% reduction in fatigue; 80% reduction in pain.
  
• Patient 2:  37% reduction in fatigue; 50% reduction in pain.
  
• Patient 3:  60.7% reduction in fatigue; 60% reduction in pain

 Now this was a very small sample size and more studies are definitely needed to support these results, but the results are very promising. 

*Note that it is not recommended to take high doses of Thiamine or any vitamin without knowing what your levels are.  Side effects like insomnia and rapid heart rate can be associated with high thiamine doses.  Thiamine need is one of the many vitamins that we can test for to determine your specific need.  If you are one of the millions of Americans that suffers from fibromyalgia, contact us to start on the road to Restore your Health.