A Better Approach to Treating Fibromyalgia

Did you know that there are approximately 10 million people in the US who suffer from chronic fibromyalgia?

Did you also know that fibromyalgia is one of the most common pain conditions with a higher percentage of females being affected? What’s the connection? Increased estrogen and decreased levels of progesterone affect pain perception and sensitivity. Another common denominator is an under active thyroid. The thyroid gland controls the metabolism of every cell. When the metabolism slows down, the amount of waste products within the cell build up. This is why the fibromyalgia patients experience generalized areas of pain.

I had a patient referred to me with severe fibromyalgia symptoms. The patient’s pain was so severe that she could not travel or be outside her house for extended periods. Just about every pain medication was prescribed for this patient with no results. Once I made a diagnosis of hypothyroidism and nutritionally addressed the issue, the patient’s pain dramatically reduced and she was able to assume a more normal life.

Conventional blood tests are not as accurate as you would believe; this is one of the reasons why a diagnosis of hypothyroidism is often missed. From a layperson’s perspective one just has to review their symptoms, take an arm pit temperature reading for 30 days, and check their pulse. There are 26 major symptoms associated with hypothyroidism: migraines, insomnia, weight gain, hair falling out, constipation, dizziness, hoarseness, brittle nails, increase in tooth decay, dry skin, muscle spasms, weak ligaments, chronic fatigue, ringing in the ears, enlarged heart, frequent colds and flu, always feeling cold, non-pitting edema are some of the primary symptoms commonly associated with an underachieve thyroid.

Broda Barnes, MD, PhD conducted 20 years of research on hypothyroid patients. He found that over a 30 day period their average armpit temperature was consistently below 97.80 F. Another PhD researcher, Ray Peat, discovered that hypothyroid patients had a pulse in the 72 BPM range. His research showed that a normal reading should be around 85 BPM. If a person experiences many of the common symptoms of hypothyroidism, has a low temperature and low pulse, the probability of having an underachieve thyroid is great. With a preliminary diagnosis, one must find a naturopathic practitioner who can then define the underlying root cause. Eliminating the causative factors invariable will reduce or totally eliminate the chronic fibromyalgia pain. Check out icnr.com case studies.