Fibromyalgia is a debilitating condition that impacts 4 million Americans every year. It can impact every aspect of life, from social engagements to work performance.

While support from your family and friends can help, it's often insufficient. There are several steps to success if you want a healthy, active lifestyle with fibromyalgia. We'll discuss how diet and lifestyle choices impact your well-being. And we'll show you how adding acupuncture to your routine will help increase energy, improve mood, and help you get back on your feet!

How Can Fibromyalgia Impact Your Well-being?

Fibromyalgia impacts the body psychologically and physically. Patients often experience adverse symptoms like joint aches, extreme fatigue, and depression. This can impact day-to-day activity, social interactions, workload, and sexual activity.

Fibromyalgia can impact almost every aspect of a patient's life. This condition causes intense muscle pain, making things as simple as walking very difficult. Some patients also have muscle spasms and painful muscle cramps.

Experts are still unsure what the initial causes of fibromyalgia are and how they progress. Most agree that it originates in the brain and spinal cord and disrupts how these systems interpret pain. These misfiring nerve readings can worsen, causing patients to experience more extreme symptoms as they age.

Many patients experience decreased energy levels, loss of interest, depression, and other debilitating symptoms. Fortunately, the best treatments include weight management, exercise, a healthy diet, and acupuncture therapy.

Let's explore these treatment options below.

How Can Lifestyle Alleviate the Symptoms of Fibromyalgia?

Exercise, proper sleep, and meditation can significantly alleviate the pain from fibromyalgia. Many studies demonstrate that patients who remain active and regimented experience less pain and have more energy. While staying idle is tempting because of the fatigue and pain, it's vital to remain active and regimented as much as possible.

Balance is key for addressing the symptoms of fibromyalgia. While you might not be able to work out as long or hard as other people, maintaining an active lifestyle is important.

Doctors usually recommend the following exercises:

• Walking
• Yoga
• Swimming
• Pilates

Finding low-intensity workouts is better, so you don't hurt your body and burn out. Stretching and remaining agile is essential to your workout routine since they prevent joint pain and stiffness. Meditation will also help alleviate stress. Stress releases cortisol which can lead to bad habits which will exacerbate your symptoms.

Acupuncture is an integral part of lifestyle improvement. Not only does acupuncture increase energy levels by stimulating blood flow, but it also helps combat stress hormones. This will help you maintain healthy habits and improve your mind and body.

Acupuncture will help you stay active and decreases pain levels so you can stick to your schedule! The two practices work hand-in-hand and give you the tools to stay focused and on track.

Is Diet an Effective Way to Treat Fibromyalgia?

Diet is vital for maintaining your overall health while managing your fibromyalgia. Certain foods are said to have a high FODMAP level and trigger painful attacks in fibromyalgia patients. You should try to mostly eat foods that are low-carb, high-nutrient, and easily digested.

FODMAP, or fermentable oligo-di-monosaccharides and polyols, includes foods irritating the bowels. While this designation usually applies to people with IBS or other bowel syndromes, it can also apply to patients with fibromyalgia.

People with fibromyalgia should eat anti-inflammatory foods rich in nutrients and easily digested. 

Using diet in tandem with acupuncture can be even more effective. Many studies demonstrate the relationship between our emotional state and our daily diet. Since acupuncture improves mood and decreases stress hormones, it helps you maintain a balanced diet.

The Importance of Acupuncture in Treating Fibromyalgia

Unfortunately, there is no cure for fibromyalgia. However, there are ways to treat the symptoms and maintain your health effectively. Diet and lifestyle changes can greatly increase your level of well-being.

However, for many patients, these treatments aren't enough. Fortunately, acupuncture is an ancient Chinese treatment for many fibromyalgia symptoms.

Acupuncture attacks the various symptoms of fibromyalgia and relieves constant pain and fatigue. By stimulating certain areas of your body's nervous system, acupuncture encourages your brain to release endorphins while decreasing inflammation.

Fast Relief Acupuncture offers many acupuncture treatments, including pain relief, digestive discomfort, and poor sleep quality. Get in touch with their team of experts today to start feeling better!

Over 4 million Americans suffer from fibromyalgia. If you or someone you love suffers from this chronic disorder, then you know how painful it is. However, many sufferers turn to acupuncture to relieve these symptoms and promote well-being and balance.

Acupuncture is an effective treatment for fibromyalgia for many diagnosed with the disorder. Although not for everyone, acupuncture effectively stimulates blood flow, relieves pressure, and decreases inflammation. Some patients even report enhanced moods and better sleep.

There is some disagreement over the science behind fibromyalgia acupuncture treatment. However, if you want to know how it works and how many sessions you might need, you're in the right place. Keep reading to learn more about this beneficial treatment.

How Does Acupuncture Help Fibromyalgia?

Acupuncture provides natural pain relief to those suffering from fibromyalgia. This is accomplished in several ways, but the primary way is through the release of endorphins. Endorphins are the body's pain-relieving substances released during the acupuncture session.

Fibromyalgia is a chronic muscular-skeletal disorder that impacts all body and nervous system areas. Common primary symptoms include:

• Fatigue
• Joint pain
• Aches across the body
• Irritability
• Inability to focus
• Headaches
• Fibromyalgia is commonly accompanied by other secondary symptoms and chronic issues, including:
• Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)
• Depression
• Chronic fatigue
• Severe joint pain
• Painful bladder syndrome
• Migraines

These secondary and underlining symptoms are essential to understanding how acupuncture can help. Whereas acupuncture helps the primary symptoms of fibromyalgia by stimulating endorphins, it helps secondary symptoms too.

Acupuncture helps enhance mood, improve sleep quality, and alleviate depression symptoms. It stimulates blood flow and enhances energy levels to help alleviate chronic fatigue.

In addition, headaches and migraines are commonly treated through acupuncture by stimulating facial acupuncture points.

How Many Sessions Do You Need?

The number of sessions you will personally need depends on your overall pain and condition. Some have more severe symptoms and may require lifelong sessions to help manage their pain. However, others feel relief after their first session.

You are more likely to feel instant relief if you start your sessions within two years of diagnosis. However, there is no need to wait this long if you feel acupuncture may help your symptoms.

Studies on nine separate groups found that most start to feel pain relief after one month of treatment. This averaged to about 6-8 sessions (or an average of two sessions per week).

Again, this is a very personalized experience. It also varies based on the extent of your issues. You should have a couple of monthly treatments if you suffer mild to moderate joint pain. But, if you experience secondary symptoms, you may require a weekly visit.

Since fibromyalgia is chronic, it is a lifelong issue. If you do not feel any changes or improvements after 12 weeks of treatment, then speak with your therapist. A different method may help, or you might need to seek an alternative treatment.

How Acupuncture Treatment Can Help

While acupuncture seems a little frightening to some, understanding how it improves well-being is essential. The body's natural immunity is stimulated by inserting tiny, thread-thin needles into specific points of the body.

This might seem counterintuitive, but thousands of years of utilization back these pain relief claims. The beauty of acupuncture is it doesn't just relieve pain. It also enhances overall well-being.

If you're suffering from fibromyalgia, don't suffer alone. Please reach out to our staff at Fast Relief Acupuncture and start your healing journey.