Between 40 and 70% of fibromyalgia patients also experience abdominal pain, bloating, nausea, and diarrhea. Many also suffer from chronic headaches and TMJ pain.
Other symptoms include increased PMS symptoms, chest pain, morning sickness, memory impairment, numbness and tingling sensations, pseudo-edema, sensitive skin, dry eyes, dizziness, and sensitivity to loud sounds, certain odors, and bright lights.
Symptoms can often be aggravated by cold or drafty environments, pre/post-menopausal states, stress, depression, anxiety, and overexertion.
What causes Fibromyalgia?
Fibromyalgia has many "triggering events" such as infection, trauma, stress, or development of another condition (i.e. RA, lupus, or hypothyroidism). These triggers are not the actual cause.
Sleep physiology, along with a wide variety of hormones and neurotransmitters, including substance P, Growth Hormone, and Seritonin, have been carefully studied, but have yielded very little information.
Recent studies suggest that the disorder originates within the nervous system. Current research is focusing on Autonomic Nervous System Dysfunction. Your autonomic nervous system controls every part of your body: things like digestion, immune function, hormonal control, and muscle tone.
Anything that causes over or under stimulation of your autonomic nervous system could contribute to fibromyalgia-like symptoms. The most vulnerable part of your nervous system are the nerves that branch out from your spine because they can be easily irritated by the spinal bones themselves.
Recent studies have found that those who suffered a neck injury were 13 times more likely to develop fibromyalgia. Researchers have consistently found that an injury to the upper spine can affect the central nervous system.
The importance of proper diagnosis
It is extremely important to properly diagnosis fibromyalgia because there are a number of other conditions that mimic its symptoms. Certain conditions, such as hypothyroidism, have very different treatment protocols, but are often misdiagnosed as fibromyalgia. Dr. Pollock takes great care in being certain that he has the correct diagnosis before he begins any treatment program.
What Dr. Pollock can do to help?
Dr. Pollock has a great deal of success working with fibromyalgia. By correcting any underlying problems within your nervous system, and restoring your body to a proper state of health, he is able to effectively reduce or reverse the symptoms of fibromyalgia.
He works with you step by step through finding a proper diagnosis, correcting musculoskeletal disorders, employing effective stratigies to improve sleep and manage stress, helping you to understand and implement a safe and effective exercise program, and making appropriate dietary changes.
Chiropractic care is a very effective treatment for fibromyalgia. Studies have shown that, in fibromyalgia patients, spinal adjustments alone decrease pain by 77%, improve sleep by 63%, and increase energy level by 75% after a short period.
By combining spinal adjustments with a wide range of other treatments, Dr. Pollock is able to offer substantial relief for fibromyalgia sufferers.
See our patient testimonials regarding fibromyalgia
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