Recently I was asked to examine just how Fibromyalgia can be interpreted from the Healing Muse point of view.
First the facts: Fibromyalgia is defined as:
“Fibromyalgia is a common syndrome in which a person has long-term, body-wide pain and tenderness in the joints, muscles, tendons, and other soft tissues.” http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0001463/
- preferred term is “chronic widespread pain” http://www.arthritis.ca/types%20of%20arthritis/fibromyalgia/default.asp?s=1&province=nb
Most common causes may be:
accident or physical trauma
brain disturbances or changes
sleep disturbances
infections
Nerve diagram showing signal travel along axon
Truth is – there is no direct way of knowing where Fibromyalgia originates. Or what stressors create it.
There is no test for it. It affects 2-4% of Canadians.
There is no known prevention. May run in families.
Puzzle #1: the body or brain, at some point, decides to turn up the volume in the sensory pathways, and begins to create painful or tender sensations in joints, muscles, and tendons (soft tissues) – even at the slightest touch
Worst effects of Fibromyalgia are:
pain
fatigue
depression
sleep disorders
Puzzle #2: why is this volume increase in the central nervous system a more or less permanent shift in the body? Why doesn’t it disappear all together, just like it appeared?
You can expect changes in the pain reception with:
Physical Therapy/Massage/Fitness Program
Stress Relief Methods/Meditation
Antidepressants/Muscle
Relaxant Medication
Cognitive-behavioural therapy
Puzzle #3: there is a change in which the spinal chord talks to the brain. levels of brain chemicals & proteins may change. why?
Key points to consider:
Level of signalling changes
Altered Neuroendocrine activity
The Healing Muse Perspective
Puzzle #1: the body or brain, at some point, decides to turn up the volume in the sensory pathways, and begins to create painful or tender sensations in joints, muscles, and tendons (soft tissues) – even at the slightest touch
The connections and flow in our body are continually modulated. They are under internal and external control. We are affected by water loss/gain, pressure, breath (oxygen availability), foods (nutrient availability), fatigue (repair time/loss).
The sensory pathways are like the modern highway system. When it flows openly, everyone is happy. Likewise, the nerves connected from one body region to another are transporting ‘passengers’ of information. This makes all the body parts happy. Comfortable. Driving on the highway with the volume turned up, I imagine is like entering the onramp to a highway where the path is no longer clear. It is littered with rubble, stones, and pot holes. You are travelling at a fast speed, yet can barely hold onto the steering wheel. Panic. Fear. Danger. Moving with this impediment creates an impossible journey.
So why does the body do this?
Why does it start?
- This is not a medical explanation. If you wish to find a medical science source, please go to scholar articles on google or another search engine now. -
I see that the mind and heart have at some point learned that the world is not safe. Perhaps there was too much to interpret in the past. Perhaps the body and mind had become overwhelmed. Energetically, an attack of the body on itself, in any ‘dis-ease’ is related to self-worth.
If the past was wrought full of disappointments, where a person’s self worth was beaten down, I often see issues of body breakdown. It is af it the body has learned to scream and yell, when the person failed to do so. That is how I interpret Fibromyalgia fits in here. Thoughts and feelings of not being sufficient, and also having been under attack in real life can create this weakness in the body. Yes, the ‘triggers’ are mostly external. But the condition to create Fibromyalgia must already exist in the body.
Puzzle #2: why is this volume increase in the central nervous system a more or less permanent shift in the body? Why doesn’t it disappear all together, just like it appeared?
Nothing is permanent; however, the persistence of this condition is curious. If it was truly set off by a trigger in the environment, or an accident, why doesn’t the body repair itself completely over time? The obvious reason seems to be the fatigue. Many times, a person suffering from pain and discomfort with Fibromyalgia will no longer have steady sleep. The patterns change and sleep diminishes. Sleep is essential for tissue repair, and for healing in general. We could just be satisfied with this reasonable answer.
Moving beyond the physical need of sleep, depth of sleep, and physical repair, let us examine what else can be preventing the body from returning to its pre-Fibromyalgia state. Is the person too accepting? Lenient? Accommodating? It may be that a person suffering from pain is beaten down even further. The pain can have detrimental effect to a person’s mental strength, belief in self, and overall sense of power.
With any Fibromyalgia recovery program, I think that meditation and breath work would be of outmost importance. Breath alone can modulate pain levels. Also, meditation allows one to separate the self from the body and begin to explore without the physical limitations. This place, this moment in time is invaluable in the healing process. I believe that too many recovery programs do not place enough importance on non-physical therapy. With a regulated meditation program, greater recovery would be possible. Since this process doesn’t require Big Pharma dollars, there will not be tests or studies done like this for a long time.
Puzzle #3: there is a change in which the spinal chord talks to the brain. levels of brain chemicals & proteins may change. why?
Proteins are the building blocks in the body. Some neuroscientists believe that protein structures that are built in the body are far more important than amino acids themselves. If there is one slight alteration in which an amino acid connects to its neighbour, we see a completely different building block. That is curious isn’t it.
In Fibromyalgia, if the chemical conversation shifts and the proteins change, what is the body saying to you? I hear that the body is trying to change. The body is not very fluid though. One shift can create a cascade of changes that create a permanent, physical change in your structure, whether good or bad. This slight shift may make you stronger or weaker. If the Fibromyalgia is triggered by an accident or extreme stress, for example, this protein change is self-explanatory. We experience a shock in the body and any number of instantaneous adjustments are made. Some are more detrimental than others.
If the Fibromyalgia is not caused by a specific event, there are other forces at work. Through sleep disturbance or infection, the body may be fatigued to breaking point. Again, a protein shift here makes sense. The Fibromyalgia may not appear right away. It can take months or even years for the body to finally give up fighting.
What if there was no sudden disturbance? What if the was just a general progression toward this disease?
In this case, I see the body as simply a vessel and interpreter of the mind and heart. Over time, under stress, under deep discomfort, whether it arises from our emotions or thoughts, the body absorbs much of what we feel and think. You are what you eat, you are what you think, and you are what you feel.
Attack on the soft tissues of the body is a gentle, subtle, yet painful way of the body saying:
You need to think better thoughts.
You need to feel better feelings.
You are hurting and now I am hurting.
The way back from such a painful place is to start with the breath. I hope this interpretation is helpful in some way. Let me know your thoughts.
References
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0001463/ http://www.arthritis.ca/types%20of%20arthritis/fibromyalgia/default.asp?s=1&province=nb http://www.rheumatology.org/practice/clinical/patients/diseases_and_conditions/fibromyalgia.asp http://www.nursinglibrary.org/vhl/handle/10755/183203
Nerve diagram:
Image courtesy of: http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ECgct_pIngs/TyVSb-M40FI/AAAAAAAAAPs/eH9vb_-zg1w/s1600/2.84.gif