The most challenging and frustrating aspect of fibromyalgia is that the treatments currently available only ease your symptoms. And they don’t help everyone.
One medication, Pregabalin, reduces pain by 30-50% for many people, but you may still need other therapies to keep up with your daily life. And medication doesn't work for everyone. At least 10% of patients can't tolerate Pregabalin at the dose needed to ease their pain.
When you have a chronic, bodywide pain syndrome like fibromyalgia, you need holistic care that draws from a range of supportive treatments. Behnam Khaleghi, MD, here at Pacific Rheumatology specializes in options that you won't find at many practices, including vitamin therapy and medical-grade supplements.
Fibromyalgia is a chronic pain condition that causes severe bodywide discomfort and debilitating fatigue.
The symptoms of fibromyalgia include:
If you have fibromyalgia, you never know when something like a change in weather will trigger a flare-up in your pain and fatigue. As a result, people with fibromyalgia often need to take time away from work and have days when simply getting dressed is a painful struggle.
If you have fibromyalgia, chances are you have nutritional deficiencies. The intense pain and fatigue of fibromyalgia may take away your appetite. Or you might feel hungry but not have the stamina to prepare a healthy meal.
Your body also uses significantly more nutrients than normal when you're under physical stress. Even if you do eat healthy meals, your body's demands quickly deplete your vitamins and minerals, leaving you with a deficiency.
When you have a nutritional deficiency, you become less tolerant to pain and your fibromyalgia symptoms get worse. That adds to your stress and uses up nutrients, creating a cycle that can only be stopped with vitamin therapy.
Beyond preventing deficiencies, vitamin therapy helps to:
Fibromyalgia is not an inflammatory condition. Current evidence points to it being a neurological problem. However, many people with fibromyalgia have high levels of substances that cause bodywide inflammation.
Your immune system can't function properly without a specific amount of many different vitamins. A weak immune system contributes to inflammation and illness.
People with fibromyalgia frequently have deficiencies in vitamins needed to maintain healthy muscles and nerves. These deficiencies lead to problems like muscle fatigue, muscle spasms, and neurological pain.
Fibromyalgia is associated with low levels of many vitamins and minerals, including B vitamins like vitamin B12, vitamin D, magnesium, selenium, and zinc. Many people are also deficient in vitamins A, C, E, and K.
Many dietitians recommend getting all your vitamins and minerals through your diet. Though that’s generally great advice, it isn’t realistic for fibromyalgia patients.
Vitamin therapy eliminates uncertainty about the nutrients in your diet and the amount of nutrients your body actually absorbs from those foods.
We run blood work to accurately identify the nutrients you need. Then when we recommend medical-grade supplements or IV vitamin therapy, so you can be sure you're getting a precise dose of the nutrients you need.
To learn more about vitamin therapy, call one of our offices in Tustin or Laguna Hills, California, or request an appointment online today.
