Your nervous system may hold the key to understanding fibromyalgia.

For decades researchers, doctors, and therapists have searched for the answer to one very big question regarding fibromyalgia – what causes it? If you don’t know the cause of a disease or condition, it makes treating it a bit like trying to hit a moving target…blindfolded. This is likely a big part of the reason why medical treatments for fibromyalgia largely fail. Some researchers have dedicated their entire lives to fibromyalgia research without discovering anything about where it comes from or why it occurs. It has been a total mystery. UNTIL NOW! We are here to help at New Life Chiropractic in Fort Wayne, In.

New research has brought us very close to understanding the basic mechanism of fibromyalgia. What was the topic of the research, you ask? The nervous system. Specifically, the central nervous system (meaning the brain and spinal cord) and associated neurochemicals believed to lower pain thresholds and increase sensitivity to things that would otherwise be painless[1].

Here is just a little of the evidence researchers have collected about fibromyalgia’s link to the nervous system:

• Increased pain-related chemicals in the spinal fluid
• Low blood flow to the thalamus region of the brain
• Low function of the hypothalamus, pituitary glands, and adrenal glands
• Abnormal autonomic nervous system function
• Clinical symptoms of sleeplessness and loss of concentration[1]

The profession of chiropractic was discovered over a century ago, and since then it has developed with one goal in mind – to optimize the nervous system and allow the body to heal itself. While corrective care chiropractors never focus on symptoms or conditions, improvements in how you feel are almost always a side effect of a better functioning body! Although many patients visit a Fort Wayne chiropractor for pain-related symptoms and find relief, you should remember that the focus should always be on your nervous system and body FUNCTIONING WELL, not just FEELING WELL. After all, in a perfectly functioning body, why would there be unexplained aches and pains?

You may wonder what else you can do to support your nervous system. Here are just a couple quick tips:

• Avoid sugar, saturated fats, dairy, and other inflammatory foods[2]
• Avoid artificial sweeteners[1], with the exception of Stevia
• Try nervous system and muscle health supplements
• Get the recommended hours of sleep

[1] Mercola, Joseph. “Fibromyalgia Special Report.” Mercola.com. [Print]. Accessed 27 Apr 2016.
[2]“8 Food Ingredients That Can Cause Inflammation.” Arthritis Foundation. [Web]. Accessed 27 Apr 2016.