Fibromyalgia puts you in so much pain and fatigue and leaves you inactive and overweight. Up to 30 pounds for some people with fibromyalgia. Not only that, but other factors and symptoms, even your medicines can be contributing factors too.
And that only makes ailment worse, it’s not your fault, and you can have control over it. You are pretty much familiar that fibromyalgia comes with muscle pain, headaches, and depression. Along with that, excess weight can be another symptom. Here’s how you can battle with it.
“It’s a chicken-and-egg situation,” says Kent Holtorf, M.D., a leading fibromyalgia specialist and founder of Holtorf Medical Group, San Francisco. “We don’t know if the fibromyalgia causes weight gain or vice versa.”
You are probably wondering where does all this weight comes from. It is not because of lack of exercise, but several aspects of fibromyalgia are contributing to the excess weight. The appetite-signaling hormone leptin may be out of sync when you have fibromyalgia. It sends inaccurate messages to the brain that you are feeling hungry, which makes you ear more.
Or maybe your thyroid could be malfunctioning which is used to regulate metabolism. That slows down the body’s ability to burn calories. Also, the condition itself causes the metabolism to slow down.
Dr. Holtrof says that fibromyalgia patients have 25% lower metabolism on an average as compared to people without fibromyalgia. That is 500 fewer calories burned in a day, which is equal to a lean dinner. Some fibromyalgia medicines like pregabalin also increase appetite.
These factors make people with fibromyalgia gain more weight than other people. As much as around 30 pounds or more. But don’t worry, you can still control your weight, and you should. Furthermore, fatness can make symptoms worse, according to a study at the University of Utah.
The hard part is getting started when you are exhausted and painful. Experts have proven in this situation the techniques to overcome weight-loss obstacles.
1. You Are Hurt All Over
The pain of fibromyalgia can vary day to day and moves to different areas of your body. Somedays you don’t even feel like moving at all. However, when your whole body hurts, it’s really hard to get that you’ll feel less pain if you engage in more activities. But it’s true.
Light and consistent workouts help you move better throughout the day. Says Rae Maire Gleason, executive director of the National Fibromyalgia Association. He says that fibromyalgia pain won’t reduce by itself, but exercise makes it easier to function with lesser pain when you’re doing daily activities.
The key is to stick with a daily program, if you begin and stop exercising, your muscles need to rebound with each new beginning. The solution for this is to exercise during a heated pool, says Gleason. Warm water relieves muscle pain. You can find warm-water pools in your area. Or you can look on the Arthritis Foundation’s website for the warm-water exercise classes.
When you’re understanding it completely, take a hot bath or shower first to warm up muscles, recommend Gleason. And, to avoid hurting muscles, never stretch without warming up first.
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2. Exercise Leaves You Too Sore.
If you were unable to maneuver after the last time you figured out, you would possibly be afraid to undertake it again. Dr. Holtrof says that, if you are doing an excessive amount of exercise in the beginning, you will be exhausted for days.
The solution for this is to start slowly and gradually increase. Short, daily workouts, even for just three minutes each day to start, work better. Rather than longer, more aggressive workouts fewer days every week.
If you’re unsure of the way to start exercising safely, find a private trainer, physiotherapist or physiatrist. (a medical doctor trained in diagnosing and treating pain) experienced in working with fibromyalgia patients. Or, inspect the Fibromyalgia Information Foundation, an internet site developed by an NP. Which features videos of exercises specifically designed for and performed by people with the illness.
Working with people conversant in fibro helps you watch your limits. Dr. Holtrof says that you want to push a touch but not such a lot that you simply can’t move for the remainder of the week.
If you go too far, therapeutic massage (before or after exercise) from a professional masseuse can ease muscle pain. It helps loosen muscles, reduces trigger points (tender areas) and relieves muscle spasms, consistent with the National Fibromyalgia Association.
3. You’re Exhausted From Lack of Sleep.
Many women with fibromyalgia nod off and awaken several times during the night, leaving them exhausted subsequent day. Restless leg syndrome and apnea (both common with this disorder) are likely causes.
The solution to this is to ask your physician to refer you to a sleep lab to spot the underlying problem. Look for a lab trip by a neurologist (most are travel by pulmonologists, doctors specializing in lungs and therefore the systema respiratorium, trying to find breathing problems).
To determine correct treatment, a neurologist will check your brain patterns using an electroencephalogram (EEG) test, which records electrical impulses.
4. You’re Too Depressed To Exercise.
Muscle pain and other symptoms of fibromyalgia can leave you feeling like your life has been turned in the wrong way up. Gleason says that chronic pain eventually results in frustration and depression. In fibromyalgia, brain chemicals which control good feelings like dopamine and norepinephrine are not functioning properly. Which however plays a roll in depression. Exercise helps by releasing endorphins. These neurochemicals block pain and stress, improving your mood, says Gleason.
The solution for this is to find a health-care professional who recognizes depression as a part of the symptoms of fibromyalgia and prescribes medication, if necessary, as Gleason says. Since the strain of the disease can make depression worse, try mind-body practices like yoga. Which offers the twin benefits of stress reduction and exercise. Find instructors experienced in working with fibromyalgia patients.
And, twiddling my thumbs. Easing into an exercise program means it’s going to take weeks before you’ll exercise hard enough to feel the mood-lifting effect of endorphins, says Gleason.
5. You Constantly Crave Sweets.
Do you address food full of carbohydrates, refined sugars, and sweets as how to self-medicate against the pain of fibromyalgia?
These foods release insulin, a hormone that packs on fat, says Dr. Teitelbaum. And sugar often becomes addictive, making you crave even more. However, a deficiency of vitamins or minerals, including B vitamins, magnesium, and chromium, can also cause food cravings and reduce your metabolism, he says.
The solution for this is to take an entire multivitamin to stay energy levels up, as a preventative measure. And, ditch the sodas, substitute fruit for sweets, and skim labels carefully. Avoid ingredients ending in “-ose,” like sucrose and fructose, says Dr. Teitelbuam.
6. You Are Feeling Headachy And Groggy.
Do you often walk around during a daze? Brain fog is common with fibromyalgia. And a dysfunctional thyroid is usually responsible. “More than 26 million Americans suffer from an underactive thyroid ( hypothyroidism ) and fewer than one-third are properly diagnosed or treated,” Dr. Teitelbaum says.
You could even have an iodine deficiency. Low iodine levels contribute to decreased energy, says Dr. Teitelbaum. “And once you get tired, muscles tighten.”. Think of how your neck and shoulders feel after sitting at a desk all day. a decent neck and sore shoulder muscles can cause headaches, Dr. Teitelbaum says.
The solution is to Seek out a physician conversant in fibromyalgia to see your thyroid levels for the hormones T4 (thyroxine) and T3 (triiodothyronine). Treating the thyroid will fix your metabolism. “Without it, long-term weight loss is nearly impossible,” Dr. Teitelbaum says.
Ask your doctor about supplements like alpha-lipoic acid (an antioxidant) and D-ribose (a sugar molecule), which can boost metabolism. “Ribose is that the heart of energy production within the body,” Dr. Teitelbaum says. Alpha-lipoic acid also gives you more drive-by turning blood glucose into energy.
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7. You’re Unsure of The Way to Eat Better.
For many women, sticking with fruits and vegetables and eliminating processed foods reduces fibromyalgia symptoms. But some experimentation is important.
“Studies have yet to seek out a selected diet beneficial to those with fibromyalgia,”. Says Joseph G. Skender, M.D., director of rheumatology for Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak, Mich.
The solution is to strip out all foods with preservatives or colorings. A clean, all-natural diet helps you stay healthy, consistent with Dawn Weatherwax, R.D., CSSD,
Replace sugars and artificial sweeteners with natural agave nectar or honey. persist with hormone-free chicken and meats, grass-fed beef and organic fruits and vegetables. And drink water a lot, which helps rid the body of poisons.
Source: chronicoid.com