Fibromyalgia is a relatively new term settled on by the medical establishment as a label for a variety of painful symptoms that have no obvious physical source and no biochemical cause. The term fibromyalgia was first coined in 1976 by the medical establishment in an effort to describe its primary symptom. (Fibro – meaning fibrous tissue, my – meaning muscle, and algia – meaning pain)
Symptoms are varied but often include chronic aching all over the body or a full-body burning sensation, accompanied by stiffness and discomfort in the muscles, tendons and ligaments, along with other symptoms too numerous to mention, such as difficulty swallowing, elimination abnormalities, numbness and cognitive dysfunction.
Basically, if you have been saddled with a ‘fibromyalgia’ diagnosis, you hurt all over. The morning hours are particularly challenging. You are plagued by stiffness and constant fatigue, and you may even have difficulty sleeping. Your body looks fine to outsiders, so many of your friends and family members don’t even believe you’re in pain.
There’s not much hope in the medical department. Their knowledge of the cause/s of this pain is limited. Doctors themselves admit they know very little, but they are quite willing to provide sufferers with advice and various medications. Some, however, still label fibromyalgia as a psychosomatic or psychiatric disorder, so don’t look for any help there unless you want to further complicate your existence with antipsychotics and antidepressants.
One of the pet medical theories these days, though, is the combo cause: Any combination of stress, anxiety, emotional/mental/physical traumas, coupled with poor sleep habits and general physical weakness can trigger more pain in those thought to have an inherent sensitivity to pain.
The most recent 21st century diagnosis, however, calls this condition with its myriad of painful symptoms, a malfunctioning Central Nervous System (CNS).
At least some medical researchers are on the right track now, though they have no real means of dealing with a malfunction of the CNS that doesn’t cause side effects to the CNS. Ironic, isn’t it.
Go exercise, experts tell you. Enjoy the fleeting after-effect of the endorphins. These strong brain chemicals take your mind off the pain for awhile, but no problem, you can always exercise again to get some more endorphins.
Exercise, at best, activates the lymphatic function to lower the effects of infection and infestation, but it can also overtire you and present more challenges to the basic body systems.
Another thing you can try for solace is a ‘support group’ whose members are also in chronic pain—a regular pain club. You can learn to talk about your pain, hear about other people’s pain, and, together, everyone can pool their hope for a cure. Sounds pretty dismal.
How can any real relief be found for such misunderstood pain? How can cures be found for the Central Nervous System when the only cures that researchers even look for are bio-chemical related?
After all, changing the body’s chemistry is a pretty simplistic way to deal with a malfunctioning CNS, but that’s the theme these days. No matter what the cause of the pain, blame it on the chemical makeup of the body and you’re approach is unquestionably accepted.
Fortunately, there are alternatives—just not any alternatives that are commonly accepted or commonly known.
So the question you have to ask yourself is this… can a nonconventional approach to dealing with chronic pain work? Well, the conventional approach doesn’t. That you already know.
By Laura Turner
Shaolin Kung Fu Grandmaster D.r Kam Yuen has been using and teaching his non invasive method of balancing Body/Mind/Spirit for 30 years, all over the world, with great success.
You are invited to experience for yourself by tuning in to one of his Free Teleseminars