Fibromyalgia is a form of generalized muscular pain and fatigue that affects almost 5 million Americans. There is no one special lab test that makes the diagnosis, the diagnosis instead depends mostly on a person’s complaints. Pain is the most prominent symptom of fibromyalgia, and it generally occurs through the entire body, although it may start in one region such as the neck and shoulders, and spread to other areas over a period of time. The majority of patients with fibromyalgia experience moderate to severe fatigue. Along with decreased exercise endurance, and the kind of exhaustion that results from the flu or lack of sleep are very common, At times, the fatigue is more of a problem than the pain. Abdominal pain, bloating, alternating, light sensitivity, inability to sleep, abnormal heart rhythm, constipation and diarrhea, migraine headaches and muscular tension headaches are all part of the fibromyalgia syndrome. Officially in the medical realm there is no known cause; however recent studies have shown a growing body of evidence for two main causes neurologic and metabolic. Let’s talk about the neurologic cause first. 
Using single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT); researchers in France were able to detect functional abnormalities in certain regions in the brains of patients diagnosed with fibromyalgia, reinforcing the idea that symptoms of the disorder are related to a dysfunction in those parts of the brain where pain is processed. This is not a disease, it’s a functional problem.
There are neurologic pathways that connect on area of the brain to another, when one area of the brain understimualtes another area of the brain it can cause other areas of the brain to over fire. This over-firing can cause exaggerated pain response in the body. The area that overfires with chronic pain patients is called the mescencephalon or mid brain. This is the area of the brain that the nerves come out of that go to the organs of the body, heart digestive, eyes etc. High output from this area of the brain over-stimualtes the adrenal gland increasing levels of chemicals that nerve fibers are very sensitive too, hence the whole body pain expression. The key to successfully helping a fibromyalgia suffer is to re-establish balanced brain function, lowering the high mescencephalon function restore proper organ function and dampens the pain response. Detection of brain imbalance can be determined with standard neurological tests and the therapy is totally painless and all natural. Your brain can be re-habed just like other body parts. Next week we will talk about the metabolic component.
To learn more about Brain Based Therapy go to our website at www.lakewashingtonchiropractic.com
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