Fibromyalgia Introduction Series by Lotus Spring Acupuncture & Wellness Inc.
Fibromyalgia is classified as one of the most painful chronic illnesses to have. Mainly because so many professionals, doctors, and physical therapists don’t actually know how to treat it correctly. However, as established in our last article, no matter what form of fibromyalgia you may have you have been told there is a solution and treatment possibilities to relieve pain and have a brighter future with your friends and family. No more lying in bed with chronic pain and feeling the absence of hope!
Through herbal formulas, breathing techniques, changes in your external environment, relaxation, and highly effective acupuncture treatments you can be living the life you always dreamt of! You can truly work to improve fibromyalgia in your own body! However, in order for any of these treatments that have been scientifically tested and practiced for centuries to work, there are 10 commandments that you need to follow, as if your life depended on them, to see these results.
Commandment #1: NO SELF PITTY.
All the energy of anger, fear, and sadness will now be redirected into positive self-care. Whether it’s from past pain or future fear, it’s now over. Your focus is now what you can do at this moment to feel better and recover rather than focus on what you cannot control. When it comes to this first commandment, it really is talking about a positive outlook that you must always have. Without a positive outlook, you won’t be able to improve fibromyalgia recovery or heal and stay in a physically and mentally healthy state.
Commandment #2: SLEEP AT NIGHT.
If sleeping may not be easy, then meditate in the dark at night, and if necessary all night. Artificial light derailing your circadian rhythms locks you in a pain cycle. To be able to combat this, and make sure that your body knows when it should be sleeping at night, being in the sun by day, and in the dark at night. No exceptions! We must train your body to recognize how to break the repetition and not get stuck in a pain cycle. This may take some time, but be consistent and you’ll see your progress to improve fibromyalgia in significant ways.
Commandment #3: AVOID RAPID TEMPERATURE CHANGES.
Make sure to dress warmer than others. Keep your feet warm with slippers when you’re inside. Make sure to absolutely not ingest iced foods or cold drinks. Everything ingested needs to be warm until your pain is gone. Make sure your hair is dry when leaving the house. Wet hair can cause rapid cooling to the back of the neck and interfere with your lymphatic flow. Another tip is to try and make sure that at all costs keep your house a consistent temperature. When leaving the shower, make sure you’ll not be entering a cold room, mainly to the point where it is too difficult on your body to exit. Even minor events that could cause rapid temperature changes need to be avoided. I’m sure as you think about your day to day activities, you can come up with several opportunities and situations where you might have to change your approach because you have experienced such events. However, just move in the right direction to improve fibromyalgia in your own body, so that you can prevent them from happening again.
Commandment #4: REINVEST NEW ENERGY INTO SELF-CARE.
Exercising through extreme measures can often lead to relapsing. It’s common for people to become pain-free and energetic, and then result in cleaning the house, the kitchen, the garage, and exercise beyond one’s true limits. Don’t think that because you are currently “pain-free” means that you can do anything and everything, especially all at once! Take a balanced approach by leaving yourself enough energy for strengthening your internal organs. Like in all things, we must keep a balanced perspective in life, or else the harmony within our body can be disrupted. Therefore, always make sure to pace yourself, and work towards your goals for the type of energy that you desire to have on a daily basis.
Commandment #5: CULTIVATE YOUR THOUGHTS.
Avoid drama, negativity, media, or music which is negatively stimulating. Simplify your thoughts and bring the focus of your energy back into your body for self-healing. The ripples within your mind can be unsettling and you can lose all the clarity within if you allow these to distract your body from focusing on the act of maintaining a proper balance. As you focus on maintaining that balance, you can see through it a rational, and step-by-step course toward recovery is more achievable. There have been several studies done based on the power and measures that your brain can control and attain. It’s amazing to hear and read these kinds of studies to better understand the capabilities that your body could undertake. Just remember that overall, when you think negatively your body then begins to react negatively, even within and towards itself. When you think positively and focus your thoughts on bodily strength and self-healing, your body begins to make those necessary changes to fulfill and follow the brain’s instructions.
Commandment #6: CULTIVATE YOUR GUT GARDEN.
When it comes to your eating habits you want to make sure that every bite you take as a choice you’re making toward healing yourself. The food that you put in your body makes a huge difference in your recovery process, and to maintain your bodily strengths, and making sure that you do not relapse. When it comes to your diet and eating habits, make sure that you eat lots of greens and other healthy food that will support your healing process. For more health and nutrition ideas, nutrition consultations are always available in our clinic. It’s a great way to jumpstart your healthy eating habits.
Commandment #7: CULTIVATE YOUR BREATHING.
Maintaining a proper and consistent form of breathing can help reduce pain and increase your healing process. The Chinese medicinal methods that are included through our treatment process, make a huge difference when it comes to maintaining your health and energy. There have been several studies that have been confirmed through tests that show proper breathing techniques, when used and instigated on a daily routine, can increase blood flow, dopamine levels, and help relax the body to promote a focused healing mindset.
Commandment #8: CULTIVATE YOUR MOVEMENT.
Learning to move with natural poise, posture, and grace to make every movement into a massage is an art. When you learn these different methods, you can relieve pain and feel like you’re walking on air compared to your previous state of heavy limbs. Moving your body with the ability to relax your muscles will preserve energy within your body, sustaining it for a longer duration of time allowing you to feel less pain. This is because you have instructed your brain to tell your body to not contract or to “get stuck in a pain cycle” as discussed above. Learn to use your body to its fullest potential, as you maintain proper energy and focus on healing the body.
Commandment #9: CULTIVATE HEALTHY COMMUNITY.
We are social animals and cannot be healthy alone. Create a healthy social connection by surrounding yourself with people who have a positive outlook on life. Another great way to be able to cultivate and focus on a healthy community and environment is by attending fibromyalgia support groups. Surrounding yourself with people who go through similar trials, and seeing people who have overcome it, can give you the hope, vision, and motivation you need to continue working towards increasing your health. By surrounding yourself with proper and healthy environmental surroundings, you’ll also find great resources such as our acupuncture and Chinese medicine clinics that can further your progress and help you find relief like never before.
Commandment #10: PAY IT FORWARD.
The information given in this article has been largely supported by references such as the book “The Fibro Bible.” It has come to all of us because, for the last few millennia, a long chain of people chose to pass this information down to help improve fibromyalgia circumstances to anyone. Since they have done so, we can find relief from fibromyalgia. Just as you will use these methods to become pain-free and energized, you should make sure to share what you have learned for the next generation. Some people you can share this with would include; friends, family, support groups, the internet, social media, and whoever you come in contact with who might benefit from this.
Our acupuncturist Dan Clark has done wonders to be able to improve fibromyalgia in many people and increase their health and wellness. His goal is to increase the quality of life in all his patients. If you are you know someone who needs help increasing their abilities through these methods, please don’t hesitate to refer them to our acupuncture and Chinese medicine treatments. Dan Clark has patients come from several states outside of Utah, just to see and experience and have the results that they want. Dan is welcoming and always looking to help more people. For more information on how you or a loved one can set up a scheduled appointment please email us at schedule@lotusspringacupuncture.com and let us know how we can help. Make sure to also watch out for our next part of the fibromyalgia journey, and how we can help you find more resources and information on your chronic illness.
