When most people hear the word “fibromyalgia” they think of muscle pain. But as anyone who has fibromyalgia can tell you, it’s a lot more than that. Fibromyalgia is a chronic disorder that can lead to a variety of systemic symptoms. Yes, the condition is characterized predominantly by widespread muscle aches and tenderness. But fibromyalgia can also contribute to fatigue, nerve pain, sleep issues, and even mood disorders. If you have fibromyalgia, you may be feeling overwhelmed by your symptoms. It might be time for you to consider using acupuncture for fibromyalgia. But how can this alternative therapy help you?
Acupuncture has many benefits to offer fibromyalgia patients. Acupuncture can help reduce your pain and inflammation, all while improving your sleep quality and enhancing your sense of well-being.
Acupuncture alleviates fibromyalgia muscle and nerve pain
Fibromyalgia causes deep muscle aches that can be difficult to treat, even with pain medications. A corrective exercise plan that teaches you how to move your body fluidly can help ease this muscle pain by reducing tension and keeping your muscles strong and healthy. Soft tissue mobilization can be incredibly beneficial as well. But acupuncture can make these therapies even more effective.
Acupuncture has long been utilized to treat muscle pain both in athletes and the average active individual. But it’s just as useful when it comes to treating muscle pain associated with fibromyalgia.
Acupuncture brings red blood cells and oxygen to sore, achy muscles so the body can make necessary repairs, reduce tension, and support optimal muscle function. The increase in circulation triggered by acupuncture also helps by reducing inflammation, making it easier for you to cope with your fibromyalgia symptoms without pain relievers.
The increased circulation supports healthy nerve function, too. Acupuncture enhances circulation to damaged nerves, where the body needs good circulation the most. The improved blood flow fights inflammation and swelling around the nerves and gives the body all of the tools it needs to regenerate them. In some cases, electro-acupuncture can be even more effective than traditional acupuncture.
Acupuncture helps fibromyalgia patients overcome pain naturally
Keeping inflammation down helps a lot when it comes to pain management. Good circulation is important, too. But acupuncture fights pain in another way, and that’s by increasing the production of endorphins.
When you have muscle pain, you might think the pain is located in the muscle itself. But pain is actually felt in the brain. Pain is a way for your nerves to tell your brain where inflammation is located. It’s the body’s way of letting you know you’re hurt so you can attend to your injury, which is a good thing. But pain can be, well, a pain!
By altering the way your brain receives pain signals through the mediating effects of endorphins, acupuncture can significantly reduce the pain response.
Endorphins are neurotransmitters that the body produces in response to pleasant stimuli. Say you see a comedy show, or have a fun lunch with your friends, or maybe somebody compliments your new haircut. These are the sorts of things that trigger the release of endorphins, and endorphins enhance your well-being.
As needles are inserted into acupuncture points across the body, this stimulates the release of endorphins, which have a morphine-like effect and attach to opioid receptors in the brain. Endorphins intercept the pain response by raising your pain threshold, providing you with all-natural relief from your fibromyalgia symptoms.
Acupuncture supports mood regulation
Fibromyalgia is a neurological disorder that can have an unfortunate impact on your moods. Research suggests that fibromyalgia patients struggle with anger, anxiety, worry, and rumination more than other chronic patients. Unfortunately, these negative emotions can amplify the pain associated with fibromyalgia, creating a vicious cycle of unpleasant symptoms.
But, the good news is that research also shows acupuncture can help regulate moods. It does this by supporting neurotransmitter activity. Acupuncture has been shown to modulate serotonin, dopamine, and gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), three neurotransmitters that play a huge role in how you feel.
Serotonin and dopamine are known as happy hormones. Serotonin enhances your sense of well-being, making you feel calm, cool, and confident. Meanwhile, dopamine plays an important role in the brain’s reward system, encouraging feelings of motivation and satisfaction. GABA is a calming neurotransmitter that supports relaxation.
Because acupuncture regulates these neurotransmitters, it can help fibromyalgia patients improve their moods, easing their worry, anger, and anxiety. Acupuncture can also be used to fight depression, and to encourage quality sleep. Speaking of…
Acupuncture promotes healthy sleep cycles
Sleep is something that many fibromyalgia patients struggle with. Some patients can’t fall asleep, or if they can fall asleep, they struggle to stay asleep. If your fibromyalgia is screwing up your sleep cycles, acupuncture can make it easier for you to get some rest.
For starters, acupuncture is incredibly relaxing. Acupuncture enables your muscles to release deep-seated tension, and that physical sense of relaxation naturally leads to mental relaxation. When your body is relaxed, your mind follows suit, which makes it much easier to fall asleep.
But acupuncture’s regulatory effect on neurotransmitters also encourages healthy sleep cycles. Serotonin and GABA, in particular, play a huge role in sleep. The body converts serotonin to melatonin which is essential for good sleep. GABA also promotes sleep by inhibiting excitatory nerve transmission and encouraging relaxation.
It’s also worth noting that acupuncture regulates stress hormones, like cortisol. Keeping cortisol in check supports healthy sleep cycles, while also promoting mood regulation and a sense of well-being in fibromyalgia patients.
Get in touch with us today
Fibromyalgia is a chronic condition that requires an ongoing treatment strategy. At Lycoming Orthopedic & Sports Acupuncture, we’re dedicated to helping each of our clients overcome the symptoms that have been holding them back. We’re ready to help you, too.
During your first visit, we’ll listen to your health concerns, and come up with an acupuncture treatment protocol that’s tailor-made to you.
When you have fibromyalgia, acupuncture can make all the difference in your quality of life. So don’t delay — get in touch with our office today to schedule an appointment.
