Did You Know: Arthritis Related Fibromyalgia?
Debra Murray
Fibromyalgia has been a poorly understood disorder for many years that is typified by moderate to intense pain with seemingly no origin. Many doctors will diagnose a patient with fibromyalgia if he or she has consistent complaints of chronic pain and the doctor can neither locate a cause nor a cure. In recent years, many physicians have begun to suspect that fibromyalgia is actually arthritis, and can thus be treated by arthritis remedies. In fact, the National Arthritis Foundation lists fibromyalgia as one of the over 100 types of arthritis. It is considered an arthritis related syndrome.
Fibromyalgia Diagnosed More in Women
Fibromyalgia is diagnosed in women far more often than men, and some professionals believe that this is because complaints of pain from women have been found to be taken less seriously than complaints of pain from men. This means that men are more likely to receive a complete diagnosis from a physician. Fibromyalgia has been considered a mystery by many because of the nature of the disorder, which includes pain that seemingly comes for no reason. Fibromyalgia can also include fatigue, though the fatigue may be brought on by the pain itself rather than a separate symptom.
An Important Step
Recognizing that fibromyalgia can often be arthritis is an important step in the treatment of patients that suffer through this type of pain every day. Arthritis and fibromyalgia share enough similarities that it is very likely that many fibromyalgia patients are actually suffering through arthritis that simply has not yet been diagnosed properly by a physician. Fibromyalgia, like arthritis, seems to affect women more than men. Also like arthritis, fibromyalgia tends to occur later in life rather than earlier. Patients that have fibromyalgia should attempt to use arthritis treatments and see how the condition progresses.
Treatments
There are many treatments for arthritis, but some of the best treatments are completely natural. Mankind has been dealing with arthritis for hundreds if not thousands of years, which means that there are many ancient and natural cures for the condition that already exist. These treatments can sometimes be more effective than medical treatments and also produce fewer side effects. In addition, they do not conflict with other medications. Super Blue Stuff OTC and Super White Stuff OTC by BLUESPRING make use of some of these time-proven remedies, most notably menthol from the peppermint plant. Other age-old treatments include:
- Emu oil
- Capsaicin
- Arnica
- Aloe vera
- Willow bark
Consult a Professional
Not all instances of fibromyalgia can be considered to be arthritis, so a professional should be consulted before a patient begins self-treatment therapies. Many doctors will be open to the possibility that a patient’s fibromyalgia may be caused by, or be worsened by, arthritis. Because fibromyalgia is a condition that is based strongly upon the single symptom of chronic pain, there are many other situations that could cause or contribute to the condition.