Fibromyalgia Drug-Free Therapy, Just Relax and Keep Your Money
By Andy Alt / Mental Dimensions

Aug 1, 2008 - I know someone who has fibromyalgia. I didn’t know I had it until talking to her. Every symptom I mentioned was one that she has. “under-the-skin-itches” and in various parts of the body, including eyebrow and ear lobe, just for a couple seconds. When I put my hands behind my head, immediate a numbing or tingling occurred near my shoulders. Being in more pain after a mile walk, which always seemed strange because of what’s said about walking being a great way to help with pain. Pain, soreness, tingling, stinging in the base of the thumb, or on the side of hand, on top of the hand, or in the fingers; also in the forearms at times, biceps, triceps, elbows.

Hopefully relaxation or meditation will work for everyone. You can learn some techniques for free using the Internet. I won’t recommend any, different methods will work for different people. What I did though was buy a book called “Meditation for Dummies.”

Just relax and keep your money. There are no guarantees, not even from me. I’ve had chronic, consistent, and frequent pain for four years. Very inhibiting to someone who likes to write. A week ago, 90% of those symptoms melted away. There’s still 10% in my left arm, which I had gotten rid of for a day, but I built it back up by too much writing afterward. No worries, I’ll just relax it away again. It’s in my left forearm and left bicep and elbow.

The doctors I saw called it posture-related and recommended some physical therapy exercises which 95% never gave me any relief, and sometimes caused more pain. Maybe I was doing some of them wrong, or too often, pushing myself too hard so I would get better - I don’t know. I only had two appointments with my pain specialist, on the next appointment he had planned a couple tests for nerves.

The only “catch” for meditation is that it takes time to work. A month, two months, until your ability to relax, concentrate, etc. improve. It won’t work for everybody, but I sure hope I sounded convincing enough for someone to try it and maybe get better.

A physical manifestation of my stress and tension is what it felt like, but I only realized how much tension had built up after it had drained and melted away. Alka-seltzer for the body. Oh what a relief it is. I feel more hopeful and optimistic again that I have a fighting chance to overcome my chronic depression now. I’m sure I’ll still get severely depressed, but that fibromyalgia thing was such a drag that I totally did not need in my life or in my body.

One day when I was doing some relaxation, I felt some pulsating near my ankles, sensations that felt like mini-muscle spasms. I felt a loosening of… things in that area, I felt circulation begin. After that initial reaction, in two days I felt 100% better. My arms took a few more days. I still have a little back pain, but maybe my body can heal better without the stress that is put on it by Fibromyalgia.

I can get so relaxed now using mental imagery and relaxation techniques, my body feels 4 times better than if I’d taken a Vicodin. I don’t recommend using Vicodin, it’s just something I have tried in the past. I prefer to stay away from addictive narcotics.

I still am trying to avoid the computer due the reasons mentioned in my article, “Speaking of Meditation and Computer and Internet Addiction”, but I’ll keep trying to write cool stuff when I do get online.

Good luck to you all, and please whatever you do, don’t send me any money. Just keep your money and relax.