As different as the symptoms of Fibromyalgia syndrome can be, so are reports from individuals patients about the relief they experience from different therapeutic approaches. If given several choices, nearly all of them will opt for at least one form of physiotherapy, be it in the form of massages, acupuncture, exercises or yoga.
The symptoms and signs of Fibromyalgia are highly variable. They will vary among different individuals and they can even vary depending on weather conditions, time of the day, exercise or stress. They do however always include pain and fatigue.
Patients diagnosed with Fibromyalgia syndrome generally complain about physical as well as mental fatigue. With medical imaging technologies it could be proven that Fibromyalgia syndrome patients show abnormal changes in the central nervous system. The evaluation of the individual history of Fibromyalgia syndrome cases uncovered a high prevalence of stress related factors including anxiety, obsessive disorders and sleep disturbances.
As the underlying causes for Fibromyalgia syndrome and the accompanying fatigue are not completely understood, there is no treatment available. All treatments so far are restricted to alleviate the symptoms. Due to the varying symptoms and their intensity among different patients and due to different therapeuticly approaches by different doctors; we can observe different strategies in fighting the condition.
Fibromyalgia syndrome is not fatal, but it is chronic and there has not yet been developed any reliable treatment. Cases of spontaneous recovery have been reported, but are very rare. Any improvements usually will only be limited to the gravity of certain symptoms. The patient diagnosed with Fibromyalgia syndrome will have to cope with the fact that he most likely will never regain his full mental or physical capacities.
Herbal alternatives for the treatment of Fibromyalgia syndrome symptoms and the accompanying fatigue
Here we have just two options. Tetrahydrocannabinol, the active ingredient of marihuana, has recently found more and more acceptance as a painkiller in cancer therapies where traditional opiates often have failed to show the desired effect. Even more interesting seems to be mitragyna speciosa, the leaf from the South East Asian kratom tree. In its region of origin this leaf has traditionally been prescribed and is still recognized as an adequate opium substitute. It can easily be concluded that after THC has found its way into modern western medicine as an opiate substitute, mitragyna speciosa could be THC
The traditional diagnosis of Fibromyalgia syndrome demands for painful results on probation of at least 11 out of 18 tender points. Probation in this case means a pressure of about 4kg exerted by the fingers on the tender points. Tender points are at the back of the head, between shoulder blades, at the top of the shoulders, at the front sides of the neck, on the upper chest, on the outer elbows, on the upper hips, on the sides of hips and on the inner knees. This pain has to be chronic and has to have been present for at least the last three months in all quadrants of the body.