What is Fibromyalgia?
1. What is
Fibromyalgia? Fibromyalgia (FMS) is a frustrating and seldom understood illness. It is a collection of confusing and often contradictory symptoms, which come and go and vary in intensity. It’s chief characteristic is widespread pain in the muscles, ligaments and tendons. It is also characterized by stiffness, fatigue and non-restorative sleep. While it is not life threatening,
it is life changing. It can be as debilitating as rheumatoid arthritis.
25% of all FMS sufferers become disabled and 36% of all
social security disability payments currently go for fibromyalgia. It is a
chronic illness with a hefty price tag. It accounts for 10% of all visits to
physicians. Yet, there are no effective conventional medical treatments for this
chronic illness. particularly frustrating because
the sufferer appears healthy and normal on the outside but feels miserable on
the inside.
Eight
times more women are affected than men. It strikes
all races, all ages, all socio-economic levels and
all educational levels. It is often found in the
company of other
related illnesses such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), spastic bladder (urinary urge incontinence), chronic fatigue, headaches, migraines, allergies, myofascial pain syndrome, mitral valve prolapsed and more.
Traditional treatments aim at improving the quality of
sleep and reducing pain using a cocktail of medications. Unfortunately, the side
effects of the medications can be as debilitating as the illness.
Can FMS be treated with hypnosis? ?
Recent
research confirms that a multi-disciplinary
approach, which includes cognitive behavioral
therapies, such as hypnosis, provides the greatest
relief from symptoms and the best prognosis for a
return to more normal levels of functioning. This
approach includes improving the quality of sleep,
proper nutrition, physical conditioning and deep
relaxation combined with positive mental imagery
(techniques used in guided imagery and hypnosis).
By combining therapies, the patient can frequently
return to a healthier state and a more active
lifestyle while lessening or, in some instances,
eliminating the need for medications, especially
pain medications. Clients often have
averaged a 46% reduction in pain medication usage.
In a study published in the Journal of Rheumatology,
"40 refractory fibromyalgia patients (FMS patients
who had failed to relieve their symptoms with
traditional medical treatments) were randomly
assigned to treatment with either hypnotherapy or
physical therapy. The patients in the hypnotherapy
group showed significantly better outcomes with
respect to pain reduction, fatigue on awakening,
sleep patterns and global assessments. In
addition, those patients who received hypnotherapy
showed a significant improvement in their overall
levels of discomfort and were able to reduce their
levels
of
pain medications. The authors concluded that
hypnotherapy was effective in relieving the
symptoms of Fibromyalgia."
This and similar studies corroborate what has been found at the
Alabama Hypnotherapy Center. They have been using and teaching hypnotherapy for the relief of FMS symptoms for over four years. Over 96% of FMS patients have shown significant and lasting improvement in their overall symptoms, especially in the areas of pain reduction, improved sleep patterns and increased energy levels. In addition, they have been able to reduce or eliminate their pain medication levels between 30% and 100% (average of 46%). All clients have been able to significantly increase their levels of daily functioning. Even more importantly, they have been able to maintain these improvements even after their hypnotherapy sessions end.
