
Fibromyalgia has classically been defined as “a chronic (long-lasting) disorder that causes pain and tenderness throughout the body, fatigue, and problems sleeping.” In addition to this definition, the NIH (United States National Institute of Health) adds that “doctors do not fully understand what causes fibromyalgia.
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Is it true that the cause is not understood? Are there no new insights into what it is, where the problem lies, or how it can be handled?
Not completely, even amid the complexity of diagnosis and management, there are hundreds of scientific investigations that GIVE us LIGHTS about the physiological causes, the neurological pathways, and the cellular alterations involved. By understanding this and establishing its relationship with habits that lead to these alterations, we find possibilities to address these patients.
Functional medicine, and alternative therapies, offer KEY complementary approaches in the improvement of a patient with fibromyalgia, chronic pain, with chronic fatigue, by giving us the possibility of working on the root of diseases, and by allowing us to observe human beings as A WHOLE, as A SENSITIVE UNIT where the body is interconnected, communicated, and related, beyond dividing it by organs and systems.
Here I tell you a little about what this research has revealed, and some habits that are DIRECTLY related to the symptoms experienced by a patient with fibromyalgia (pain, fatigue, sleep disturbances, mood disturbances, and more).
What do we know?

- “The energy factory of the cell”, THE MITOCHONDRIA, the one we heard about in biology class, gets sick due to oxidative stress, those circulating molecules that are generated in chronic inflammation processes, such as obesity, the inflammatory diet, a sedentary lifestyle, insomnia, and more. (1, 2).
- There is a deficiency of antioxidants such as coenzyme Q10, glutathione, and their role in outcomes. (1, 2)
- When someone lives with chronic pain, the brain changes, and neural networks are built that reinforce the perception of pain (both in its emotional and physical aspects), this causes the pain to become chronic, extending over time.
- In chronic pain scenarios the sympathetic system (the part of the autonomic nervous system that puts us in flight mode and responds to challenges) remains chronically activated, it is “triggered” in patients with fibromyalgia, here therapies such as cranial acupuncture and Neural therapy has a special role in helping us modulate and balance. (3. 4)
- All of the above coexists with a process of neuroinflammation (YES! The brain can become inflamed) and causes alterations in the hormonal system, the immune system, the gastrointestinal system, the musculoskeletal system, and more. (3. 4)
What can we do?
Understand and intervene in the body as a SENSITIVE UNIT, in consultation, as a team with the patient, we develop individualized therapeutic strategies, according to the network of dysfunctions that predominate in each one, we focus on influencing these phenomena from the root, we seek to enhance their mitochondrial health. , your cellular health and rebalance your systems.
You, at home, can start with these basic guidelines:
(If you want to know more, visit my Instagram @dradianaramirezc, there I will tell you more about these practices).
- Stabilize your circadian rhythms, and maintain a regular schedule for sleeping and waking up, WITHOUT SLEEP THERE IS NO MITOCHONDRIAL REPAIR.
- Practice sleep hygiene.
- Regulate your sugar consumption, if possible, eliminate it from your repertoire.
- Avoid vegetable oils such as corn, canola, and sunflower, prioritize using healthy fats such as olive oil, avocado, and ghee.
- Start moving, EXERCISE, at first, you can only move your arms and legs while lying down, that’s okay, listen to your body, and go at your own pace, not getting extremely fatigued is key.
- Take care of your mental hygiene, speak beautifully to yourself, remember to be grateful every morning, tell your body how much you love it, and send it healing messages.
- Increase your consumption of vegetables, and green leaves, and include a varied green smoothie every morning with your breakfast.
- Practice mind-body techniques, such as conscious breathing, meditation, tapping, prayer, or whatever you like, sacredly give yourself about 10 minutes a day (or more).
- If you tolerate it, challenge yourself to use cold water at the end of each bath. Cold water, at least for 1 minute, is a protective stimulus for your mitochondria.
- Take a sunbath every day, for a few minutes receive the light, and enjoy it, without turning red, between 8 and 11 am.
Bibliography:
- Coenzyme Q10 supplementation alleviates pain in pregabalin-treated fibromyalgia patients via reducing brain activity and mitochondrial dysfunction, Free Radical Research, DOI: 10.1080/10715762.2019.1645955.
- Mitochondrial dysfunction in fibromyalgia and its involvement in the pathogenesis of the disease. Clinical medicine. Vol. 136. No. 6. pages 252-256 (March 2011). DOI: 10.1016/j.medcli.2010.01.030.
- Neuroendocrine immunology of fibromyalgia. Ann N Y Acad Sci. 2010 Apr;1193:84-90. doi: 10.1111/j.1749-6632.2009.05344.x.
- Neurobiology of fibromyalgia and chronic widespread pain. Neuroscience. 2016 December 3; 338: 114–129. doi:10.1016 /j.neuroscience.2016.06.006.