Fibromyalgia diet to decrease symptoms of chronic pain and stiffness

Fibromyalgia is a chronic pain condition that affects the joints, tendons and ligaments. Fibromyalgia tends to have many secondary symptoms too, such as G.I. upset, headaches, forgetfulness, insomnia, trouble staying asleep and waking too early, visual disturbances, Renaud's syndrome, bloating and shakiness.

There are many home remedies and medical treatments for the treatment of fibromyalgia symptoms. Most of these remedies can provide a temporary relief from these symptoms. A change in diet can also help decrease the symptoms of fibromyalgia.

A diet used to help reduce fibromyalgia symptoms may appear as follows:

Avoid sugar and sugar substitutes:

Sugar and sugar substitutes, if avoided, can actually help decrease fibromyalgia pain. Sugar and sugar substitutes also promotes yeast activity, causing frequent yeast infections. People with fibromyalgia have an increase in yeast activity that increase incidence of yeast infections. Avoiding sugar and sugar substitutes can actually decrease yeast activity, causing a decrease in the incidence of yeast infections.

A 2010 study published by the Clinical and Experimental Rheumatology reported 2 cases in which ingesting the sugar substitute, Aspartame, caused an increase in fibromyalgia pain. Cutting out the sugar substitute altogether, caused a complete resolution of pain in fibromyalgia.

Omega-3 fatty acids:

Omega-3 fatty acids, found in fish and fish oil, has been found to decrease fibromyalgia pain through decreasing inflammation. These fatty acids also have been found to help the cells in the body keep their structure and function. This can also help decrease fibromyalgia pain.

A 2010 study, published in the Clinical Journal of Pain, found that consuming 2400-2700 mg./day of Omega-3 fatty acids reduced pain in fibromyalgia, carpal tunnel syndrome, burn injuries and cervicular radulopathy.

MSG: 

MSG is a common additive used for preserving and flavoring food. Ingesting MSG has been found to cause an increase in pain in chronic pain syndromes. A 2001 study, involving 4 patients with fibromyalgia, found that completely eliminating MSG from their diets, caused complete resolution of their pain. MSG has long been known to have an excitatory effect on neurons which is related to chronic pain syndromes.

The Living Food diet:

The Living Food diet is a diet that is rich in abundance with raw fruits, vegetables, roots nuts and berries. It's very low in sodium and cholesterol and high in fiber. The high fiber content speeds up and promotes gut function which decreases the time available for the absorption of harmful substances.

In a study by Hanninum et al,  fibromyalgia patients who were on the Living Food diet, reported a drastic reduction in joint stiffness and pain. Patients who suffered from the chronic pain of Rheumatoid Arthritis also reported a significant decrease in joint pain and stiffness. (All findings were supported by objective measures).

Diet may not be the answer to decreasing pain in everyone with fibromyalgia, but there are a lot of people with fibromyalgia for which a change in diet can be a huge benefit. If you have fibromyalgia pain, it may be worth it to try a change like the above changes to see if your pain decreases. You may be nicely surprised with the results.