Anyone with symptoms of fibromyalgia in women will probably find it a problem managing their pain.
One of the main complaints from those with Fibro is that their pain causes such distress in their lives - both because of the suffering it brings, and the fact that it often causes then to stop what they had hoped to do.
Three typical types of pain experienced by those with Fibro include:-
But actually, even though pain - real pain - can be felt in various areas of the body, recent research shows that the assumption that we are at the mercy of when and where pain may strike is not quite what many of us were brought up to believe.
Here are just two examples of up-to-date conclusions regarding pain...
Example One An experiment at the Wake Forest University School of Medicine in Winston-Salem, North Carolina proved that even when volunteers received a similar pain stimulus, some volunteers rated their pain level at 1 on a scale of 0 to 10 (10 being the highest) and others rated that same pain as being a level number 9.
The difference between the two groups was mainly affected by the expectations of how painful the experience of the volunteers was going to be.
Conclusion drawn by the researchers:- The pain we each feel is directly affected by our prior experience, emotion and expectation.
If we can think about pain in a different way, then the pain we feel can be seriously diminished.
Example Two An experiment at Stanford University and MRI Technology Company asked volunteers to try to regulate the pain they felt.
Each and every volunteer dramatically managed to minimise his or her pain level by controlling the pain regulating area of the brain.
This was done by watching the brain's activity on an imaging machine.
The process is known as "neuro-imaging therapy.
" Conclusion drawn by the researchers:- We can learn to control the amount of pain we feel, simply by guided practice.
Dr Jonathan Brooks, a scientist at the Centre for Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging of the Brain, at Oxford University says that "The psychological component of pain is at least as important as the physiological processes giving rise to it.
" Pain has been shown to be made worse by tension, which relaxation techniques can minimise.
Alternative therapies, such as Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) are increasingly being prescribed for pain.
With CBT and other similar natural therapies no medications are required.
And these natural alternative therapies also have the advantage that, while dealing with pain levels, at the same time they can also deal with the person's anxieties.
A double plus.
The good news is that, within us, we each have a system for suppressing pain (we have it so that we can flee attackers even when injured).
And scientists are realising more and more that everyone responds to pain differently.
"There are many physiological and psychological factors that determine how much pain we feel," says Dr Brooks.
"Personality, how worried a person is, and, in the case of women, the time in the menstrual cycle, can all have an effect.
" Five top ways to control pain when someone is suffering the symptoms of fibromyalgia pain include:-
Regular movement and exercise help lift the spirits and reduce pain because continuous activity can produce endorphins, one of our naturally produced painkillers.
Sharing Problems.
Talking about how you feel with someone else definitely helps.
A problem shared can be a problem halved as well as benefiting from another insight into the things you are having problems with.
Staying aware of feelings.
Don't allow yourself to get over-tired or stressed out.
On "good days" it can be very tempting to just keep going because everything feels so good.
But getting excessively tired invariably results in more your bodily resources becoming drained and strained, resulting in pain afterward.
Even though this experience affects both sexes, women tend to suffer more from over-doing things.
Relaxing.
Allow yourself some time on a regular basis (doing this daily is best for ten to 20 minutes at a time) to deliberately relax and/ or meditate.
By focusing within ourselves we can actually learn to control the sensation of pain - eventually learning to control pain and discomfort on demand.
Focusing on the relief of your pain.
There are many ways to focus your mind towards controlling pain.
The first step typically consists of developing a relaxed state and then, for example, imagining seeing yourself as if you are watching yourself on a TV or cinema screen.
Next, you would imagine the painful area being calmed and soothed using various methods.
And then, finally seeing yourself feeling and looking much better, happy and pain-free.
There are many different ways to change your perception and sensitivity to pain but to explain them clearly is not practical in an article such as this.
Remember, there IS a way to deal with pain.
Even chronic pain.
At best, your pain could become easily managed and practically non-existent.
At worst, it could be relegated to being something to deal with as and when the "bad days" occur.
As always, it is advisable to discuss any changes you are about to make with your doctor, but, yes, there is light at the end of the tunnel.
Anyone suffering from the symptoms of fibromyalgia can learn techniques that will help them control their pain.
One of the main complaints from those with Fibro is that their pain causes such distress in their lives - both because of the suffering it brings, and the fact that it often causes then to stop what they had hoped to do.
Three typical types of pain experienced by those with Fibro include:-
- Continuous pain,
- Stabbing pain.
And - Sudden and unexpected pain which comes on out of the blue when it is least expected.
But actually, even though pain - real pain - can be felt in various areas of the body, recent research shows that the assumption that we are at the mercy of when and where pain may strike is not quite what many of us were brought up to believe.
Here are just two examples of up-to-date conclusions regarding pain...
Example One An experiment at the Wake Forest University School of Medicine in Winston-Salem, North Carolina proved that even when volunteers received a similar pain stimulus, some volunteers rated their pain level at 1 on a scale of 0 to 10 (10 being the highest) and others rated that same pain as being a level number 9.
The difference between the two groups was mainly affected by the expectations of how painful the experience of the volunteers was going to be.
Conclusion drawn by the researchers:- The pain we each feel is directly affected by our prior experience, emotion and expectation.
If we can think about pain in a different way, then the pain we feel can be seriously diminished.
Example Two An experiment at Stanford University and MRI Technology Company asked volunteers to try to regulate the pain they felt.
Each and every volunteer dramatically managed to minimise his or her pain level by controlling the pain regulating area of the brain.
This was done by watching the brain's activity on an imaging machine.
The process is known as "neuro-imaging therapy.
" Conclusion drawn by the researchers:- We can learn to control the amount of pain we feel, simply by guided practice.
Dr Jonathan Brooks, a scientist at the Centre for Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging of the Brain, at Oxford University says that "The psychological component of pain is at least as important as the physiological processes giving rise to it.
" Pain has been shown to be made worse by tension, which relaxation techniques can minimise.
Alternative therapies, such as Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) are increasingly being prescribed for pain.
With CBT and other similar natural therapies no medications are required.
And these natural alternative therapies also have the advantage that, while dealing with pain levels, at the same time they can also deal with the person's anxieties.
A double plus.
The good news is that, within us, we each have a system for suppressing pain (we have it so that we can flee attackers even when injured).
And scientists are realising more and more that everyone responds to pain differently.
"There are many physiological and psychological factors that determine how much pain we feel," says Dr Brooks.
"Personality, how worried a person is, and, in the case of women, the time in the menstrual cycle, can all have an effect.
" Five top ways to control pain when someone is suffering the symptoms of fibromyalgia pain include:-
- Exercise
- Sharing problems
- Staying aware of feelings
- Relaxing
- Focusing on the relief your pain
Regular movement and exercise help lift the spirits and reduce pain because continuous activity can produce endorphins, one of our naturally produced painkillers.
Sharing Problems.
Talking about how you feel with someone else definitely helps.
A problem shared can be a problem halved as well as benefiting from another insight into the things you are having problems with.
Staying aware of feelings.
Don't allow yourself to get over-tired or stressed out.
On "good days" it can be very tempting to just keep going because everything feels so good.
But getting excessively tired invariably results in more your bodily resources becoming drained and strained, resulting in pain afterward.
Even though this experience affects both sexes, women tend to suffer more from over-doing things.
Relaxing.
Allow yourself some time on a regular basis (doing this daily is best for ten to 20 minutes at a time) to deliberately relax and/ or meditate.
By focusing within ourselves we can actually learn to control the sensation of pain - eventually learning to control pain and discomfort on demand.
Focusing on the relief of your pain.
There are many ways to focus your mind towards controlling pain.
The first step typically consists of developing a relaxed state and then, for example, imagining seeing yourself as if you are watching yourself on a TV or cinema screen.
Next, you would imagine the painful area being calmed and soothed using various methods.
And then, finally seeing yourself feeling and looking much better, happy and pain-free.
There are many different ways to change your perception and sensitivity to pain but to explain them clearly is not practical in an article such as this.
Remember, there IS a way to deal with pain.
Even chronic pain.
At best, your pain could become easily managed and practically non-existent.
At worst, it could be relegated to being something to deal with as and when the "bad days" occur.
As always, it is advisable to discuss any changes you are about to make with your doctor, but, yes, there is light at the end of the tunnel.
Anyone suffering from the symptoms of fibromyalgia can learn techniques that will help them control their pain.