It is estimated that over 5 million Americans suffer from
Fibromyalgia, most of them women, the vast majority of those over 40. Fibro is
clinically defined as pain in a number of points throughout the body, and
symptoms can also include fatigue, sleep disorder, nausea, headaches, memory
loss and depression. Pain and other symptoms can range from mild to severe, and
from acute to chronic. While a number of medical treatments have emerged in the
last few years, no one treatment helps everyone, and in some cases, treatments
that work for a while stop being helpful.
Many doctors feel defeated by Fibro. It’s complicated to treat and
Fibro patients are frequently ill. Many physicians are now referring Fibro
cases for CBT. This is a great step and can be the key to successful
management, even cure. So, how does it work? Let’s take a look:
Now, all of these treatments can be helpful. A combination of these
treatments may be the ideal cocktail for lifelong management of Fibro symptoms.
However, if the patient is like most of mine, they are not in either a mental or physical state to pursue any
treatment that involves getting up out of bed. As it is presented, this
treatment model overwhelms the Fibro sufferer with guilt, as they now know how
many things they are not doing to help themselves, in addition to being in
constant pain. This compounds depression and keeps people in bed.
So, practitioners would be more effective if they learned to think
about the treatment model differently. The central goal is to improve the
person’s quality of life, which begins with increasing basic level of
functioning. When a person is in extreme pain, can’t sleep, and is also
depressed, it is not likely that person will be able to get to the gym. So,
here is my alternative treatment model:
In this model, the therapist focuses on helping the patient recognize destructive patterns of thought and behavior that keep them stuck.
People often ask me if I believe Fibromyalgia is “all in your head.”
I don’t. I think pain and suffering in the body are real. I do believe that
there is an emotional/psychological component though, and often the gateway to
successful treatment is through the thoughts and feelings. This is also why
traditional western medicine is not very successful as a treatment model.
Fibromyalgia is a complex condition, but it can be treated and
managed well. A word of caution, though: If someone tells you they have the one
cure that works for everyone, try someone else. It’s just not true. But we’ll
keep at it until we find one that works for you.
(this post first appeared on Get Help Israel)
(this post first appeared on Get Help Israel)
No comments:
Post a Comment