No matter which came first—fibromyalgia or depression—the combination of both can have a person feeling like she is in the mist of a powerful downward swirl. The drain of fibromyalgia pain leaves one physically listless. The weight of clinical depression takes away the emotional energy to fight the flow.
Just getting diagnosed can take a long time and then there is no permanent cure for either condition. Relief from fibromyalgia pain and depression's emotional flat line is available through what was once considered inconsequential and an alternative solution.
Getting Treated for Fibromyalgia and Depression
How successful someone suffering from fibromyalgia and depression is with the therapeutic alternatives offered, can depend on how serious the symptoms are. Fibromyalgia is called a syndrome because the diagnosis is based on a group of symptoms, much like depression.
Symptoms for both are also symptoms for many other medical conditions that a doctor wants to rule out, which takes time. Often, anti-depressants will be prescribed as a first line of defense against the increasing apathy a doctor sees in a patient as the list of tests go on without relief from any of the symptoms. This apathy is the enemy of positive action.
Although anti-depressants are a component of fibromyalgia and depression treatments, much more is needed to pull the person into a recovery frame of mind. Family and friends can be tremendously helpful in getting the individual involved in some routine physical activity that involves stretching or walking.
Previously, doctors recommended rest, but recent studies have shown that maintaining strength and flexibility are required for both the physical and emotional health of a person fighting these debilitating diseases. Taking action promotes a sense of doing something to combat the despised pain.
A Word or Few about Fibromyalgia and Depression
Researchers have found that people with fibromyalgia have high levels of substance P, a brain chemical known to be a primary part of fibromyalgia pain, in the spinal fluid. They also found less-than-normal levels of serotonin, the body's natural “feel good” chemical.
Depression is also linked to low levels of serotonin. A twenty-minute moderate pressure massage has been proven to make changes in those levels. Substance P was reduced and serotonin levels increased.
Science is supporting the benefits of alternative approaches to finding relief from fibromyalgia and depression. Grab your family member or friend and take them for a walk, get them in for a massage, help them see that they can find relief from the pain and numbness they have been enduring.
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References:
American Neurological Association
Lacasse JR, Leo J. “Serotonin and Depression: A Disconnect between the Advertisements and the Scientific Literature.” PLoS Medicine. Vol. 2, No. 12.
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