Fibro and Inflammation

Let me start off by saying that fibromyalgia is not currently considered an inflammatory condition. However, there is some evidence that inflammation plays a role in fibro.

I have discussed the neuroinflammatory basis of "fibro fog" in another post. There is also some thoughts that inflammation of muscle fascia plays a role in some of the muscle pain of fibro. Many people dealing with fibro also have gut dysfunction. This often presents as diarrhea, constipation and abdominal pain or some combination of the above. This may be related to food sensitivities that leads to gut inflammation. There are many health risks associated with inflammation that go beyond fibro. This includes increased risks of cancer, diabetes and cardiovascular problems.

I have seen many patients show dramatic improvements in their fibro complaints by getting on an anti-inflammatory diet and adding supplements to help minimize inflammation.

Some relatively simple dietary changes that you can make to help reduce the inflammatory load on your body include:

Cut back on junk foods, high-fat meats and highly processed foods.

Cut back on trans fats and saturated fats.

Decrease refined white flours in bread and pasta. Go whole wheat or gluten free instead.

Cut back on consumption of sugar.

Avoid Aspartame and other artificial sweetners. Aspartame is neuroexcitatory and is neurotoxic. STAY AWAY FROM ASPARTAME!

Consider getting a water ionizer.

Consider lab testing or an elimination diet to identify food sensitivities.

Some supplements that can help minimize inflammation include omega 3 oils, curcumin and vitamin C. Increased intake of antioxidants can also help. Probably the ultimate antioxidant for this purpose is glutithione. Unfortunately taking glutithione orally is pretty much worthless as it is very poorly absorbed via that route. I use a nebulizer or a topical version for my patients to get around the absorption issue.