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(DISCLAIMER : The remedies for Fibromyalgia mentioned in this blog are the author’s own experiments. Please consult your health practitioner before trying any remedy. )

Fibromyalgia is sexist. It attacks mostly women.

And it picks the most ballsy ones amongst them.

I think the damn disease is just looking for a good fight.

Like a Twitter storm. Or a Netflix Documentary – Lady Gaga style.

It is difficult to watch her reveal her illness in the Netflix docu. Every writhe. Every tear. Every stinging jab. You want it to go away. And yet I am delighted that Lady Gaga is creating a Twitter storm over Fibromyalgia.

My storm started when after a year of playing musical chairs with many doctors, I decide to throw a googly (as in, found on google) at a rheumatologist.

“Umm, do you think it could be Fibromyalgia? FMS?”

I didn’t know whether to smile or wince. Smile, because I finally had a diagnosis. Wince, because it still had no cure or a known cause. I settled for something midway – Swince.

And once the awkward swince moment passed, I embarked on a frenetic hunt. For theories, experiments, and remedies.

First the GOOD NEWS!

Phew !

(Warning, plenty medicalesce ahead. This may be a good time to bounce off. On the other hand, I am doing much better now with these solutions. So if you think you have fibro, scroll on!)

Talk to me, Doc.

Click Here to Visit the Store and find Much More….

Also Read: Main Bhi Lady Gaga: Our Editor’s Tryst with Fibromyalgia

Theory One: Central Sensitisation

“Central Sensitisation”, explained the rheumatologist, “the pain is not there but you feel it. No, it is NOT in your head – it is in your brain”.

It could have been triggered by an injury or an infection – but the brain continues to feel the pain, even after you have healed.

Therefore, said kind doctor, no balm, physiotherapy or massage will help until you break the cycle.

The doctor said the only treatment is anti-depressants.

My Remedy

Yoga. Not too strenuous. Lots of breathing (anulom vilom, deep breathing, ujjayi,and my dead favourite – shavasana). This may sound cheesy but meditate, if you can. Try and dive into ignored and overloaded corners of the mind and address them. And sleep plenty, and squeeze in a 20 minute walk if you can.

Theory Two: Fibrosis and Enzymes

2 am in the morning – no sleep, extreme pain. It was the elbow and the knee this time. My physiotherapist had given me a medicine called Chymoral Forte which seemed to have helped in the past.

I thought I should look it up before randomly popping more pills. I am amazed to find that it is no pain killer, but a digestive enzyme. So I look up “digestive enzyme+ fibromyalgia”, and in the wee hours of the morning, I find a doctor online in Texas who has been treating Fibromyalgia for the last 30 years.

Texas doc decoded the Greek.

When there is excess fibrin or tissue build up (as is the case in FMS), systemic enzymes come to the rescue. They attack masses of fibrin, literally eating it away by breaking down protein molecules.

Not sure if I understood all, but got the basic drift that digestive and systemic/ proteolytic enzymes will help ease the pain over a period of three-to-six months.

My Remedy

I started taking systemic or proteolytic enzymes as advised by the Texas doctor. It has helped reduce the pain over the past two months. The doctor also started me on magnesium supplements and said strengthening exercises are a must. I don’t have the courage to do those yet, since any aggressive form of exercise has almost always set me back.

Theory Three: Leaky Gut Syndrome

My homeopath pointed out to me that my blood reports were on a rollercoaster ride. My vitamin D, B12, iron, sodium and sundry levels would either plummet or peak. She suggested I meet a nutritionist.

After listening to my pathos filled one hour long Fibro saga-raga, the nutritionist said that this sounds like a case of Leaky Gut Syndrome or intestinal hyperpermeability.

So then, what happens?

The liver tries to fight these toxins. When the toxins begin to win the war, the liver wakes up big brother, the Immune System – “Bhaiyya, bachao”.

And when the immune system loses the battle against these evil monsters (yeast, bad bacteria, undigested food etc), inflammation kicks in, leading to an autoimmune disorder like fibromyalgia.

Lag gayi vaat! I collected my jaw from the clinic floor and grit it back in place.

Hippocrates said, ‘All disease begins in the gut’. The guy sure knew his stuff.

My Remedy

I got off all the foods she advised me to and also started using Virgin Coconut Oil (doesn’t taste too bad) since it kills bad bacteria.

I started using ragi/ jowar/ amaranth atta and brown rice. She also recommended magnesium oil spray (find it on Amazon). The magnesium gets absorbed transdermally, relieving stiff muscles.

Theory Four: SIBO

When the pain persisted even after saam, daam, dand and bhed, I finally started skyping with a NY based Naturopath (such irony, since naturopathy was born in the East).

She made me fill out a massive questionnaire, and after a two hour skype saga-raga, she identified the problem as Small Intestine Bacterial Overgrowth (SIBO).

What’s that? Quick and simple explanation.