What is fibromyalgia?... Fibromyalgia is a chronic disease that causes the following symptoms: - Feeling pain in muscles and bones - fatigue - Sensitivity when touching - sleep disorder Since these cases can be like the symptoms of some other diseases, it is usually not easy to diagnose this disease... In addition, there is no special test for diagnosis... Fortunately, by taking medicine or changing lifestyle, this disease can be controlled and the quality of life can be improved. What are the complications?.. This complication causes pain, reduced quality of life and disability.... Among the complications of this disease, the following can be mentioned: - The possibility of needing hospitalization in these people is very high. - People with fibromyalgia may experience a lower quality of life. - Most people with this disease are exposed to severe depression. - The death rate in these patients due to suicide is very high. Usually, this disease is often associated with types of arthritis such as osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis and systemic lupus erythematosus. Facts you need to know about fibromyalgia - Fibromyalgia causes pain, fatigue and other annoying symptoms in the patient. - This disease causes symptoms similar to arthritis. However, fibromyalgia affects the soft tissue of the body. - The exact cause of the disease is not known.. but factors such as injury, rheumatoid arthritis and other autoimmune disorders such as lupus and genetic factors play a role in causing this disease. - There is no definitive treatment for this disease.. However, by taking medicine, exercise, acupuncture, behavioral therapy can help relieve symptoms and improve sleep quality. What are the symptoms of fibromyalgia? This disease has many symptoms, which we mention below... The common symptoms of this disease are as follows: - Extensive muscle pain - Feeling pain and stiffness in the jaw - feeling of pain and fatigue in facial muscles and other nearby tissues - joint and muscle stiffness in the morning - Headache - Irregular sleep - Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) - Very painful menstruation - Tingling and numbness in hands and feet - Restless Leg Syndrome (RLS) - Sensitivity to cold and heat - Memory and concentration disorders - fatigue Less common cases observed in patients are as follows: - creating vision problems - Nausea - creating problems in the pelvis and urine - weight gain - dizziness - breathing problems - depression and anxiety - symptoms like cold or flu - Skin problems - creating symptoms in the chest There is a possibility of contracting this disease in any person and at any age. However, it occurs mostly in women and in people over 45 years old. What causes fibromyalgia? The exact cause of this disease is not known.. Studies conducted on fibromyalgia have shown that this disease is caused by the central nervous system in people. Also, the risk factors that can contribute to the development of fibromyalgia disease are as follows: - due to incidents such as accidents - Repeated injuries - Rheumatoid arthritis or autoimmune diseases such as lupus - Problems in the central nervous system (CNS) - This disease may also be hereditary. People who have rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, spinal arthritis or ankylosing spondylitis are more prone to fibromyalgia. Diseases like fibromyalgia There is no specific test that can diagnose this complication... For this reason, similar diseases are examined first, which are as follows: - Lupus - Sclerosis - rheumatoid arthritis - Polymyalgia rheumatica - Axial spondyloarthritis - thyroid disease - Diabetes - Anemia - chronic fatigue syndrome How is fibromyalgia diagnosed? In the past, to diagnose this disease, doctors treated certain parts of the body to find out how much pain the patient felt when pressed.... The patient must feel pain in at least four areas when touched: - left upper part such as shoulder, arm or jaw - upper part of the body on the right side such as shoulder, arm or jaw - left lower part such as hip, pelvis or leg - right lower part such as hip, pelvis and leg - and parts such as the neck, waist, chest and abdomen In addition, **pain specialist** considers it necessary to perform blood tests on the patient to check things like thyroid function, red blood cell sedimentation rate, etc., in order to check other factors. How is fibromyalgia treated?.. Treatments considered for this disease: ### Taking medicine Using medication can help reduce fibromyalgia pain and improve sleep. The medications that are considered for patients are as follows: ### Housing Over-the-counter pain relievers can be effective for this group of people. ### Antidepressants Some antidepressants may help reduce the pain and fatigue associated with fibromyalgia. Sometimes, the doctor may prescribe a muscle relaxant to help the patient sleep more easily. ### Anticonvulsant drugs Anticonvulsant drugs intended to treat this disease are often useful and effective in relieving many pains.... A variety of other treatment methods In addition to taking medicine, there are other solutions for treatment as follows: ### Physiotherapy; Physiotherapist will teach you exercises that will help your strength, flexibility and endurance. ### occupational therapy; An occupational therapist can help you do your activities in a way that puts less stress on your body. ### Counseling.... Talking with a counselor creates this belief in the patient to believe in his abilities... They also offer you solutions to deal with stressful situations. ### Lifestyle changes and home treatment of fibromyalgia To control and treat this disease, you should keep in mind some tips for home care: ### Control your stress.. To prevent your mental stress, have a plan in mind, you should do stress control techniques such as deep breathing exercises or meditation. ### Get enough and comfortable sleep.. Fatigue is one of the important symptoms of fibromyalgia, that's why good and quality sleep is very important... You should get used to getting enough sleep at a certain time. ### Exercise regularly.. At first, exercise may increase your pain.. But if you exercise regularly, the symptoms of this disease will gradually decrease.. Exercises that are suggested to you include walking, swimming, cycling and doing aerobic exercise. Consult an aerobics instructor about exercise....stretching and maintaining good posture is very beneficial for your condition. ### Don't be too active.. You shouldn't be too active even on days when you don't have pain and feel good.. because on other days you will notice the effects of these excessive activities.... So when they tell you not to do excessive activities, it means that you should not be overly active on days when you don't even have a problem. ### Choose a healthy lifestyle.... A healthy lifestyle means you should eat healthy foods and avoid smoking... also limit your caffeine intake.... By following these simple tips, you can live a healthy life without any problems. A healthy diet for people with fibromyalgia For people who suffer from this disease, a suitable diet is considered as follows: ### Eat energy-rich and low-sugar foods. Foods such as almonds, beans, semolina, oats, avocados, etc., contain large amounts of fiber, but do not have a lot of sugar... these materials can provide the energy needed by the patient during the day and help relieve the symptoms of fatigue caused by this disease. ### Avoid foods containing gluten. Based on a study conducted in this field, it has been determined that gluten sensitivity can play an important role in the severity of fibromyalgia. Based on this, eliminating gluten-containing foods from the diet can reduce the pain of patients. Finally, it is also very effective in reducing inflammation. ### Eliminate additives and oxytocin... Research has shown that eliminating food additives such as aspartame and monosodium glutamate greatly reduces pain symptoms. Instead, things like nuts can help improve symptoms. In fact, these ingredients contain many nutrients and minerals that are very beneficial for cellular function and fibromyalgia disease.