Signs and Symptoms

Signs and Symptoms

Date updated: June 25, 2007
Content provided by MayoClinic.com

Signs and symptoms of fibromyalgia can vary, depending on the weather, stress, physical activity or even the time of day. Common signs and symptoms include:

• Widespread pain. Fibromyalgia is characterized by pain in specific areas of your body when pressure is applied, including the back of your head, upper back and neck, upper chest, elbows, hips and knees. The pain generally persists for months at a time and is often accompanied by stiffness.
• Fatigue and sleep disturbances. People with fibromyalgia often wake up tired and unrefreshed even though they seem to get plenty of sleep. Some studies suggest that this sleep problem is the result of a sleep disorder called alpha wave interrupted sleep pattern, a condition in which deep sleep is frequently interrupted by bursts of brain activity similar to wakefulness. So people with fibromyalgia miss the deep restorative stage of sleep. Nighttime muscle spasms in your legs and restless legs syndrome also may be associated with fibromyalgia.
• Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). The constipation, diarrhea, abdominal pain and bloating associated with IBS are common in people with fibromyalgia.
• Headaches and facial pain. Many people who have fibromyalgia also have headaches and facial pain that may be related to tenderness or stiffness in their neck and shoulders. Temporomandibular joint (TMJ) dysfunction, which affects the jaw joints and surrounding muscles, also is common in people with fibromyalgia.
• Heightened sensitivity. It’s common for people with fibromyalgia to report being sensitive to odors, noises, bright lights and touch.

Other common signs and symptoms include:

• Depression
• Numbness or tingling sensations in the hands and feet (paresthesia)
• Difficulty concentrating
• Mood changes
• Chest pain
• Dry eyes, skin and mouth
• Painful menstrual periods
• Dizziness
• Anxiety

Complementary and Alternative Medicine

Complementary and Alternative Medicine

Date updated: June 25, 2007
Content provided by MayoClinic.com

Complementary and alternative therapies for pain and stress management aren’t new. Some, such as meditation and yoga, have been practiced for thousands of years. But their use has become more popular in recent years, especially with people who have chronic illnesses, such as fibromyalgia.

Several of these treatments do appear to safely relieve stress and reduce pain, and some are gaining acceptance in mainstream medicine. But many practices remain unproved because they haven’t been adequately studied. Some of the more common complementary and alternative treatments promoted for pain management include:

• Acupuncture. Acupuncture is a Chinese medical system based on restoring normal balance of life forces by inserting very fine needles through the skin to various depths. According to Western theories of acupuncture, the needles cause changes in blood flow and levels of neurotransmitters in the brain and spinal cord. In a 2006 Mayo Clinic study, acupuncture significantly improved symptoms of fibromyalgia. Research on the benefits of acupressure – a similar practice that uses finger pressure on the skin rather than needles – is inconclusive.
• Chiropractic care. This treatment is based on the philosophy that restricted movement in the spine may lead to pain and reduced function. Spinal adjustment (manipulation) is one form of therapy chiropractors use to treat restricted spinal mobility. The goal is to restore spinal movement and, as a result, improve function and decrease pain. Chiropractors manipulate the spine from different positions using varying degrees of force. Manipulation doesn’t need to be forceful to be effective. Chiropractors may also use massage and stretching to relax muscles that are shortened or in spasm. Because manipulation has risks, always go to properly trained and licensed practitioners.
• Massage therapy. This is one of the oldest methods of health care still in practice. It involves use of different manipulative techniques to move your body’s muscles and soft tissues. The therapy aims to improve blood circulation in the muscle, increasing the flow of nutrients and eliminating waste products. Massage can reduce your heart rate, relax your muscles, improve range of motion in your joints and increase production of your body’s natural painkillers. It often helps relieve stress and anxiety. Although massage is almost always safe, avoid it if you have open sores, acute inflammation or circulatory problems.
• Osteopathy. Doctors of osteopathy go through rigorous and lengthy training in academic and clinical settings, equivalent to medical doctors. They’re licensed to perform many of the same therapies and procedures as conventional doctors. One area where osteopathy differs from conventional medicine – but is similar to chiropractic medicine – is in the use of manipulation to address joint and spinal problems.

Hair Conditioner

Conditioner

This homemade remedy will help lift your hair and make it shiner.

Ingredients

For Dark Hair:
1 part apple cider vinegar
4 parts water
5 drops oil of cloves
For Blond Hair:
1 part lemon juice
4 parts water

Directions

Pour the mixture over your shampooed, rinsed hair as a final rinse. Leave it in.

Dandruff Shampoo

Dandruff Shampoo

Natural moisturizers rejuvenate your scalp and get rid of those flakes.

Ingredients

1/2 C. baby shampoo
1 Tbs. apple cider vinegar
3 Tbs. apple juice
1/2 tsp. oil of wintergreen
6 finely ground cloves
3 crushed generic uncoated aspirins

Directions

In a blender, mix all ingredients on low for 30 seconds. Wet your hair with warm water and shampoo in the dandruff mixture. Rinse well with warm water. Condition and style as usual. Cover and refrigerate unused portion. Discard after 3 days.
Yield: 1/2 C.

Hair Spray

Hair Spray

Ideal for fine hair types, this is an easy product to make at home.

Ingredients

1 lemon
2 C. distilled water

Directions

Chop up the lemon in a wooden bowl so that you don’t lose any of the juice. Add the chopped Lemon to the water in the top of a double boiler. Simmer the mixture until the liquid has been reduced by half. Strain through cheesecloth or fine silk cloth and pour the liquid into a bottle that will fit a pump-type sprayer. A washed and rinsed Windex bottle will do for your spray container. Add 1/2 C. of water to thin the mixture if necessary.
To Use: Spray your hair with this mixture whenever necessary. Since it is gentle, with not alcohol or chemical additions, it can be used on children’s hair too. Should be made fresh every few days and kept in the fridge between uses.
Tips: 1 C. of the Lemon Hair Spray can be preserved with 1 oz. or more of Bay Rum. Substitute an orange for the lemon for dry hair.
Yield: about 1-1 1/2 C.

Herbal Hair-Growth Shampoo

Herbal Hair-Growth Shampoo
This shampoo not only helps encourage hair growth, but it also keeps the scalp very clean and healthy and helps prevent dandruff.
Ingredients
2 C. distilled water
1 C. fresh spearmint
1 C. fresh rosemary
1 C. all-natural, gentle baby shampoo
Directions
Boil the water with the fresh herbs for about ten minutes, in a glass saucepan (like Visions). Or, you can put in a microwave-safe glass or plastic bowl and heat in the microwave until boiling; allow to boil for about ten minutes. Then, remove the pot from the stove or bowl from the microwave and cover with a lid. Allow to sit and steep for an hour. Strain the liquid through cheesecloth. Mix this with the baby shampoo. Pour into bottles and let set overnight. The next morning you can add some essential oil to the shampoo in whatever scent you like the most, or just leave it fragrance-free.

Lighten Circles Under Eyes

Lighten Circles Under Eyes

The watery starch from the potato helps to relieve some of the darkness under you eyes.

Ingredients

1 raw potato, grated

Directions

To lighten dark circles under your eyes, wrap grated raw potato in cheesecloth and apply to eyelids for 15-20 minutes. Wipe off residue and apply an eye cream.

Just Stay

Just Stay
A nurse took the tired, anxious serviceman to the bedside.

"Your son is here," she said to the old man.

She had to repeat the words several times before the patient’s eyes opened.

Heavily sedated because of the pain of his heart attack, he dimly saw the young uniformed Marine standing outside the oxygen tent. He reached out his hand. The Marine wrapped his toughened fingers around the old man’s limp ones, squeezing a message of love and encouragement.

The nurse brought a chair so that the Marine could sit beside the bed.All through the night the young Marine sat there in the poorly lighted ward, holding the old man’s hand and offering him words of love and strength. Occasionally, the nurse suggested that the Marine move away and rest awhile.
He refused. Whenever the nurse came into the ward, the Marine was oblivious of her and of the night noises of the hospital – the clanking of the oxygen tank, the laughter of the night staff members exchanging greetings, the cries and moans of the other patients.

Now and then she heard him say a few gentle words. The dying man said nothing, only held tightly to his son all through the night.

Along towards dawn, the old man died. The Marine released the now lifeless hand he had been holding and went to tell the nurse. While she did what she had to do, he waited.

Finally, she returned. She started to offer words of sympathy, but the Marine interrupted her.

"Who was that man?" he asked.
The nurse was startled, "He was your father," she answered.
"No, he wasn’t," the Marine replied. "I never saw him before in my life."

"Then why didn’t you say something when I took you to him?"

"I knew right away there had been a mistake,
but I also knew he needed his son, and his

son just wasn’t here.
When I realized that he was too sick to tell
whether or not I was his son,
knowing how much he needed me, I stayed."

The next time someone needs you … just be there. Stay.
**************
WE ARE NOT HUMAN BEINGS GOING THROUGH A

TEMPORARY SPIRITUAL EXPERIENCE.

WE ARE SPIRITUAL BEINGS GOING THROUGH A TEMPORARY HUMAN EXPERIENCE.

(love this line)

PLEASE PASS THIS ONE ON AND GOD WILL BLESS YOU!

THIS IS WHAT WE ARE PUT ON THIS EARTH TO DO ANYWAY. RIGHT ?
HAVE A GREAT DAY AND BLESS SOMEONE ELSE IN SOME LITTLE WAY TODAY!

GOD IS SO GOOD.