Fibromyalgia & diet for living

Fibromyalgia is a chronic illness characterized by stiffness, tenderness and pain in the joints, tendons and muscles. Individuals affected with this condition also suffer from restlessness during sleep, tiredness, depression, anxiety and problems in bowel movements.

The cause of Fibromyalgia is still uncertain, although it is one of the most common conditions that affect the muscles. There is pain in the tissues, but there is no inflammation. Hence, people with Fibromyalgia do not experience damage or deformity to the body, although they undergo a fair amount of pain.

The condition also does not lead to any internal organ damage. Due to these factors, Fibromyalgia differs from other rheumatic diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, polymyositis and systemic lupus. In these conditions, the inflammation that occurs in the tissues causes significant pain and tenderness of the joints, muscles and tendons, in addition to deformity of the joints and damage to the internal organs.

Those affected with Fibromyalgia must regulate their diet so that their overall health and well being is optimized. Diet therapy helps to considerably control the symptoms of this chronic condition. First, examine the various types of diets that are available for Fibromyalgia.

Many diets designed to treat this condition must be used in conjunction with medication and in some cases, physical therapy.

Your treatment should be aimed at meeting your health requirements and bringing comfort to your everyday functioning.

Your diet plan should also be focused on strengthening immunity, improving energy levels and helping in body repair.

A Fibromyalgia diet is essentially a balanced diet wherein on a daily basis; you consume meals that consist of proteins such as dairy products or lean meats, a variety of grains and plenty of fruits and vegetables. There are some foods which you must avoid as they can cause aggravation of the symptoms. These include fried food, high calorie foods, caffeine and sugars. A Fibromyalgia diet also consists of mainly those foods which aid in elevating the body’s serotonin levels. This helps to control pain and promotes regularity in sleep cycles. There is also a general feeling of wellbeing. Foods that contain protein and carbohydrates may be consumed. Even complex carbohydrates are considered as safe for Fibromyalgia. It is important not to follow fad diets or extreme diets as these can cause the symptoms to become worse. Dietary alterations should be made gradually so that the effects on the health can be examined.