Living with fibromyalgia can feel like you’re swimming in an ocean of discomfort. Symptoms can include:
Widespread pain & stiffness
Extreme fatigue
Brain fog
Difficulty sleeping
Sensitivity to temperature, touch and/or noise
Gut issues
Depression
There are no conclusive diagnostic tests and so these symptoms can go undiagnosed or misdiagnosed for years. Some doctors still don’t believe in fibromyalgia as a diagnosis. Even with a diagnosis, effective treatment options are limited. Fibromyalgia affects multiple bodily systems and so can be complex to manage.
At Acupuncture Grove in Bondi Junction Sydney we use a 4-5 stage model to navigate complex chronic health conditions such as fibromyalgia:
Stage 1 Immune system
Stage 2 Gut microbiome
Stage 3 Nervous system & cortisol
Stage 4 Blood circulation
Stage 5 Supplementation (if needed)
It’s like you’ve got a run down old house with broken windows and a leaky roof. If you start working on replacing the carpets and painting the walls before you fix the windows and roof, your hard work will be damaged constantly by the weather and you’ll never get anywhere.
That’s why certain treatments need to be staged correctly, otherwise there may be unnecessary flare ups or setbacks. One example is when using acupuncture for fibromyalgia and introducing strong needling, with trigger point acupuncture or dry needling, too early on.
This type of treatment would be considered a stage 4 type intervention to help restore blood flow to chronically tight tissue. However, if the immune and nervous system is too highly wound up, this approach may be perceived as a threat to the body, causing a flare up of symptoms.
If we get the best acupuncture points at the wrong time, it’s still the wrong treatment. Knowing what to do, when to do it, why you should and shouldn’t do things and how to know you’re progressing is a huge piece of the puzzle for any complex chronic health conditions. Fibromyalgia is not a static entity and needs an adaptive framework to work with.
Your practitioner’s job is to identify how your fibromyalgia is affecting your body and work towards creating a more optimal internal environment.
If you’re interested in trying acupuncture & Chinese medicine for your fibromyalgia in Sydney’s eastern suburbs, consider Acupuncture Grove in Bondi Sydney. Servicing areas such as Bondi Junction, Bondi Beach, Coogee, Clovelly, Bronte, Waverly, Randwick, Maroubra, Double Bay, Watson's Bay, Vaucluse and surrounding Sydney suburbs. You can book online here or reach out with any questions here.
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