 |
|
|
|
Fibromyalgia Monthly Newsletter
Fibromyalgia Newsletter – May 2005
Brought to you by: Jane Oelke, N.D., Ph.D.
DoctorOelke@aol.com
How Can Exercise Reduce Fibromyalgia Pain?
When I talk to clients with fibromyalgia, I often recommend massage or gentle exercise to reduce their fibromyalgia pain. Often the clients respond that they cannot handle exercise or massage because their pain gets worse. Yet, those that persist, and gradually increase their level of movement have found that they can actually handle more activity, it they progress slowly in the beginning.
I am working with a couple clients that have able to reduce specific areas of pain with very gentle strength training. For shoulder pain, certain range of movement exercises can reduce the tightness in the muscle that is causing the pain. Massage therapists usually know how to do these “range of motion” exercises. I learned a few during my naturopathic training that I show to my clients to help them.
Gentle exercise also helps reduce fatigue and depression symptoms. Getting the muscle tissues moving will help circulation, and help improve mood. At first you may experience more pain, but many people that do not have fibromyalgia also experience increased pain during the first few minutes of an exercise program, and this “pain” subsides as the circulation improves. I put “pain” in quotes, because it really relates to muscle stress that is released the longer the gentle exercise is done. It is similar to stretching exercises. At first it hurts to stretch a muscle, but as the muscle continually is gently stretched it can eventually release, and then can be stretched further.
Of course the type of exercise is important. When I mention gentle exercise, I look at beginning Tai Chi exercises, or very low weight strength training with many repetitions. You need to begin slowly and listen to your body. If the pain persists longer than 90 minutes after exercise, you probably have done too much.
Research at Harvard University studied women in a 20-week exercise program that included a combination of aerobics and strength training. They found that when the women gradually increased their activity levels that their muscle strength and endurance improved overall. And they had less pain, stiffness, fatigue and depression. This study was reported in Arthritis Care and Research 2002; 47:22-28
Nutrition is needed to Support Exercise
In my book “Natural Choices for Fibromyalgia”, I talk about how the mitochondria create energy in the cells, and if you cannot create this energy you will tend to react adversely to exercise as well. This is where antioxidants, minerals, and essential fatty acids are required in sufficient amounts to get the mitochondria working again. The combination of magnesium (found in vegetables), and malic acid found in apples, really helps to improve mitochondria function by getting more oxygen to the tissues. Fibroplex by Metagenics (http://www.drjane.meta-ehealth.com) contains these two nutrients along with specific B vitamins to help connective tissue stress.
Your cells need to continuously be supported with high quality nutritional supplements. This is very important when taking on an exercise program. Lactic acid build up comes after excessive exercise in anyone that does not have enough antioxidants in their system. One of the major results of getting high quality nutrition is recognizing the ability to do more activities in your day, without the side effects of fatigue or pain.
My favorite nutritional supplement is Juice Plus+, which contains all the phytochemicals found in a variety of 17 different fruits and vegetables. Juice Plus+ has the antioxidants and enzymes that can reduce lactic acid build up after exercise. Juice Plus+ also has the research that proves that is effective in reducing free radicals that cause pain. Here you can learn more about the many research projects done on Juice Plus+
Other Supplements that Support Exercise
Preventing stiffness after exercise requires enough hydration (with water is best), and essential fatty acids to keep the cell membranes flexible. Essential fatty acids are the good fats that allow nutrients to get into and out of our cells faster, and one way to know if you are getting enough good fats is to know how you feel after exercise. Do you get excessively tired, or stiff the next day? Does it take longer for you to recover?
Make sure you are getting the equivalent of 2000mg of fish oil or flax oil per day. Those are the omega-3 fatty acids the reduce inflammation. Also Evening Primrose Oil is good for stiffness. It is an omega-6 fatty acid that helps with joint repair. You can take these “good” fats as supplements to make sure you are getting the minimum daily requirement. Then you add flax oil to your salads to help you absorb the vegetables better. Every time you add good fats to your vegetables, either cooked or raw, you will absorb the nutrients more easily.
Essential Fatty Acid supplements I recommend the most often are:
EPA-DHA Complex – basic omega3 fish oil supplement
EPA-DHA Extra-Strength – for excessive pain or inflammation in the body
Meta-EPO – Evening Primrose Oil – omega6 for stiffness
Ultra CLA – for blood sugar or insulin imbalances
More information on all of these supplements are found at Dr. Jane's Meta E-Health website
Let me know if you have questions on which one or two are best for your symptoms. I have found that the combination of EPA-DHA Complex and Meta-EPO seems to work best for Fibromyalgia sufferers.
Jane Oelke, N.D., Ph.D.
Natural Choices, Inc.
"Building Your Health Naturally"
DoctorOelke@aol.com
www.NaturalChoicesForYou.com
www.NaturalChoicesForFibromyalgia.com
1-888-893-7225
|