Getting rid of fibromyalgia pain

CEBU, Philippines - Jane (not her real name) is a balikbayan from Europe. She worked at a laboratory abroad and eventually got married there. Life would have been easy for Jane because she had a job she loved and a caring husband. Well, except that she had to endure debilitating pain … for 23 years!

“I started feeling body wide, throbbing pain in 1988. I felt tired even if I wasn’t doing anything. It seemed that I did not have energy,” she said. Jane then started going to treatment centers, tried different kinds of massages and went to a chiropractor. But the pain was still there, bugging her and making her unproductive at work.

“I knew something was wrong because of the pain. I just could not understand why the treatment centers could not find what was causing the pain,” she said. After going back and forth to the doctor, she finally knew what was causing the chronic pain. She was diagnosed with fibromyalgia.

According to www.medicinenet.com, fibromylagia, also known as Fibromyalgia Syndrome or FMS, is chronic condition that causes pain, stiffness and tenderness of the muscles, tendons and joints. It is also characterized by restless sleep, awakening feeling tired, chronic fatigue, anxiety, depression and disturbances in bowel function.

Although fibromyalgia is one of the most common diseases affecting the muscles leading to chronic pain and disability, its cause is unknown. Studies, however, show the medical condition is common in women and that the pain in fibromyalgia is not caused by tissue inflammation but that patients seem to have an increased sensitivity to different sensory stimuli. Fibromylagia patients are also shown to have an unusually low pain threshold that sensory stimuli that would normally not cause pain in normal individuals can cause disabling pain on people suffering from the disease. The body pain caused by fibromyalgia can be aggravated by noise, weather change and stress.

“The doctors told me that to ease the pain, I had to take painkillers. But I did not like taking synthetic medicine so I took alternative medications for pain. I also had to balance my rest and activity to manage the pain and fatigue. I had to endure this for 23 years,” Jane narrated.

Jane came home to Cebu in May 2010, still with the excess baggage of fibromyalgia, which she has come to accept as part of her life. “The cause was unknown so there was no way that I could be fully healed. I just had to accept that the pain was part of me,” she added.

It was sometime in November 2011 when Jane read a newspaper article about MC Back to Health Center, which talked about body pains and her thirst for treatment to get rid of the pain came back. “It was a busy time for me because Christmas was coming so I cut out the article so I could go back to it later on when I had the time,” she recalled.

In March 2012, Jane finally had the time for book an appointment at MC Back to Health Center where she met Melche “Boy” Caudor, a specialist in advanced therapy for muscular pain and injuries.

“The patient has scoliosis. The right side of the spine was twisted that it turned to the left. Her left leg was also longer. The pain she was feeling in the face and neck area was caused by a ligament sprain in the neck, which caused limited blood flow in the area. A lumbar ligament injury is the cause of the pain she is feeling in the hips, legs and lower back,” Caudor said.

To correct the scoliosis, the ligament sprains and injuries, Caudor employed orthopedic massage therapy and his Infratonic Qi Gong Machine and a Gua Sha Tool to promote proper blood circulation.

“Majority of body pains are caused by limited blood flow in the area, which is why we must correct this,” he said.

The Qi Gong Machine is a therapeutic massage tool that transmits a low frequency vibration wave. It promotes circulation and can relieve minor aches and pains and relaxes the muscles. The Gua Sha tool that Caudor uses, which is made from the horns of a buffalo, meanwhile, is a popular massage tool of acupuncturists and is a traditional Chinese healing technique. Gua (gwa) means “to scrape,” “rub,” or “extract,” while Sha (shaw) means sediment, signifying congestion or toxins. The constant rubbing of the Gua Sha tool on the body balances the chi of the body to promote blood circulation and the removal of toxic heat, stagnant blood and lymph fluid. The Gua Sha can relieve pain, fever, chills and other acute or chronic disorders. The Qi Gong Machine also melts down scar tissue in injuries.

After seven sessions, Jane is now relieved from the pain. “Luag na akong paminaw. I am finally getting a ‘pain holiday’,” she said, adding that she also noticed that she does not slouch anymore after her scoliosis was corrected. “Now that the pain is gone, I can go about doing the things I want to do. When before I would just lie in bed because the pain was unbearable, now I am busy with work,” she said.

“Orthopedic massage, accompanied with the Infratonic Qi Gong Machine and a Gua Sha Tool are really effective in getting rid of pain caused by sprains and injuries. For those who are suffering from chronic pain and are tired of taking pain medication, you should try this,” said Caudor.

MC Back To Health Center is located at the Calantas Circle, La Paloma Subdivision, Tisa, Cebu City. You can also reach the center at 261-9166 and 0922-8607312 or [email protected] (FREEMAN)