Fibromyalgia: The Mystery Revealed?

A 60 year old, hard working female had been diagnosed 10 years ago with Fibromyalgia. She exists in a state of constant pain that is felt throughout her body, arms, and legs. She suffers digestive problems, headaches, irritability, stiffness, and finds it nearly impossible to enjoy restful sleep — resulting in constant fatigue and difficulty performing some of the most basic daily activities.

Her story is nearly identical to most all of the patients who receive treatment for this increasingly common malady. What patients often realize is that diagnosis is easy to render, but finding effective treatment is very difficult. In fact, very few healthcare practitioners consider themselves knowledgeable in this area.

Some consider the problem to be an emotional disorder, with treatment ranging from the use of pain meds, antidepressants, or both. In the case of the 60 year old woman, her present symptoms are quite literally ruining her life. Her husband held back tears as he shared the story of how his wife (and mother of 2 children) was once a vibrant, beautiful, and energetic woman and how has been reduced to a life of misery, just barely able to make it through the day.

An examination of the woman gave a strong sense of finding a correlation involving a common theme: a history of a previous strong emotional event, incompetence of the digestive system, and severe congestion of the lymphatic system.

So what exactly is the lymphatic system? In a nutshell, it is an accessory route in which fluids (nutrients) can be transported throughout the body and is also one of the major route for absorption of nutrients from the gastrointestinal tract. Perhaps most important function is carrying toxins away from tissues and out of the body. This removal of proteins from interstitial spaces in so absolutely essentials that without it we would die within 24 hours.

The importance of the lymphatic system cannot be stressed too strongly, for there is no other route in which excess proteins can return to the circulatory system. The problem arises when this system becomes full or congested (with large protein molecules) and movement of lymph is restricted.

Solving or treating this problem is a particularly complicated process that involves many systems of the body and can take a very long time to accomplish. The good news is that there is hope!