Fibromyalgia, which is a disease that inflicts it’s sufferers with constant, chronic pain that is very difficult to target and relieve, has recently been linked to a higher than average suicide rate in it’s patients. Women tend to be the primary sex affected by the somewhat shadowy disease which has a variety of causes (or at least is thought to, they still have not pinned it down, hence it’s difficulty in treating).

It is thought to affect the nerves that send pain signals, and make them sort of “overactive”, so that  person with the disease feels pain, quite literally almost constantly in their muscles and joints.  It many times affects them so deeply that it is thought to cause depression. Although whether depression causes fibromyalgia, or it causes depression is up for a lot of debate, since we know that pain many times is affected psychosomatically.

What this means is that when we are in a depressed state or a bad state of mind, pain can seem all that much more intense, and some people think that this may actually be a major cause behind the disease – the perceived increase in pain perception.

Of course, there are herbal medicines for joint pain that may help, but generally patients affected with this condition are put on much more serious pain relievers such as Lyrica, which can cause a lot of side effects.

The fact that depression has now been linked to the condition and also to increased likelihood of suicide, it has been recommended by the finding panel of this news that all doctors treating patients with fibromyalgia actually make sure they are also screening and treating their patients for depression.

Not only that, they also should asking them questions periodically about whether they have ever considered suicide or are currently experiencing any type of suicidal thoughts or serious depression, to help prevent unnecessary pain and suffering on the psychological side of things.

The reasons behind this condition may not be fully known, but there is more evidence emerging every day that helps conclusions be drawn about what may help the women who are afflicted with it.

I never knew that glucosamine, or glucosamine chondroitin, as it is also commonly known, which is sold as an OTC nutitional supplement, was really used for anything other than joint pain. It’s traditionally known as a good natural supplement to take if you have arthritis or any other types of joint pain, but apparently a study was recently commissioned on how glucosamine does for people that take it for lower back pain.

Yes, sometimes I am clueless about the uses of herbal and natural products, and this was definitely one of them!  The study was comprised of over a thousand participants, and it was a placebo study. So, half of the participants took a placebo supplement and the other half took glucosamine chondroitin.

The study’s results were that the participants who took the placebo reported about the same pain relief effects as the patients who took the glucosamine, leading researchers to come to the conclusion that glucosamine is really no better than a placebo, at least when it comes to chronic lower back pain.  They do say so though that people with arthiritis or joint pain may still want to try glucosamine on a trial basis, to see if it offers them any kind of relief.

I also happen to know that my husband has experienced relief from what he thinks is the start of arthritis in his finger (arthritis runs in his family, big time).  So, I think it depends on the person. Glucosamine is a material that is found in healthy cartilage, and has been taken for a while now by those that suffer from deteriorating, painful joint conditions.

Fibromyalgia still remains quite a mystery, or at the very least a half-story for the majority of the medical community. Many think they might understand what causes it, but the majority of the medical field feels that it is really a combination of phsychological perception of pain and how this perceived increased pain actually makes patients feel that they are in worse pain than someone without fibromyalgia may feel.

This condition is marked by consistent, almost ever present, and widely present, pain in the body. People often feel that they cannot do anything to make the pain go away, and therefore one of the most commonly prescribed medications for this is one called Lyrica. Lyrica is a very serious, narcotic pain drug, and it is not to be taken lightly.

I know someone that was on this for severe back pain for a while, and it’s pretty serious stuff, akin to the likes of other pain killers that can be addictive as well as have serious side effects like Vicodin and Oxycontin.  If there is any way you can avoid these types of drugs, then you should really try to go with natural alternatives for pain management, because they are very difficult to get off of.

There is now more evidence that those with fibromyalgia may gain the greatest benefit if they undergo combined body and mind therapy. This means that they would have cognitive therapy that helps them to understand how to sort of “mentally” control the pain and how they perceive it, as well as other therapies commonly used for chronic pain, such as exercise programs and diet regimens.

They found during trials that increased self awareness and helping patients understand and vent feelings such as anxiety and anger, helped them to also understand pain better, and therefore, to better manage the pain when they felt it coming on.

This is really an exploration of the connection between emotions and actual pain perception. You may have a sort of idea in your head about what this is. I know I did, I pictured one of those ancient yogis or wise men who projected themselves to a different place, and were therefore immune to pain.

Or they were so emotionally in tune with how their own emotions could affect that actual physicality of the pain they felt, that they were able to effectively manage their pain at an emotional level. This is really interesting stuff, it just goes to show that our minds have incredible power over our bodies, perhaps much more than we can imagine.

So, does the fact that back pain is a widely complained about problem in the US mean that we are all just a bunch of overstressed workaholics who carry all of our tension in our backs (and necks), or does it mean that we are all really straining those ever important ligaments and tendons and disks that are the preservers of back comfort along the spine?  It’s not totally clear, but one thing is for sure. Back pain treatment is on the rise here in the US, and doesn’t show any signs of the trend slowing down in the near future.

Massage therapy (my favorite way to naturally counteract back pain, along with the occasional natural pain treatment for anti inflammation), chiropractic intervention, and back surgery, along with potent, often addictive pain killers and of course your run of the mill OTC pain killers are certainly over used, to say the least.

If you want to approach your back pain and discomfort naturally, the best way to do that may be a combination of both natural manipulation therapies like massage therapy and chiropractor care, and natural anti inflammatories. Taking too many OTC medications like ibuprofen, acetaminophen and Aleve isn’t good for you either.  They can cause liver problems, and a host of other health problems when over used, which they are here in the US unfortunately.

An important issue you want to work on if you experience back and neck pain on a frequent basis, especially if you have a desk job, is to make sure you get up and stretch your back often throughout your day. Also make sure you are using the correct posture at all times.  You should try to sit up as straight as possible at all times, without hunching your shoulders.  You should also focus on your core, or abdominal strength, as this is a key component of a strong, resilient back and it sets the tone for using correct posture without even thinking about it.

Working out helps me immensely with my back pain. I notice that if I even go one day without working out, I experience greater back pain and discomfort.  But if I work out, I feel like I’m better able to naturally align my spine and my posture throughout the day, and that just the act of working out actually stretches my back and makes my spine more pliable and agreeable to long periods of sitting.

Ok, so I have an unfortunate update to my magnet therapy for neck pain article posted a day ago, not only do I think it gave me a headache, perhaps because of the proximity to my head, maybe that was wrong of me. But also I woke up this morning to two small welts where the magnets were on the back of my neck. I wonder if these metal magnets I used were some cheap metal alloy with nickel or something that is a big time irritant in them.

Anyways, I won’t be using them again, I’m pretty sure. If anyone has some good experiences – or bad – with magnet therapy, would you mind posting your story here as a comment to share with other readers who are thinking of trying it out?