A 35-year-old woman came to our clinic, having been diagnosed with fibromyalgia six months earlier. Over the past year, she had developed pain in her body that traveled from place to place, debilitating fatigue, depression, and somnolence. This fibromyalgia case review discusses our patient’s Chinese medicine diagnosis, treatment plan, and course of treatment that significantly improved her condition.
Fibromyalgia Fallout
Our patient had been healthy, happy, and active. She played golf on the weekends, ran a family business with her husband, and cared for two young children. Then, soon after turning 34, she began developing uncharacteristic fatigue and body pain. The pain started in her legs but soon moved to her arms, shoulders, and neck. Activities that once were easy began to become difficult, triggering intense waves of exhaustion. Daily activities like caring for her children became more and more difficult.
Her primary care physician ran a panel of tests, which were inconclusive for the most part. Her thyroid levels were fine, as were her estrogen and progesterone levels. She tested negative for rheumatoid factor and anemia. Her vitamin D levels were low, so she started taking a supplement, but it did nothing to improve her health. After months of investigation, her doctor concluded that she had fibromyalgia.
Fibromyalgia Defined
To better understand this fibromyalgia case review, let’s start with a deeper understanding of the disease itself. Here’s what the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) says regarding fibromyalgia:
Fibromyalgia (fi·bro·my·al·gi·a) is a condition that causes pain all over the body (also referred to as widespread pain), sleep problems, fatigue, and often emotional and mental distress. In addition, people with fibromyalgia may be more sensitive to pain than people without fibromyalgia. This phenomenon is called abnormal pain perception processing. Fibromyalgia affects about 4 million US adults, about 2% of the adult population. The cause of fibromyalgia is unknown.
The most common symptoms of fibromyalgia include:
- Pain and stiffness all over the body
- Fatigue and tiredness
- Depression and anxiety
- Sleep problems
- Problems with thinking, memory, and concentration
- Headaches, including migraines
Treating Fibromyalgia with Acupuncture
In Chinese medicine, most cases of fibromyalgia involve a Chinese medicine pattern imbalance called Spleen Qi deficiency. As a result, the digestive system stops working correctly, leading to a cascade of problems, including pain, fatigue, and depression. However, treating the root problem can ease many of these symptoms. We focus our acupuncture treatment on strengthening digestion, enabling the patient to process foods more effectively, and improving energy, mood, and mobility.
Our Bodies Mimic Cars
Imagine your car started having trouble – difficulty starting, poor acceleration, inconsistent power when you needed it. One of the first places you would look for problems is the fuel supply – cars need a steady stream of gasoline to function correctly. So too, humans need a steady stream of energy to function properly, and our power comes from the food we eat. If the stomach is not metabolizing foods efficiently, the body’s performance will suffer.
Fibromyalgia Case Review
The first thing we did when our patient arrived was to conduct a complete intake exam, asking a series of questions about her health. In addition, we felt her pulse and examined her tongue. There are over a dozen distinct pulse qualities that shed light on the state of one’s health, and the tongue is a flag to the stomach, revealing helpful information about a person’s digestive system.
Besides the recent onset of pain and fatigue, our patient also had loose stools, bloating, disturbed sleep, and depression. In addition, she had a swollen tongue with a thick white coat and scallop marks along the edges, and her pulse was weak. These signs pointed directly to Spleen Qi deficiency and indicated that our treatment had to address her weak digestive system.
Acupuncture Treatment for Fibromyalgia
We used the following acupuncture points for our patient in this fibromyalgia case review:
- To strengthen her Spleen Qi, we needled points from the following pool of points: ST36, SP3, SP9, ST21, CV6, CV12, and BL20.
- We invigorated her Qi and Blood by selecting from these points: LV3, LI4, LI11, BL17, and BL18
- To improve sleep and ease depression, we applied these points: Si shen cong, GV20, and auricular points Shen Men and Point Zero.
Our patient received treatment once a week. After four sessions, her pain levels had dropped by 25 percent. This improvement was an encouraging sign, reflecting that her body could heal with proper support. As such, we continued treatment. Following her eighth visit, our patient had 50 percent less pain and corresponding improvement in energy, mood, and digestive function.
We continued weekly treatment for another four sessions when she attained 70 percent improvement overall. At this point, she dropped to coming in once a month for maintenance to preserve her gains. Two years later, she had sustained these benefits and is living in much better health. She is not “cured” from her fibromyalgia, but acupuncture has strengthened her body, and she has the internal resources to manage this chronic health condition much better.
Next Steps
Try acupuncture if you or someone you love is struggling with fibromyalgia or another chronic pain condition. You’ll know within the first four to six treatments if you can benefit from this natural form of healing. The successful outcome described in this fibromyalgia case review is typical. Treating the root issues is a highly effective strategy for addressing chronic health conditions.
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Additional Fibromyalgia Acupuncture Resources
Video about the Raleigh Acupuncture Fibromyalgia Treatment.
First Fibromyalgia Research Study.
Second Fibromyalgia Research Study.
First Fibromyalgia Case Study.
Learn about all the conditions we treat.
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What our Clients are Saying
I am a long term patient of Raleigh Acupuncture. Prior to being under their care, I was disabled with terrible fatigue and pain all over my body. I was unable to drive, could only walk less than a block, and had numerous symptoms that mystified doctors. After countless lab work, x-rays, and MRI’s, several doctors including my primary physician told me that there was nothing that could be done. According to them, it was either an illness that was undiagnosable or it was all in my head. When I came to Raleigh Acupuncture, it was a breath of fresh air. They took me very seriously and were not mystified by my condition. They assured me that my condition was treatable and manageable. They treat me with respect, dignity and care; something that I didn’t receive at my primary care doctor. Thanks to their treatments I am now living a normal life. They have restored my health and taught me how to manage my condition. My family and friends can’t believe how much improvement I have made. My son is grateful to have his mommy back! And I am eternally grateful to Raleigh Acupuncture! They truly have the gift of healing!
I would like to thank Raleigh Acupuncture for the wonderful and very helpful treatments. I had been seeing them for my insomnia, which was making excellent progress at the time and has since been cured. On a previous Monday I was involved in a minor traffic accident. Due to the stress of the accident on Tuesday I awoke in a severe flare-up of my fibromyalgia. The pain was so bad I took pain killers and stayed in bed for the day. The following day I had an appointment with Dr. Mark which I wanted to cancel. My husband suggested I keep the appointment and tell Dr. Mark about the pain. After our discussion, he modified the treatment he had planned for me and treated the pain. I came home, took another pain pill and went back to bed. The following morning I woke pain free and have been since, which is about 2 to 3 months. Thanks again Raleigh Acupuncture!
I still am forever in your debt for helping me through the Lymes recovery. My body pain and fatigue were overwhelming before getting acupuncture. I still tell everyone today that I am 100% positive that my recovery was a direct result of your expert care. Truly. I have very little residual effects from the disease that I can easily live with. So again,thank you not only for your amazing skills, but for the compassion and kindness that you showed me during that time.
All of my joints were hurting. I’ve got fibromyalgia and it effects me by making my joints hurt. The pain would move around from place to place, first the hip, the next day the shoulder, then the knee, etc. The practitioner at Raleigh Acupuncture explained that the best way to treat my kind of moving joint pain was to treat me holistically. Instead of treating the hip one day, the shoulder the next, they treated the root of the pain. They said this type of treatment would also improve my mood and my sleep. Right on all counts. I started feeling better after the second treatment. It’s like all of the joints just settled down and stopped giving me trouble. I had less flares and the intensity of the pain went way down. My sleep is better, not just because I have less pain. I’m more relaxed and less stressed. I’ve made this treatment a regular part of my life. I’m very grateful.
I’ve been going to Raleigh Acupuncture for 4+ years. I first went to them because I was having problems with my monthly period lasting two weeks or more, hot flashes that were extreme, and all over pain from fibromyalgia, which is a chronic pain condition. I was in a state of depression and despair, unable to work, or do things I love to do, like working in my yard. On a good day, I could perform simple household chores, perhaps a little yoga, and that was all. My first few visits brought relief from hot flashes, terrible neck pain, and wrap-around pain in my ribs that restricted my ability to breathe comfortably. I felt this was a miracle as I had suffered for many years, and had no idea it was so easily remedied. This miraculous ride continued as I took Chinese herbs for aiding my menopausal symptoms, sinus problems, anxiety, and general pain. As time went on I began to depend on Raleigh Acupuncture for psychological strengthening as well. Nowhere else have I found anyone that really listens to what I have to say without thinking I was crazy. Today, as I sit and reflect, I am about to graduate from an intense two year program for Landscape Architecture Technology. I took a huge leap when I signed up for full-time classes when I was 50 years old. I have enjoyed great success, making one B in 64 credit hours, the rest were A’s! In February of 2011, I was in a car accident where I was sandwiched between a van and a school bus. I was able to continue school and finish the semester, I believe because of my acupuncture treatments. I contribute most of my academic success, emotional well-being, and diminished pain to Raleigh Acupuncture.