THIS IS YOUR BRAIN ON PAIN

The Nov. 5 issue of the journal Arthritis & Rheumatismhas published a study that indicates people with fibromyalgia are not as ableto prepare for pain as healthy people, and they are less likely to respond tothe promise of pain relief.  It couldhold the key to understanding why people suffering with the chronic ailmentfeel pain more intensely and don't respond as well to narcotic painkillers.

Most people can alleviate some types of pain through theconventional methods, but it appears that people with fibromyalgia seem to beunable to respond the same way to medications and our natural mechanisms fordealing with pain.

The actual cause or causes of fibromyalgia, which is theprevalence of joint and muscle pain affects more women than men, according tothe study. Older women are most likely to suffer from fibromyalgia, whichaffects more than 7 percent of women aged 60 to 79. Researchers conducted thisstudy using 31 patients with fibromyalgia and 14 healthy people.

The ventral tegmental area, or VTA (a group of neurons thatresponds to reward or punishment.) of the brain showed an altered response inthe patients with fibromyalgia. The VTA helps regulate the release of dopamine,a pain-relieving brain chemical. It plays a main role in response to painmedications.  On the other hand

this skewed brain activity could be explained by the factthat fibromyalgia patients endure constant pain and the disorder has alteredthe brain response, instead of the reverse.

Common symptoms of Fibromyalgia include:

· Pain

· Anxiety

· Concentration and memory problems -- aka"brain fog"

· Depression

· Fatigue

· Headaches

· Irritable bowel syndrome

· Morning stiffness

· Painful menstrual cramps

· Sleep problems

· Numbness, and tingling in hands, arms, feet, andlegs

· Tender points

· Urinary symptoms, such as pain or frequency

Holistic Healthcare can help assist relief with a total bodycleanse and:

· Allergy testing and elimination diet.

· Series of Acupuncture treatments.

· Assisting the patient with new healthy lifestylethat includes proper diet without processed foods, chemicals, nitrites or fastfoods.

· The diet should be as natural as possible withlots of chlorophyll, and minerals, and high nutrition density foods and avoidGluten and most grains & cereals.

· An endocrine system boost with specificnutrition and/or herbs