Preventing Common Causes Of Fibromyalgia Flareups

October 19, 2023 / Thomas Cohn, MD

Anyone who suffers from fibromyalgia knows just how disruptive a flareup can be. One minute you’re enjoying your day, the next you’re dealing with pain and fatigue. And while fibromyalgia can be a tricky condition to completely cure, you can significantly reduce the number of flareups you experience if you are aware of some of the most common fibromyalgia triggers.

Below, we take a look at some of the ways you can prevent fibromylagia flareups by addressing some of the most common triggers.

Common Fibromylagia Triggers And Prevention Tips

Here’s a look at some of the most common fibromylagia triggers, and some advice for keeping these triggers at bay.

Sleep Deprivation – Failing to get adequate healthy sleep can seriously increase your risk of a fibromyalgia flareup. Poor sleep has been clinically proven to increase our sensitivity to pain, make a person more susceptible to a flareup. Obviously the issue can be cyclical in nature, with poor sleep leading to fibro flareups, and flareups making it hard to attain restful sleep. Our best advice is to make your bedroom a dark and quiet environment free from light and technological distractions, and strive to go to bed and wake up around the same time in order to make it easier for your body to develop a healthy circadian rhythm.

Routine Irregularity – If your daily routine is regularly upended, it’s easier to become stressed, and stress is a major trigger for fibromyalgia. We’re not saying that you need to do the exact same things every single day to avoid stress triggers, but try to create a healthy sleep and meal schedule. Wake up, eat your meals and go to bed around the same time each day to help your body get in a healthy routine.

Poor Dietary Choices – Unhealthy food choices are oftentimes pro-inflammatory, and inflammation onset can trigger a fibromyalgia flareup. Try to get the bulk of your calories from fruits, vegetables, lean proteins and whole grains. Limit the fatty and sugary foods, as they can lead to reactions inside your body that cause a fibromyalgia flareup.

Stress – Stress is likely the most common cause of a fibromyalgia flareup, and that makes sense because we all experience stress each and every day. We deal with work pressure, social stressors and family drama, and all of that stress and anxiety can lead to muscle tension and a fibromyalgia flareup. Work to eliminate sources of stress from your life, and find healthy outlets to manage it when it manifests. Many people find that exercise, yoga, meditation or reading can help them find some inner balance and reduce feelings of stress.

Illness – People with fibromyalgia tend to have it worse when they get sick, because sickness triggers an inflammatory response within the body, and this inflammation can contribute to a fibromyalgia attack. There’s no way to completely avoid getting sick, but make it a point to develop some healthy habits. Eat a nutritious diet, wash your hands regularly and get your flu shot every year!

If you’re finding it difficult to mange your fibromyalgia flareups, don’t be afraid to lean on a professional for assistance. Dr. Cohn has helped countless patients reduce or eliminate their fibromyalgia flareups by giving them the individualized attention they need to cultivate a treatment program tailored to their individual needs. For more information, or to enlist his help, give his office a call today at (952) 738-4580.

Tips For Managing Your Fibromyalgia During The Summer

June 23, 2022 / Thomas Cohn, MD

The summer weather is here to stay for a while in Minnesota, and while warmer temperatures may be a treat to some, they can also make it more likely that you’ll experience a flareup with your fibromyalgia. Studies have shown that our joints tend to work better in warmer temperatures than in colder temps, but summer heat can make it more likely for muscles to cramp, headaches to develop or fibromyalgia flareups, none of which are enjoyable.

With that in mind, we wanted to share some tips for preventing fibromyalgia flareups during the warm summer months.

Preventing Fibro Flareup This Summer

Everyone’s fibromyalgia condition is unique to them, so there’s no guanrantee that these techniques will prevent any and all flareups. That being said, many people notice that their flareups are less common when they strive to keep these tips in mind throughout the summer.

Stay Hydrated – Stay hydrated so that it’s easier for your heart to pump healthy blood to structures that need it the most. If you’re dehydrated, it will be harder for your muscles to get the oxygen they need to work efficiently, which can lead to cramps, spasms and fibromyalgia-related pain. It’s helpful to keep a water bottle nearby at all times, but that’s especially true in the summer.

Dress Appropriately – Tight, restrictive clothing or heavy options that make it harder for your body to regulate its temperature can also make it more likely that you’ll have a flareup. Patients with fibromyalgia or Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS) will want to wear light, breathable options to help keep nerve irritation at bay.

Stay Cool – Look for shady spots if you have to be outdoors, and do your best to avoid extended periods out in the hot summer sun. Again, this can make it harder for your body to keep itself cool and regulate its temperature, which can send nerves into overdrive. Find ways to stay cool and avoid becoming overheated when outdoors this summer.

Eye The Air Quality Index – Keep an eye on the air quality index this summer. Low air quality can lead to more inflammation in your muscles and joints, making a fibro flareup more likely. You can’t control the air quality, but be mindful of how low quality days may affect your condition.

Mind Your Diet – Eating a healthy diet can sometimes make fibromyalgia symptoms less noticeable, so consider tracking what you eat and removing trigger foods from your diet. Summer is oftentimes a time when we are tempted with unhealthier options at barbecues and picnics, so while it’s fine to indulge here or there, take note of which foods seem to help alleviate your symptoms or which ones make things worse.

Speak To A Specialist – Finally, if you dread summer because of how it affects your fibromyalgia, now is the time to speak to a specialist like Dr. Cohn. We can get to the bottom of your condition and set you up with an individualized care plan based on your specific needs. For more information, or for help with your chronic pain issue, give Dr. Cohn’s office a call today at (952) 738-4580.

Dietary Tips If You Have Fibromyalgia

March 24, 2022 / Thomas Cohn, MD

dietary Fibromyalgia is a tricky condition that is categorized by widespread pain and fatigue, and there is no direct known cause for why it develops. Pain specialists oftentimes work to control symptoms through lifestyle adjustments and increasing a person’s daily exercise. One simple adjustment that oftentimes help to quell fibromyalgia symptoms is improving your daily diet. In today’s blog, we share some tips for controlling fibromyalgia symptoms with some simple dietary changes.

How Your Diet Can Help Control Fibromylagia Symptoms

Changing your diet won’t completely cute you of fibromylagia, but these healthy changes can help to put an end to inflammatory reactions in your digestive system that can sometimes serve to make your fibromyalgia worse. Here are some steps to take if you want to see if you can alleviate symptoms through dietary changes.

1. Journal – Start taking a little more ownership in what you put in your body and how it affects your condition by starting a daily journal. Document what foods you eat, when you eat, who much you ate and how you feel minutes and hours after the meal. Start to map out certain trigger foods and work to avoid them.

2. Avoid Caffeine And Alcohol – Not only can caffeine and alcohol sometimes serve to make fibromyalgia symptoms worse, but they can also prevent us from getting restful sleep. Poor sleep quality can cause fibro flare-ups so you need to strive to get good sleep each night, and caffeine and alcohol can disrupt that.

3. Ditch Highly Processed Foods – Highly processed foods are harder to break down for your digestive system, and this can lead to an inflammatory reaction. Foods that are high in carbohydrates or sugar are typically highly processed and can lead to a worsening of fibromyalgia symptoms.

4. Get Your Daily Dose Of Vitamins And Nutrients – Your body works best when it gets its daily dose of vitamins and nutrients from food sources. These vitamins and minerals can help to ward off inflammation and in turn keep our fibromyalgia in check. Reach for a range of foods from the most sought after food groups, like fruits, vegetables and whole grains.

5. Derive Energy From Your Diet – Fibromyalgia can leave a person feeling fatigued, which is why it’s oftentimes helpful to work to derive some natural energy from your food sources. You can best do this by looking for foods that are low in sugar and high in fiber. Some foods that are good natural sources of energy include:

Nuts
Fish
Beans
Avocado
Beans

We’re confident that adjusting your diet and working to make some healthy changes can have a positive affect on your fibromyalgia, but if you’re running into trouble or want more hands-on assistance, reach out to Dr. Cohn and his team today!

Gut Biomes Could Help Indicate Fibromyalgia

December 16, 2019 / Thomas Cohn, MD

New research out of Canada found that individuals with fibromyalgia have different gut biomes compared to a control population, shining more light on the difficult to treat condition.

Gut biomes are made up of microorganisms in our gastrointestinal tract and help with bodily processes like vitamin and nutrient absorption, our metabolism, enzyme synthesis, the production of short-chain fatty acids and other health functions. According to new research, the bacteria that make up this internal microbiome are different than normal in patients with fibromyalgia, possibly explaining why the condition causes them problems and why symptoms can be so severe.

“The abundance of some of these bacterial species correlates with the severity of fibromyalgia symptoms—pain, fatigue, cognitive symptoms and impaired sleep,” said first author Amir Minerbi, MD, PhD. “The demonstration of objective findings separating fibromyalgia patients from healthy controls provides convincing evidence that fibromyalgia is a real syndrome.”

Gut Study

For their research, patients used artificial intelligence to analyze the microbiomes of 77 women with fibromyalgia and 79 healthy controls. After adjusting for potential variables like medications, diet and physical therapy, researchers found some interesting differences between the two.

“Variance in the composition of the microbiomes was explained by fibromyalgia-related variables more than by any other innate or environmental variable,” researchers wrote in their report.

Now that we’re aware of the differences, the next set is analyzing the microbiomes and parsing out tests on smaller scales to see if we can identify certain biomarkers in biomes that contribute to an onset or increase in fibromyalgia symptoms. Researchers also believe that patients with fibromyalgia can attempt to adjust their nutritional intake to see if certain foods improve or aggravate symptoms. Food alone isn’t the only way to manage fibromyalgia, but nutrient intake and absorption is an avenue to consider if you’re dealing with painful symptoms related to fibromyaglia.

At the end of the day, there’s still plenty we need to learn about how our microbiomes impact our overall health, but there seems to be a clear link between gut health and fibromyalgia onset. At a minimum, it’s a starting point for furthering our understanding of the condition, and if all goes as planned with future studies, we’ll be able to better understand the relationship between the two in order to provide better care for patients dealing with the difficult to treat condition.

The Daith Piercing and Fibromyalgia

March 14, 2018September 8, 2020 / Thomas Cohn, MD

If you’re a frequent reader of the blog, you’re probably aware of our work with Dr. Chris Blatchey, a specialist in the United Kingdom who is hoping to help us get a better understanding of the link between headaches and the Daith piercing as a potential treatment option. If you haven’t read his report on the subject, or if you’ve undergone the Daith piercing procedure and haven’t yet taken his survey, please consider taking a few minutes to help advance our understanding of the subject.

Fibromyalgia and Piercing Treatment

We’ve been communicating back and forth throughout this process, and recently we ended up on the subject of using the Daith piercing to treat fibromyalgia. Dr. Blatchley said he’s been in contact with some professional piercers who perform the Daith piercing, and they mentioned that they have seen a rise in the number of patients who are seeking out the Daith to see if it can provide some symptom relief from their fibromyalgia.

According to these conversations, Dr. Blatchley said that it seems that the Daith piercing is less effective for treating some fibromyalgia symptoms than it is for treating migraines. He suggests patients with fibromyalgia see improvement in about 50 percent of cases, but he also notes that the relief could be because their fibromylagia pain was actually misdiagnosed. Fibromyalgia is difficult to diagnose and even harder to treat, but if we can find commonalities between individuals diagnosed with fibromyalgia and successfully treated with options like the Daith piercing, we may be able to grow as a medical community and better serve our patients.

At this point, we’re not saying that you should go out and get your ear pierced if you are dealing with fibromyalgia, but it’s an avenue worth exploring if multiple other options have failed. We are just scratching the surface of understanding the true link between the two, but others have had success with the treatment. I just received this message from Angela over the weekend, who just want to reach out and say thanks for continuing to help look for solutions to headaches, fibromyalgia and chronic pain.

“I have fibromyalgia, TMJ (temporomandibular joint dysfunction) and chronic headaches. I got both sides pierced for a total of 20 dollars and haven’t had a headache since. My pain has decreased significantly.”

If you know anybody who has had the Daith piercing, please consider sending them to Dr. Blatchley’s site to help further our understanding of pain pathologies. And if you want to learn more about the Daith piercing, we’ve included some of the blogs we’ve penned on the subject below. The first blog listed has more than 200 comments from readers, and many of them share their experiences with the piercing in the comment section. Feel free to check it out to learn more.

Migraines and Daith Piercings
Early Findings From the Daith Piercing Study
An Update on Daith Piercings

Thanks for reading,
Dr. Cohn