Fibromyalgia Syndrome (FS)

Expectation
Neurotherapy for this painful condition has been successful, on occasion, with significant reduction in experienced pain. This is usually expressed as to whether today is a good or a bad day. Neurotherapy is not a substitute for conservative medical management, rather is designed to augment careful primary care. Training and potential symptom reduction may occur in twenty or fewer sessions.

The Story
Susan (a fictitious name) has the requisite tender spots to diagnose FS. She has suffered for many years. Medications either don’t help or wipe her out. Susan is a professional woman with a loving family. She finds work days, lost to FS, annoying, but alternatively finds it difficult to function efficiently with the pain. The neurotherapy increased her good days to find her stating, “I almost feel normal.”

Discussion
Fibromyalgia (FS) is generally treated medically by a rheumatologist. This medical specialty generally works with patients suffering from some sort of arthritic pain. However, FS typically is not involving the joints, which “…arth…” refers to. FS refers rather to other areas involving muscle or connective tissue. The term “…fibro…” refers to connective tissue, “…myo…” denotes muscle, and “…algia…” denotes pain. There is not a clear physiological understanding of FS. There is abundant agreement on the commonality of symptoms suffered by those with FS, as well as generally a lack of positive treatment.

Theoretically, the tender points, when stimulated, seem to trigger the pain signal ascending to the brain, through the lower central nervous system and the brainstem. Anti inflammatories and anesthetics often are only mildly helpful. Some of the more powerful pharmaceuticals have too many adverse side effects. Therefore, medication management is a balancing act. The general stress response to the environment does seem to modulate the pain. Therefore, neurotherapy appears to be helpful to FS patients, learning regulatory techniques, through brainwave training. FS does have a unique, but trainable, brainwave signature. Neurotherapy is not magic, rather it offers hope for the FS sufferer.