Just thought I would share this article with you, written by my rheumatologist.
It explains very clearly what Fibromyalgia is & why meditation is such a good therapy for it.
My rheumatologist also recommends Transcendental Meditation as per some study results.
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Lewis Reports- Fibromyalgia Update.
June 2009.
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This article was published recently in Arthritis Victoria Update magazine.
Stress, stress and more stress
The human body is finely tuned to withstand most acute stresses, and for most of us coping with stress is a normal function. However, when the stress becomes prolonged, our body over-produces stress hormones. If these persist in our blood stream they can damage many tissues. Ultimately, our body systems start to malfunction.
Let’s take an example. Type 2 diabetes does not begin at any single point in time. Rather, the symptoms become evident when the pancreas fails to respond as a result of prolonged stress such as poor and over-nutrition, lack of exercise, and cigarette smoking.
Stress and fibromyalgia
There is growing, although not yet conclusive, evidence that this failure of the body to adapt to stress can be applied to the development of fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS or fibromyalgia).
Fibromyalgia is generally heralded by warning signs, which are followed gradually by increasing symptoms until the full-blown expression of the condition develops. Indeed, about 80 per cent of patients with fibromyalgia report that widespread pain is preceded by long-standing localised or regional pain.
While opinions vary as to the nature of fibromyalgia, research in the last decade has resulted in an explosion of new knowledge and evidence about the condition, not least that fibromyalgia symptoms occur as a result of an imbalance in the body's ability to process pain. This imbalance is linked to abnormalities in brain and adrenal gland hormone production.
What is the cause of this imbalance? And what can be done about it? This question is not often asked in mainstream medicine, primarily because our medical system tends to focus on rapid responses achieved with drug therapy. And thankfully, the number of effective medications for the treatment of fibromyalgia symptoms is increasing.
However, beyond the use of medication there are alternative options for treating fibromyalgia that are less well-recognised or researched, and some of these are supported by robust, definitive evidence as to their benefits for a variety of other health conditions. This evidence is enough to encourage anyone with fibromyalgia to explore these viable, inexpensive and non-toxic approaches to restoring health.
I should like to focus on one of these approaches to wellness – meditation. But first we need to understand the relationship between mind and body.
Mind-body awareness
Mind-body awareness centres on that multi-directional communication that takes place moment by moment between our brain and our body. No condition in the body can occur without a brain and mind response. Similarly, every thought and feeling registered in the brain is instantaneously registered in the body. There is no separation between mind and body.
How do we know this? The basic sciences of quantum physics and epigenetics have revolutionised our understanding of the link between mind and matter. They teach us that we are not powerless bystanders or victims of our genes, and that how we live our life can make a difference. It is well known that good nutrition and exercise are among the many important environmental stimuli for health living and exert an epigenetic influence. What is less well known is that our thoughts and feelings, and hence our perception of life events, can have a profound and possibly dominant influence on gene expression.
Gene expression
The body manufactures at least 100,000 proteins from ‘recipes’ contained within its genetic code. This process is called ‘gene expression’. For genes to be expressed the code has to be ‘read’. And although we are not sure exactly what does the ‘reading’, there is conclusive evidence to show that mind processes can be a potent stimulus for gene expression.
We know this from clinical trials that have demonstrated over a long period of time that the well-known placebo effect occurs in 30 per cent of people who are given ‘inert’ or inactive medication without their knowledge. The placebo effect is not imaginary. It is a statistically proven, biological change produced by the mind.
From neuroscience we learn that only 5 per cent of the 60,000 thoughts we have each day are derived from the conscious mind. Ninety five per cent of the time our lives run on automatic – our subconscious mind. These subconscious processes influence gene expression. And, as has been shown in the placebo effect, they can be used to help us access and re-orient our subconscious mind to achieve wellbeing.
When we recognise that fibromyalgia is a mind-body illness, we take a giant step towards achieving wellbeing.
Meditation
Meditation has been described as the art of relaxing the body and calming the mind. Essentially, it involves letting the mind become still and anchored in the present moment. This stillness leads to relaxation and peace, and peace of mind generates health benefits.
In the last two decades, medical science has come a lot closer to understanding how meditation can benefit people with fibromyalgia. There are clinical studies that have demonstrated the effectiveness of a variety of meditation techniques for reducing pain, depression, anxiety and stress as well as positively enhancing mood states and quality of sleep. Feedback from my own experience of conducting meditation education mirrors this research.
How does meditation work?
In a nutshell, the practice of meditation leads to a re-balancing of the sympathetic nervous system. While it produces a temporary effect of wellbeing, the regular practice of meditation can also induce permanent physical changes in the structure and function of the brain. These changes have been documented using functional MRI scans that show the practice of meditation can beneficially alter the balance of brain hormones and the function of the pain system in people with chronic pain and fibromyalgia.
Yet considering meditation only as a means of inducing relaxation is just part of the benefit. In the ancient traditions of Yoga, Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity, Sufism, Taoism and others, meditation is a path towards an experience beyond our own consciousness - a universal consciousness that is aligned with the science of quantum physics. Meditation practised with this intention leads to an altered experience of the self.
Focusing on a lifestyle strategy such as meditation to enhance health in fibromyalgia is not easy. It requires education, the gaining of new skills, and a commitment to implement the strategy on a daily basis. As a famous sporting company proclaims in its advertising - "Just do it!"
Daniel Lewis is a Melbourne based rheumatologist, Director of the Lewis Institute for Health and Wellbeing,
www.pathways2wellbeing.com.au, and co director of the Deakin University Integrative Health Research Unit.
) but I'll say it again - I LUV CMR!
) but I'll say it again - I LUV CMR!
