Health treatment

Fibromyalgia Weight

Fibromyalgia is a condition that is characterized by pain. It involves pain in muscles and it can be a prolonged chronic disorder that can even affect the sufferer's quality of life. The word Fibromyalgia itself is a combination of three Latin words that simply mean 'fibrous tissue muscle pain'. It is often paired with arthritis because of the painful symptoms, but they are not the same, arthritis is a disease affecting the joints, while Fibromyalgia is concerned more with the muscles. Those with arthritis can however imagine what it feels like to have fibromyalgia as the pain is near constant and even if it isn't unbearable, it is certain to make even everyday tasks seem laborious.

What Causes Fibromyalgia?

As much study is centered on alleviating pain in its many forms, scientists are yet to find the real reason behind Fibromyalgia. For many, it is caused by some kind of traumatic accident or injury, like soldiers or those in motor accidents. Others get it after repeated injury to the same spot, this can be seen commonly among sports persons. Others link it to an illness they suffered like a pox or jaundice, ones that can physically scar the patient. For many however, it is unexplained, it will just suddenly appear seemingly out of nowhere. The scientific community is approaching Fibromyalgia from the point of view of the brain, CNS and how it handles pain.

Who is Likely to Get Fibromyalgia?

It is a condition that is predominantly found in women, in fact, between 80% to 90% of all those who are suffering from Fibromyalgia are women. Upward of 5 million cases are diagnosed each year over the age of 18.

Children are rarely diagnosed with this condition and for the most part, it is a condition that affects those who are going through middle age. Young patients are rare. While not found to be exactly hereditary, Fibromyalgia can be passed on between the women of the family, this can, however be attributed to shared and similar environmental factors as well.

Fibromyalgia Weight Gain

As though living with pain isn't painful enough, one of the first things that a person will gain after a Fibromyalgia diagnosis is weight. There are a number of reasons for this, but the most obvious one will be because the patient will likely be in pain and this makes them both sedentary and it becomes harder to workout. It has been found that patients can gain anywhere between 25 to 30 pounds within the first year. Fibromyalgia and inflammation go hand in hand, discouraging the patient from stressing the muscles in anyway. Apart from this, here are a number of reasons as to why Fibromyalgia weight gain is a real issue:

• Sleep: Those with pain are unlikely to get peaceful sleep, importantly restorative sleep. There is a close link between lack of sleep and weight gain because the body doesn't receive as much sleep as it should, making the metabolism slow and increasing the appetite.
• Medication: Painkillers and other drugs used to manage pain have been known to have a weight gain side effect.
• Hormonal imbalances: The body, when under attack from Fibromyalgia, goes into overdrive and this causes a number of abnormalities with serotonin, thyroid, cortisol and even insulin. All of this happening at once will slow down the body's metabolism and make it insulin sensitive at the same time, fat storage is the first response causing Fibromyalgia obesity.  

Dealing With Fibromyalgia Weight Gain

There are a number of dietary measures that can help you out if exercise is too stressing. A responsible diet can help you gradually lose weight and it is also a healthy alternative to any crash and starvation diet methods. What you can also include in your everyday diet are antioxidants. They are compounds that help keep the body clean from the inside, they also curb the need to eat between meals.