Fybromyalgia is one of the most misunderstood syndrome of symptoms of the hyper-pain conditions. Previously known as Fibrositis, meaning inflammation of the connective tissues but today we know that this inflammation extends to the nerve fibres as well.
As a person living with Fybro-M I have realised
that this condition manifests differently in almost every patient. I always
like to look for the root causes of each patient’s condition and I have now
learnt that stress is a 95% catalyst of this condition.
And this is precisely where fibromyalgia becomes
‘misunderstood’. Many people cannot sympathise with people who are in severe
pain unless they can see the hole that you are bleeding out of! So a lot of
people including doctors do not really believe that patients can have so much
pain without any physical evidence of this pain being possible. Patients
suffering from fibromyalgia are too often labelled as hypochondriacs, lazy
people, attention seeking and so many other negative connotations for people
simply suffering with an unseen pain
There is a perfectly explainable reason why some
people’s bodies simply cannot endure any stress and in these cases this stress
manifests as severe and ‘unexplained’ pain
The common denominator in patients with this
condition is a Hypothalamus dysfunction.
The Hypothalamus is the part of the brain with the
stress response, anxiety, emotions, and memory and also controls the Pituitary
gland that is the main centre of hormone production in the body.
When there is a dysfunction of the hypothalamus the
patient has very low serotonin and when serotonin is low this does not only
manifest as depression. Low serotonin amplifies stress and magnifies pain and
this is why people suffering from fibromyalgia have super low stress thresholds
and there is nothing that conventional medicine can do about it without severe
side effects of their medicines. .
Some other root causes include the Epstein-Barr
virus that many patients also present with. It is generally very difficult to
get rid of, but you can also try Essiac tea and colloidal silver. Cannabis is
also a powerful antiviral medicine.
Other pathogens include bacterial infections,
parasites and also heavy metal toxicity is a big one in people suffering with
hyper-pain conditions like fibromyalgia and even rheumatoid arthritis.
Dehydration is a common problem in most of the
population, but the reason why it is a root cause in this condition is because
dehydration drastically depletes our Tryptophan that is the building block for
our serotonin and melatonin, and this bears repetition, that when serotonin is
low, stress is amplified and pain is magnified.
Serotonin and Melatonin also control our sleep-wake
patterns and any imbalance will contribute to insomnia. And this is the worst
symptom of this condition and the most important thing for people with
Fybromyalgia is that they get enough sleep. The correct amount of water to
consume per day is 35ml per kg body weight.
1. Pain and Inflammation
Pain is the most debilitating symptom of
Fybromyalgia mostly because it affects your mobility and mood. And as someone
who is resistant to pharmaceutical drugs, I have found relief in Cannabis
Medicine for just over 35 years now.
Cannabis works via the opioid and vanilloid
receptors that are the pathway to pain healing in the body.
In my opinion Fybromyalgia is a “hyper-inflammatory”
condition and therefore I believe that this root cause is the most dangerous
because it can lead to tissue death and end organ damage. So the goal in my
practice is to reduce the inflammation as much as possible by increasing
anti-oxidant uptake. I like to combine Cannabis with high doses of Vitamin B
and D.
Cannabis is a known anti-inflammatory and really
helps when those “cytokine storms” occur as a result of the severe inflammation
that is part of this condition and we call them “flares”.
2. Nervous system calming
CBD calms the entire nervous system and here you
can treat spasms, spasticity, seizures, cramps and Restless Legs Syndrome
3. Neurogenesis and Neuro-protection
Cannabis assists the body to generate new brain
cells while CBD offers protection against damage to brain cells. With this
healing property we can treat brain fog, chronic fatigue syndrome, memory loss
and neuropathy. Cannabis also offers neuro protection specifically for the
hypothalamus and pituitary gland.
4. Hormone regulation
It is amazing how often this is overlooked by
doctors. Since the Endocannabinoid system regulates the endocrine system,
Cannabis is extremely helpful in regulating our hormones in times of illness.
Cannabis can increase serotonin and melatonin and
increase our ability to absorb Vitamin D. Cannabis can reduce the harmful
effects of the stress hormones and also regulates our thyroid hormones.
And remember that when the body is low on serotonin
then stress is amplified and pain is magnified.
5. Gut- brain repair
Everyone suffering with fibromyalgia is also
suffering from dysbiosis and most often these patients also have a leaky gut
and while many doctors will disagree with me on this but I believe that
everyone with a leaky gut also has a leaky brain. So I place huge emphasis on
the gut-brain connection.
We must remember that 80% of our serotonin is found
in our gut and that 80% of our nervous and immune system is also found in our
gut. Cannabis is able to heal the delicate gut lining (one cell thick) and
stimulate the correct bacterial growth required for optimal health.
I would also go so far as to say that everyone with
fybromyalgia also has unbalanced vagus nerves and you look at my previous paper
on how Cannabis helps to offer vagal nerve stimulation.
https://xhosastyles.blogspot.com/2023/02/how-does-cannabis-stimulate-vagus-nerves.html
6. Hemp Seed Oil
It is a scientific fact that stress not only blocks
the Endocannabinoid receptors but also vampirically feasts on our Vitamin B
supplies. Many people are walking around with pins and needles in their hands
and feet, suffering from terrible neuropathic pain in their feet, this is a
sure sign of Vitamin B deficiency and you need to take action.
Vitamin B is responsible for the production of our
red blood cells and this is why people who have fibromyalgia also suffer with
chronic fatigue syndrome, brain fog and loss of memory. This is because there
is a lack of oxygen in circulation due to the lack of the vital vitamin B.
It is known that hemp seed oil is the perfect form
of nutrition for human beings as it is packed with all the vitamin B’s and
other essential nutrients that we require and that are pretty hard to get from
the modern diet that has no nutrient-density.
Hemp seed is also the perfect formulation of Omega
fats 3, 6, and 9. Many people falsely believe that because our body produces
omega 9 that it is not necessary to supplement. Well, I am here to tell you
that this is not true because the body does not produce enough omega 9 to
protect us from illness and environmental toxins. Omega 3, 6, and 9 protects us
against oxidative stress that leads to cancer by increasing the reactive oxygen
species that in turn increases anti-oxidant activity to destroy free-radicals.
In combination, omega 3, 6 and 9 also offer brain
protection in particular for the hypothalamus and the pituitary gland. This is
an excellent alternative for brain health for people who are allergic to fish
oil.
I highly recommend that everyone who is suffering
with any chronic illness add hemp seed oil to their daily regimen. I also
recommend the teachings of Dr Rodger Murphree author of The Murphree Method as I consider him a specialist in the condition
of Fibromyalgia.
Every illness is also accompanied by severe
depression
In my opinion clinical depression is when the
patient no longer feels hopeful about their future, and most people feel like
this at least once a day, so you can imagine that a person who can find no
relief for chronic round-the-clock excruciating pain might easily become as
depressed as the patient facing cancer.
We must remember that serotonin is not only about
our mood and feeling happy. This hormone is also responsible for our memory,
hunger signals, body temperature, sexual behaviour, sleep as well as our pain
response.
It is interesting to note that the name given to
our main Endocannabinoid produced by everyone’s brain is Anandamide that is a
Sanskrit word meaning “Internal Bliss” in other words “happiness”.
When a patient becomes ill and depressed their
Anandamide is also severely depleted and this again not only affects the mood
but also all of our vital bodily functions including sleep patterns.
There is only one plant that can give us any form
of Anandamide supplement and that is the Cannabis plant because Anandamide is
the human version of THC.
Anandamide controls our hormone production and
release by balancing our serotonin, melatonin, sex hormones as well as the
stress hormones, adrenaline, cortisol and norepinephrine. Anandamide also
assists the body to take up more Vitamin D which is essential for so many
functions but in particular for inflammation.
Anandamide is the most abundant neurotransmitter in
the human body and when we are ill it is essential to supplement with Cannabis
medicine
Cannabis calms the entire nervous system and
interacts with our GABA receptors, the limbic and para-limbic systems as well
as the vital HPA axis.
One of the main functions of the Endocannabinoid
System is Neurogenesis and Neuro-Protection, but it also offers
“Neuro-Diversity” that means that the Endocannabinoid System and the plant, takes
into account that every human being has a completely unique constitution and
that each system is beyond comparison
just like the fingerprints and iris of the eyes.
I would really encourage people suffering from
Fybromyalgia to consider giving Cannabis a chance to offer all of her potential
benefits to ease your pain and suffering.
