Alternative Treatments For Fibromyalgia

The most effective psychological treatments for fibromyalgia are cognitive behavioral therapy and conditioning behavioral therapy (also called operant behavioral therapy). Cognitive behavioral therapy changes the way you think about fibromyalgia.... Full Answer

Massage is one of the most popular complementary treatments for people with fibromyalgia. Even though massage has been part of healing traditions for thousands of years, we're still not exactly sure how it affects the body. According to one... Full Answer

Tai chi, the ancient Chinese movement system, is a popular treatment for fibromyalgia. It is promising enough that the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, a part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), is funding a... Full Answer

Prevalent in fibromyalgia is the comorbid condition myofascial pain syndrome (AKA chronic myofascial pain). If you have these knotted up pieces of muscle fiber that shorten the muscle, radiate pain and cause dysfunction, bodywork is indicated.  Soft... Full Answer

Relaxation therapy by itself is not the most effective way to treat fibromyalgia symptoms. But anything that lets you relax, breathe more deeply, and release anxiety is a good thing. Many people with fibromyalgia, and health professionals who... Full Answer

Massage is a popular therapy for fibromyalgia and may help improve your symptoms. All of the studies so far have shown that massage provides short-term relief. There is little evidence, however, that it delivers long-term benefit. The best thing... Full Answer

If you have fibromyalgia, consider adding massage to your treatment program when you're pregnant. This soothing therapy provides modest benefits for fibromyalgia and is best used along with other effective nondrug treatments, such as exercise and... Full Answer

Nondrug treatments are among the most effective therapies for fibromyalgia, and often several are combined -- you might find that you get the best results by using two or three nondrug therapies, or possibly a combination of several nondrug... Full Answer

Nondrug treatments for fibromyalgia, such as behavioral therapies, relaxation, and stress management, are real, biologically based therapies that help change the way the brain experiences, interprets, and sends pain messages. They help you learn... Full Answer

When people think about working with a psychologist, they often think of psychotherapy, which is sometimes called talk therapy. Psychotherapy focuses on understanding conflicts and problems that contribute to emotional distress -- it enables you... Full Answer