Is heat an effective treatment for fibromyalgia?
-
Honor Society of Nursing (STTI) answered:Heat can be an effective treatment for some fibromyalgia symptoms such as pain and stiffness as well as stress. Ask your doctor how heat therapy might help you. Approaches include simple steps such as using heat packs and taking warm baths, and hydortherapy.
Heat can be an effective treatment for some fibromyalgia symptoms such as pain and stiffness as well as stress. Ask your doctor how heat therapy might help you. Approaches include simple steps such as using heat packs and taking warm baths,... More -
Dr. Mehmet Oz answered:Applying heat to muscles that hurt can make it easier to gently stretch them. If you try to stretch a muscle that has tender points, the muscle may recoil and will hurt even more. Applying heat, such as from a heating pad, can make it much easier to stretch those muscles without pain. Never stretch to the point of pain.
Applying heat to muscles that hurt can make it easier to gently stretch them. If you try to stretch a muscle that has tender points, the muscle may recoil and will hurt even more. Applying heat, such as from a heating pad, can make it much... More -
Celeste Cooper answered:Heat and/or ice can be effective in helping relieve the pain from the peripheral pain generators that ramp up the sensitization of pain in the central nervous system.
Fibromyalgia has been associated with rheumatologic disorders such as rheumatoid arthritis, Sjögren’s, Ankylosing Spondylitis, and myofascial pain syndrome, and can be aggravated by other structural and musculoskeletal disorders.
Comorbid disorders such as bladder dysfunction and pelvic pain disorders such as vulvodynia, and pelvic and testicular pain in men also lend to centralization of pain.
Therefore, treating these painful disorders with ice, heat or both, whichever offers you the greatest relief, will help minimize painful stimulus and nociception in the brain.
All blogs, posts and answers are based on the work in Integrative Therapies for Fibromyalgia, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, and Myofascial Pain: The Mind-Body Connection by Celeste Cooper, RN, and Jeff Miller, PhD. 2010, Vermont: Healing Arts press and are not meant to replace medical advice. http://www.thesethree.com
Author of Chapter Five, Living with and Coping Effectively Through Fibromyalgia: Detecting Barriers, Understanding the Clues, in Fibromyalgia Insider Secrets: 10 Top Experts, 2nd Ed. Ebook complied by Deirdre Rawlings, ND, PhD http://www.fibromyalgiainsidersecrets.com/idevaffiliate/idevaffiliate.php?id=121_0_1_59
Find out more about this book: Integrative Therapies for Fibromyalgia, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, and Myofa...
Heat and/or ice can be effective in helping relieve the pain from the peripheral pain generators that ramp up the sensitization of pain in the central nervous system. Fibromyalgia has been associated with rheumatologic disorders such as... More -
Burke Lennihan RN CCH answered:If you find that heat relieves your symptoms, that means you may get even better pain relief from the homeopathic medicine Rhus tox, which also helps with stiffness.
Rhus tox was found to be effective for fibromyalgia pain in a recent study. First, though, patients were interviewed to see if their symptoms matched the typical symptoms associated with Rhus tox (because in homeopathy, the symptoms need to match in order for a homeopathic medicine to work well). Then those patients were tested, with some getting Rhus tox and some getting placebo.
Many patients matched, because Rhus tox-type symptoms are so common: they include joint pain and stiffness which is worse when the person has been sitting still and then starts to move (they need to limber up, like a rusty gate), and the pain feels better from warmth and warm baths or warm applications but worse from damp weather.
Homeopathic medicines are inexpensive and harmless if they do not match your symptoms. In other words, the worst thing that can happen is you don’t get any pain relief and you just wasted $7.
You can get Rhus tox in any health food store under its full name, Rhus toxicodendron, and the label will probably say it’s for something else, but don’t worry, you have the right thing. Get it in a 30c potency (strength) unless you are extremely sensitive to medications and chemicals in general, in which case get the lower 6c or 12c potency. (You can get this lower potency online if your health food store does not have it.)
Try a couple of pellets once a day until you feel it kick in, then slow down and take it just often enough to keep the process going.
This is likely to give temporary pain relief but not cure.
A professional homeopath may be able to help you with a more longterm approach.
If you find that heat relieves your symptoms, that means you may get even better pain relief from the homeopathic medicine Rhus tox, which also helps with stiffness. Rhus tox was found to be effective for fibromyalgia pain in a recent study. First,... More
