Fibromyalgia solved; A pathology, not in the mind | Washington Times Communities
This seems very, very interesting, temperature regulation and effects therefrom are huge in fibro, even now, in mild October my hands are hurting from the cold...could this aso be the cause of the bruising I and others with FM get?
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Dr. Frank Rice writes of findings at Integrated Tissue Dynamics that has made a major discovery of the cause of fibromyalgia, making diagnosis more certain and explaining the multitude of varied symptoms and effects.
Research has identified alterations in our core body temperature is a culprit, as our blood acts as a coolant in much the same fashion water does in the radiator of a car. Our major organs and active muscles require a constant temperature of about 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit.
If we lose too much heat (hypothermia) or gain too much heat (hyperthermia), our body’s primary thermostat, the hypothalamus, struggles to maintain balance. Our blood is also the means by which our body and brain get nutrients, oxygen and takes away waste.
When we use our muscles, particularly the hands and feet, the blood flow between the skin and muscles must be kept in balance. We have internal thermostats distant from the hypothalamus called aterio-venous shunts or AV shunts that act as valves between arterioles or veins that supply the good stuff and venules which carry away waste.
The smallest part of our blood supply system is the capillaries which are tiny vessels that act as temperature regulators (among many other functions) and either conserve or release heat. Capillaries run throughout or bodies and are highly concentrated in our hands and feet. When damaged, capillaries are a serious issue for diabetics and now it has been discovered when the AV shunt is defective in function and interferes with capillary function, muscle and skin tissue cannot get proper nutrition or waste drawn away. Additionally, temperature regulation becomes an issue affecting nerve fibers.
The result is a build-up of lactic acid in muscle and deeper tissue affecting the muscular system and causes pain that can seem to ‘travel’ from areas of the body one day to the next and cause fatigue.
The sympathetic nervous system which uses the spinal cord for communication and the sensory fibers or nerve fibers that carry signals to the central nervous system, can have their communication disrupted by the results of AV shunt disorder and hyposensitized nerves send pain signals that can ‘travel’ as well. This explains why some selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors such as Cymbalta seem to help.
The Journal of Pain Medicine featured this research on its front cover accompanied by a laudatory editorial from Robert Gerwin of the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. To date, the research is confined to women since women seem to suffer from fibromyalgia in greater numbers than men.
According to this research, fibromyalgia has pathology and is not psychosomatic so those who suffer from this ‘syndrome’ can now rest assured it is not all in their minds."
Read more: http://communities.washingtontimes.com/neighborhood/steps-authentic-happiness-positive-psychology/2013/oct/17/fibromyalgia-solved-pathology-not-mind/#ixzz2iAebvmsr
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