fibromyalgia CASE STUDY

A case study of a patient submitted to The British Acupuncture Council

by Nyki for Acupuncture Awareness Week

Traditional Acupuncture has been used for many, many years for the treatment of conditions such as Fibromyalgia. Last year the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) recommended acupuncture the treatment of chronic primary pain1. Fibromyalgia falls within the category of chronic primary pain. The American Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) also recommend acupuncture for fibromyalgia2,

If you have considered having some acupuncture, then the following case study maybe of interest.

Rose initially used acupuncture for a frozen shoulder. Soon after she was given a diagnosis of seronegative rheumatoid arthritis. Then, after consultations with many different specialists over several years, the diagnosis was changed to fibromyalgia.

She was prescribed Methotrexate and Diclofenac. After three years she was taken off them when she developed an unusual form of colitis. Rose manages her symptoms with gentle exercise and diet, avoiding sugar, dairy, gluten and processed foods completely.

Rose wanted help with her fatigue and muscle aches. She was taking Sudafed and Loratadine daily for significant sinus congestion but suspected the medication was contributing to her fatigue.

Rose also reported the following:

• dry throat
• anxiety
• brain fog and muzziness in head
• feeling low
• muscle weakness and stiffness
• headaches
• irritable bowel syndrome
• tiredness in the morning and struggles to get going
• heaviness of limbs
• multiple tender spots
• joint pain and stiffness, particularly right shoulder and wrists

Rose has experienced considerable shock, grief and sadness in her life. Such emotions can cause disturbance to a person’s ‘qi’ and knock them off balance. When the disturbance is extreme or prolonged the imbalance can become chronic causing knock-on effects throughout the body. In Chinese medicine, qi is the lifeforce that flows through us all.

Rose recognised that cold, damp weather exacerbated her fibromyalgia symptoms, particularly the muscle aches and heaviness, muzziness and sinus congestion.

Lifestyle and dietary choices are important in deciding on where to focus treatment. Rose’s symptoms were made worse by sugar, dairy, gluten and processed foods – all useful indications for how to focus acupuncture treatment for positive results.

With age our bodies naturally deteriorate, as seen in the greying of hair and wrinkling of skin etc. While the ageing process is inevitable traditional acupuncture can work to strengthen the body’s constitutional energy and improve wellbeing.

OUTCOMES

Treatment began at weekly intervals. After the first treatment, Rose had a marked increase in bowel movements. She was also experiencing a sticky substance coming out of her eyes first thing in the morning.

By treatment four, there was still an increase in bowel movements. And she still had sticky eyes. But her sinus congestion had improved. She was taking less Sudafed and no Loratadine. She felt better and stronger. Although, she was still experiencing general aches and pains.

After seven treatments Rose’s sinus congestion had reduced considerably with no need for Sudafed or Loratadine. She reported sleeping well, waking early and feeling refreshed enough to get straight up with better energy and reduced lethargy.

By treatment ten Rose was feeling much better. Her aches and pains had improved though not gone. Her sinuses were clear, her muzzy head and brain fog had almost cleared and she no longer had headaches.

A break in treatment over Christmas led to some recurrence of Rose’s symptoms. She felt weaker and generally more achy, with restricted movement. She had sinus pains, headaches and was feeling very lethargic. Getting very wet during a long walk in the rain had exacerbated her symptoms.

Treatment recommenced at weekly intervals. After one treatment Rose reported feeling lighter in her body and that bowel movements lessened her pain. After a few days she declined again, experiencing weakness and widespread pain and having to take Sudafed. However, she felt that she was heading in the right direction.

Rose kept a weekly diary reporting her symptoms and improvements. After 13 weeks of treatment, she forgot to record in the diary for the first time. Later, she explained it was because she felt so much better with a reduction in her aches and pains, better energy levels and less brain fog. She had not taken any Sudafed or Loratadine.

Rose continues to have acupuncture for support but at her last session she actually stated the fact that she finally feels like fibromyalgia has left her.

If you would like to explore the possibility of treatment with Traditional acupuncture, we would advise that you see a practitioner that is a member of the British Acupuncture Council (BAcC) (https://acupuncture.org.uk/). The BAcC is an Accredited Register of the Professional Standards Authority (PSA) (https://www.professionalstandards.org.uk/) .