Eat your pain away for fibromyalgia

Fibromyalgia is the body wide tenderness of joints, muscles and tendons. The manifestations of fibromyalgia can vary in intensity and in nature at various stages of life. Thus these can be very tricky to handle. Unbearable muscle and ligament pain is the first characterizing symptom of the condition. Due to the ambiguity of the symptoms, the cause of the disease is also unknown. In most cases, strong pain killers are prescribed to the patients to relieve this pain. Prolonged pain killer medications can drastically affect the health of the patient’s internal organs (especially kidneys and the liver). There are some readily foodstuffs available at a super market near you that can make life easier for fibromyalgia patients.

There is a wide spread notion that a vegetarian diet helps in alleviating the pain. This is not necessarily true. Some healthy animal products contain very essential Omega 3 fatty acids which are not available in vegetarian diets. Some generalized tips to reduce pain for fibromyalgia patients would be:

1. Eat light foods. “Light” would mean in all senses.

2. Avoid foods that are fatty, or those which have very strong pungent tastes.

These foods are known to excite the pain receptors in the muscles and thus more susceptible to pain.

Flavors for FMS

We often disregard the (magical) properties of spices in food. Apart from just flavoring the food, spices can really turn around one’s immune system. Some spices, when regularly included in food, can act as natural pain killers. Most of these spices are anti-inflammatory. These spices are, garlic, bay, basil, ginger, fennel, red pepper, cinnamon and dill weed. Some of these spices help secretion of endogenous morphine or endorphins. These endorphins suppress pain naturally. These spices also have anti-spasmodic properties.

It is wise to stay away from very pungent and acidic spices. These are known to increase the pain.

For veggies

Those of you who want to stick to vegetarian diet and still be pain free, there are some great alternatives. Goes without saying, all these must be fresh not frozen or canned.

1. Broccoli (often shunned) should be consumed.

2. Celery has great pain killer benefits (also helps in controlling weight)

3. Cauliflower

4. Spinach (to be consumed raw)

5. Cucumbers

6. Green olives

7. Apples

8. Papaya

All the vegetables are best eaten raw. Cooking the vegetables would take away the nutrients. If you must, you can boil/light saute them. Combine these veggies with the above spices or cook them in the below mentioned oils for best results.

For meat lovers

Sea food is especially advised for patients, especially fish with high Omega 3 fatty acid concentration. These sea foods are also excellent sources of vitamin D.

1. Salmon

2. Scallops

3. Prawns

4. Tuna

5. Sardines

6. Lobsters

7. Chicken (not fried)

8. Turkey (not fried)

Oils for cooking

1. Canola

2. Extra virgin olive oil

3. Vinegar

Breads

1. Whole wheat

2. Rye bread

3. French bread

The foodstuffs that should be strictly avoided by patients

1. Aerated drinks (especially diet sodas because in addition to the soda, the artificial sweetener in the drink has a bad effect on the muscle pain)

2. Artificial sweeteners (aspartame)

3. MSG (monosodium glutamate is a taste enhancer used in many foodstuffs especially junk food like chips and munchies)

4. Canned foods (most of these are preserved with artificial preservatives which are deteriorating)

5. Mayonnaise, whipped cream, whole milk, etc. (such fatty foods are very heavy to digest and increase the chances of pain)

6. Too much salt, caffeine, sugar, deep fried food and junk food.

The key to a healthy and painless life after FMS is moderation. Natural substitutes to artificial ones should be the first priority. Home cooked food is best. But if you must indulge, once in a while, is alright. Vitamin D which is essential for bone and overall skeletal health must be included in the diet Although vitamin D evades the vegetarian diets, there are other sources of vitamin D. The early morning sunlight helps your body to synthesize the required amounts of vitamin D, naturally. Vitamin D is best administered under a trained physician. On one hand, where the deficiency of vitamin D can have alarming effects on the body, its overuse could worsen some conditions in the body.

One final and very very important tip for FMS patients. It is very important that substantial amounts of water be included in the diet. Water which is a natural cleanser allows the toxins (lactic acid) that accumulates in the body to be flushed out of the system in the most effective and effortless manner. Not only that, it boosts circulation to an optimal level.