Fibromyalgia
6-10 million people in the United States have been diagnosed with Fibromyalgia. Approximately 90% of the affected individuals are women. Fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome are illnesses that often coexist and share a common underlying pathology involving the autonomic nervous system. An imbalance in the activity of the autonomic nervous system contributes to muscle weakness which contributes to the fatigue and pain characteristic of these conditions.
Symptoms may include:
- severe fatigue
- muscle pain
- multiple infections
- non-restorative sleep
- cognitive impairment
- irritable bowel and bladder
- TMJ (temporomandibular joint disorder)
- headaches
In the presence of disease or injury, the body's requirements for nutritional components are changed. Patients diagnosed with Fibromyalgia may have an increased need for the nutrient precursors of the neurotransmitters nitric oxide, GABA (gamma-amino butyric acid), serotonin, and acetylcholine. These nutrients include arginine, glutamate, tryptophan, choline, and acetyl-L-carnitine. Each medical food used in the dietary management of Fibromyalgia contains the specific elements the body requires to stimulate the neurotransmitters that support the activities mediated by the autonomic nervous system. Physician Therapeutics medical food products can help patients suffering from Fibromyalgia improve their quality of life by addressing the increased nutritional requirements of this disease to restore the balance of neurotransmitters the body needs to return to functionality.