Fibromyalgia - Does anything help relieve severe pain during flares?

@thecomfycouchcafe What a great ‘name’ you’ve selected!Welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect ! Does Thomas Hanna have a YouTube channel in case members would like to check out his exercises?

Thomas Hanna has long passed. I purchased his "Somatics" book (light blue) and his reasoning was worth a try. From my understanding Martha Peterson was one of his students and she has a YouTube channel. I think hers is called "Essential Somatic Movement". I don't trust everyone's somatics. There are others on YT whose Somatics may not align with the practices of a trained professional. Here are a few off the top of my head that comes recommended: Martha Peterson, Learning Somatics (Colin), Somatics Movement Center, and Eric Cooper You can find all of them on YouTube as well as connection to their personal websites.

I have the tight muscles also. If I build up slowly the muscles don't seem to get as tight but anytime I do too much exercise out of the ordinary they tighten up. Then massage and/or time get them to relax. Thanks for the tip about somatic movement. Sometimes I go dancing and I find that to be beneficial.

Try Theraworx, it contains Magnesium Sulfate. After you shake it, push the plunger for the foam, rub it on your muscles. It takes effect within a minute. It has stopped all my leg cramps at night. It seems to relax the muscle tightness.

Thanks. I will try that. I do put epsom salts in the bath sometimes and also take mag O2 every day which helps the digestion. I also think that curing leaky gut is helpful. I started taking L-glutamine powder in water daily. I have also bought with a mixture of helpful herbs for the gut plus L-glutamine called Leaky Gut Health by Emerald at my local health food store. It helps my gut heal and feel better.

I also have gut problems. I know I have inflammation problems. They tried to label me with interstitial cystitis (cure unknown) but I know it is just my old friend inflammation. I have been taking Boswellia and even better, Tart Cherry Juice which I think has helped greatly. You must always be careful of "other Ingredients" they are sneaking into the pills. Stay away from these because you may overdose while taking other things that increase these items. I was drinking the tart cherry juice but now have gone to the ZaZee Organic Tart Cherry pills. It is less trouble than drinking the juice (and calories if you add sugar). There are 2 types of the ZaZee. The non-organic has the magnesium (mag has many forms) and it is the type that cause bowel problems. The organic is more expensive and less pills per bottle but I think it is well worth it. I am really happy with these pills.

I just looked up Mag 02 and it states "Mag 02 products offer colon cleanses" which means running to the bathroom more often. I would always recommend looking up all positive and negative results of taking any particular product so you are not making a situation unknowingly worse. We are all individual and unique in how a product will help or hinder. It is just best to know all about these substances. Hope the Theraworx helps.

I was given Mag 02 by my nutritionist. Always start with less of anything because yes the Mag O2 can cause you to go number 2 more often like a cleanse. I had a lot of problem with constipation so it was very helpful. I take 2 per day. One AM and one PM. However, sometimes I only need take one per day depending on how often I go. Some people may need 3 or 4 a day. I was taking a different brand that my doctor recommended but it wasn't as effective. Many of us are deficient in Magnesium. In my case, the Lyme had depleted the magnesium stores in my body. I have a girlfriend who also had constipation issues and her doctors only recommended extra fiber which wasn't helping. Eventually they recommended magnesium and she is a lot better but it took years before they recommended it and she suffered needlessly. I don't know where I would be without the magnesium supplement. Although I can say I am healing my body cause I don't need as much as I did before. Are you saying Tart Cherry Juice helps with gut issues and also Boswellia? What type of gut issues? I have bloating and gas and constipation mostly. I try not to overeat and stick to a fairly clean diet of whole and unprocessed foods. That seems to help.

It sounds like Mag 02 is good for you. Something like prunes (good source of fiber), would also be helpful. If you pour boiling water over them and put them in the frig over night, they will plump back up into plum size. They are sweet, natural and effective. A nice fresh ripe plumb, will do the same. For the fiber in the diet, remember your vegetables for a daily intake. Peas, Brussel Sprouts, Cabbage, Broccoli, Collard Greens, beans, and many others. Fresh is best. Also high-fiber fruits taken daily. Drink plenty of water.
Glad you are not taking the processed food which is defined by Webmd, as “Processed foods refer to any food that’s changed from its natural state. This can include food that was simply cut, washed, heated, pasteurized, canned, cooked, frozen, dried, dehydrated, mixed, or packaged. It also can include food that has added preservatives, nutrients, flavors, salts, sugars, or fats”. I would think it is hard to bypass the washing (for food safety) and cutting, this is just the definition. Stay away from microwaved food.
You might want to keep a “Food Diary” for a few days, to see what you are actually feeding your body and the results. Note how you feel in relation to what you eat. If you have been on antibiotics for any period of time, you may have lost the good “gut” bacteria or living microorganisms that you need for health. Also drink the recommended 15.5 cups a day for men (less for women). That means “water” not just “wet” drinks that would have water as a base.
Sorry to have misled about the Tart Cherry Juice and Boswellia. I was off into orbit with my focus on inflammation, which is something I am constantly fighting in the variety of problems due to the Fibromyalgia. These 2 items are helpful if you have inflammation in the gut (or elsewhere) but, inflammatory conditions would probably result in diarrhea for that part of the body affected. Always read up on anything you put into your mouth when you suspect an “intake to body” relationship.

LDN helped for a while and then the pain came back. I added acupuncture and CBD oil (titrating up to a dosage that worked) and my pain level went from a 7-8 to a 2. I am also doing pilates based physical therapy which is very helpful. My ME/CFS doctor suggested this rather than the anti depressant/ gabapendim route because her patients seemed to respond better with these. Hope this helps.

Hi!
My doctor told me the same thing, not to do yoga since I have EDS hypermobility type. I found going to get a massage makes things worse for me the next day. I can't take Cymbalta or Lyrica or Gabapentin, however I am on Savella now and it works great for my pain and brain fog!