Mixed Feelings About National Fibromyalgia Awareness Day

is Today.

I have mixed feelings about it. The information trumpeted out is helpful, the awareness and support is undeniably fantastic and much, much needed,… but it’s not the full picture as it’s skewed towards western (allopathic) medicine.

If 5% of my healing was thanks to western medicine, 95% of my healing was thanks to “alternative” medicine (with is not my “alternative” – it’s my default when it comes to my chronic conditions).

These include:

– Naturopathic medicine, including pharmaceutical-grade supplements to rebuild my deficiencies, get rid of my antibiotic-induced gallstones without surgery, plus oral chelation for heavy metals, and homeopathy for a host of other things

– Acupuncture and other traditional chinese medicine branches, such as QiGong

– Ayurvedic practices

– Chiropractic, specifically the biogeometric integration method

– Massage therapy

– Guided imagery and meditation

– Infrared sauna therapy

and, of course, Nutrition. Always nutrition.

I’ll plan on writing more about each of these modalities separately as this post would be too long if I try to do any of these any justice, but until then:

For a great deal of information about National Fibromyalgia Awareness Day, visit the National Fibromyalgia Association’s webpage here:
http://www.fmaware.org/site/PageServer?pagename=community_awarenessDay

It’s important to know that while western medicine states that the causes of fibromyalgia “still remain a mystery,” (see website above) it’s not such a mystery if you seek knowledgable sources and find the right fit with practitioners such as a Naturopathic Doctor or Functional Medicine Practitioner (MD with additional training). I am walking, talking proof of that. THAT is what frustrates me. And I can do something about it, so I will, here on this blog, one post at a time, in my capacity as a Health Counselor, Nutrition Educator, and Fibromyalgia + thriver.