By Dr. Josh Redd, Chiropractic Physician, RedRiver Health and Wellness Center
All too often, fibromyalgia is used as a catch-all diagnosis for chronic symptoms that your doctor does not have the time or expertise to figure out.
If you’ve been told that you have fibromyalgia, have your doctor check for the following conditions that mimic fibromyalgia:
- Hashimoto’s low thyroid
- Lupus
- Rheumatoid arthritis
- Neurological autoimmunity
- Interstitial cystitis
- Ankylosing spondylitis
- Polymyalgia rheumatica
- Chronic viral infections
- Bacterial infections
- Musculoskeletal trauma
- Neurological trauma
- Intestinal permeability (“leaky gut”)
- Dysbiosis (too much bad gut bacteria)
- Chronic stress causing sympathetic dominance
- Lyme disease
- Food and chemical intolerances
Women are twice as likely to have fibromyalgia than men.
Symptoms of fibromyalgia include fatigue, lack of energy, trouble sleeping, depression, anxiety, memory problems, headaches, and muscle and joint pain.
Many autoimmune and inflammatory conditions are diagnosed as fibromyalgia because autoimmunity is little understood in the medical field until it’s in acute end stages requiring pharmaceutical use or surgery. However, autoimmunity can cause tissue damage and ever worsening symptoms over many years prior.
As a result, patients never receive the proper help and treatment to alleviate their symptoms.
Dig deeper. Be informed. Be empowered and don’t settle for a “trash can” diagnosis. Once the true underlying mechanism is found, a better strategy for optimal health can be made.
To learn more about our services and to schedule a free consultation, please visit redriverhealthandwellness.com. We work with your prescribing physician for optimal results. Do not discontinue medication or hormone replacement therapy without consulting your prescribing physician.