Learning to Live with Pain – Being Proactive (Part 2)

By wendy, on May 7th, 2010%

In my Sunday post, I promised you complementary/alternative methods you can try for pain and stress control/reduction, so here we go. These methods apply in all of the 4Ps, although they apply in different ways in different stages. Continue reading Learning to Live with Pain – Being Proactive (Part 2) »

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EFT and Tapping for Fibromyalgia – Do They Work?

By wendy, on May 6th, 2010%

EFT
Does it work? Yes, and no . . . Like anything else, EFT (Emotional Freedom Techniques) has its benefits, but it is definitely not going to make your fibro go away completely. It does, however, help my symptoms and make my fibro easier to live with, so I’ve added it to the resources I use to help me cope. (Is this purely a placebo effect? I don’t really care. If I feel better, or have less pain, it’s worked for me, and I’m happy with that no matter what the mechanism is.)

I downloaded the free EFT manual from http://www.emofree.com and read the information provided, memorizing the steps needed to perform a treatment. The first symptom I tried it on was a migraine, and it worked pretty well. The first treatment eased the pain, Continue reading EFT and Tapping for Fibromyalgia – Do They Work? »

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Learning to Live with Pain – Being Proactive

By wendy, on May 2nd, 2010%

Out of suffering have emerged the strongest souls; the most massive characters are seared with scars.
Kahlil Gibran

Have you ever watched the Discovery Channel show “Mythbusters”? They do some really interesting stuff on there, and this past Wednesday (April 28th,) they tackled a pair of “myths” about pain:

  • Women have a higher pain tolerance than men. and
  • Cursing increases pain tolerance

It was pretty interesting. They set up a bowl of ice water that was kept at just above freezing (1 degree Celcius) and attached to a timer. They then tested an equal number of men and women, seeing how long each person could keep their hand submerged. The subjects were not told that the men and women were competing, and for the first test, they were not permitted to curse while their hand was submerged. Continue reading Learning to Live with Pain – Being Proactive »

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Does Using a TENS Unit Ease Fibromyalgia Pain?

By wendy, on April 25th, 2010%

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SmfxlTXF73w&feature=player_embedded]

A few years ago, my rheumatologist suggested that I try a TENS (Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulator) for my fibromyalgia pain. She gave me a prescription (be sure to make a copy of the prescription to keep in the case with your TENS in case you need to travel with it,) and I jumped through all the insurance hoops, picking up my TENS unit a few weeks later.

I visited a physical therapist to learn how to use it, and started taking it to work with me every day. I used it constantly for a while, Continue reading Does Using a TENS Unit Ease Fibromyalgia Pain? »

pixel Does Using a TENS Unit Ease Fibromyalgia Pain?
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