Fibromyalgia is one of those diseases that is becoming fairly common. Two people with the disease can present very differently. Some have fixed pain all the time in certain areas. Others find that their pain moves from place to place.

Acupuncture and acupressure can be very effective in treating fibromyalgia. I prefer acupuncture because that’s my main training. I do have a few fibro patients who benefit more from the acupressure. I find that those who are particularly nervous about treatments and those who are typically the people who benefit the most from acupressure.

Fibromyalgia isn’t a disease that comes on quickly. It won’t leave quickly either. I see a lot of my fibromyalgia patients for long periods of time. However, many of them come in for acupuncture maintenance, so although I might have seen them for three years, I might only see them once a month or once every two to three months. They’ll come in more frequently when they have a crash.

I talk to each patient to find out what their optimal quality of life is. Is it being completely pain free? Is it just being rested enough to have more good days than bad? There is no right answer. I treat until people get what they are hoping to get from acupuncture on a practical level. I say that with the caveat that the farther someone is from health coming in for their first treatment, the more treatments they’ll need to feel better. We work from there.

I have one fibromyalgia patient who hadn’t skied in ten years who skied last winter. She continues to see me about once a month to once every six weeks. She usually has a crash about September and we treat weekly for a three or four weeks until she feels better again. Then she’s able to pick up her more normal life, which I get to hear about the next month!

The challenge for me with fibromyalgia patients is that many are very sensitive to needles, but I tend to find lots of points that I would like to do. It’s always a puzzle of what three to six points are most important today–which will help the most today AND keep us on track for long term healing. Fortunately, I’ve always loved puzzles.

You can read more about acupuncture and fibromyalgia here. A Mayo Clinic Study can be found here. Acupuncture Today has an article here.