5 Ways to Relieve Fibromyalgia Pain with Diet

It's well known that what affects Fibromyalgia in one person, may not affect someone else.  But some things seem to be fairly consistent in this disease we know so little about.

I have always believed in diet having a massive and defining influence on how we are and who we are, and am always reading anything I can find on the matter.  So it's no surprise that I have been researching online for articles about Fibromyalgia and diet.

After reading a few articles some things seem to be consistent.  The main one, bin my mind, is that prevention is better than cure.

Now, I know we can't, as yet, cure Fibromyalgia, but we can try and prevent some of the effects it has on us.  An obvious way to do this is to exclude foods from our diets that irritate the FM, and to include foods that alleviate symptoms and ones that help the central nervous system in some way.

We can't prevent our Fibromyalgia, but we can sometimes prevent the worst of it's symptoms.

1.  Caffeine 

Caffeine is a stimulant, and one of the most devastating effects of Fibromyalgia is broken sleep at night.  So why would you stimulate your mind and body when you are trying to relax it and sleep ?

If you can't stop caffeine completely, then at least have a cut off time after which you consume no coffee, tea, hot chocolate or even a choccy bar !

DON'T consume anything containing caffeine after 6pm.  And if you can, cut out all food and drinks containing caffeine completely.

2.  Food Additives

We all know that one of the main aspects of Fibromyalgia is having a heightened sensitivity to pain, with the slightest touch being excruciating at times.  Also, it's well known that certain food additives have long been known to cause hyperactivity in children.  My own daughter back in the 80s, was hugely affected by artificial colours added to food, as well as some other food additives.

What many people don't realise is that artificial additives can also affect adults and their pain l, and in very unpleasant ways.

In relation to Fibromyalgia, there are some additives which are known to increase the pain.  These include MSG (monosodium glutamate) and Aspartame (artificial sweetener).  These additives can act as excitotoxin molecules, a group of chemicals that can activate the neurons that increase your sensitivity to pain. Therefore it follows that you could decrease your pain by avoiding MSG and aspartame.

Why not make a food diary, and note when you eat Chinese take away, or drink fizzy drinks, especially diet drinks (soda pop).  Nowadays aspartame is in many things, not just diet products.  It is in almost ALL cold drinks such as squash, cordials, soda and fizzy drinks in cans and bottles.  It's now cheaper than sugar, so is used all over the place.  Become addicted to reading food labels !

DON'T eat MSG or aspartame.

3.  Fruit & Vegetables

Almost all fruit and vegetables contain antioxidants, such as vitamins A, C and E.  Antioxidants help keep you healthy by fighting the free radicals which damage your bodies cells.  The process where free radicals attack the bodies cells and damage them, because you aren't producing enough antioxidants, is called Oxidative Stress.

Oxidative Stress is believed by some researchers to be the cause of our Fibro symptoms.

Eat a good variety of fresh fruit and veg.  Organic is best obviously, as that means you avoid all the damaging chemicals, but price often is a barrier to buying organic food.  Raw fruit and veg is best, but gently steamed is fine too. Don't boil veggies, as much of the goodness leaches into the cooking water.

There are a few studies that show a raw, vegan diet can help Fibromyalgia, but that is pretty extreme and not for the feint of heart !

If you want to eat meat, then only consume free-range outdoor grass fed meat.  Beef is good because it contains a good source of iron and B12.  Iron and B12 are both important in helping your pain-processing nervous system work properly.  Bear in mind that in Ireland, all pork and chicken is battery farmed, indoors in tiny pens - no grass, no real food. Lamb is outdoor here, as is beef.  So always look for the Free Range label on chicken and pork/bacon products.

4.  Vitamin D

Vitamin D, the sunshine vitamin, is vital to all humans, but most do not get enough with our modern lifestyles.

It has been shown that it is almost always especially deficient in Fibromyalgia sufferers.  What is interesting maybe, is that the symptoms of a lack of vitamin D mimic some of the symptoms of Fibromyalgia.  It causes muscle and bone pain among other things.

Spend as much time as you can outdoors, and uncover some of that skin so that your body can naturally gather the vitamin D it needs.  In the winter you will probably need a good vit D supplement.

5.  Fish

What are known as the 'oily fish', contain good amounts of omega 3 fatty acids.  Omega 3 fatty acids are know to reduce inflammation, morning stiffness, tender joints and reduce soreness generally.

Many Fibromyalgia sufferers also have Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA), or Irritable Bowl Syndrome (IBS), and the qualities of omega 3 fatty acids also apply to those illnesses too.

Eat plenty of salmon, mackerel, sardines, walnuts and flax seeds, as all of these contain high amounts of omega 3 fatty acids.

An Introduction To Me

I have had RA since I was 2 (Stills Disease). You would think that I would be used to it, and in some ways I am. However, it partially went away from about age 10 to my mid 30s and then re-appeared, slowly, insidiously and bit by bit eating into how I led my life.

It is now, as a 48 year old woman, that total acceptance is impossible. If I totally accept it then I am letting it have its wicked way. And as long as I fight it, it will never win. I feel very strongly about this, as positive thought begets positive action.

RA is an auto immune disease. This is where the body’s auto immune system attacks the body’s own tissues, in the case of RA primarily the joints and the tissues surrounding them, and in some cases other organs of the body.

Your immune system normally hunts down and then kills off all invaders in your body, such as infections and such. With an auto immune disease such as RA, it also attacks healthy tissue, creating the well known inflammation associated with RA.

In my mind Rheumatoid Arthritis should not have the word ‘arthritis’ in its name. It is a systemic illness involving other parts of the body, as well as the joints. In some quarters it is known as Rheumatoid Disease, and personally I prefer this. But that’s just me being awkward!

How it affects me

I have pain in almost all my joints, some a lot more severe that others, and to varying degrees. Sometimes certain joints are worse, and then another time it will be different joints that cause me the most annoyance.

I have pain in every muscle in my body. I literally hurt all over. They are also all ‘stiff’, and at its worse, it’s as if I have semi cramp all over. I assume this is caused by inflammation.

I don’t have the strength in my muscles I once had (and no it’s not old age!)

The constant severe inflammation in my wrists appears to have caused carpel tunnel syndrome in both hands.

Practically it means I can’t turn taps off properly. I have to lift a kettle or saucepan with 2 hands as I am liable to drop it (I don’t always have as tight a grip as my brain tells me that I do). I have to use my upper arms and shoulders to lift myself out of a bath (extremely painful as the RA is in them too of course). I can’t kneel down at all as the pain is unbearable. Stairs are a pain in the neck (and the knees and the rest of the body) as on a bad day I have to drag myself up via the banister. I have to lift myself off of and out of chairs, which is very painful. I can’t start my petrol lawnmower, chainsaw, brush-cutter etc anymore, (I have had to buy namby pamby electric or battery versions). I am often exhausted just sweeping one room, and then of course bending to use the dustpan and brush is extremely painful (which means I use avoidance and the house is not always as spick and span as it should be). And as for dating… what guy wants to date a woman who can barely do steps or stairs and who has to lift herself out of a chair in a restaurant !

Having said that, to the best of my ability I do not let it stop me doing anything. And I never will.


Additional Info - In early 2010 I was also diagnosed with Fibromyalgia, which explained a lot of the strange things I had been complaining of.  It was also confirmed that I had some damage from Osteoarthritis, probably due to damage as a child, and the joints not wearing normally as an adult.