10 million people in the United States suffer from Fibromyalgia. It can be as disabling as MS, Lupus, Rheumatoid Arthritis, and other similar, chronic conditions. People of every age, gender, and ethnicity can have it. It’s most prevalent in people aged 25-54. Women are affected at 4 times the rate of men.
The term “Fibromyalgia” is derived from the Greek, “algia,” meaning pain, and “myo,” which refers to muscle. The Latin word, “fibro” means connective tissues.
In 1987, the AMA recognized Fibromyalgia as an illness and a major cause of disability. The American College of Rheumatology, the World Health Organization, and the National Institutes of Health have also all accepted Fibromyalgia as a legitimate clinical entity.
Fibromyalgia is a Syndrome
Fibromyalgia is not a disease per se. It is instead a syndrome with many causes. These come together and create a “perfect storm” that manifests into Fibromyalgia symptoms. It’s characterized by ongoing widespread pain and “tender points.” Fibro also affects the cognitive ability and abnormal pain processing by the brain. Sleep disruption, extreme fatigue, and depression are symptoms as well. Symptoms may be better or worse on any given day and can be debilitating. They can also interfere with daily activities and quality of life.
Contributors to the “storm” of Fibromyalgia can include:
- Hypothalamic suppression
- Severe dysfunction in the mitochondria
- Overwhelmed immune system
- Increased life stresses
- Adrenal insufficiency
- Low thyroid hormones
- Hashimoto’s Disease
- Imbalances in the sex hormones
- Candida/yeast infections
- Severe gut infections
- Other viral and bacterial infections such as EBV (Epstein-Barr), CMV, and some of the Human Herpes viruses
- Vitamin deficiencies
- Lack of exercise
Studies show that there is a high prevalence of Fibro symptoms in patients with hypothalamic and pituitary disorders. Research also indicates that patients who have mitochondrial myopathy present with Fibromyalgia symptoms.
Think of Fibromyalgia as an “energy crisis” disorder. Low energy production at the cellular level leads to decreased energy reaching the muscle tissues. For example, think of someone who has Writer’s Cramp. The muscles in the fingers seize up and hurt to the point that they are unusable. Yet if you straighten them out quickly, it hurts much worse. As energy begins to flow back into the fingers, they relax and stop hurting. Now imagine this happening to all the muscles in your body. That’s painful!
Symptoms of Fibromyalgia
For some, Fibromyalgia symptoms begin gradually and worsen over time. For others, it starts abruptly, often with devastating pain symptoms that won’t go away. Fibromyalgia is an autoimmune illness. It’s common to have other autoimmune conditions, which can make symptoms worse.
Fibromyalgia can occur gradually from dysfunction caused by many factors. These include hormonal deficiencies, sleep deprivation, and a weakened immune system. This can open the door to an array of opportunistic infections. It can also come on suddenly due to infection or injury. Emotional or physical trauma, exposure to toxins, and even pregnancy can also contribute.
For some, Fibromyalgia symptoms begin gradually and worsen over time. For others, it starts abruptly, often with devastating pain symptoms that just won’t go away. Because Fibromyalgia is an autoimmune illness, it’s common for a patient to also have other autoimmune conditions going on, which can make symptoms worse.
Fibromyalgia’s most persistent symptom usually becomes extreme, unrelenting muscular pain. And despite feeling exhausted, most people have difficulties sleeping. Decreased cognitive ability, including short-term memory problems and the ability to multitask, is also a concern.
Other Common Symptoms Include:
- Decreased ability to perform work, social, and personal activities due to greatly impaired quality of life.
- Difficulty with concentration secondary to irritability and distraction from pain.
- Overall achiness.
- Easily exhausted, even from everyday routine activities.
- Unexplained extreme fatigue.
- Severe headaches.
- Joint pain unrelated to injury or trauma, without swelling or redness.
- Muscle stiffness.
- Unrefreshing sleep.
- Increased thirst, chronically dehydrated.
- Frequent infections.
- Increased allergies and sensitivities.
- Anxiety and/or depression.
- Weight gain.
- Decreased libido.
- Blurred vision.
- Dry eyes and dry membranes in the nose and/or mouth.
- Painful menstrual periods.
- Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)
- Recurrent infections – bladder, urinary tract, eyes, etc.
- Dry, itchy skin or rash.
Fibromyalgia can get better, but it can also flare up. A “flare” is a term that refers to the various symptoms getting much worse for days on end. up A flare usually follows a period of stress, either emotionally or physically. Triggers include several nights of poor sleep, traveling, and over-exertion. Working long hours, and an increase in sugar, caffeine, or alcohol intake can also contribute. Known or unknown infections can also get worse which can cause a flare.
There are often other issues that occur alongside Fibromyalgia that can include:
- Sleep apnea
- Restless leg syndrome
- Hypothyroidism
- Imbalanced hormones
- Adrenal insufficiency
- Candida (yeast) infections
- Other autoimmune problems
- Leaky gut syndrome
- Vitamin deficiencies
Most patients have a unique combination of these symptoms, which can significantly diminish the quality of life, and in severe cases, can inhibit a person from being able to carry out basic, daily life functions.
Fibromyalgia is Real and You Are Not Crazy!
Fibromyalgia is an invisible illness, that unfortunately, can have stigmas associated with it. Friends, coworkers, and the like may not understand how debilitating Fibromyalgia can be. This further contributes to feelings of loneliness and ostracization.
Many sufferers feel isolated and alone in their quest to feel better. The “mainstream” medical profession doesn’t do much to help with that. A lot of providers tell their patients that they’re depressed, or that it’s all in their heads. It’s common as well for doctors to prescribe antidepressants.
Other providers prescribe opioid pain medications or are told to take O-T-C pain medications. While these might alleviate pain short term, they can have severe side effects. They can also make the situation worse long term.
This mindset does nothing to help the millions of people suffering from Fibromyalgia. Many patients we see are frustrated with this type of treatment. Ane, they are desperate to get their lives back. We want to assure you that we understand your illness and know how to treat it properly.
Renewed Vitality Can Help
Our providers understand that Fibromyalgia is a real medical condition. Its effects can be debilitating to our patients’ lives. We use both natural and standard treatment protocols. These are 10-20 years ahead of what most doctors use. And most of our patients show remarkable results! 85 – 90 % of our patients are able to regain their health and take their lives back in 8-12 months. We are very proud of this success rate and are passionate about helping our patients heal.
Fibromyalgia IS treatable even for those who have been ill for years. It requires the proper evaluation specific to your condition. Once we know the causes we can individualize a treatment protocol for you.
How is Fibromyalgia Diagnosed?
Currently, there are no lab tests that directly identify Fibromyalgia Syndrome. There are some methods that are currently being studied. If you’ve been having symptoms for more than 3-months and no one has been able to find a cause, chances are high that you have Fibro.
The common methods of diagnosing Fibromyalgia include a thorough history and physical examination. This detailed history provides us with clues to consider. We evaluate those and make treatment decisions based on your unique symptoms.
Fibromyalgia is in essence, an “energy crisis.” It’s important to perform key lab testing to determine causation. At Renewed Vitality, we look for the unique CAUSES of YOUR Fibromyalgia. We treat your illness at its root causes versus only prescribing medications.
Our testing is in-depth and can include:
- Performing 20-30 different blood tests that allow us to see the “big picture” of your illness. This includes the immune and metabolic systems.
- Looking at other hormone levels which include HGH or human growth hormone. We also test ALL aspects of the thyroid hormone. Adrenal health and pituitary gland function are also evaluated.
- We also test for chronic infections. These can be viral, bacterial, or fungal. You may not even be aware that you have them. But, these can severely impact your immune system.
Please watch the video below for more information on the detailed testing that we do.
Treatment Protocol
The cornerstone of Fibro treatment is understanding where it comes from. Its main cause is hypothalamic suppression. The hypothalamic gland controls most of your body’s glands. When it becomes weakened, a cascade of negative effects can result.
When the hypothalamus is weakened, Fibromyalgia rears its ugly head. This can result from long-term stress and short-term, extreme stress. Other variables include deficient diet and exposure to toxins.
The stressors show up as low thyroid, adrenal exhaustion, and chronic infections. in the cellular power plants of the body, the mitochondria become dysfunctional. This makes it almost impossible to recover without a targeted treatment program.
We use a methodical, 6-step process to treat Fibromyalgia:
- Address pain and sleep disturbances.
- Rejuvenate mitochondria and increase energy production.
- Balance hormones.
- Treat the immunity factor.
- Explore unique causes and infections.
- Maintenance.
For more detailed information about Fibromyalgia treatment protocol at Renewed Vitality in Dallas, click here.
About Dr. Spurlock
Wm. Marcus Spurlock, MD is a Board Certified Family Physician. He has 35 years of experience and expertise in viral diseases as well as Anti-Aging medicine. He has been a member of the American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine for over a decade. Dr. Spurlock works diligently with his patients to prevent illness.
Dr. Spurlock is knowledgeable and experienced. He has a passion for finding solutions to environmental and age-related illnesses. He brings a variety of cutting-edge professional services to Renewed Vitality. This makes it the best choice for patients searching to improve their quality of life.
His résumé includes 20+ years of experience with Bioidentical Hormone Replacement and Integrative Medicine.
Dr. Spurlock’s specialties include the treatment of Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. He also specializes in thyroid disorders and chronic viral syndromes.
Dr. Spurlock is a fellow of the American Academy of Family Physicians. He is also a member of the American Academy of Environmental Medicine and the American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine. For more details on Dr. Spurlock’s education and career, click here.
Suzanne Bartek, APRN-CNP
Suzanne Bartek specializes in adult and gerontology health. Her areas of focus are based on the functional medicine approach of identifying and addressing the root cause of disease through assessments, lab work, and genetics.
Suzanne earned an undergraduate degree from Texas A&M and a Nurse Practitioner degree from Texas Woman’s University. Her nursing career includes caring for our veterans at the Dallas VA Hospital and practicing preventative medicine at several wellness clinics in Dallas, Plano, and Frisco. She has experience with optimizing patient health, increasing energy levels, alleviating hormonal symptoms, diet, and weight loss.
While striving for a trusting and collaborative relationship, Suzanne’s goal is to listen to the patient, understand that they are unique, and treat them using evidence-based practice solutions. She has been very successful in helping clients reach their goals. She is proud to be a part of many client success stories.
Her clinical interests include disease prevention, supplementation, and optimizing health. She has memberships and regularly attends continuing education courses with NTNP (North Texas Nurse Practitioners), TNP (Texas Nurse Practitioners), AMMG (Age Management Medicine Group), and A4M (Age Management Medicine Group).
Suzanne has lived most of her life in Dallas. She spent time in Salt Lake City and Northern California but eventually returned home to Texas. Her many interests include enjoying family, friends, sports, exercise, music, and travel.
Free Phone Consultation with our New Patient Coordinator
Renewed Vitality is a place of hope. Our knowledgeable providers are experts in their field and take the time to find the underlying causes of hormonal imbalances and illness. We will work with you using proven, scientific-based technology, in a warm and compassionate environment, to help you restore your health so that you can live a life of vitality and wellness.
Please contact our New Patient Coordinator for your Free Phone Consultation. She can answer any questions or concerns that you may have and give you additional information about our providers, our protocols and fees, what is covered by insurance and what is not and any other details you may need. She can also get you booked for your first appointments, if you decide we are a good fit for you. There are no obligations to book an appointment.
Please call 214-740-4703 to learn more, or complete the form below, and we will contact you. We would love to hear from you!