FibroSmart, MD

The 4 basic steps for a lifestyle medicine plan to treat your fibromyalgia are 1. Take stock of where you are. 2. Deciding how to choose what intervention you're going to do! 3. Choosing and implementing an intervention and 4. Reassess. Come visit me at FibroSmartMD.com or on Facebook or MeWe. Send me an email to tell me how it's going or ask a question - my email's on the website. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If you live in Wisconsin or Minnesota and have fibromyalgia, and you're interested in a physician who will take your fibromyalgia seriously and walk you through the natural treatments which are based on evidence from the published medical literature, please consider making an appointment with me at FibroSmartMD.com. If financial considerations have kept you from making an appointment in the past, please consider making an appointment anyway! Following in the path of many Christian physicians, I am making appointments available for much less than the usual price. Everything is exactly the same as the regular visits, and you don't have to prove financial hardship or discuss it with me at all. I get it - fibro makes it hard to work, it makes it hard to save money, and it makes it hard to work your plans, too. Just come talk to me. A lot of these lifestyle treatments are very inexpensive and more powerful than the expensive medications you may have tried. I'll help you pick interventions based on your goals and preferences and I'll be there for support, redirections, or additional treatments as needed. Make an appointment at FibroSmartMD.com. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I recently wrote about fibromyalgia going into remission as part of the FibroSmartMD.com website update. I thought I would share that with you on this podcast episode. Now, going into remission is not something that can happen for most people with fibromyalgia, but the factors I discuss in today's episode are also common among people who don't really go into remission, but "just" get a whole lot better from their fibro. I also discuss a few of the basics about FibroSmart, MD. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Due to privacy concerns on Facebook, I am adding MeWe to my social media sites. As more and more people are leaving Facebook, I would like to be sure that I am able to connect with people who want to get the information I have for you all! MeWe is supposed to be more privacy-focused; if you are interested in following me there, I'm at FibroSmartMD. I think. I think I'm supposed to be paying for a business site, but I can't figure out how! As always, come visit me at fibrosmartmd.com and click on Contacts to set up an appointment if you live in Wisconsin or Minnesota. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

While not directly from the world of lifestyle medicine, green light therapy for fibromyalgia is a cutting-edge, (i.e. not-yet-proven) treatment that had a promising initial trial, and is apparently low-risk and low-cost. It decreased FIQ scores from 72 to 43 in the initial study. Here's a link to the study (unfortunately not available for free in full-text yet): https://doi.org/10.1093/pm/pnaa329 Come visit me at FibroSmartMD.com! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welcome to all the rambling I'm going to do for the entire season! In Season 4, I'll have some really great studies for you, looking at powerful, low-risk, scientifically-backed interventions for fibromyalgia. But today, I ramble. I apologize for the ending sounds getting cut off of some of the sections in this episode. I have contacted the company I use, Auxbus, to see if they can identify and fix this problem, but I am so happy to be back to podcasting that I just couldn't delay publishing this episode! Come visit me at FibroSmartMD.com, and you can also find me on Facebook at https://m.facebook.com/FibroSmartMD See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We're looking at a dietary recall study of women with fibromyalgia. The researchers looked at depression, mental health, and optimism and - spoiler alert! - fruits and vegetables were the big winners! You can read more about this study on my Facebook post here: https://www.facebook.com/FibroSmartMD/posts/204354657827481 Get a copy of this article for free here: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/310801538_Association_of_Dietary_Habits_with_Psychosocial_Outcomes_in_Women_with_Fibromyalgia_The_al-Andalus_Project Come on over to https://www.fibrosmartmd.com to contact me or make an appointment (on the contact page). You can send me an email, too. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We just had the American holiday of Thanksgiving - in its purest form, it's a day to be thankful and spend time with your family. That got me thinking - could thankfulness, or gratitude, influence fibromyalgia? Of course, the answer is yes! Well, it's yes, maybe. There is a study, which we look at in today's episode, that shows that low levels of gratitude mediate some of the lower quality of life experienced by fibromyalgia. This suggests, but absolutely does not prove, that increasing gratitude as an automatic response could possibly improve your quality of life. And why not give it a try? It's free and has no risk in and of itself. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Okay, so it was never a Star Wars planet, but it is from a long time ago! It's an ancient form of wheat, better known by the name Kamut. The study we're looking at today essentially gave people either Kamut-based wheat products or normal wheat-based products and looked to see if either group did better with their fibromyalgia. Listen to the podcast or read the article (https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Francesco_Sofi/publication/341879026_Effectiveness_of_a_Khorasan_Wheat-Based_Replacement_on_Pain_Symptoms_and_Quality_of_Life_in_Patients_with_Fibromyalgia/links/5ed7c1c692851c9c5e74f8ed/Effectiveness-of-a-Khorasan-Wheat-Based-Replacement-on-Pain-Symptoms-and-Quality-of-Life-in-Patients-with-Fibromyalgia.pdf) to find out! Come visit me at www.FibroSmartMD.com, or on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/FibroSmartMD See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I talked about the Tiny Habits audio book yesterday, and just coincidentally it turns out to be the deal of the day today on Amazon. It's about $4. Head on over there to check it out! You can always find me at https://www.FibroSmartMD.com - Make an appointment to meet with me to talk about Fibromyalgia if you live in Wisconsin or Minnesota. That information is on the contact page, along with my email. I am always glad to get an email, or of course you can talk to me on Facebook. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Behaviour change is necessary if you wish to incorporate lifestyle medicine as part of your fibromyalgia treatment program. But it's hard! This is just one teeny tiny look into a behaviour change philosophy. Tiny Habits by BJ Fogg is available at many retailers, and I have no financial connection to this whatsoever! https://www.tinyhabits.com/book On the menu you can also sign up for the free 5 day coaching program. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Coenzyme Q10 is an over-the-counter supplement that showed some fibro-busting qualities in today's study. Here's a full- text link: https://lm.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.researchgate.net%2Fpublication%2F235785751_Can_Coenzyme_Q_10_Improve_Clinical_and_Molecular_Parameters_in_Fibromyalgia%3Ffbclid%3DIwAR0wD1J6kSqhPsxGO7OAoxEA-At1TIBg_KUPNfG9qI--iJEic164niP_mcQ&h=AT2hc7xFWlCmp_3-cjdPca6Gumf-PTCOUuGem68M9mzxsaptgDJgOgpQddgzbw3rsmutMJtni7dnWd6nhQ2TTdhIdzmtt9hRjBMcB9TYKUC2uddygkaQoFJFDjUwJDW-UIpxCVuP5eQcyt-IxJCT5heBsuuoy6kMf0U Here's a link to my post on Facebook about it: https://m.facebook.com/FibroSmartMD/ And as always, you can find me at www.FibroSmartMD.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In today's podcast, I briefly summarize the article, "Breathing Exercises Must Be a Real and Effective Intervention to Consider in Women with Fibromyalgia: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial" - and I also talk about what a pilot study is, and why we shouldn't be looking to this article as strong evidence that the intervention tried in it works, but rather as a guide to future research. I also get all self-righteous in this episode and talk about how it can hurt people when we recommend an intervention that is unproven. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/324511214_Breathing_Exercises_Must_Be_a_Real_and_Effective_Intervention_to_Consider_in_Women_with_Fibromyalgia_A_Pilot_Randomized_Controlled_Trial Here's a link to the Facebook post I wrote about this article: https://www.facebook.com/FibroSmartMD/posts/185879986341615 I haven't updated www.FibroSmartMD.com in a while, but you can go there to email me, or set up an appointment with me for lifestyle medicine treatment of your fibromyalgia, if you live in Wisconsin or Minnesota. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If you're trying to treat your fibromyalgia with anything, you've probably noticed that sometimes it's hard to tell if your treatments are working. Using a questionnaire at intervals can really help you to get a handle on it. In today's episode we talk about how to choose questionnaires. As always, you can find me online at FibroSmartMD.com- visit there to make an appointment if you live in Wisconsin or Minnesota. You can connect with me on Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/FibroSmartMD/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Way back in season 2 when we looked at a mostly vegan mostly raw diet for fibromyalgia treatment, I bought a juicer. And have been juicing ever since! This is just a quick update on why and how. If you are interested in juicing and you have diabetes or are otherwise concerned about consuming sugars, please talk to your doctor before starting. Even though vegetable juice has a lot less sugar in it than most fruit juice, the sugars are not mixed with fiber as they are when you eat the whole vegetable. This can lead to blood sugar elevations in susceptible individuals. As always, if you live in Wisconsin or Minnesota and would like to see me to talk about lifestyle medicine treatments for fibromyalgia, head on over to FibroSmartMD.com. You can make an appointment on the contacts page. Also I am now using the Facebook page, so come on over and leave me a message at https://m.facebook.com/FibroSmartMD/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today we talk about repeating the test-treatment-test model in order to be more sure if you're actually seeing improvement from your fibromyalgia intervention. I'm on Facebook at https://m.facebook.com/FibroSmartMD/ and if you live in Wisconsin or Minnesota and would like to visit me on the online clinic, go to FibroSmartMD.com and click on the contact page . See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The test-treatment-test model could help you solve all sorts of problems in life. And in fibromyalgia, but we'll talk about that tomorrow. Come visit me at FibroSmartMD.com, where you can read some articles or book an appointment (if you live in Wisconsin or Minnesota). Or join me over at the newly-active FibroSmart MD Facebook page. https://m.facebook.com/FibroSmartMD/3 See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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On the science side of things, this article is a little bit disappointing. But for those that were not lost to follow up, the results were good. If you are interested in trying MoodGym, remember that, in their own words, "moodgym is like an interactive self-help book which helps you to learn and practise skills which can help to prevent and manage symptoms of depression and anxiety. " They also say, "The information provided throughout moodgym is intended for information and skill development purposes only. moodgym is not a substitute for seeking diagnosis and treatment from a qualified person. "Always consult a medical practitioner or mental health professional if you require a diagnosis or treatment for depression, anxiety or other mental disorders. One reason this is important is that depression is sometimes caused by physical illness or certain medications and a doctor can check these out. "Persons under age 18 with depressive symptoms should speak to their parents about seeking professional help for their depression." I wanted to echo these cautions. Obviously it's important to see your doctor if you think you may have depression or anxiety. If you feel suicidal, please call the suicide helpline if you are not getting the assistance you need other ways: 1-800-273-TALK (8255) You can download a copy of the article at: Come visit me at FibroSmartMD.com! You can make an appointment, send an email, or read a little more. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Would you do a do-it-on-your-own internet program to treat your fibro? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Questionnaires allow you to put a number on otherwise unmeasurable things, like quality of life. This gives you the opportunity to see more clearly if your interventions are working - so you can keep them up - or change them! Here is a link to the Revised Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire: http://www.fiqr.info/FIQR%20FORM.pdf And here are the instructions for scoring the Revised Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire: http://www.fiqr.info/Scoring.htm Here is a printable copy of the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index with the scoring system: https://www.opapc.com/uploads/documents/PSQI.pdf This article has the Insomnia Symptom Questionnaire at the very end of it, along with the scoring system: https://www.sleep.pitt.edu/wp-content/uploads/Study_Instruments_Measures/ISQ-article.pdf This article has a link to the IBS-QOL questionnaire at the end of the article, under the heading, “Supplementary Material”: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3895767/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

e have talked before about vitamin D levels and fibromyalgia. To summarize, if you're deficient in vitamin D it makes sense to get your vitamin D levels replaced, with your doctor. Two articles were released recently that talk about vitamin D and Covid. They came at the subject from 2 different directions and both suggest normalization of vitamin D levels can be an important way to decrease your risk of Covid-19 if you are deficient. https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2770157 https://elifesciences.org/articles/59177#bib50 See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This article has a link to the IBS-QOL questionnaire at the end of the article, under the heading, “Supplementary Material”: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3895767/ The study we have been looking at is, "The effect of dietary glutamate on fibromyalgia and irritable bowel symptoms": https://www.researchgate.net/publication/228329857_The_effect_of_dietary_glutamate_on_fibromyalgia_and_irritable_bowel_symptoms As always, if you'd like to talk about removing excitotoxins from your diet or other lifestyle changes to improve your fibromyalgia symptoms, and if you live in Wisconsin or Minnesota, you can make an appointment to see me virtually at FibroSmartMD.com - or you can send me an email; my email is on the website. Please join us next time as we continue our focus on science-based, evidence-based fibromyalgia treatments from the world of lifestyle medicine. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As it turns out, while I was recording the podcasts about glutamate and fibromyalgia from this study, the same research group published another article about the same diet improving pain and other symptoms of Gulf War illness! Here's the GWI article: https://academic.oup.com/cdn/article/4/Supplement_2/1211/5845071 Here's the article looking at glutamate and remission of fibromyalgia and irritable bowel syndrome: See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Russell L. Blaylock, MD, wrote a book in 1994: "Excitotoxins - the taste that kills." Today we're going to discuss it, because it is listed in the references section of our article - The study is, "The effect of dietary glutamate on fibromyalgia and irritable bowel symptoms": https://www.researchgate.net/publication/228329857_The_effect_of_dietary_glutamate_on_fibromyalgia_and_irritable_bowel_symptoms As always, if you'd like to talk about removing excitotoxins from your diet or other lifestyle changes to improve your fibromyalgia symptoms, and if you live in Wisconsin or Minnesota, you can make an appointment to see me at FibroSmartMD.com - or you can send me an email; my email is on the website. Please join us next time as we continue our focus on science-based, evidence-based fibromyalgia treatments from the world of lifestyle medicine. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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In today's episode I go into my kitchen thinking I'm going to have a hard time finding excitotoxins. You'll see how that turns out. This all comes from an article that showed that people improved when they removed excitotoxins from their diet, in terms of fibromyalgia and irritable bowel syndrome. Those symptoms came back when glutamate, an excitotoxin, was added back to the diet. The study is, "The effect of dietary glutamate on fibromyalgia and irritable bowel symptoms": https://www.researchgate.net/publication/228329857_The_effect_of_dietary_glutamate_on_fibromyalgia_and_irritable_bowel_symptoms As always, if you'd like to talk about removing excitotoxins from your diet or other lifestyle changes to improve your fibromyalgia symptoms, and if you live in Wisconsin or Minnesota, you can make an appointment to see me at FibroSmartMD.com - or you can send me an email; my email is on the website. Please join us next time as we continue our focus on science-based, evidence-based fibromyalgia treatments from the world of lifestyle medicine. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Fibromyalgia can be improved for many people by making a dietary change. In today's episode, we dig deeper into the article we are looking at in this series: "The effect of dietary glutamate on fibromyalgia and irritable bowel symptoms": https://www.researchgate.net/publication/228329857_The_effect_of_dietary_glutamate_on_fibromyalgia_and_irritable_bowel_symptoms As always, if you'd like to talk about removing excitotoxins from your diet or other lifestyle changes to improve your fibromyalgia symptoms, and if you live in Wisconsin or Minnesota, you can make an appointment to see me at FibroSmartMD.com - or you can send me an email; my email is on the website. Please join us next time as we continue our focus on science-based, evidence-based fibromyalgia treatments from the world of lifestyle medicine. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In today's episode, we take a look at one article that examines removing excitotoxins from the diet - and then putting them back in to see what happens. I think the best part of today's episode is where I list all the sources of excitotoxins that the study participants removed from their diet, because they are hidden in so many places that you might not expect. Here is a link to the article, "The effect of dietary glutamate on fibromyalgia and irritable bowel symptoms": https://www.researchgate.net/publication/228329857_The_effect_of_dietary_glutamate_on_fibromyalgia_and_irritable_bowel_symptoms As always, if you'd like to talk about removing excitotoxins from your diet or other lifestyle changes to improve your fibromyalgia symptoms, and if you live in Wisconsin or Minnesota, you can make an appointment to see me at FibroSmartMD.com - or you can send me an email; my email is on the website. Please join us next time as we continue our focus on science-based, evidence-based fibromyalgia treatments from the world of lifestyle medicine. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Join us this week as we talk about removing excitotoxins from the diet with this week's article! This is a very achievable intervention that helps a lot of people gain significant improvement in their fibromyalgia pain. Visit us at FibroSmartMD.com! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction is a class that teaches mindfulness techniques and meditation. But does it help fibromyalgia? It does - but not the way you might hope. It does not seem to help pain, but in this study it had lasting effects on stress, sleep, and symptom severity. A link to the article we discuss in this episode: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Lauren_Zimmaro/publication/268876252_Mindfulness_Meditation_Alleviates_Fibromyalgia_Symptoms_in_Women_Results_of_a_Randomized_Clinical_Trial/links/56ba462d08ae0a6bc955540e/Mindfulness-Meditation-Alleviates-Fibromyalgia-Symptoms-in-Women-Results-of-a-Randomized-Clinical-Trial.pdf Jon Kabat-Zin answering the question "What is mindfulness?" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xoLQ3qkh0w0 The article, "Is Mindfulness Safe?" https://www.mindful.org/is-mindfulness-safe/ The Vice article mentioned in the podcast: https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/vbaedd/meditation-is-a-powerful-mental-tool-and-for-some-it-goes-terribly-wrong "Complying with Religion Laws in Workplace Mindfulness Programs": https://www.mindfulleader.org/blog/27584-complying-with-religion-laws-in To summarize: MBSR may be helpful, but the study of mindfulness and meditation as a medical intervention is still in its infancy, even more than the rest of lifestyle medicine. We can expect more information on benefits and risks as time goes on. If you want to take advantage of this treatment, please see a psychiatrist or psychologist with an interest in mindfulness or meditation prior to beginning this treatment. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Fibromyalgia is associated with an increased risk of suicide and attempted suicide. If you are feeling suicidal, in the United States, you can call 1-800-273-TALK (8255) for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, text the Crisis Text Line (send HELLO to 741741) or read this article with some other ideas and people you can contact; it includes links for people outside of the United States, too. https://www.helpguide.org/articles/suicide-prevention/are-you-feeling-suicidal.htm If you have fibromyalgia, and this is contributing to suicidal feelings or desires, please know this: fibromyalgia does get better. It can get better for you. There are probably several evidence-based strategies you haven't tried, and there are people who can help you do them. If you are feeling suicidal, please reach out to someone, and keep reaching out until you get the help you need. You deserve it. We are better with you here. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Visit https://www.preventionofdisease.org/fri-lunch-satur-afternoon to register for a plant-based online conference - a crash course in plant based nutrition for people who are not medical professionals. It satrts today at 1:10 Eastern. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Come visit us at FibroSmartMD.com! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today I'm announcing a little change in the format of the FibroSmart, MD podcast... more episodes! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If you want to take a scientific approach to your fibromyalgia, you're going to want to think like a scientist and gather data. The SF-36 allows you to measure your quality of life, as it is related to your health. It is useful because it allows you to see how it changes over time, as you treat your fibromyalgia. Here are the two SF-36 calculators I mention in the podcast: The Ortho Toolkit has the beautiful website SF-36, but it "suggests" answers to you: https://www.orthotoolkit.com/sf-36/ The Rand 36 Calculator is more like the original form, but it doesn't suggest answers. https://rand36calculator.com/ If you want to do your own calculations, you can fill out the form here and then print it out: https://www.rand.org/health-care/surveys_tools/mos/36-item-short-form/survey-instrument.html ...and then you can score it with the instructions here: https://www.rand.org/health-care/surveys_tools/mos/36-item-short-form/scoring.html Whichever way you choose to go, be sure to save a copy of all of your answers and results. You'll want to refer back to it later on. Visit us at FibroSmartMD.com Download your own copy of the article we have been looking at: "Fibromyalgia syndrome improved using a mostly raw vegetarian diet: An observational study": https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC57816/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today July 11th and tomorrow July 12, 2020, we have free appointments available for anyone who is interested in seeing me for their fibromyalgia! I've cleared my whole schedule out this weekend, so if you are intrested in discussing lifestyle medicine interventions for your fibromyalgia, and if you live in Wisconsin or Minnesota, please come on over to https://fibrosmartmd.com/#contact and click on the "Request Appointment" link. Unfortunately I am only licensed to practice telemedicine in Wisconsin and Minnesota, so if you live in another state I cannot see you at this time. In this bonus content today, I tell you more about lifestyle medicine and very briefly discuss its utility for fibromyalgia. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Here is the book review of The Hallelujah Diet by George Malkmus, available at Amazon here: https://www.amazon.com/Hallelujah-Diet-Experience-Optimal-Health/dp/076842321X This diet was successfully used to help people with fibromyalgia get better in the article we're currently looking at: "Fibromyalgia syndrome improved using a mostly raw vegetarian diet: An observational study": https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC57816/ You can check out our website at FibroSmartMD.com! If you live in Wisconsin or Minnesota and are looking for help implementing lifestyle medicine solutions for your fibromyalgia, please make an appointment to see me online. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Juicing is a part of the diet studied in this week's article, which gave people big improvements in their fibromyalgia with a lifestyle intervention: a mostly raw, mostly vegan diet But is juicing really a good idea? Visit us at FibroSmartMD.com Download your own copy of the article we have been looking at this week: "Fibromyalgia syndrome improved using a mostly raw vegetarian diet: An observational study": https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC57816/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Science and Religion - will they blend? Will either of them help people with fibromyalgia? What are the problems with this study? Will Dr. Anne be really excited in today's episode? Here's a link to the study, "Fibromyalgia syndrome improved using a mostly raw vegetarian diet: An observational study": https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC57816/ Here is the FibroSmart MD website: https://FibemroSmartMD.com - head on over and drop me an email! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Here are the details of the diet used in the study that we discussed yesterday - this is the diet that caused powerful improvements in fibromyalgia symptoms! Here's a link to the study, "Fibromyalgia syndrome improved using a mostly raw vegetarian diet: An observational study": https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC57816/ Here is the FibroSmart MD website: https://FibroSmartMD.com - head on over and drop me an email! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A lot people feel like their diet must have something to do with their fibromyalgia. But actually getting meaningful relief from fibromyalgia with a diet seems like a long shot for people who have already tried a lot of things. In today's episode we'll look at a study that shows powerful dietary changes can lead to powerful improvements in fibromyalgia. Here's a link to today's article: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC57816/#!po=1.35135 Come visit mr at FibroSmartMD.com! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We have spent the last week talking about tai Chi as a treatment for a fibromyalgia. Explore another exercise option with me today. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It is amazing how many benefits tai chi can have for your health - not just your fibromyalgia. Here's a quick summary of the evidence based on a review article from 2016. Today's episode comes from this article from Canadian Family Physician. Do consider downloading the good-looking PDF of this excellent article, rather than just reading it on the webpage: https://www.cfp.ca/content/62/11/881.long Here's a link to the study: Effect of tai chi versus aerobic exercise for fibromyalgia: comparative effectiveness randomized controlled trial. https://www.bmj.com/content/360/bmj.k851 Please do come visit me on my website at FibroSmartMD.com. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Some people will find that they have a plethora of options for tai chi instructors and classes. Other people might not have any. Which options you choose will depend not only on what's available, but also on how much those options can be modified for your fibromyalgia situation. Please know that whatever method you choose to access tai chi instruction, it may be necessary to modify the tai chi movements to best fit your current situation. Here's a link to the study: Effect of tai chi versus aerobic exercise for fibromyalgia: comparative effectiveness randomized controlled trial. https://www.bmj.com/content/360/bmj.k851 Please do come visit me on my website at FibroSmartMD.com. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If you're into thinking about thinking, this is a good episode for you. A lot goes in to making any decision about fibromyalgia treatment, but the risk to benefit ratio is a commonly discussed method of evaluating a treatment in medicine. I think we can enhance the usefulness of this by adding in the cost. Here's a link to the study: Effect of tai chi versus aerobic exercise for fibromyalgia: comparative effectiveness randomized controlled trial. https://www.bmj.com/content/360/bmj.k851 Please do come visit me on my website at FibroSmartMD.com. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In the study we are looking at this week, Tai Chi was better than aerobics for improving fibromyalgia symptoms. Does this mean we need to get rid of aerobic exercise for fibromyalgia? On this website, the CDC discusses how to calculate your heart rate. https://www.cdc.gov/physicalactivity/basics/measuring/heartrate.htm If you take the results of this calculation, which is the number of beats per minute for different heart rate zones, and divide by 6, you will have the number of beats that you would expect to count within 10 seconds. That's more realistic for checking your heart rate while you are exercising. This site has the Borg Rating of Perceived Exertion Scale: https://www.healthlinkbc.ca/physical-activity/borg-rating-perceived-exertion-scale There are other ways to check your exercise intensity, also. Consider the "talk test" described here: https://www.cdc.gov/physicalactivity/basics/measuring/index.html Remember that they stayed at a maximum of moderate intensity for this study. Here's a link to the study: Effect of tai chi versus aerobic exercise for fibromyalgia: comparative effectiveness randomized controlled trial. https://www.bmj.com/content/360/bmj.k851 Finally, today's podcast also discusses the Revised Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire: http://www.fiqr.info/FIQR%20FORM.pdf And here are the instructions for scoring the Revised Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire: http://www.fiqr.info/Scoring.htm Please do come visit me on my website at FibroSmartMD.com. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The specific tai chi protocol used in the study we talked about yesterday seems to be unavailable. Can we find out enough about it to make it useful for people who want to use tai chi to treat fibromyalgia? Here's a link to the study: Effect of tai chi versus aerobic exercise for fibromyalgia: comparative effectiveness randomized controlled trial. https://www.bmj.com/content/360/bmj.k851 This article was written and published about this study before it was complete. Some information about the tai chi protocol is available here. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s13063-015-0548-x Please do come visit me on my website at FibroSmartMD.com. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If exercise is good for fibromyalgia, shouldn't you expect to get more out of faster exercise? Could something as slow as Tai Chi improve your fibromyalgia, or would it be just a New Age-style trick? Today we are going to look at a study that put it to the test. It's science versus fibromyalgia as we look at a study comparing tai chi to aerobic exercise. Here's a link to today's study. There is also a lovely graphic located on the website. It is visible as HTML and downloadable as a PDF file. "Effect of tai chi versus aerobic exercise for fibromyalgia: comparative effectiveness randomized controlled trial" https://www.bmj.com/content/360/bmj.k851 Please do come visit me on my website at FibroSmartMD.com. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today we're going to wrap up our discussion of the article "Behavioral Insomnia Therapy for Fibromyalgia Patients" by Edinger et al. This is a more personal episode, where I discuss some sleep tips and tricks that I have used personally, as well as some things that I have seen to be useful for others. Are you tired of sleep? Join us tomorrow for another topic entirely... And as usual, here's a link to the journal that we discussed a week ago, "Behavioral Insomnia Therapy for Fibromyalgia Patients - A Randomized Clinical Trial": https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/article-abstract/486821 We have a little website at https://fibrosmartmd.com. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.