Last week the Chronicle Herald published an article about the results of a recent Qigong trial done on people living with chronic pain.  According to the researcher, Dr. Mary Lynch at Quenn Elizabeth II Health Sciences Centre, “their quality of life and their level of pain got better. And this is just through a simple series of gentle, dance-like moves.”

What is Qigong?  

From the Qigong Institute:

Qigong (chee-gong) is “Energy techniques” or “Energy Skills,” the ancient Chinese internal arts used for over 5000 years to promote health, emotional happiness and spiritual development.  These methods combine movement or postures, breath or mantra, and mind intention to balance and enhance one’s vital, life-energy.  It has been popularly referred to as Chinese Yoga and moving meditation.  These methods formed the early root of Chinese medicine and are still considered an integral part of modern Chinese medicine, along with acupuncture, acupressure, and herbal medicine.  Today millions of people practice Qigong in China and around the world to successfully treat a myriad of diseases, to improve general health, support longevity, and to promote psycho-spiritual growth and happiness.  Most notably, Qigong practice can provide profound relief to stress and strongly enhance the immune function.

The patients in the study performed by Dr. Lynch practiced several simple Qigong movements for 45 minutes a day.  Positive results were found in all patients who practiced the movement for six months.

After “Googling” Qigong and Fibromyalgia together, I found other studies that confirmed Qigong is effective for treating the pain and the multiplicity of symptoms associate with Fibromyalgia.  Some patients showed improvements after only 5-7 sessions over a three-week period.

Before reading the article in the Chronicle Herald I was unfamiliar with Qigong, but after researching and learning of the positive outcomes for people who suffer from chronic pain, I looked for Qigong practices where I live.  I am always in search of natural and holistic means of managing and improving my Fibromyalgia, and Qigong appeals to me greatly.

I found two local practitioners and have already signed up with one.  I emailed her and asked her to tell me more about Qigong and if she had any information on its benefits for people with FM.  Here is her response:

I can firstly say, yes if I were you I would give it a go! Like anything consistent practice will be the way to tell if it is helping your situation because at first like anything it maybe challenging. Your feet remain in one position for the hour practice while your arms move in conjunction with your breath. I guide the entire hour so you always know what to do, as well as help you follow your breath to be with your internal energy. The idea is to cultivate energy, for healing- so there you go- Qigong brings healing energy into your core and circulates it throughout the body to remove stagnation and create lymph flow and detoxification. As a massage therapist I know fibromyaliga influences people’s energy differently but usually they are in need of more of it. This will help! The practice helps build your arm muscles that may fatigue at first but because you tune into Source energy you will feel supported through it by the energy field around you.

Her email was very energetic and encouraging and I am really looking forward to my first session with her – Wednesday night at 5:45.  I am excited but I am also expecting that I will have to take several breaks throughout the hour and I am also anticipating an increase in my pain level and quite possibly a flare-up.  But I am going because I do believe that, however painful, movement and flexibility is important and these are two areas I need to improve greatly if I ever hope to improve my Fibromyalgia.

Wish me luck!  And look for my follow-up post on Thursday.

NOTE:

In a continuing effort to live well with Fibromyalgia, I am going to be researching and trying new and different things to help maintain my health.  I will report on my research and my own personal experiences, but I am not a doctor and therefore will not be telling anyone to try what I do. If you think you may benefit from my experiences, please check with your doctor to see if it is right for you.

Living with Fibromyalgia means you constantly have to make choices, choices that can be the difference between a good day and a flare-up. Some days I have to choose between cooking dinner and doing a load of laundry. These are relatively easy choices. I check the status of Rob’s underwear drawer, and if I can see the bottom, laundry it is! It is true. Everyday is a balancing act, trying to measure the most I can get done against doing too much and exacerbating my pain. Self-maintenance and moderation are crucial to my daily success. But sometimes the choices are clear and easy and I still chose to do the risky thing.

Saturday night we went to a Halloween party. I love Halloween! A chance to express myself in a way I cannot get away with everyday. I was feeling like a punk rocker this year. So at the party encircled by death, a donkey, and a Sarah Palin zombie I had to make the choice – do I drink or not? Alcohol is a toxin and can lead to dehydration. I know alcohol is not good for me, which is why I seldom drink. But sometimes I just want to do the risky thing and deal with the consequences. I am able to make the risky choice because over the years I have learned how to minimize the consequences.

Several years ago we went to Michigan for a good friends wedding. I know, not another wedding story, but this is important, because it was on this trip that I was really forced to listen to my body. I had not yet made the connection between the things I put into my body and the effect it had on my Fibromyalgia. I had to learn the hard way to listen to what my body was trying to tell me. On this trip it spoke very loudly!

Cathy is another of my best friends from high school. Her wedding was an event. The three or four days leading up to the ceremony were constant celebration – showers and parties and dinners and more parties – just non-stop festivities. And then the wedding itself was a grand occasion. It was a wonderful time and I let myself enjoy every minute of it. But of course it was not without consequence.

The day we left to fly home I felt awful. Five days of gross consumption and celebration were taking hold. We had a short flight from Saginaw to Cleveland and with each passing moment on that plane my pain intensified. By the time we got off in Cleveland to make our connecting flight I was in one of the worst full-blown flare-ups I have had to this day. I could barely walk. The gates were not close and the airport was packed. I could not stand upright the pain was so extreme, and each step I took sent waves of fire up and down my backside. My head felt like it would burst.

The airport was buzzing with intense and impatient people. I could feel them flying up behind me, and I could hear their grunts and sighs of disapproval at the speed I was moving. Overwhelmed with the pain and the pressure, I almost broke down. I was miserable and desperately wanted out of the chaos. I remember I asked Rob if we could just go get a hotel somewhere in Cleveland and then fly home the next day. I couldn’t bear the thought of getting on another plane in the pain I was in and I just wanted out of that damn airport. But we got on the plane and I spent the next four hours in a misery I will never forget.

The pain was so unbearable I could not sit back in my seat. I sat on the very front edge to have as little contact against my body as possible. I was weak and unstable but I could not lift my arms up to help support me, so instead I pressed my forehead against the seat in front of me for balance. And I remained like that for the long, miserable, four-hour flight home. I could not talk, or turn my head, or even acknowledge Rob. We waited until everyone behind us got off the plane and then I painfully stood and made my way to the exit. I have never been so glad to be home.

I don’t remember how long my recovery from that flare-up took, but I will never forget that flight home. I imagine that flare-up lasted quite awhile because most of mine did back then, and the reason they did is because I was just in the beginning stages of learning how to listen to my body and understand that what I ate or drank or did directly impacted my Fibromyalgia. I am years ahead of where I was then and that is why I allow myself to make the occasional risky decision. I know better now how to go into it and how to handle it after to avoid, or at the very least minimize, the potential flare-up.

So this Halloween I took a risk and decided to drink. I knew my body was well hydrated because it is the most important thing I do for myself each and every day. I had also eaten a healthy dinner before going to the party so I was not tempted to eat the chips and dip, and cheese and crackers, and pizza, and candy etc. Taking the risk to drink was made less risky by the good choices I made beforehand.

Sunday I woke up feeling exactly as I knew I would – tired and dehydrated, the early signs of a flare-up. First thing I did was to get up and make myself an Emergen-C energy drink. This is a very important tool in my maintenance. Here is a description of the product from their website:

Feeling good is better than feeling bad. And it was upon this brilliant concept that Emergen-C was founded.

Emergen-C gives you 1,000 milligrams of Vitamin C for the immune system. It gives you a full complement of energetic B vitamins. It gives you 32 minerals and electrolytes. It gives you a health and energy boost. It just gives and gives and gives.

I can’t tell you how many mornings I feel just plain awful and I drink an Emergen-C to feel better. Emergen-C is one of the things I have learned to rely on in my quest to manage my Fibromyalgia. It is a great natural aide and if you have never tried it you can request a free sample on their website (and no, I am not in any way affiliated with them).

Like I said before it is a balancing act. I have not given up everything I enjoy that is detrimental for me. I just prepare better and enjoy in moderation. Listen to your body and learn. If you know Saturday is going to be a busy and taxing day for you, plan to take it easy on Friday and/or Sunday. Learning to say no to some commitments enables you to enjoy the times you say yes even more. These are just general examples and may not apply directly to you, but it is important to think about self-maintenance and moderation. They are two very key components to living well with Fibromyalgia.

I had a great time at the party Saturday. Sunday I re-hydrated and relaxed. I did not clean the floors or the bathroom like I had planned, but it was a good trade off. I allowed myself the risk and did not feel guilty about the consequences.

In a continuing effort to live well with Fibromyalgia I am going to be researching and trying new and different things to help maintain my health.  I will report on my research and my own personal experiences, but I am not a doctor and therefore will not be telling anyone to try what I do.  If you think you may benefit from my experiences, please check with your doctor to see if it is right for you.

I have read repeatedly that Magnesium Malate may significantly reduce pain in people with Fibromyalgia by increasing muscle efficiency.  But for me to try something new, it is not enough to read that it helps.  I need to understand why it helps, so I did more research on the topic (what did we do before the internet?) and here is some of what I learned.

The following quote is from Fibromyalgia: A Journey Toward Healing by Chanchal Cabrera.  She is a medical herbalist and clinical aromatherapist who has taken a holistic approach to understanding and treating Fibromyalgia.

Malic acid plays an essential role in the metabolism of glucose and the production of energy through the Krebs cycle.  It tends to spare oxygen and provide greater stamina and endurance in muscle cells.  It is found in abundance in apples and may contribute to the traditional use of apple cider vinegar as a treatment for rheumatism.  Research from the Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio demonstrated significant benefit from the use of magnesium malate in FMS.  Malic acid also helps to remove aluminum, which may contribute to significant cellular disruption, from the tissues.  Doses up to 1,500 mg/day are normal.  It is often taken in the form of magnesium malate and this is particularly helpful in FMS.

This seems logical to me.  If there is truth to the theory of researchers who believe that there is a malfunction in the body’s ability to manufacture energy for people with FM, then it makes sense to take a supplement like Magnesium Malate which can help increase muscle endurance.

The fatigue I feel sometimes is simply irrational.  I wake up tired.  I have a nice relaxing day and I am tired.  Could it be that my muscles are not getting the oxygen they need to produce energy?  Could it be that my muscles burn energy faster than they can produce it?  Could it be that I am magnesium and/or malic acid deficient?  These are all theories from researchers, and if magnesium and malic acid have been proven to be important substances in the manufacture of energy – well then sign me up. 

I don’t know if it will work for me.  The brand I bought is 1000 mg per pill and it suggests taking between 1-3 each day.  I think I will start slow and just take one a day.  One of the reasons I am looking to more holistic methods of treating my FM is that I do not tolerate medication well.  But my body needs these supplements so in a way it is like taking my multi-vitamin.  At least that is how I am going to approach it.

I will be sure to update what if any changes I feel taking it.  And I would be really interested in hearing from anyone else who has taken it and what your results were. Post something in the comments so we can get a dialog going.