Fibromyalgia symptoms can become very serious if they are not appropriately dealt with. Many people confronted with the disorder experience an intensification of fibromyalgia symptoms over time. In most patients, the fibromyalgia symptoms also tend to spread throughout the entire body.
Fibromyalgia is a neurological condition that affects the musculoskeletal soft tissues such as muscles, tendons and ligaments. The majority of people with fibromyalgia feel an intense muscular pain and discomfort, also accompanied by a pronounced level of fatigue throughout the whole body. At first, the muscular pain and fatigue usually occur in the upper parts of the body (neck, cervical region, upper back and shoulders), later spreading into other body regions (mid-back, arms, spine, lower back and thighs).
Other fibromyalgia symptoms are unrefreshing sleep or insomnia, physical weakness, poor ability of sustaining physical or mental effort, increased nervous excitability, migraines, short-term memory loss, poor concentration, anxiety, depression and confusion. Patients that are constantly confronted with fibromyalgia symptoms become depressed and have low self-esteem.
In many cases, most fibromyalgia symptoms are misleading in establishing an appropriate diagnose. They are difficult to relate with fibromyalgia, as they also occur to many other disorders and illnesses. Furthermore, the majority of patients confronted with fibromyalgia symptoms appear to be in perfect health and present no physical dysfunctions when they are examined by a specialist. Routine physical examinations and laboratory analysis are usually unable to reveal the presence of fibromyalgia. However, careful neurological examinations performed on people with fibromyalgia symptoms can trace abnormal brain activity, which is considered to be the main cause in generating the disorder.
The process of diagnosing fibromyalgia is performed mostly on patients' reports of fibromyalgia symptoms and careful neurological examinations. However, there are also other ways of diagnosing the disorder. In all patients, the fibromyalgia symptoms of pain and discomfort seem to be located in specific points on the body, called trigger points or tender points. Although people with fibromyalgia experience different levels of pain in these trigger points, their presence is common to all patients. The presence of nine pairs of trigger points has been revealed in all people who suffer from fibromyalgia. These trigger points are located at the base of the skull, in the region of the neck, shoulders, chest, upper back, mid-back and lower back, buttocks, upper thighs, elbows and knees. The areas that surround the trigger points are also very sensitive and are referred to as tender points.
Fibromyalgia is considered to be a serious condition and it is very important to be revealed in time, in order to establish an appropriate treatment that can ameliorate fibromyalgia symptoms and undesirable effects. The muscular pain seems to be the major fibromyalgia symptom and it has been described in many ways: aching, burning, radiating or stabbing. However, apart from recidivating muscular pain, there are other fibromyalgia symptoms that can become very serious: depression, cognitive dysfunctions, confusion, lack of concentration, accelerated pulse, unstable blood pressure, fever, nausea, loss of appetite, vomiting, abdominal swelling, diarrhea. If the disorder is not dealt with in time, it can lead to an aggravation of its symptoms, seriously endangering the lives of the affected persons.
So, if you want more information about fibromyalgia symptoms and especially for fibromyalgia diet, please follow this link http://www.fibromyalgia-info-center.com.
The First 5 Steps of a Healthy Diet
There are many people out there telling you want to eat, when to eat, how to exercise, how often to exercise but the main thing that these people seem to be missing is that everyone is different so everyone has a different reaction to what works and what doesn't.
Here are 5 easy steps that you can take to help you lose weight and stay healthy;
1. Make sure you commit to your eating and exercise habits.
2. Eat regularly.
3. Don't over eat.
4. Don't eat after 8:00PM
5. Do take your vitamins
Staying healthy is common sense. If you eat 4 hamburgers, a slice of pizza, 2 liters of pop, etc. for supper every night YOU ARE NOT GOING TO LOSE WEIGHT.
Some people say to eat 5-6 small meals a day, but in all honesty who has the time to plan out that many meals and find the time to eat them? Unless you're on some sort of training program this is unrealistic for the average person. You are best to stick with the old 3 meals a day plan, hey if it worked for our parents and their parents, etc. then I'm sure you can do it too.
Here is an example of what you should be eating in order to "start" to lose weight. I do say start mainly because once you do get down to the last 10-20 pounds that you want gone the only way to get rid of this extra flab and tone up is exercise, but I'll talk about that in my next article. Here is a very general, basic daily meal plan;
Breakfast (7:00AM-8:00AM) – Must be eaten within 1 hour of waking up in the morning. Items – Cereal, Toast, a bagel, peanut butter sandwich, instant breakfast mix or an energy/protein bar
Lunch (12:00-2:00) – Eaten no more than 5-6 hours after breakfast. Items – Basically anything goes for lunch just try not to over do it and have the whole pizza or the supersize meal with an extra burger. You want to try and look for something that has a fair amount of protein in it but fewer carbohydrates than what you had for breakfast. Less than 40g of carbs or there abouts. So anything with chicken, steak, hamburger, spinach, broccoli. Pasta is ok too but try to switch it up, pasta one day, chicken the next.
Dinner (5:00-7:00) – This is where you have to really watch what you eat. The top 4 things you want to stay away from are: Potatoes, Pasta, Bread and Rice. These are all high carb foods and you don't want to eat anything with a lot of carbs in it before you go to bed. This is the hardest part of the day since this is where most of the meals contain those top 4 things. If you can refrain from eating carbs at night YOU WILL LOSE WEIGHT.
Explanation: Carbohydrates are are better consumed in the morning as the average person will burn them off by simply doing normal day to day activities, such as taking the stairs and walking. If you can limit the amount you eat before you go to bed then you will continue to burn them off naturally and they won't turn to fat.
The hardest part of any life change is sticking with it. If you can create the habit by maintaining these healthy choices for two weeks you will see a change. It's not a diet, it's not a miracle weight loss program, this is a lifestyle change not a miracle diet cure. Of course any lifestyle needs flexibility, so if you find yourself in a situation where you may have to carbs for dinner, cut them out at lunch that day or the next to make up for it. The most important step for success is to treat yourself. Do not deprive yourself of that bowl of icecream you have been craving once a week set aside a day for a treat. You won't be sorry. With this basic plan you will feel and look better in no time!
Brad Lyon is the webmaster of http://www.healthyhelpcenter.com where you can find great breakfast and lunch low carb, energy and protein bars to help you get started with your meals and workouts.
The High Blood Pressure And Sodium Connection: Is Salt Raising Your Blood Pressure
Copyright 2006 Frank Mangano
You can have your cake and eat it too -- well at least you can lower your blood pressure and have your salt too. That is what recent research is telling us about sodium's role in managing blood pressure. Hypertension, it turns out, is not caused by too much salt. Neither is it lowered by simply cutting salt out of your diet. So how is it that table salt (sodium) is still getting such a bad rap and being linked to high blood pressure? The real culprit it turns out is not salt, but how your body manages sodium and its proportion to the amount of potassium, calcium and magnesium in your body.
Scientists have discovered that deficiencies in potassium, calcium and magnesium have a much greater impact on blood pressure than the mineral salt. These other minerals are so important in controlling blood pressure that when they are out of balance with each other, they can make salt more of a threat to healthy blood pressure.
The fact is that only about 10 percent of the population is considered "salt sensitive." It is this relatively small group that has to watch their salt intake for a variety of reasons, including its impact on blood pressure.
There are some easy ways to make sure all of the important minerals in your body are in balance. These include:
1. Eating a well-balanced diet with a variety of foods. This will ensure that you are getting a wide range of nutrients and not just one or two key elements.
2. Making sure you get enough calcium -- 2000 mg per day. Calcium is essential to bone density, but in relationship to blood pressure, it is believed that low calcium levels can actually cause high blood pressure. Calcium is a natural diuretic, so when salt is consumed, even larger quantities, having enough calcium signals the kidneys to get rid of the excess sodium. Also, calcium prevents a certain hormone that raises blood pressure from being released and doing its damage.
3. Getting plenty of potassium. Studies have shown that diets high in potassium and lower in sodium can prevent many diseases and keep blood pressure lower. On the other hand, when there is much more sodium than potassium, blood pressure goes up. Balance the two, and you can make great strides in controlling hypertension.
Here are some food suggestions for getting enough of these essential minerals:
Calcium -- Aside from dairy products, which can be high in fat and hard on the digestive system, broccoli, spinach, and salmon are good sources.
Magnesium -- Foods such as whole grains, nuts and black beans will help you get the beneficial 400-800 mg daily of magnesium.
Potassium -- bananas, potatoes, orange juice, and cantaloupe all provide potassium. Potassium is the most substantiated mineral in controlling blood pressure.
When even good food choices leave you feeling you are lacking in important minerals, supplements can pick up the slack. Whether through food choices or supplements, getting enough minerals into your diet is necessary to counteract the impact of sodium in the battle with high blood pressure.
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Frank Mangano is an active member of his community who works diligently providing assistance to senior citizens and probing as a health advocate to discover new and innovative ways to promote well being. Find out how you can maintain healthy blood pressure at: http://www.thesilentkillerexposed.com
