Fibromyalgia is still not fully understood by medical researchers, but the widespread muscular pain and tenderness associated with this disorder can have a devastating impact on your ability to live a normal life. Of the many available treatments, eating a healthy, anti-inflammatory diet may be one of the simplest things you can do to reduce the symptoms of fibromyalgia.
Border Therapy Services believes that patient education is at the core of delivering effective treatment, which is why we’re happy to share the following information. Please contact us if you have any questions or would like to find out how we can help.
What anti-inflammatory foods can help with fibromyalgia?
The idea of an anti-inflammatory diet is that many of the highly-processed foods in our modern diets cause an inflammatory response in the body. This can potentially worsen the symptoms of conditions that are believed to be inflammatory in nature, like fibromyalgia. Refined sugar and flour, foods with additives like glutamate and cured meats are just some of the foods that have been shown to be highly inflammatory.
In contrast, a more natural diet consisting of the following foods can potentially help to reduce inflammation and ease fibromyalgia symptoms. An anti-inflammatory diet typically consists of the following foods:
- Fruits and vegetables, like berries and leafy greens, that are rich in antioxidants and other nutrients
- Foods high in omega-3 fatty acids, like wild-caught salmon, flax seeds and chia seeds
- Unprocessed whole grains and seeds like oats, brown rice and quinoa
- High-fiber foods like chickpeas and lentils
As always, talk to your doctor or a registered dietician before beginning a new diet or changing your eating habits if you’ve been diagnosed with fibromyalgia.
How does physical therapy help fibromyalgia symptoms?
Physical therapy is very often part of a treatment program for fibromyalgia. In-office sessions consisting of therapeutic massage, strengthening exercises and other methods can be complemented with at-home strengthening and light aerobic exercises that our expert therapists can instruct you on. The caring team at Border Therapy Services is committed to helping you regain the active lifestyle you deserve. When you reach out to us, we’ll be glad to help you make your initial appointment.