Sunday, June 13, 2010

Fibromyalgia and the weather

I've not been blogging for a while, and as you can see I've changed "the look." I love nature and it seems that with this particular thought on my mind, I ought to bring a bit of nature along with me.

Do you hear doctors telling you that weather doesn't affect Fibromyalgia? Or Arthritis, for that matter. I do. But I don't find that true for me. I find that when the barometer is changong from up to down OR down to up, I get achy, more tired more easily and generally get a downturn in mood and a few other unnecessary symptoms. That is, it used to. I've found some things that have helped me turn this around.

I am very fortunate in having found my "right combination" - a balance - of supplements, diet, including lots of antioxidants, exercize, pacing and so on that I can live a mostly normal life. As long as I keep the stress down and pace myself appropriately I am literally in no pain.

However. The weather is one of those things that throws a monkey wrench in the works, throwing that balance out of whack. Because of this, I have learned to pay close attention to The Weather Channel . I am nothing if not a good little Gril Scout. Be Prepared. That's my motto. And it really is a good motto for all of those with Fibromyalgia. When you know rain or snow or dampness or humidity or heat or whatever is coming, you can prepare for it.

Clothing is of course a factor- too much or not enough. Staying indoors in the blazing heat, or the extreme cold is helpful. But I fortify as well. I take more Malic Acid when the humidity is up or the heat or cold is extreme. Malic acid helps my muscle pain - it helps magnesium absorb into the cells. Of course I take magnesium as a matter of course for my Fibromyalgia pain, but the Malic Acid helps it absorb better even in low oxygen conditions if I haven't been exercizing enough - which, I'm sorry to say is too often.

I also take Alpha-lipoic acid (ALA). This also fortifies the body because it is a super-duper antioxidant! (See previous blog for more about ALA.)But it is a great help to my nerve pain and those electric-shock-like zaps I get periodically in my wrists, hips, ankles etc. I don't get them very often any more, but when the weather is "electric" my body seems to do the same. So I take an extra dose of ALA.

With the three of these--Malic Acid, magnesium, Alpha-lipoic acid-- along with extra antioxidants, pacing myself and staying out of the heat, I am doing pretty good on the pain scale during these days of rain and humidity and heat. I hope you are all doing well too.

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