In recent weeks at  Moon Haven we have had a number of people come and ask for help with their chronic pain, fatigue and other symptoms of Fibromyalgia (FMS).  Leonie, our fab formulator, has been dealing with this debilitating condition for some years. 

Fibromyalgia is also recognised in different circles as Chronic Fatigue and/or myalgic encephalomyelitis-ME… no matter the name, the cluster of symptoms experienced can be extensive.  In addition to pain and fatigue, people who have fibromyalgia may experience:

· sleep disturbances,

· morning stiffness,

· headaches,

· irritable bowel syndrome,

· painful menstrual periods,

· numbness or tingling of the extremities,

· restless legs syndrome,

· temperature sensitivity,

· cognitive and memory problems (sometimes referred to as "fibro fog"),

To give you an idea of what it is like to experience FMS, think back to the last time you had a dose of the flu...remember the aches and pains through out your body, the crippling fatigue and the inability to think clearly or with clarity. Latest medical research has found that when ‘normal’ people are deprived of sleep over a period of time that they begin to exhibit FMS symptoms!

Clinically a diagnosis of FMS can usually be made when symptoms and signs are present that include widespread body pain (above and below the waist and on both sides of the body) for at least 3 months, and the presence of tender points in characteristic locations of the body. (see diagram above)

What can be done to help? As we are not sure what causes FMS it is difficult to treat.  In fact we are limited to treating the symptoms as best we can. Often a joint complimentary and Western medicine approach is more successful than either therapy regime alone. Western medicine often looks to using medication to improve sleep patterns and assist  pain relief with limited success. Nutritional approaches include taking Omega 3 oils, magnesium supplements, vitamin B complexes, testosterone enhancing herbs and strong antioxidants.  Therapies that are reported to be helpful include Acupuncture, Bowen Therapy, Myofascial Release, Aromatherapy and Traditional Chinese medicine. Gentle exercise is considered to be fundamental to recovery.  For some FMS sufferers this may entail walking to the letterbox for others it may necessitate a 45 min workout.  Many FMS’ers swear that Yoga has helped them enormously along with gentle morning stretches to break in the body after sleep. Exercise is in the eye or body of the beholder and it is very easy for a FMS’er to overdo it and end up bed for 2 days following an attempt to do too much.

There is a lot more to FMS to discuss and to learn.   Research is ongoing.  A good online resource is www.fibrohugs.com,.  Do email Leonie ( This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it ) or call Moon Haven to talk to her if you are looking for further information - she is very willing to share her own experiences and ideas with fellow sufferers.  Treatment advances are being discovered regularly!