Fibromyalgia: A Functional Medicine Approach

Every patient with fibromyalgia has a comprehensive digestive stool analysis to help in the diagnosis of what might be out of balance in the digestive tract.  I look for dysbiosis, an overgrowth of “bad” bacteria, yeast, and/or parasites, and I look for signs of leaky gut syndrome, a condition where there is increased permeability in the intestinal lining. These conditions can cause distant inflammation and have been implicated in fibromyalgia, arthritis, and autoimmune disease. 

Once I make a diagnosis of dysbiosis and/or leaky gut syndrome, I begin the treatment with herbs and supplements that restore health of the digestive tract.

Food Sensitivities

Have you ever wondered why so many people have food sensitivities? Without a good intestinal barrier, a “leaky gut” allows partially digested food to get into the blood stream. This can be the cause of systemic inflammatory reactions resulting in painful muscles, joints, or tendons, and also fatigue and “brain fog.” I believe that this increased intestinal permeability is why many people have developed food sensitivities later in life. In order to treat fibromyalgia, most people need to eliminate certain foods from their diet while the leaky gut is being treated. 

The most common foods that create inflammation are gluten, dairy, eggs, corn, and soy. We recommend removing all five foods for 3 weeks, and then reintroducing them one at a time, every 4 days, and see if your symptoms get worse. If you have a reaction, it’s likely that this food is causing inflammation and you should remove it from your diet for at least 6 months. If no reaction occurs, you can reintroduce it into your diet.