Researchers from University Medical Center in Freiburg, Germany, investigated the efficacy of an 8 week MBSR intervention (Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction, a structured training in developing nonjudgmental awareness of moment-to-moment experience) with mindful yoga exercises, on enhanced well being of fibromyalgia patients.
 
In this 3-armed trial, a total of 177 female patients were randomized to one of the following conditions: (1) MBSR, (2) an active control procedure controlling for nonspecific effects of MBSR, or (3) a wait list.
 
The major outcome sought was for health-related quality of life (HRQoL) 2 months post-treatment. Secondary outcomes were disorder-specific quality of life, depression, pain, anxiety, somatic complaints, and a proposed index of mindfulness.

Researchers from Barcelona, Spain examined whether a psycho-educational intervention delivered to patients with fibromyalgia (FM) in a primary care setting was more effective than usual care for improving their functional status.

Of the 484 fibromyalgia patients eligible for screening from a database at Viladecans Hospital, 108 patients were randomly assigned to the intervention arm of the study and 108 patients were assigned to usual care. The intervention was made up of nine 2-hour sessions (5 sessions of education and 4 sessions of autogenic relaxation). The patients were assessed before and after the intervention with a battery of instruments (measuring sociodemographic data, medical comorbidities, functional status, trait anxiety, and social desirability).

Because recent systematic reviews of “psychological” therapies for fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) did not include hypnosis/guided imagery (H/GI), the authors performed a meta-analysis of the efficacy of H/GI in FMS.

Looking at outcomes for pain, sleep, fatigue, depressed mood and health-related quality of life, six clinical trials with a total of 239 subjects were analyzed.  (The median # of Hypnosis/Guided Imagery sessions was nine, and the median number of patients in the groups was 20. Three studies performed follow-ups).

Researchers from L. Sacco University Hospital in Milan, Italy undertook an updated review of the underlying mechanisms that produce fibromyalgia (FM), and summarize viable treatment options.  FM is described as a chronic pain syndrome characterized by widespread pain, fatigue, sleep alterations, and distress. 

The authors state that emerging evidence points to problems with augmented pain processing within the central nervous system holding a primary role in the pathophysiology of this disorder.
 
Recent studies have identified distinct FM subgroups on the basis of clinical, neurochemical, and neuroendocrinological abnormalities. These include increased cerebrospinal fluid levels of substance P; excitatory amino acids; and functional abnormalities in the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, as well as in the  sympathoadrenal (autonomic nervous) system.

Researchers from Maharishi Ayurveda Health Centre in Lillehammer, Norway, performed a pilot study on 31 women with fibromyalgia, to see whether Ayurvedic treatment improved their condition.

Subjects each received an individually designed Maharishi Vedic physiological purification therapy, personal advice on daily routines and diet (including food intolerance), based on Ayurvedic principles. In addition, four agreed to instruction in TM (Transcendental Meditation) for help with stress, pain management and personal development. Ayurvedic herbal food products were provided for home treatment.

I have had chronic insomnia for 12 years and FM for 33. I am on 300 mg Elavil and 2 Seroquel at night. Can the Healthful Sleep CD work for me with all those meds. I have tried every tape going, with no success at all, but not guided imagery. I have studied, practiced and used all types of alternative therapies and if I can sleep again, I have a therapy that I would like to use on people and animals, but I have lost both my personal and professional life due to my sleep deprivation. I look forward to your quick reply.
Thanks.
Bonita

Question:
Hi, I wrote to you a few years ago... about your healing trauma book and my book about fibro... I have been fine for 7 years but since late Oct. this year, I've been in a lot of pain... any suggestions would be really helpful... been a very difficult and stressful time for me and not sure what to do... the pain is very different than before... cannot lift my arms, my left leg and lower back hurt, mostly...  thanks.

Sarah H.

Dear Belleruth,
I have been reading Your Sixth Sense and listening to some of the related downloads.  I wanted to thank you for helping me understand the language of my own inner workings a little bit better.  I have been struggling with Lyme Disease and am faced with the decision of IV antibiotics. It's a rough decision b/c I have many allergies, so it may have to take place in the ICU under the watch of medical staff for 5-8 weeks... ugh!  Here is what I wrote on my blog tonight:

Question:
I'd like to ask Belleruth about the seeming correlation between trauma and fibromyalgia in women.  Has there been any research into this?

Answer:
Mary, I write about this in Invisible Heroes.  At the time of publication there were only 2 studies published, showing the link between fibromyalgia and traumatic stress – for men or women, although either condition hits more women than men.  Now there are too many studies to count, but you can start with a recent article by some Italian researchers, Stisi et al, titled Etiopathogenetic mechanisms of fibromyalgia syndrome. Robert Scaer was on to this years ago, and wrote about it in The Body Bears the Burden.  But the short answer is YES, there is a big, fat correlation.

Here is an explanatory (or at least I hope so) excerpt of the relevant material from my book (and for those of you who have the book, it’s in Chapter 5, The Physical Effects of Trauma, pages 78-80.