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.

Researchers from the University of Louisville in Kentucky looked at whether Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction (MBSR) can reduce stress arousal in patients suffering from fibromyalgia.

An earlier study by this principal investigator showed that MBSR reduced depressive symptoms in patients with fibromyalgia with gains maintained at two months follow-up (Sephton et al., Arthritis & Rheumatism, 57:77-85, 2007).

This second study explored the effects of MBSR on basal sympathetic (SNS) activation among women with fibromyalgia. Twenty-four participants were tested before and after MBSR for anxiety, depressive symptoms, and SNS activation.

Researchers from the Unidad de Investigació Médica in Merida, Mexico, explored the efficacy of Ericksonian Hypnosis for managing the symptoms of fibromyalgia.
 
Forty-three female fibromyalgia patients were randomly assigned to receive either six months of Ericksonian hypnosis (n = 20) or a sham-hypnosis protocol (n = 23).  Each month, measures were taken using the Patient and Physician Global Disease Assessment, a count of tender points,  and the Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire (FIQ).

Researchers from the University of Sheffield in the UK evaluated the effectiveness of homeopathic treatment for reducing the symptoms of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. 

Using a triple-blind design, 103 patients were randomly assigned to homeopathic medicine or an identical placebo condition. Patients had monthly consultations with a professional homeopath for 6 months. Outcomes were measured on the MFI - Multidimensional Fatigue Inventory.  Secondary outcome measures were the Fatigue Impact Scale (FIS) and the Functional Limitations Profile (FLP).

Ninety-two patients completed treatment in the trial (47 homeopathic treatment, 45 placebo). Eighty-six patients returned fully or partially completed posttreatment outcome measures (41 homeopathic treatment group who completed treatment, 2 homeopathic treatment group who did not complete treatment, 38 placebo group who completed treatment, and 5 placebo group who did not complete treatment). Seventeen of 103 patients withdrew from treatment or were lost to follow-up.
 

Investigators from the Department of Medicine at the University of Washington in Seattle looked at patterns of alternative medicine use among twins where one twin of the pair had CFS and the other did not.  They also looked at the perceived helpfulness of these methods, and how often these therapies were discussed with physicians.