The Metabolic Treatment of Fibromyalgia

The cluster of symptoms we now call fibromyalgia has gone by various names over the years. Just as the name has changed, so have ideas about its cause and subsequent treatment. Fibromyalgia has been blamed on immune system dysfunction, food allergies, sleep disorders, stress, nerve hypersensitivity and depression, with each supposed cause leading to new treatments. One of the newer claims is that fibromyalgia is a result of metabolic disorders. Predictably, new metabolic treatments are now being developed.

Claims

• Two names surface in regard to this treatment: Dr. John C. Lowe and Dr. Natalie Kather. Lowe, author of "The Metabolic Treatment of Fibromyalgia," and director of the Fibromyalgia Research Foundation asserts that the illness is caused by thyroid irregularities that are not detectable in standard thyroid testing, but that subtle, correctible abnormalities can be found with more intensive testing.

  Kather, head of the Advanced Family Wellness clinic in Olympia, Washington, also believes that metabolic deficiencies are the root of fibromyalgia, but her definition of metabolism goes beyond thyroid issues and into the area of other hormones.

Thyroid-based Treatment

• Each school of thought brings its own treatment techniques. Followers of the thyroid-based theory suggest in-depth studies of all thyroid levels, then attempt to balance any abnormalities, primarily with hormones that stimulate the thyroid and/or release thyrotropin. Lowe claims that the correct use of these hormones will increase metabolism and correct fibromyalgia symptoms.

Thyroid/Hormone Treatment

• Kather's approach calls for a combination of thyroid hormones, sex hormones---administered at various points in an individual's hormonal phases---vitamin and herbal supplements and specific dietary requirements.

Research

• Each of these treatment plans claims to be supported by research, but only research from within its own domain. In the wider field of medical research, unfortunately, no biological cause for fibromyalgia has yet been found. In 1994 R.W. Simms, et al of the Arthritis Center at Boston University found no connection between fibromyalgia and muscle metabolism. More recently, D. Dadabhoy et al, researchers at Northwest Rheumatology Specialists, found no biological "markers" for the illness. General discussion within the medical field suggests that while metabolism may explain some symptoms of the illness, it does not explain the phenomenon of widespread pain.

Considerations

• Anyone suffering from widespread pain for an extended time can become desperate for relief. Historically, some fibromyalgia sufferers have benefited from one treatment or another, while the same treatment seemed to have no effect for others. Only by working with a competent medical specialist can one determine his or her best treatment. Patients should research all of their options and use care in deciding which treatments to attempt.