In a recent study of patients suffering from fibromyalgia, it was discovered that compared with the control group who were given stretching exercises and wellness education, the group practicing T’ai Chi showed a significant improvement in their quality of life that included both significant physical and mental improvements.

While this was just a small scale study, it is additional proof of the health benefits of Qi Gong and T’ai Chi, especially for extremely painful conditions like fibromyalgia, which Chinese Medicine categorizes as ‘knotty issues’ that entail complex interconnections of various causes and symptoms. Several previous types of research have also demonstrated acupuncture’s ability to improve fibromyalgia symptoms significantly, especially in regard to anxiety, fatigue, and pain.

Fibromyalgia is a complex disease that involves symptoms such as pain, muscle spasms, depression, anxiety, sleeping problems, weakness of the limbs, heightened sensitivity to touch, and fatigue. Memory and concentration problems are typical – this is sometimes known as ‘fibro-fog’ or ‘brain fog’. The clinical perspective differs enormously from person to person, with each person manifesting his or her own unique symptoms.

Western conventional medicine has still not ascertained the real cause of fibromyalgia. Several theories have been proposed connected to stress, sleep disturbance, and abnormal amounts of serotonin and dopamine in the brain. Western medicine poorly understands this condition and so has little to offer by way of treatment – medications for treating fibromyalgia include anti-seizure drugs, anti-depressants, hormones, muscle relaxants, and painkillers. Obviously, most of these drugs come with adverse side-effects and the level of success is quite low.

Case to case treatment offered by Chinese Medicine for fibromyalgia and other ‘knotty problems’ can work quite well. This is particularly true when a combined plan of treatment that includes Tuina and acupuncture strengthen Chi and normalize the hormones to relieve anxiety and boost energy levels is considered. Tui Na therapy massage can be quite effective in easing muscle spasm and relieving tense muscles.

In Chinese medicine, the ‘brain fog’ associated with fibromyalgia is a common ‘Dampness’ symptom that can be effectively dealt with through the use of tuina and/or acupuncture therapy. Chinese nutritional therapy can also be used with extreme effectiveness to augment the benefits of the treatment, more so when it comes to increasing levels of energy and in eliminating ‘brain fog’. And as the recent study has demonstrated, getting Qi Gong or T’ai Chi practice on a regular basis can also significantly alleviate symptoms and improve overall health.

A combined treatment strategy involving more than one type of treatment can treat different symptoms at the same time since fibromyalgia symptoms tend to be interconnected. This results in a slow but sure improvement in all areas of a person’s well-being and health. Normally, this is significantly much better than just acupuncture alone or any stand-alone treatment, for that matter.