Conquer Fibromyalgia

U.S. Army Brigadier General Becky Halstead (retired) having twenty-seven years of service in and decorated, first woman West Point graduate in United States history to command at strategic level in Iraq and Afghanistan, made the decision to retire after she received a diagnoses of fibromyalgia. Fibromyalgia affects the muscles and connective tissues and the reasons are still unknown to medical science. To date the disease affects 12 million Americans and reports indicate that it is twice as dominant in deployed service veterans.

General Halstead states whatever symptom there was she had felt it including excruciating pain, disabling fatigue, stiffness in joints and lack of sleep. She mentions that while she was in Iraq and responsible for 20,000 service men and women, silently she struggled physically to keep going.

In the beginning she had been prescribed every medication you could think of, the pills however, only concealed the pain which developed into a winding reactions that affected her psychologically and physically. A close friend to the general had suggested chiropractic care which resulted in her finding relief and once again having a normal life which was virtually pain free. She had found that comprehensive treatments of chiropractic care had improved range of motion in her joints, had decreased and in some cases had totally removed the pains and symptoms associated to the disease such as fatigue, depression and sleep issues.

"Chiropractic treatment helped improve my whole outlook on dealing with this chronic ailment," she says. "The spinal adjustments along with the postural and nutritional advice I received helped to treat the fibromyalgia and allowed me to have many days with minimal pain -- and most days without any medications. The care of a doctor of chiropractic was life changing for me."

Currently, General Halstead is a spokesperson for the Foundation of Chiropractic Progress, a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting public awareness of the benefits from chiropractic care. Brigadier General Halstead has made it her own personal mission to educate those who suffer from fibromyalgia and to consider seeking advice from a doctor of chiropractic care as she had done.

Brigadier General Halstead states "Chiropractic care is a viable option that can positively impact overall wellness and health."

Chiropractic care ranks number one among alternative treatments and is also popular among parents for their childrens care. Even conventional medicine is starting to widely accept this form of treatments. Most people who use chiropractic care report immense relief from pain, improved functioning and enhanced quality of life.

Chiropractic and fibromyalgia

People who endure fibromyalgia more and more are turning to chiropractic care. Fibromyalgia produces many tender points all over the body. Many persons suffer from back and neck pain along with cramping in the legs. In order to resolve this problem many turn to chiropractic care. Adjustments done to the spine and neck can revitalize the whole posture of the body. Many of those suffering this disease have found that the alignments to the spine can greatly decrease pain all over the body.

Upper cervical spinal stenosis

Many patients with fibromyalgia endure a condition called upper cervical stenosis. This incites the coverings of the upper spine referred to as meninges to become compressed. Chiropractors adjust the head and neck so the spine is no longer compressed which aides in relieving the widespread pain thorough out the body.

Effectiveness of care

There have been many studies done examining the benefits of chiropractic care in fibromyalgia patients. In one study conducted an inquiry of 81 patients was done. They were asked as to which treatment had best served their condition, medication or chiropractic care. Chiropractic care had ranked extremely high in the results.

Another study had demonstrated that just after 15 treatments of chiropractic manipulations, patients had endured far less pain, fatigue and had improved sleep quality.

In 2009, the Foundation for Chiropractic Progress, had announced that chiropractic care had been demonstrated to decrease excruciating pain, fatigue and joint stiffness all associated to fibromyalgia.

For more information on chiropractic care and how it can aide this disease you can visit The Foundation for Chiropractic Progress online. Sources:

Medical News Today

Fibromyalgia Symptoms