SLOAN! asked Oliver Eaton, an experienced osteopath at ProHealth Clinic, to share how he cured himself of fibromyalgia. This post offers first-hand advice on how those affected by fibromyalgia can use the same treatments and techniques.
Oliver’s story
At 23, I was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia. I’d been suffering with a long list of debilitating symptoms, and it took me three long years to overcome it. But I’m hoping that the knowledge I acquired through that long battle will allow me to help others identify and overcome the condition much quicker.
To take you back to the beginning, I was in my fourth year studying to become an osteopath. But I couldn’t get to the bottom of why all of these symptoms had started. Doctors, consultants and even my prolific tutors couldn’t pinpoint an answer either. So, I began researching. After many hundreds of hours of medical research I reached the diagnosis of Fibromyalgia and managed to overcome it. And you can too.
The NHS estimates that 2-4.5% of people in the UK may have fibromyalgia syndrome – estimating between 1.2 million and 2.8 million people -of whom a staggering 75-90% are women.
It’s a condition that conventional medicine currently has no answer for. Unfortunately, sufferers are often prescribed with ‘symptom-managing medication’ that often comes with debilitating side effects. But there are many well-documented alternative treatments available that doctors and consultants aren’t always educated on during their medical studies.
What is Fibromyalgia?
Fibromyalgia is defined as a sensitization of the central nervous system. This is when the body is stuck in ‘fight or flight’ mode. According to the NHS’s website, the following symptoms can be associated with Fibromyalgia:
- Widespread Pain
- Extreme Sensitivity
- Stiffness
- Fatigue
- Poor Sleep Quality
- Cognitive problems (‘fibro-fog’)
- trouble remembering and learning new things
- problems with attention and concentration
- slowed or confused speech
- Headaches
- Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)
- Dizziness and clumsiness
- Feeling too hot or too cold
- Restless legs syndrome
- Tingling, numbness, prickling or burning sensations in your hands and feet
- In women, unusually painful periods
- Depression and anxiety
What causes Fibromyalgia?
As described earlier, Fibromyalgia is when the body becomes stuck in ‘fight or flight’ mode. For this to happen, the body will have been under chronic stress for a prolonged period of time. This following forms of stress have been linked to the development of Fibromyalgia:
- Prolonged virus – e.g. Glandular fever
- Prolonged emotional stress – work or domestic
- Chronic pain from a previous unresolved injury
- Misalignments – misalignments in the body can cause chronic stress on the muscles and nerves in the body, subsequently causing pain.
- Gut bacterial overgrowth – bacteria such as candida can overgrow in the gut and can cause many of the symptoms associated with fibromyalgia, including: pain, insomnia, fatigue, IBS (irritable bowel syndrome), food sensitivities.
My own Fibromyalgia had been caused by candida in the gut. I couldn’t believe this at first because I had always associated candida with a bad diet and my diet was really good. This lead me to learn about the many other things that can leave an individual’s gut vulnerable to a candida overgrowth; the main being antibiotics.
Antibiotics kill the bad bacteria in our bodies, but also the good, which we rely on to defend ourselves from bacterial overgrowths such as candida. The problem in the UK is that doctors often fail to advise patients to take a course of probiotics after their course of antibiotics to help repopulate our good bacteria.
Treatments that helped me:
- Prolozone Therapy
- Myofascial therapy
- Nutritional Therapy
Read more about Prolotherapy and Prolozone therapy here
Every fibromyalgia sufferer requires a different treatment approach so it is important to first understand the root cause of yours.
Fibromyalgia Consultancy
Here at ProHealth Clinic we run a consultancy service for individuals suffering from Fibromyalgia. We help to identify the root cause of your symptoms and point you in the right direction of the best treatment approach. Consultations are priced at £250 and include a full report and treatment plan. The best way to book an appointment is to call 0800 107 3238. Below are reviews from two of our patients.
About Oliver Eaton
Oliver Eaton is a qualified and registered osteopath, Medical Acupuncturist and Musculoskeletal Injection Therapist. Much of Oliver’s specialties were learnt through personal experience; suffering from a series of chronic conditions from which he made a full recovery using alternative medicine approaches. This sparked his passion for specialising in the treatment of patients with chronic pain.
Link to article: https://www.sloanmagazine.com/oliver-eaton-fibromyalgia/