Complementary Health Approaches for Fibromyalgia Symptoms

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Fibromyalgia symptoms such as widespread pain, tenderness and fatigue can interfere a great deal with your life. Here’s a quick summary of what we know about the effectiveness and safety of complementary health approaches for fibromyalgia:

  • Tai chi, yoga, mindfulness meditation, and biofeedback may help with symptoms, but we don’t have enough good evidence to know for sure.
  • It’s unclear whether acupuncture is helpful for fibromyalgia pain.
  • Mind and body approaches generally have good safety records. However, some may need to be adapted to make them safe and comfortable for people with fibromyalgia.
  • Vitamin D supplements may reduce pain, but only if you’re lacking in this vitamin. Some natural products studied for fibromyalgia may have side effects or interact with medications.
  • Preliminary research on transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) for fibromyalgia symptoms has had promising results. Headaches sometimes occur as a side effect. TMS and other procedures involving magnets may not be safe for people who have metal implants or medical devices such as pacemakers.

Learn more about complementary approaches for fibromyalgia here: http://1.usa.gov/1WdkzYH