Dr. Rabo's Blog On Improving Your Life Living with Fibromyalgia

Welcome to the New Year 2009!



This is the time of year to start anew, fresh, make some goals and new requisitions for yourself!

Does this sound a little daunting? To many yes, only to be discouraged in a few months or weeks by realizing you slowly start to fall into your old habits again and then slowly give up. Well, I'm hear to help keep us inspired! Yes, I too have set some goals to achieve for myself and I'm right in there with you when it comes to dicipline and follow through despite challenges that arise on a daily basis. So keep reading because we're in this together and if you want to feel better about yourself, your life, and make this year to truely better than 2008, I've got some free advice and tactics to stick by.



First of all make your goals realistic. Do set yourself up for success and not failure by making a goal attainable for you and your situation. For example, if you haven't been exercising than commit to starting with "I'm going to begin walking, or jogging for 10 minutes 3 days a week, and build up to 20 minutes within three weeks." Baby steps. Crawl before walking as they say.



Second, have an accountability person. Encourage a friend, loved one, perhaps your spouse to support you and even encourage them to get out and participate for their benefit as well. Having accountability encourages us to not let the other person down, you have to show up.



Third, write down what the benefits are to your new goals. If you're going to exercise or learn to cook more at home for your family versus eating out all of the time, or your going to set a budget for yourself, how is that going to benefit you or others? For instance, if you are going to begin exercising how is that going to affect how you feel? Your energy? More confidence? Less bodily aches and pains (after the initial muscle soreness subsides). See yourself experiencing the positive benefits of achieving your goals because what you visualize will come to pass.



Lastly, you should always write your goals down and laminate them on a sheet of paper (take it to Kinko's) and put it somewhere where you can read it daily. This keeps a constant presence in your mind of what you intend to follow through with, again it's accountability.



Remember, your New Year's Goals (I like to use this versus resolutions) can be anything you desire. It's about living 2009 better than the last year. It may be to take better care of your health, to spend more time with family, or be smart with your money in this economy. There is no limit to how you can make positive changes in your life beginning today. It doesn't have to be a long list, just commit to even one thing and if you can stick to it, you can add to your accomplishments later in the year.



Be bold, be brave this year, and remember each day is a gift, and if you have one bad day, the next day you get to start over. Many of us can be too hard on ourselves for our mistakes or lack of followthrough. The word I like to use is "go next," and keep on doing, the past is the past, but the present is here, so make the most of it.



Have a Happy and Healthy New Year!

Fibromyalgia..... Is It Really In Your Head?

I just returned from supporting a friend who rode on her bike from San Francisco to Santa Monica to benefit the Arthritis Foundation as part of the Amgen Tour. To see the faces of many cyclists of all ages who rode over 545 miles in one week! What an accomplishment! Many of you reading this with fibromyalgia probably are thinking "I wish I even had the energy to get out of bed, let alone ride a bike! But, guess what?...I listened to three women get on stage afterwards and tell "their story" of living with arthritis. One was 30 years of age and had suffered with juvenile arthritis since she was seven years old! She said she never would have thought even a year ago that she would have done this ride! She had been through numerous doctors and medications and was determined to enter and complete this ride and.... she did it!

Why do I bring this up? Because fibromyalgia is another debilitating condition, often diagnosed by a Rheumatologist because of "arthritic-like" aches and pains. Commonly referred to as a musculoskeletal disease, fibromyalgia affects 6 million Americans and most are women. As a doctor who treats individuals with fibromyalgia, most patients are women and most have difficulty facing every day with body aches and pains, fatigue, headaches, digestive disorders, insomnia (difficulty sleeping), and depression. There is not one drug or therapy alone that works any wonder for long term help with fibromyalgia.

Many frustrated women come to my office telling me through their frustration that at one time or another that they were told their problem was "all in their head." Well, in some respect that is true (before you get upset at me, wait... listen to me as a woman doctor). Functional MRI scans have shown that people with fibromyalgia have increased activity in areas of the brain dealing with where it hurts and how much it hurts (U.S. News & World Report 2007). A look at how the brain and body communicate together is the key to finding out where there is a "brain imbalance," and how to correct it without more medication. I refer to this cause of fibromyalgia as a "brain imbalance" often caused by STRESS on a physical, chemical, and/or emotional level. Once you help balance the brain and body communication, the symptoms of fibromyalgia are greatly reduced, even gone!

We have helped hundreds of people get their life back from fibromyalgia. If you would like help with our Brain Based Therapy we have only 10 openings right now for new patients to see if you may be a good candidate for our care. This is for a limited time only! Call (619) 393-6642 to make your Free No Obligation Consult with me today and also receive a Free Surface EMG Evaluation of your spine.