Book Review: Fibromyalgia and Muscle Pain

I was recently asked to read and review a new book entitled Fibromyalgia and Muscle Pain, by Leon Chaitaow, ND, DO. I agreed in hopes that it would share some interesting alternative treatments, and perhaps explain the connection between Fibromyalgia and Muscle Pain. In both cases I was correct.

After I pulled up the listing on GoodReads, I realized that Fibromyalgia and Muscle Pain is actually a re-release of a book that was originally written in 2001. As I began reading the book, I couldn’t help but wonder what the author had updated. Not seeing any citations post-2001 I finally checked the bibliography and found that in 12 pages of references, only five were post-2001. I kept reading anyway to see what the book offered.

The book begins by explaining Fibromyalgia and the symptoms associated. It also spends a little time listing and explaining the various diagnoses that have to be ruled out before a Fibromyalgia diagnoses can be given. This is useful for those who are still in the diagnosis stage to help them ensure that they are being tested for everything. However, I did feel that there were some diagnoses that were not included in his list that probably should have been.

Chapter 4 focuses on the muscles and Fibromyalgia, explaining how muscles react to stress, and how muscle tone can lead to stiffness. Chaitaow explains how prolonged muscle tension leads to the pain that we feel with Fibromyalgia, and how when those stresses become chronic it leads to even further issues. He also explains trigger points and how they can lead to referred pain.

Chapter 5 covers the brain and Fibromyalgia, citing some older studies on how are brains are affected by this disorder. He also explains the limbic system and how hormones can leads to issues (reinforcing the need to have your hormones checked). He discusses some potential causes of Fibromyalgia, as well as the connection with PTSD.

The focus of the book is on self-healing, rather than medication and that focus really begins in chapter 6 when Chaitow explain homeostasis – the body’s self-regulation system. Basically, the body is always trying to be at a “normal” level. He explains how a number of things, stressors in daily life, diet, emotional stress, hormone imbalances, nutritional deficiencies, lack of exercise/ oxygen imbalance, poor stress coping, and many other lifestyle factors can lead to imbalances in the body. It is understanding where the imbalance is and correcting it that will lead to healing. For many of us we are dealing with multiple imbalances. I know for myself I suffer from low stress tolerance, food sensitivities, lack of exercise, and nutritional deficiencies. I have had to work on each of these to achieve a more functional body. This chapter explains how to address the various imbalances you may be dealing with on a personal level.

Chapter 7 covers further alternative treatment options that are not focused on specific issues, but that may help. Chapter  8 explains some manual methods to deal with trigger and tender points. It gives specific instructions on using strain-counterstrain methods to reduce pain and tension associated with trigger points. Chapter 9 does the same but is more focused on the tender points.

Chapter 10 is more of a general “what works in Fibromyalgia” citing some old reports and studies. While the answers haven’t changed a lot, there were a number of options that weren’t available when these reports were made – including all of the approved medications for treating Fibromyalgia.

Overall, this book had some really good info. For those new to Fibromyalgia it will be more helpful than for those who know the basics. For that group, the good stuff starts in chapter 5. The most valuable part of the book is probably chapter 7 and 8 on trigger points – however there are whole books available that cover those topics thoroughly if that is an interest. This book gives an overview of a lot of alternative options for treating Fibromyalgia and muscle Pain, but in most cases doesn’t provide really detailed information, leaving you needing to research further.