"Print this out and take it to your doctor and ask for assistance with "getting on this page" of what might be causing your problems" (essentially) is the ending message at this wonderfully informative piece I found online by Dr. Laurence Badgley, a long-ago graduate of a prestigious medical school in the US.
That is SO in line with the Lumigrate You model and what my intentions were with the information at Lumigrate.... providing a whole WEBSITE of substantial, valid, progressive information which is complementary (yet diverse) for the public to find. Health care has changed dramatically with the increasing numbers of medical consumers who utilize computers as a tool for learning.
Ultimately, in reality, nobody cares more about your health than YOU do -- YOU are the one who has to be 24/7 in your body dealing with things. For some, that includes advocates who are close family or friends. Sometimes professional advocates/educators/navigators are part of the team as well, that's part of what I do as a health care advisor. By providing appropriate information electronically or in print, patient/consumers can propel and help guide the direction of not just THEIR health care, but all the other patients/consumers following them through the providers 'door'.
The shift going on which I designed and started Lumigrate to be part of in 2009 in the US and beyond, has to do with going from the 'typical' conventional 'allopathic' medicine we've historically had (and our parents and grandparents), which increasingly sent patients for diagnostics and gave them procedures and medications which are effective symptom-solvers, to finding/changing the underlying reasons for wellness to have gone to unwellness.
I've provided the beginnings of this marvelous piece by Dr Badgley, and I highly encourage you to follow the link and read or skim the entire article. I believe this doctor is proving a BIG PIECE of what fibromyalgia is about -- I don't think he has really gotten to the 'cause', that I'd call the 'core of the onion, but he has gotten to one of the key layers right near the core through having strong knowledge and abilities for being a health detective. I believe what he is educating about is a big symptom which, if it can be kept 'in check', can functionally restore people with fibromyalgia's structural issues.
He refers to the infections with people with FM -- but only UTI; what about bronchitis and the ever-present/ongoing sinus issues which people with FM typically have? That's an example of what I found missing in this VERY GOOD piece. The 'grand pooh bah' about fibromyalgia and fatigue, Jacob Teitelbaum, MD, approaches things so much from the hormone standpoint (adrenals, thyroid, stress/psychological) and, to my knowledge, has not covered as much about the structural issues of the body in his marketing and educational materials (aka books, website, appearances on television or in person -- we spoke at the same conference in 2009. The conference was a very intimate one, with an equal number of providers with expertise in chronic pain as those who have it, and he stayed to the very last person with pain had asked questions of him and I happened to see and overhear him telling an inquiring woman about heel lifts. I remember thinking "he knows more about heel lifts and the pelvis/lower extremities than most providers I know who specialize in those things, I wish we could just bottle what he knows somehow.") So this is an excellent 'complementary piece', since I've included Dr Teitelbaum since 2009 in the forums at Lumigrate.com.
I also had the UTI issues Dr. Badgley discusses when you read this piece; they started within years of when, at age 15, a chiropractor pointed out the way my pant leg was worn out on one side and not the other and started adjusting my pelvis, which would just go right back out again. I had tell-tale signs in my teens of CFS/FM ahead -- wiggy blood sugar (very high then very low) and orthostatic hypotension which, believe it or not, the MDs I was going to didn't suspect or test for, and I had no idea OH existed! That was back in the days when I believed doctors would figure things out for you and then you did what they told you, rather than the collaborative approach with the patient in the central, key position as we've created the YOU Model to represent at Lumigrate.
As I got into the 'hormone cascade' issues with fibromyalgia in my 30s and 40s, the #1 thing which has helped me with that aspect of things is supplementing hormones (in a biologically identical way, and I prefer the method of 'physiologic' dosing for myself, but have information on Lumigrate ALSO from MDs who subscribe to the 'hyperphysiologic' or 'supraphysiologic' dosing that is also used for 'anti-aging'. I'd only known of the hyperphysiologic type for many years so have about 4x the personal experience as with the newer-to-me physiologic, but aspects of the hyperphysiologic theory had always not 'agreed with me'; I've learned to listen to that little 'voice in my gut' called 'intuition', as I believe if a person is tapped into that, it is 'their truth/answer'.
Lumigrate is a 'funnel' for people to get a palate of concepts to learn from, then the next step is to form your own opinions and take action if you wish to! (Which includes emailing/printing and educating others about concepts, which can include your team of providers surrounding YOU.)
www.fibromyalgiacauseandcure.com/cms/book/export/html/1 [1]
In order to entice you into following the link, here the very first part of what you will see (plus some awesome graphics!) ...........
© April 2009 by Laurence E. Badgley, M.D.
As a medical doctor of over 40 years (Yale Medical School 1968), I have interviewed and examined hundreds of patients who had been diagnosed with "fibromyalgia [2]". Over the years, I discovered a novel method of medical examination and named it, "Biomechanical [3] Functional [4] Diagnosis". I used this method of diagnosis to examine "fibromyalgia [2]" patients. These medical evaluations enabled me to discover the true cause of "fibromyalgia [2]".
The method of Biomechanical [3] Functional [4] Diagnosis (BFD) starts with taking a medical history and elicitation of symptoms. The symptoms of "fibromyalgia [2]" are well known and will not be recounted here. During BFD, emphasis is placed on history of major and minor injury to the low back from acute accidental injuries, chronic [5] repetitive stress, or multiple pregnancies. A distinguishing characteristic of BFD is that gravity [6] is considered to be causally associated with many human disorders (see page 16).
During BFD, the physical part of the examination begins with visual inspection of the patient from a few feet distance in order to note general body configurations. This is a most important observation. Diagnosis of "fibromyalgia [2]" requires the diagnostician to study the patient within the ambient [7] gravitational field. The bodies of "fibromyalgia [2]" patients respond to gravity [6] with skewed postures and bony alignments that are abnormal. People with "fibromyalgia [2]" manifest a constellation of 15 unusual signs as they sit, stand, and bend. Descriptions of these signs are simplified so that people with this problem and their companions can easily make these observations and measurements:
Pelvic Girdle: Drawing of the pelvis [8] as seen from the front.
Live and Learn. Learn and Live Better! is my motto. I'm Mardy Ross, and I founded Lumigrate in 2008 after a career as an occupational therapist with a background in health education and environmental research program administration. Today I function as the desk clerk for short questions people have, as well as 'concierge' services offered for those who want a thorough exploration of their health history and direction to resources likely to progress their health according to their goals. Contact Us comes to me, so please do if you have questions or comments. Lumigrate is "Lighting the Path to Health and Well-Being" for increasing numbers of people. Follow us on social networking sites such as: Twitter: http://twitter.com/lumigrate [13] and Facebook. (There is my personal page and several Lumigrate pages. For those interested in "groovy" local education and networking for those uniquely talented LumiGRATE experts located in my own back yard, "LumiGRATE Groove of the Grand Valley" is a Facebook page to join. (Many who have joined are beyond our area but like to see the Groovy information! We not only have FUN, we are learning about other providers we can be referring patients to and 'wearing a groove' to each other's doors -- or websites/home offices!) By covering some of the things we do, including case examples, it reinforces the concepts at Lumigrate.com as well as making YOU feel that you're part of a community. Which you ARE at Lumigrate!
Links:
[1] http://www.fibromyalgiacauseandcure.com/cms/book/export/html/1
[2] http://fibromyalgiacauseandcure.com/cms/glossary/term/11
[3] http://fibromyalgiacauseandcure.com/cms/glossary/term/3
[4] http://fibromyalgiacauseandcure.com/cms/glossary/term/13
[5] http://fibromyalgiacauseandcure.com/cms/glossary/term/53
[6] http://fibromyalgiacauseandcure.com/cms/glossary/term/14
[7] http://fibromyalgiacauseandcure.com/cms/glossary/term/1
[8] http://fibromyalgiacauseandcure.com/cms/glossary/term/33
[9] http://fibromyalgiacauseandcure.com/cms/glossary/term/9
[10] http://fibromyalgiacauseandcure.com/cms/glossary/term/50
[11] http://fibromyalgiacauseandcure.com/cms/glossary/term/25
[12] http://fibromyalgiacauseandcure.com/cms/glossary/term/17
[13] http://twitter.com/lumigrate
[14] http://www.lumigrate.com/forum/bfd-biomechanical-functional-diagnosis-laurence-badgley-md-yale-medical-school-1968#comment-2305
[15] http://healthinstituteco.com/
[16] http://www.lumigrate.com/forum/bfd-biomechanical-functional-diagnosis-laurence-badgley-md-yale-medical-school-1968#top
[17] http://www.lumigrate.com/user/login?destination=node/1931%23comment-form
[18] http://www.lumigrate.com/user/register?destination=node/1931%23comment-form
[19] http://www.lumigrate.com/forum/bfd-biomechanical-functional-diagnosis-laurence-badgley-md-yale-medical-school-1968#comment-2310
[20] http://www.lumigrate.com/forum/meet-robin-thomas
[21] http://facebook.com/robinthomas.usana
[22] http://linkedin.com/rpthomas
[23] http://twitter.com/robinthomas1
[24] http://robinthomas.biz
[25] http://www.lumigrate.com/forum/bfd-biomechanical-functional-diagnosis-laurence-badgley-md-yale-medical-school-1968#comment-2311
Comments
Thank you for sharing this article with me. Dr. Badgley is quite thorough in his explanation of common musculoskeletal patterns he finds in patients diagnosed with fibromyalgia. I will be checking to verify this on my patients.
I definitely think he is onto something. We certainly see a lot of patients with anterior head carriage, high shoulder/tight trapezius, mild scoliosis, short leg, and tender SI joint. I haven't examined which side, but will investigate more.
As fibromylagia is more common in women than men (by about 5 to 1, I believe) and also more common after childbirth, it does make sense that many complications may arise from the ligament and tendon laxity caused by childbirth and the other hormonal fluctuations that women experience.
Some people will experience fast and dramatic improvement in low back pain and other complaints with the heel lift. But we do not recommend these unless strict criteria are met.
In my practice, we regularly do our best to reduce the inflammation and pain in the SI joint (and the accompanying symptoms of hypertonic trapezius, etc.) through a wide range of therapies. As we discussed, after measuring pelvis and lumbar Xrays for anatomical short leg, pelvic rotation/counter-rotation, sacral base deformity. and vertebral body rotation, we will sometimes recommend a heel lift on one leg. If the patient meets this criteria, a heel lift can sometimes seem like a miracle from above for some patients.
Other musculoskeletal ways we seek to reduce pain and inflammation is through muscle correction (neurologically turning on muscles that are somewhat weak, and relaxing ones too tight), adjustments to restore mobility to fixated joints and reduce the other problems caused by subluxated joints, and flexion/distraction to decompress bulging discs.
Beyond this, we use functional Applied Kinesiology (AK) testing to get an idea of which internal organs are stressed, why, and how best to relieve this stress. For example, inflammation of the intestines will often cause weakness or hypertonicity to the associated muscles of the quadriceps, hamstrings, tensor fascia lata and quadratus lumborum. For some patients, taking the stress off the intestines is the key to righting these muscles and restoring balance to the spine, low back, and SI joints.
I definitely believe that healing should not only be from the outside (with heel lifts, adjustments, muscle balancing, etc.) but also from the inside out. We all have a weak link, and AK gives us a great diagnostic tool in identifying hidden infections, toxicities, food allergies, and helps guide which nutritional supplementation restores neurological function to the muscles (and therefore nervous system) and takes the pressure off the internal organs.
Again, thanks for sharing. I will be checking some tender SI joints and some of Dr. Badgley's other findings and let you know what I find.
-Dr. Jeff
I appreciate the opportunity being part of the "Grate Groove of the Grand Valley" provides. Being part of the forums here at Lumigrate.com helps educate and reach out about chiropractic approaches to health care, in my case. I'm finding that eading and commenting on other pieces, and vice-versa, creates a "virtual educational and networking/connecting tool" for our region and 'beyond' -- as far as the Internet reaches! I hope people in other areas search to find similar providers nearby as well. I enjoy doing face-to-face public presentations about health topics in Grand Junction/Valley, Colorado, USA area as part of my outreach as well. Please follow the link below to our website and call or contact us with any questions. If you don't see an upcoming seminar, call us, it might not be added to the website yet. We also offer a free pain relief test to anyone interested. This free test is an easy way for you to know if you are suffering from meningeal compression. You can learn more at http://healthinstituteco.com/ [15]
"I definitely believe that healing should not only be from the outside (with heel lifts, adjustments, muscle balancing, etc.) but also from the inside out. We all have a weak link, and AK gives us a great diagnostic tool in identifying hidden infections, toxicities, food allergies, and helps guide which nutritional supplementation restores neurological function to the muscles (and therefore nervous system) and takes the pressure off the internal organs. "
Jeff, I totally agree with your statements above. AK , when done by a well-trained, and naturally talented individual, brings great insight into the overall health, both external and internal, as you more eloquently stated. I do take careful consideration as to who is performing AK, as I have found through experience that occasionally a bias can occur on the part of the practicioner. I also have seen some practitioners who have had the training, but just don't have the talent ( or sensitivity of understanding, maybe)
Do you agree?
Robin started contributing to Lumigrate in August 2010. "Meet Robin Thomas", a topic in our biographies/vitae forum is at http://www.lumigrate.com/forum/meet-robin-thomas [20] to read all about her journey, which was greatly influenced by the need to help solve her youngest son's significant health challenges. For those who want just the overview here: After working over 22 years in medical research at the University of North Carolina on chronic inflammatory diseases she switched her focus to preventive health in 2004 when she was introduced to USANA Health Sciences. Robin is passionate about helping others improve their health, have more energy, manage their weight, and improve their skin.
I love meeting new friends !
LIKE me on Facebook [21] Connect on LinkedIn [22]
Follow me on Twitter [23] Learn more at my BLOG [24]
"I dream of a world free from pain and suffering. I dream of a world free from disease. The USANA family will be the healthiest family on earth. Share my vision. Love life and live it to its fullest in happiness and health."
-Dr. Myron Wentz, Founder and Chairman, USANA Health Sciences
... if he wants, and it turns out he and Dr Jeff know each other. This is a relatively 'big town' but it's small when it comes to the practitioners who think outside the box like this. Robin, glad you had your interest picqued. Mardy
Live and Learn. Learn and Live Better! is my motto. I'm Mardy Ross, and I founded Lumigrate in 2008 after a career as an occupational therapist with a background in health education and environmental research program administration. Today I function as the desk clerk for short questions people have, as well as 'concierge' services offered for those who want a thorough exploration of their health history and direction to resources likely to progress their health according to their goals. Contact Us comes to me, so please do if you have questions or comments. Lumigrate is "Lighting the Path to Health and Well-Being" for increasing numbers of people. Follow us on social networking sites such as: Twitter: http://twitter.com/lumigrate [13] and Facebook. (There is my personal page and several Lumigrate pages. For those interested in "groovy" local education and networking for those uniquely talented LumiGRATE experts located in my own back yard, "LumiGRATE Groove of the Grand Valley" is a Facebook page to join. (Many who have joined are beyond our area but like to see the Groovy information! We not only have FUN, we are learning about other providers we can be referring patients to and 'wearing a groove' to each other's doors -- or websites/home offices!) By covering some of the things we do, including case examples, it reinforces the concepts at Lumigrate.com as well as making YOU feel that you're part of a community. Which you ARE at Lumigrate!