Fibromyalgia is a musculoskeletal disorder with symptoms such as fatigue, chronic and diffuse pain, cognitive impairment, and sleep difficulties. It can affect people of any age and gender, although adult women seem to be most affected. The complexity of the disorder can make it difficult to diagnose and treat. Acupuncture can be a good pain management option for fibromyalgia patients, as it stimulates natural pain-relieving mechanisms in the body and has little to no side effects. A 2018 trial suggested that acupuncture causes changes in the levels of two neurotransmitters (brain chemicals) that are key to fibromyalgia. Acupuncture appears to increase serotonin and decrease substance P, which can improve fibromyalgia symptoms.
Meet Your Practitioner
Lesley Steppler is a Registered Social Worker, Registered Holistic Nutritionist, Certified Integrative Mental Health Provider, Certified Mind Surgery Method Coach, and Neuro-Linguistic Programming Practitioner, and is trained in Mental and Emotional Release at the Practitioner level. She is also the founder of Shine True Wellness Co., where she integrates nutritional knowledge with her counselling background to help clients see how the gut and brain are connected and teaches them resiliency. Using this holistic and integrative approach means Lesley can get to the root of clients’ symptoms and get them the mental health and overall well-being results they want and need.
Pay it Forward
Your help is vital to saving lives. Be a hero today. Donations of money or time can make a big difference to a small local charity like SRWC Wellness Centre. For over 25 years, SRWC has helped people from all walk of life find their personal recovery path. SRWC supports recovery and harm reduction for substance abuse, addictions, and other mental health issues. You can donate over the phone by calling SRWC at 204-956-6650 ext. 101, by Visa, or mail a check or a money order to: St. Raphael Wellness Centre Inc. 2nd floor, 225 Vaughan Street Winnipeg, MB, R3C 1T7. Donations can also be completed online.
Physical Activity & Addiction
Eighty percent of Individuals suffering from substance abuse also have a secondary diagnosis of depression and anxiety disorder. Individuals describe themselves as “feeling numb”. Natural forms of stimulation are “boring” against the vivid experience of the drug. As tolerance develops, it takes more and more of the drug to have the same initial intense “feeling.” Exercise increases the release of dopamine and endorphins produced by the body, and can have the same effect of a drug, producing a “natural high.” Many treatment centres now include exercise as an integral part of their programs.
Exercise & Our Brain
We are programmed to be movers. Our physical movements can directly influence our ability to learn, think, and remember. Our physical movements call upon some of the same neurons used for reading, writing and math. The relationship between food, physical activity, and learning is hardwired into the brain’s circuitry. The full impact of our lack of movement is just becoming known. We may have literally programmed movement out of our lives with today’s technology-driven society. The sedentary character of our lives is a disruption of our nature, and one of the biggest threats to our continued survival.
Acupuncture for Gastrointestinal Disorders
If you’ve tried conventional medicine to keep digestive problems in check without success, consider acupuncture, which is a holistic health treatment without side effects. Many modern clinical studies show that acupuncture alters various biochemical and physiological states to treat a wide variety of gastrointestinal illnesses, like irritable bowel syndrome, Chron’s disease, gallstones, heartburn, indigestion, constipation, and diarrhea. Acupuncture may help by improving gastrointestinal motility and restoring stomach acidity to normal levels; Reducing serum levels of serotonin which can help the symptoms of Irritable Bowel Syndrome; Reducing inflammation by promoting release of vascular and immunomodulatory factors, and improving delayed gastric emptying.
Kiss Your Bad Breath Goodbye
Everyone gets bad breath from time to time – but bad breath that doesn’t go away could mean you have an oral health issue. The most common cause of bad breath is poor oral hygiene, other causes can include dry mouth, and certain medications. When you don’t brush your natural teeth and/or dentures regularly, this can cause plaque and tartar to form on your teeth(both natural and false). If you’re struggling with bad breath that doesn’t go away, it’s important to see your denturist. They will be able to evaluate your oral health and determine what steps to take next.
Is Food Affecting Your Mood?
Did you know the food you’ve been eating could be contributing to your anxiety, depression, or other mental health struggles? You probably already know that sugar, caffeine, and alcohol are highly likely to affect your mood and behaviour, but food sensitivities can also create imbalances in key chemicals in the brain and gut. If you’re eating foods that cause you digestive issues, low energy, increased cravings and sleep problems, it could be due to food sensitivities. This doesn’t mean you need to avoid these foods long term, but it’s an important piece of the puzzle when uncovering the root cause of your mental health struggles.
Health Alert Update
The International Agency for Research has for decades classified alcohol as a #1 preventable carcinogen to humans, behind tobacco and asbestos – especially for women. The Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse (CCSA) drastically reduced what is considered low-risk drinking from 10 drinks a week for women and 15 for men to new proposed low-risk guidelines of 1-2 drinks a week for both men and women.
The CCSA acknowledges that substance abuse is an important consideration for all women, and that women’s health includes all women, not just cisgender. Women are particularly susceptible to alcohol-related harms due to sex (biological and gender) and social factors (which still judge alcohol and drug abuse in women more harshly than men).
Biological & Metabolic Differences Body Water
Women’s bodies contain proportionately 25% less water than men. Alcohol goes through body water to every cell of the body, and collects in organs with higher concentrations of water, such as the brain, liver, heart, colon, pancreas, and kidneys, resulting in these organs being more vulnerable to differences in body weight.
LESS ENZYMES IN THE STOMACH, SMALL INTESTINE AND LIVER
Women differ in their ability to metabolize and absorb alcohol compared to men. The difference is due to the variations in the amount of the enzyme responsible for metabolizing alcohol. Women have less of the enzyme in their stomach, small intestine and liver. As 30% of the alcohol is absorbed through the stomach directly into the bloodstream, this means that alcohol goes through the bloodstream to all cells of the body less diluted and in higher concentrations.
Health Consequences
Organ Damage: Compared to men, women experience significantly shorter intervals between their first use of alcohol and onset of significant alcohol-related problems. Whereas men usually experience alcohol-related problems after 10-12 years of use, women on average experience problems within 5-7 years of use. This accelerated course is known as “telescoping”.
Breast Cancer: Alcohol consumption is consistently associated with the risk of breast cancer. Alcohol increases the levels of estrogen and other hormones associated with hormone-receptors. Alcohol also may increase breast cancer risk by damaging DNA in cells. Researchers now state “there is no safe amount of alcohol” and women who have a history of breast cancer in their family should limit their use to 1-2 drinks per week, while women who have or have had breast cancer should not be drinking at all.
Liver Damage: Women are more affected by liver disease from alcohol, have an increased prevalence of acute liver failure, and suffer liver disease such as hepatitis and cirrhosis (scarring) of the liver. Statistics indicate there is an uptick of “epidemic proportions” of women 18-25 diagnosed with liver disease – thinking this is a disease of older alcoholics. Many young people have no knowledge of alcohol’s effect. Unfortunately, the diagnosis of cirrhosis of the liver may not be made until autopsy.
The Brain: Women have received little attention in the research to date. Evidence now indicates that many of the behavioural aspects of the effect of alcohol progress more rapidly among women than among men, and women are more vulnerable to alcohol-induced brain damage than men. Using MRI images, researchers found that regions of the brain involved in coordinating multiple brain functions are significantly affected. Alcohol affects short-term memory functions, so information is not transferred to long-term memory banks. It is not a question of not remembering – the information is not available to retrieve. Alcohol also affects the nerve cells in the brain, interfering with the cells’ function and how they communicate with other cells.