Aromatherapy

Fibromyalgia and complementary therapies

This article was written by a former member of Therapy Directory.

Published on 9th January, 2017

Hands up if you have fibromyalgia? The chances are, if you are reading this you have got this disabling disease...

I was diagnosed in 2013; how long I have had it I'm not really sure. After years of tests, I was given the devastating news... there is no cure. I was stuck with the body that seemed to hate me. I tried every medical treatment available to me, but nothing took away the pain, physically or emotionally, or the continuous feeling of being tired. So I took matters into my own hands...

I had to give up the career I loved and started training as a complementary therapist. I was lucky that I had a friend with fibromyalgia and I knew from massages from her, that this was the only thing that gave me some relief. I must admit I'm a bit of a swot and I love to study, so once I started I just couldn't stop. I begun with a course on Reiki, closely followed by Indian head massage and aromatherapy.

The thing with with complementary therapies is that they supplement traditional medicine; they aren't a replacement; they aren't a cure, but then again, there is no cure for fibromyalgia. They help the client to relax, the therapist is an ear for 'moans' as well as 'successes', which improves self-esteem, which, along with essential oils used in treatments, targets depression. And so on....

Complementary therapies help the client as they begin to relax, pain levels fall as the muscles relax and the quality of sleep will improve. But what is most important, is that one massage will make you feel good, but it takes a number of sessions for the client to get the best benefit: But not only the weekly trip to the therapist will help; the client needs to learn to help themselves and this is when the therapist comes into their own... they need to explain all this to the client.

So if you suffer from fibromyalgia, or any other disease for that matter, find a therapist who is sympathetic. If you aren't happy with them, find someone you are happy with. And take note of all the additional tips they give you.

The views expressed in this article are those of the author. All articles published on Therapy Directory are reviewed by our editorial team.