Top 3 Nutrient Deficiencies in Fibromyalgia
In recent months, a researcher from the Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Barcelona, penned a paper regarding the close relation between nutritional deficiency and its direct impact on fibromyalgia. Nutritional deficiencies are very common in fibromyalgia patients and they are speculated to contribute to various symptoms of fibromyalgia. Although there is no cure for this illness, he states that eating a healthy diet and meeting daily nutritional requirements is essential to improving fibromyalgia symptoms.
Here are the top 3 nutrients which most fibromyalgia patients lack…
Vitamin B-12
This component is vital for erythropoiesis, i.e. manufacturing red blood cells, enhancing nerve pathways, and boosting DNA synthesis and folate required for metabolism. People with fibromyalgia generally have a low B-12 level, which manifests in the form of a frail immune system, numbness and tingling, and excessive tiredness. You have to take sufficient B-12 nutritional supplements, sublingual B-12 under the tongue, or injections with B-12 in them. Ideally, injections inserted directly into the muscles once a week at an interval of 6 weeks is recommended.
Magnesium
Magnesium is the most abundant mineral in our body and is involved in 300 body chemical activity. More than twenty percent of the overall magnesium content in our body is stored in muscle tissues. Hence, it is a vital mineral which supports our muscles, energy production and overall health. When intracellular magnesium level is low, it produces symptoms similar to fibromyalgia such as body weakness, tense and stiff muscles, muscle spasm and pain, low energy levels and fatigue. Magnesium is also needed for conversion of 5-HTP to serotonin, a mood and sleep regulating hormone, which fibromyalgia patients also lack. To increase magnesium levels, natural supplements can be administered, or you could also take magnesium glycinate that helps the muscle to make more energy because it contains malic acid. Take 5-HTP along with magnesium supplements so the rate of its conversion to serotonin increases.
Vitamin D
Lack of proper sunlight leads to a Vitamin D deficiency (Vitamin D3), which worsens the conditions of patients suffering from fibromyalgia. Not only does this cause fatigue and pain, but it often leads to mood swings, anxiety and depression. This vitamin helps to maintain good teeth and bone health, strengthen immune system, keep insulin levels in check for diabetes management, and promote a healthy cardiovascular system, brain, and nervous system. Some researchers under Dr. Florian Wepner, of Orthopedic Hospital Vienna Speising, found that people suffering from chronic pain and tiredness due to fibromyalgia can experience pain relief via Vitamin D supplements. This component isn’t present in large quantities, which is why it is suggested that you get a good amount of sunlight each day. However, a cause-and-effect link is yet to be found in that study.
