In 2017, Lady Gaga shocked the entertainment world when she revealed that she had postponed the European leg of her world tour because she was in severe physical pain. She later opened up about her struggle with fibromyalgia, a condition that affects the nervous system and causes pain throughout the body.
Many of you are probably asking yourselves: What exactly is fibromyalgia?
In the simplest of terms, fibromyalgia (FMS) is a chronic condition characterised by aches and stiffness in the muscles and joints and in the skin, organs and soft tissues, accompanied by fatigue, sleep, memory and mood issues.
Experts do not fully understand this disorder yet, and what causes it, but people with this condition have a heightened sensitivity to pain.
It’s like waking up aching as if you have been working out all night. Even the slightest touch can feel painful.
The Main Symptoms of Fibromyalgia are:
Apart from Pain, Several Secondary Symptoms are Associated with this Condition:
What makes fibromyalgia a medical enigma is that it is a disease that is still not well understood. The causes of fibromyalgia remain a mystery, but the symptoms are said to be linked to and triggered by stress, genetics, trauma and sleep problems.
Current research suggests that you may be more likely to have fibromyalgia if you have other disorders, especially rheumatic or auto-immune diseases, mood disorders, or conditions that cause pain.
Fibromyalgia also tends to run in families, so genetic factors are likely to contribute to the disorder, although more research is needed to determine the specific genes involved.
Anyone can get fibromyalgia, but more women get it than men, with those aged between 20 and 50 most at risk for developing this condition.
The biggest challenge with fibromyalgia is that it is difficult to diagnose this condition through a physical examination, blood tests or X-rays. The symptoms vary from patient to patient and often mimic other conditions.
Doctors can only use blood tests to exclude medical conditions.
For these reasons, it might be months or even years before fibromyalgia is confirmed.
To make matters worse, those living with fibromyalgia look healthy, and most tests show nothing out of the ordinary. It can thus get exasperating when people with fibromyalgia get accused of “faking” their pain and illness.
Lady Gaga once vented out her frustration in an interview with Vogue, “I get so irritated with people who don’t believe fibromyalgia is real. For me, and I think for many others, it’s really a cyclone of anxiety, depression, PTSD, trauma, and panic disorder, all of which sends the nervous system into overdrive, and then you have nerve pain as a result.
“Chronic pain is no joke. And it’s every day waking up not knowing how you’re going to feel.”
There is currently no cure for fibromyalgia, and treatment usually involves managing the symptoms through a combination of exercise or other movement therapies, psychological and behavioural therapy, stress-management techniques, and medications.
But the situation is not all doom and gloom. If you have been suffering from chronic pain and going from doctor to doctor looking for an answer, there’s a ray of hope.
Studies reveal that red light therapy (also known as Photobiomodulation (PBM) or Low-Level Laser Therapy (LLLT)) has a positive impact on relieving musculoskeletal and neuropathic pain, with consequent improvement in the quality of life.
Recent research by the British Pain Society reveals that NovoTHOR whole-body PBM significantly reduced pain and improved the quality of life in patients with fibromyalgia after four weeks of treatment.
The excellent news is that Avantir Wellness is the 𝐎𝐍𝐋𝐘 𝐬𝐭𝐮𝐝𝐢𝐨 𝐢𝐧 𝐀𝐬𝐢𝐚 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐨𝐓𝐇𝐎𝐑® Whole-𝐁𝐨𝐝𝐲 𝐋𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐏𝐨𝐝.
This whole-body red light therapy bed uses red and near-infrared light to target your whole body all at once, from your head to your toes, and treat injuries, reduce pain, relax muscles/joints, and increase blood circulation.
All you have to do is simply lie down inside this pod for 20 minutes, to feel energised and rejuvenated. You will also notice a boost in your physical and mental performance and find that this therapy helps you sleep better.
At this point, you are probably wondering if red light therapy is backed by research. The short answer is, yes. Red Light Therapy has been studied in over 500 human trials and 4,000 lab studies.
If you want to know more about red light therapy and how it can work for you, do drop by our centre (451 Joo Chiat Rd, #02-13 Katong Point Singapore 427664) and approach our wellness consultants.
You can also email us at team@avantirwellness.com or WhatsApp at (+65) 8852 0279 to book a slot for the NovoTHOR® Whole-𝐁𝐨𝐝𝐲 𝐋𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐏𝐨𝐝.
