Our emotional states can contribute to all kinds of illnesses: hypertension, heart disease, or various types of nervous disorders. Different conditions can help not only transform our physical health but also facilitate healing at a deeper level. The secret lies in discovering and understanding the messages that physical disorders contain in order to better understand ourselves and live better.
To understand this connection, we must first recognize that mind and body are one. We normally think of the body as a “vessel” that accompanies us, that we must take care of, and that, if damaged, we must take it to a doctor for repair. “Unfortunately, this view is very limited. It denies the complexity of the energies that shape our entire being, energies that flow and communicate with each other. (…) There is no separation between what happens in the mind (thoughts and feelings) and what happens in the body.”
One thing to note about fibromyalgia is that because its symptoms are misinterpreted, those who suffer from this condition believe that others don’t believe them because the pain cannot be seen. Fibromyalgia is considered a controversial diagnosis, and some authors argue that it should not be considered a disease, primarily due to the absence of abnormalities in the physical examination, objective laboratory tests, or medical imaging studies that confirm the diagnosis.
Officially, fibromyalgia is a poorly understood group of musculoskeletal symptoms and disorders, primarily characterized by extreme fatigue, persistent pain, stiffness of varying intensity in the muscles and tendons, and a wide range of other psychological symptoms, such as difficulty sleeping, morning stiffness, headaches, and problems with thinking and memory, sometimes called “mental impairments,” which often prevent people from functioning routinely. It is a “non-contagious” disorder present in approximately 3-6% of young women, usually between the ages of 20 and 50.
Today we are sharing an interview with Mª Àngels Mestre, a woman who suffered from fibromyalgia and, without an official response from her doctors, was able to leave it alone. Since then, she has been writing about it and educating patients about this and other chronic illnesses. We hope this helps a lot.
- What is fibromyalgia?
Fibromyalgia is the disease of unexpressed emotions. It is the result of an internal conflict, one we create ourselves. The most affected organ is the liver, a repository of pent-up emotions according to traditional Chinese medicine. It regulates fascia, muscles, tendons, ligaments, joint canals, veins and arteries, as well as vision. This organ is also responsible for detoxifying all the toxins that make us sick, both externally and internally.
- What are the most common symptoms?
Fibromyalgia presents with a wide range of symptoms, the main ones being generalized musculoskeletal pain, accompanied by stiffness and fatigue, decreased concentration and memory, insomnia, irritable bowel syndrome, irritable bladder, headaches, anxiety, restless leg syndrome and chest pain, heavy and painful periods, decreased vision, cramps, etc.
- What types of people suffer from it?
To maintain health and harmony, we must align thoughts, feelings (emotions), and actions (words/actions). In fibromyalgia, thoughts and emotions are poorly managed, as their energy is not released in action or words. Action is repressed, and the energy of thought and emotion is blocked in the form of tension, which manifests itself in pain and a wide variety of symptoms.
- Why are there more cases in women than in men?
Women are more emotional and more practical. Their blockages are more emotional, while men’s are more mental and theoretical. On the other hand, the factor that makes this disease possible is repression. There is no doubt that in our society, from childhood, women are more subject to repression than men.
- Where does this disease come from?
Like all diseases, fibromyalgia is multifactorial, but its origins lie in rigid cultural, familial, and social patterns that produce repression in childhood. The child copies these models to feel loved and becomes obedient and submissive without being so, and begins to develop a false personality, deviating from their essence. The psychoemotional defects that accompany the patient are: perfectionist pride in feeling valued by those around them and suppressed anger, an emotion that, if not released, is devastating to health.
- Is there any treatment, or is it truly a chronic disease?
Health can be restored if we have the will, the necessary information, and are willing to make changes from the inside out. We need a major transformation in the way we think, feel, and act, which will generate a new, healthy, free, and happy person.
- What is transcranial stimulation?
Transcranial stimulation is based on the production of an electrical current in areas of the brain. We know that electrical current creates electromagnetic fields, so from my perspective, I don’t think it’s the most appropriate treatment for fibromyalgia. If we want to increase neurotransmitters like serotonin and melatonin, we have less invasive tools, such as diet, the first drug. To increase neurotransmitter levels, I recommend eating legumes containing tryptophan to induce these neurotransmitters.
- How can symptoms be improved?
To heal, the following changes are necessary: a change in attitude leads us to no longer feel like victims but responsible, to stop being passive and become active, to begin managing the illness ourselves as protagonists through empowerment.
We don’t have to wait to heal; we need a degree of nonconformity and rebellion to make our own decisions and direct our lives. We also need a lifestyle change to simplify our lives and leave stress behind. Likewise, we need to replace established patterns with our lived and understood experience, which will help us say no without feeling guilty. It is essential to change harmful habits, especially our diet, to a diet that cleanses the liver of toxins, including pharmaceuticals, that gives us energy, alkalinity, stimulates the immune system, and is anti-inflammatory and antioxidant.
- Is it a type of modern disease?
Diseases arise due to humanity’s psycho-emotional defects, but they increase and worsen with lifestyle and poor nutrition. Currently, this disease has gained momentum due to the self-imposed demands women have placed on themselves to manage all aspects of modern life, such as work, family, home, social relationships, etc. All of this, very often, without the possibility of directing their own lives.
