Joseph De Bruin, D.C.

What is meant by describing fibromyalgia as a global problem? Well, it does occur in many countries around the world, but more to the point, fibromyalgia is only one piece of a complex full-body puzzle. Patients with fibromyalgia will report widespread pain in the neck, back, and in other areas, but there's also much more [..]

The pain of fibromyalgia (FM) can be debilitating. What has perplexed researchers over the years is the source of this pain. Is it scarred muscle tissue? Nerve pain? Is it something in your head? Perhaps the adrenal glands are involved or maybe it’s the stress hormone called cortisol?It is well known that exercise eases the [..]

The fibromyalgia diagnosis is based on widespread bodily AND spinal pain. Most patients think that fibromyalgia is more a problem related to how intensely the brain  perceives pain. While this is important, you have to also consider why the fibromyalgia patient is susceptible to such little pressure at various points. What makes their nerves so [..]

Syndrome X is called the lifestyle disease or metabolic syndrome. Patients with this disorder are overweight, have high "bad" cholesterol (i.e. LDLs) levels, and high blood pressure. They may also have insulin resistance or even be diabetic. This syndrome leads to heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, and even certain types of cancer. Most of [..]

Fibromyagia is a debilitating disease that affects millions of Americans, with most sufferers being female. Research has explored a lot of different possibilities, but fibromyalgia remains a poorly understood disorder with no known single cause.Fibromyalgia can be more thought of as a global disease with likely many different factors coming together to create the painful [..]

Fibromyalgia (FM) affects millions of Americans each year. The back and neck pain, sleep problems, headaches and so on add up to a syndrome that has a lot of disease over-lap. Patients with headaches are more likely to suffer from fibromyalgia. Irritable bowel syndrome is also more common among those with FM. It's important not [..]

Fibromyalgia affects 1-3% of the United States population and approximately the same percentage of the population is affected by chronic fatigue syndrome, which is a closely related disease. Up to 18 million adults in any given year report these symptoms, making them a substantial public health problem. Women seem to be more affected than men.The [..]

Fibromyalgia is a complex disorder. It is complex because different systems of the body are affected, and treatments need to be both comprehensive and specific. Fibromyalgia overlaps with other diseases such as chronic fatigue syndrome, which shares many of its characteristics. The patient usually has general fatigue, and due to pain, may be impaired in [..]

Patients diagnosed with fibromyalgia use a variety of different complementary and alternative treatments to help manage their condition. Since medications and surgery are rarely indicated, the use of safer (less toxic) alternatives has become widespread. About 1/3 to ½ of patients report trying different treatments, such as exercise programs, chiropractic, and vitamin supplements.Sometimes patients will [..]