Fibromyalgia Protocol
As Developed at Atrium Health Services
By Joseph F. Unger Jr., DC, FICS
Background:
In 2005 an innovative symposium focusing on the devastating condition known as fibromyalgia was held in Kansas City, Missouri. Sponsored by Sacro Occipital Research Society International, Inc. (SORSI), the goal of the conference was to gain insight into the causes of fibromyalgia and to identify the most promising treatment options. Leading authorities in fibromyalgia from around the country presented their research and experiences at this three-day event.
This one-of-a-kind symposium was organized in a manner that all participants could attend every session and thereby learn from the totality of accumulated wisdom and information from all presenters. The final session of the symposium provided a forum for all the participants to contribute their knowledge, research and professional experiences to the accumulated body of information presented.
Then all of the information from the presenters and the clinical experience of more than 50 prominent physicians were integrated into a working model for the optimal treatment of fibromyalgia. The group as a whole contributed from the viewpoint of their expertise, giving us a formidable cross-section of alternative healing experiences. In this fashion every person in the entire symposium contributed to the final conclusions and was able to benefit from the experiences of each attendee and presenter.
The group at large also undertook the task of critically evaluating all of the accumulated knowledge and understanding. We analyzed for consistent themes throughout all of the presentations and identified incongruent information. Not only were positive clinical experiences taken into account, but also the scientific literature on the subject was integrated into the conclusions and recommendations. All told, we incorporated many hundreds of years of clinical experience by some of the most knowledgeable and dedicated physicians in the natural healing arts.
Conclusions- Two Major Issues:
Since that epic conference the physicians at Atrium Health Services have been conducting clinical investigations and controlled trials in the MOST effective treatments of fibromyalgia. Many treatments and interventions work but some have been found to be more consistently effective than others.
Certain conclusions were reached. First, from a structural/neurological perspective it is thought that fibromyalgia is likely associated with what is known as a Category II or a Category III subluxation complex, or a combination of these two dysfunctions. These chiropractic subluxation complexes require a SORSI-certified doctor to properly treat and manage care. Both involve serious structural alignment issues and neurological consequences.
Secondly, in fibromyalgia there is an underlying systemic hypersensitivity that must be addressed. For maximum response to treatment both issues are best treated concurrently since each aggravates the other. All conclusions were based upon many factors; however, the following illustrates some of the reasoning involved.
Chiropractic Structural/Neurological
Category II Subluxation Complex:
The Category II subluxation complex as described in Sacro Occipital Technic of Chiropractic (SOT) involves sacroiliac instability as well as proprioceptive dysfunction of the nervous system. Instability of this most important structure is greatly overlooked by almost every other healing discipline. The proper care and treatment of sacroiliac instability is a subject of major focus in the SOT ™ Method of chiropractic and Chiropractic Craniopathy.
The proprioceptive system is responsible for monitoring precise information about the position of all the body parts. When disturbed by the Category II subluxation, the body cannot tell exactly where all of the parts are located. To compensate for this imbalance, the brain tells all of the muscles to tighten, producing undue tension and pain.
This in turn results in a degradation of the overall vitality of the healing systems due to the disturbances created in the Cranial Sacral Respiratory Mechanism (CSRM).
Dysfunction of the Category II mechanism also results in specific mechanical stresses upon the human structural system. In other words, specific areas of muscle and ligament connections tend to work harder and therefore become inflamed and tenderer to the touch. It turns out that tender points used to diagnose fibromyalgia are similar and in relative close proximity to the exact stress patterns produced by the Category II subluxation complex. Because so many of these stress points coincide so closely, it is theorized that an intimate relationship exists between the Category II distortion and fibromyalgia.
Considerations in the Category II Subluxation:
The Category II subluxation complex involves the sacroiliac joints and pelvis of the human structural system as well as the cranium and nervous system. Distortion of this system produces undue stresses upon the spinal and cranial Dura. The Dura is anatomically termed the “Dura mater” which literally translates as “the tough mother”. The Dura is an essential structure that attaches throughout the head, back and sacrum (the bone in the pelvis between the hips). It houses, protects and nourishes the most essential part of the human healing mechanism, the nervous system including the brain.
A distortion of the Category II system produces undue strain upon the cranial Dura resulting in excess tension and fixation of the cranial sutural system. In complicated, severe or unresponsive situations (as is often seen in fibromyalgia), it becomes necessary to perform cranial sutural procedures. These are very specific and involved treatments that must also be executed by a SORSI or SOTO-International certified practitioner skilled in Chiropractic Craniopathy. In situations where the cranial sutural system has become hypo-mobile and severely fixated, no other type of intervention will produce the same results.
Many individuals suffer from the Category II subluxation complex, and its manifestations are often unique and varied. In other words, not everyone with the Category II problem experiences the same symptoms. Therefore the subluxation complex does not alone account for fibromyalgia. There is another necessary component, specifically some form of systemic hypersensitivity or hyper inflammatory dysfunction (treated by nutrition, Aura Patches, etc.) or additional Category III complications.
The Category III Subluxation Complex:
Another mechanical/structural complication in fibromyalgia is the Category III subluxation complex, also developed by Dr. De Jarnette. This particular dysfunction includes structural distortions that compromise the function of the human cranium in a fashion that stresses the parietal bones. The parietal bones cover the parietal lobes and are intimately related to the area of the brain that is responsible for all sensation in the body. Therefore, if the Category III subluxation complex is involved, it produces hypersensitivity of sensation throughout the entire body from increased pressure on the related areas of the brain.
Again a SORSI-certified SOT practitioner must be consulted in order to properly treat this condition. If indeed the fibromyalgia patient is suffering from a Category III distortion with significant parietal bone compression to produce neurological effects on the sensory and motor homunculus of the brain, proper cranial treatment is essential. Without the proper intervention, complete resolution of this condition may not be possible.
Neurological and Systemic Hypersensitivity:
As described earlier, another essential component of fibromyalgia in many sufferers is a systemic hypersensitivity and/or hyper inflammatory state. This aspect of the disease may require dietary, nutritional and other treatments such as Aura Patch Therapy, detoxification and so on. Experience and research have delineated numerous such interventions that are consistently beneficial for many individuals suffering from fibromyalgia. Many of the strategies can be safely and effectively undertaken by the individual at home. The most consistently useful home therapies are described below.
Basic Self-Help for Fibromyalgia:
Other significant conclusions were reached by the participants of the SORSI international symposium on fibromyalgia. All persons with this condition should as thoroughly as possible implement the following measures:
Eliminate all refined sugars and carbohydrates. Processed and canned foods of all types should be eliminated and artificial colors and flavors avoided.
Increase dietary intake of raw fruits and vegetables and whole grains.
Some form of daily exercise to tolerance should be implemented. The most valuable activities will include stretching and aerobic activity to whatever extent is realistic. A minimum of three sessions a week is recommended, however, daily is much better.
Some daily intake of an antioxidant nutritional supplement should become part of the daily routine. While there are many such products on the market, we recommend Cruciferous Complete by Standard Process Inc. This product is the most concentrated form of antioxidant available.
Structural Self-Help:
Some individuals benefit from massage, yoga, Pilates and other structurally- based activities. Unfortunately these therapies are of little to no benefit in the majority of fibromyalgia cases because of the overwhelming structural and neurological circumstances involved. If fibromyalgia was an easy condition to resolve, it would be eradicated by now. However, all of these are worthwhile activities and may be pursued. If you reap benefit from these or any other means, continue participating in any therapy that yields improvement in your condition. The individualistic nature of this “dis-ease” cannot be overstated. Your personal efforts are essential.
Some of the most positive results are realized by wearing a Sacroiliac Belt to help stabilize the sacrum. It is important to realize that this is NOT a lumbar support which is discouraged. We find the Serola and Galaxy sacroiliac belts to be the most beneficial for our patients as well as the most comfortable. There are also other designs and styles that are highly effective. Try wearing the SI belt for two weeks as much as you can (24/7) and discover how much it can help you. Dr. Rick Serola has invested much time, study, resources and finances in developing this and other simple, effective therapeutic devices.
Both Serola and Galaxy products are available at Atrium Health Services. More information about sacroiliac function and the benefits of support are available at www.Serola.com
Mental, Emotional and Physical Consequences:
It is difficult to appreciate or even explain how devastating the Category II subluxation complex can be, especially when complicated by the Category III and the systemic hyper inflammatory syndrome. Not only are the effects of this dysfunction sometimes severe and disabling, but they are in most cases completely ignored and misunderstood by traditional medicine. Even most of chiropractic and alternative medicine does not recognize the importance of this problem. We have witnessed many lives severely compromised by this condition; mentally, emotionally and physically. To do justice to this subject would require many thousands of pages of information.
Rest assured that your problems are real and often beyond your control until the structural, neurological and hypersensitivity conditions are properly treated by your SORSI-certified physician trained in the optimal treatment of fibromyalgia. Far too many relationships, marriages, families and lives have been traumatized, if not destroyed by these highly treatable conditions. Please do not be a statistic. Instead be a victorious survivor and prove the misconceptions about your malady to be erroneous and misguided. Take control of your life and your condition and help your innate healing potential by utilizing the self-help measures described and by seeking the essential treatments.
Advanced Treatment Considerations
Sub-Optimal Organ Functioning:
Sick people often undergo batteries of medical tests in attempt to identify the cause of their suffering, only to find all of the results to be “normal”. Such tests are designed to identify disease conditions. People can feel very sick without having a medically definable or yet-discovered disease. Some medical experts theorize that actual diseases are identified when organs or systems fall to 30-40% of their OPTIMAL function. Considerable pain and suffering often occurs when organ function drops to 50-75% of optimal function. It is little wonder that there is so much suffering, such as in fibromyalgia, that is medically undetectable and not medically treatable.
In some individuals there will be suboptimal functioning of one or more organ systems in the body. In order to accurately identify the most effective interventions for this particular situation, one should consult a SORSI-certified SOT specialist who is skilled in occipital fiber analysis and diagnosis. Such physicians are trained to identify these types of dysfunctions in the body and design an effective treatment program.
Additional Considerations:
In addition to the collective findings at the SORSI research symposium on fibromyalgia, Atrium Health Services has designed additional protocol and strategies for the treatment of this condition. These programs have been developed by adding our personal experience over many years as well as our own clinical research and that found in the scientific literature. In addition to the above recommendations we find the following may also be useful and/or necessary to completely and effectively obtain maximum health and healing when confronted with this condition.
Autoimmune Dysfunction:
Other individuals may be suffering from some degree of autoimmune dysfunction. This type of disease process can often be effectively treated by using the protocol that was outlined by Dr. Royal Lee of Standard Process Inc. Utilizing specially designed Protomorphogens (PMG’s) these conditions can often respond quite favorably. One must consult a physician experienced at proto-morphology and autoimmune dysfunction in order to accurately evaluate and treat in these situations.
Functional Blood Analysis:
At Atrium Health Services, we utilize standard screening blood tests to evaluate for hidden organ dysfunctions. The analysis utilized does not rely entirely upon the typical laboratory values. Such values are statistical averages for that specific blood test. Capitalizing upon the research in this arena we match your blood values to physiological optimal ranges rather than statistical averages. In this way, we can find subclinical or hidden dysfunctions that may be affecting your condition. Such specialized analysis is often warranted in complicated or unresponsive conditions.
Food Allergies:
We’ve also found that in some individuals there are significant food allergies or dietary sensitivities. This problem can be approached in several different ways, but one of the simplest tests often gives great insight. A relatively accurate saliva test gives us insight into sensitivities to four major food groups: Milk protein, soy, grains and eggs. There are additional methodologies utilized for evaluation, and a more in-depth analysis requires personal consultation and evaluation.
Omega 3 Fatty Acids:
One often useful measure to implement in the treatment of fibromyalgia is the ingestion of omega-3 oils. The research is quite convincing as to the effectiveness of this approach for hyper inflammatory conditions. A full explanation would require many hundreds of pages of literature. The current recommendation is 3000-4000 mg per day. Unfortunately, the inexpensive varieties from discount stores probably won’t work effectively. One must take two factors into consideration. The fish must have been obtained from wild sources. Most fish oils come from farmed fish that are inactive and have the wrong diets and thus do not have the right concentrations of omega-3 oils. The producer should also actively extract mercury from the product. Long-term ingestion of this toxic metal can be dangerous to one’s health. Most
Individuals experience significant improvements within about a month. Most of the literature, however, claims that a trial should last for at least three months before an accurate determination can be made.
Aura Therapy Patch System:
A recent development in the treatment of fibromyalgia is an adjunctive therapy called Aura Patches. This energetically-based nontoxic intervention has proven exceptionally effective for many stubborn conditions including fibromyalgia. Aura Patches utilize healing vibrations that are embedded into 1-inch square skin patches to facilitate the body’s natural healing process. Of the 40+ Aura Patches currently available, the most commonly effective for the treatment of fibromyalgia are the following:
Advanced Stress – Helps in coping with Anxiety, Stress, Depression. Increases feelings of joy and happiness.
Master Restorer – This program Supports Energetic Information Signature activity for every organ & organ system of the body.
Biofilms – Tens Signatures – For dissolving biofilms, and reducing inflammation and edema.
Organ Cleanse – Environmental Toxins, Poisons, Heavy Metals. Organ maintenance.
Bedtime Rejuvenate 300 Gs Seals – The five seals last SIX months and are placed on the mattress to aid and restore the body’s energetic function.
Joint Care – Swollen Joints, Painful Connective Tissue, Osteoporosis, Osteoarthritis, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Paget’s.
Good Night’s Sleep – Designed to restore the normal sleep cycle. Each Patch last seven nights!
Pain-Tens Relief – Headaches, Pain, Trauma, Acute Injury, Migraines, TENS frequencies
Energy and Alertness – Alertness, Concentration, Focus, Low Energy.
Aura Patches are perfectly safe and have no negative effects or interactions with any other medical or alternative interventions. There are many other patches that may be useful for you. The doctors at Atrium Health Services have many years of experience utilizing these innovative and amazing therapies. For more information concerning Aura Patches, contact the website: www.atriumhealthservices.com
You can experiment with the Aura Patches on your own or consult with the experts at Atrium Health Services for individual analysis.
Detoxification:
Often fibromyalgia patients benefit greatly from some form of detoxification process. There are many forms of detoxification and for this particular condition it must be undertaken in a slow, measured and gentle fashion. The following are our recommended detoxification methods.For a more extensive look at clinical detoxification refer to the Atrium Detoxification information.
Ion Cleanse is an electronic footbath that effectively extracts many toxic materials from the bloodstream. Many patients have experienced impressive results with this procedure.
The nutritional protocols as designed by Standard Process Inc. for detoxification are also excellent. The most reasonable place to start is with SP Cleanse. Properly utilized, this is a safe and effective procedure.
In stubborn situations and extreme circulatory difficulties, another approach is a form of chelation therapy. Chelation therapy is highly beneficial for many conditions and is surprisingly underutilized. Since many volumes have been written about chelation therapy there is no room to do the subject justice here.
Many of the above measures can be attempted on your own. At Atrium Health Services, we have found that the most effective approach is a combination of the proper structural therapies. These consist of Category II and Category III treatments with cranial intervention involving the cranial sutural procedures, along with some combination of nutritional and other adjunctive therapies. You are encouraged to use this information to design your own trial program. If you choose a formal consultation, or if we engage in a treatment program, we will assist in determining the most useful adjunctive therapies for your individual situation.
Results of the Atrium Research Project:
At Atrium Health Services, with the support of SORSI and the SORSI research associates, critical clinical trials have been performed with respect to the treatment of fibromyalgia. To date the research studies conducted by the chairman of SORSI research, Stéphane Provencher BS, DC, have been limited to SOT treatment procedures for Category II and III with related SOT-Chiropractic Craniopathic treatments. The only other intervention is the use of a Serola Sacroiliac Belt
(see www.atriumhealthservices.com or www.serola.net ) which is found to be essential in the effective treatment of the Category II problem. The results thus far have been most promising and in some cases, remarkable.
The research treatments were limited strictly to the chiropractic treatments. All fibromyalgia patients experienced even greater improvement when adding the additional measures such as nutrition, Aura Patches, etc. after the research project had ended. These results underscore the essential need for the chiropractic intervention in effective treatment of fibromyalgia.
Conclusions:
Fibromyalgia can be a complicated and often devastating condition but is highly treatable with the proper interventions. There are many other products and services that have been reported to be beneficial. As a matter of healing philosophy we avoid symptomatic treatments, attempting to address diseases on a deeper, causal level.
Healing Philosophy:
Ultimately no external interventions ultimately cure this or any other disease. The body heals itself, and all treatments assist the individual by enabling or empowering the innate healing process. This is why there is no single treatment or cure for fibromyalgia. The person must be treated, not the disease. A skilled practitioner ideally tailors the treatment program to the needs of the individual. This may be difficult and ultimately require time, understanding and experimentation.
“The doctor cannot afford a theory of disease.
The patient is the theory”
We promote only those methods that foster self-healing from the inside to the outside. Symptomatic approaches are mostly discouraged. Adherence to these philosophical constructs results in the most successful and permanent responses. Our goal is to always provide the best therapies available for optimal healing. We have used or investigated virtually all available products and services and are promoting those that have produced the most consistent and reliable results.
Responsibility:
A frequently missing link in the healing chain in our current culture is responsibility. A patient ignoring the years or decades of training and experience of the physician may be naive. The doctor discounting the patient’s intuition and personal experience is arrogant.
Personal responsibility is encouraged by offering the above self-help measures. If you are interested in a personal analysis and treatment program we will utilize all of our training and experience to provide the optimal healing effect. Ultimately you heal yourself. We are dedicated to empowering you and your healing process in the most efficient manner possible.
Acknowledgements:
A special thanks and gratitude is extended to SORSI and its Board of Directors for promoting this vitally important research. Thanks also to the many dedicated doctors of the Sacro Occipital Technique of Chiropractic who participated in and contributed to this project in service to suffering humanity in memory of Major Bertrand De Jarnette DC. Lastly, most sincere thanks are extended to the staff of Atrium for their diligent service and tireless efforts in the development of this program.
Prepared for Sacro Occipital Research Society International, Inc. (SORSI)
Your only De Jarnette authorized resource for Sacro Occipital Technic (SOT)
and SOT-Craniopathy