Natural Fibromyalgia Treatment
A Root-Cause Approach to Chronic Pain, Fatigue, Brain Fog, & Nervous System Overload
Fibromyalgia is often described as widespread pain, but anyone living with it knows it’s much more than that. Relentless fatigue, poor sleep, brain fog, digestive issues, heightened sensitivity, and unpredictable symptom flares can affect every part of daily life. Many patients are told fibromyalgia is something they must simply learn to live with.
I take a different approach.
Fibromyalgia is not all in your head and it is not random. It reflects a nervous system and stress response that have been under prolonged strain, leading to dysfunction across multiple body systems, including digestion, inflammation, mitochondrial energy production, hormones, and the gut microbiome.
As a Naturopathic Doctor, I help patients with fibromyalgia understand why their symptoms are happening and address the underlying factors that keep the body stuck in survival mode.
Fibromyalgia Is a Whole-Body Condition
Fibromyalgia involves a stress response that does not shut off when it should. With the stress response stuck on, the body constantly thinks it’s in danger and that amplifies pain signals. But that sensitization doesn’t occur in isolation. It is often driven by ongoing physical stressors that continually activate the body’s stress response.
Common symptoms include:
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Widespread muscle and joint pain
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Persistent fatigue or post-exertional exhaustion
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Exercise intolerance
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Poor or unrefreshing sleep
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Brain fog and difficulty concentrating
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Headaches or migraines
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Digestive issues such as bloating, IBS, or food sensitivities
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Anxiety, low mood, or emotional overwhelm
To support real improvement, we must look beyond pain alone and work to train the body how to shut off the stress response.
Stress & Fibromyalgia: When the Body Can’t Switch The Stress Response Off
At the core of fibromyalgia is a stress response that becomes chronically activated. The body remains in a heightened “on” state, even when there is no immediate threat.
This ongoing stress response activation affects:
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Pain perception
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Sleep quality
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Immune and inflammatory pathways
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Digestive function
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Hormonal balance
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Mitochondrial energy production
Over time, a stress response that’s stuck on places strain on multiple body systems, contributing to pain sensitivity, fatigue, poor digestion, and hormone disruption.
Successful treatment must address both sides of the stress response:
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Physical triggers that keep the nervous system activated
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Mental-emotional stressors that prevent the body from moving into relaxation
When these are addressed together, the body can begin to move out of survival mode and into healing.
Key Contributors to Fibromyalgia Symptoms
Digestive Dysfunction & The Gut Microbiome
Digestive issues are extremely common in fibromyalgia and the link to the gut microbiome is the reason why.
The gut microbiome plays a central role in:
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Regulating inflammation
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Producing neurotransmitters & vitamins (such as serotonin and vitamin K)
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Supporting immune balance
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Influencing pain perception
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Communicating with the nervous system
Imbalances in the microbiome, intestinal permeability (“leaky gut”), low stomach acid, or bacterial overgrowth can act as ongoing physical stressors, continually stimulating the stress response and worsening fibromyalgia symptoms.
Supporting gut health is a key step in calming the stress response, reducing pain, increasing energy, and clearing brain fog.
Nutrient Deficiencies
Many patients with fibromyalgia have deficiencies in nutrients essential for nerve signaling, muscle relaxation, energy production, and stress resilience. Common deficiencies include magnesium, B vitamins, vitamin D, iron, amino acids, and antioxidants.
Digestive dysfunction, chronic stress, and inflammation can impair nutrient absorption, further weakening the body’s ability to regulate pain and recover from stress.
Mitochondrial Dysfunction (Impaired Cellular Energy Production)
Mitochondria are responsible for producing energy in every cell of the body. In fibromyalgia, mitochondrial function is impaired due to nutrient depletion, inflammation, toxins produced in the gut microbiome, oxidative stress, and chronic stress response activation.
When cellular energy production is compromised:
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Muscles fatigue easily
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Muscles feel tense and don’t relax easily
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Brain fog is more prominent
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Recovery from activity is slow
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Even small activities feel overwhelming
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Motility of the digestive system and breakdown of food is impaired
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Overall healing is slowed
Supporting mitochondrial health is essential for increasing energy, improving tolerance of physical activity, decreasing pain, and overall healing.
Inflammation
Low-grade, chronic inflammation increases pain sensations and burdens the nervous system. Inflammation is increased by: Gut microbiome imbalances, food sensitivities, blood sugar dysregulation and insulin resistance, hormonal disruption, and immune system activation.
Reducing inflammatory load helps lower pain sensitivity, improve energy, and clear brain fog.
Poor Quality, Unrefreshing Sleep
Deep, restorative sleep is essential for reducing pain, calming inflammation, mitochondrial repair, and nervous system recovery.
In fibromyalgia, sleep is often light, fragmented, or unrefreshing, which perpetuates pain, fatigue, brain fog, and stress response activation. Improving sleep quality is a foundational component of healing.
Hormonal Imbalances
Hormones such as cortisol (stress hormone), melatonin (sleep hormone) thyroid hormones, estrogen, and progesterone strongly influence pain perception, energy levels, sleep quality, and mood.
Hormonal imbalance, particularly in the context of chronic stress, can amplify fibromyalgia symptoms and contribute to flares, especially around menstrual cycles or stressful life transitions.
My Approach To Fibromyalgia Care
There is no one-size-fits-all solution for fibromyalgia. Effective care requires a personalized, systems-based approach.
Your care may include:
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A comprehensive health history and symptom assessment
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Targeted lab testing to evaluate nutrients, hormones, immune function, inflammation, metabolic function, and gut health
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Digestive and gut microbiome support
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Targeted nutrient repletion to support nerve, brain, and muscle function
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Strategies to calm the stress response and support nervous system regulation
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Mitochondrial and energy-supportive therapies
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Sleep and lifestyle support tailored to your capacity
The goal is not to push your body harder, but to reduce the stressors keeping it stuck.
You Are Not Broken. Your Body Is Protecting You.
Fibromyalgia is not a personal failure or a lack of resilience. It is often the result of a body that has been under prolonged stress and has adapted by staying on high alert.
With the right support, many patients experience:
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Reduced pain and fewer flares
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Improved energy and capacity to do physical activity
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More restorative, restful sleep
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Better digestion and food tolerance
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Clearer thinking and improved mood
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Greater confidence in managing their health
A Supportive Path Forward
Healing with fibromyalgia does not mean forcing your body to do more or pushing through your symptoms. It means creating the conditions your body needs to feel safe, supported, and equipped with the energy and resources it needs to heal.
If you’ve been told there’s nothing more that can be done, I’d love to offer you a different approach. One rooted in uncovering underlying imbalances and utilizing evidence-based strategies that are often overlooked.