facts on fibromyalgia

On my most recent visit with my 83 year old grandmother (who is one of healthiest, most active people I know) I was given a book entitled "Reversing Firobromyalgia" by Dr. Joe M. Elrod. The topic came to my attention during the Yoga Teacher Training Course, so I decided to read up on Fibromyalgia with the intention of preparing myself for teaching yoga.

The section on "Muscular/Soft Tissue Connection" is worth noting:
Fibromyalgia is a form of muscular and "soft tissue" rheumatism, rather than arthritis in the joints. The word rheumatism refers to the pain and stiffness associated with arthritis and related disorders of the joints, muscles, and bones. Fibromyalgia mainly affects muscles and their attachments to the bones, especially in the areas of the muscle/tendon junctions. The name "fibromyalgia" means pain in the muscles and in the fibrous connective tissues. It is more common in middle-aged women between the ages of 30 and 50 years.

Primary symptoms include:
tenderness
chronic aching
stiffness
sleep disturbances
pain
chronic fatigue
anxiety
depression
subjective soft tissue swelling
gastrointestinal disturbances
cardiovascular problems (dizziness, palpitations)

According to Dr. Joe M. Elrod, a healthy diet and "regular and appropriate" exercises such as walking, swimming, and stretching (yoga) is highly suggested in treating fibromyalgia.

Yoga postures: Select simple postures. Concentrate on relaxing the muscle being stretched. The muscle groups that most fibromyalgia patients should concentrate on are the arms, shoulders, the neck, upper and lower back, hips, thighs, and especially the hamstrings.

examples: (props can work great get for this)
lie on back, hug knees to chest
gentle spinal twist
suptapadangusthasana (supine hamstring stretch with strap)
forward fold (paschimottanasana)
sukasana with mild twist/forward fold
wall splat

Benefits: Stretches the connective tissue, increase flexibility and/or range of motion of muscle tissue, increase blood flow to muscles, stimulates endorphins, increases levels of serotonin/growth hormone, increases production of synovial fluid into and our of the cartlage in the joints.