Fibromyalgia and the Nervous System
Photo by Jana Ohajdova on Unsplash.
2018 was undoubtedly the worst year of my life from a health perspective. My body felt alien to me, almost like it belonged to someone else. It no longer did the things it used to do comfortably. I felt like I couldn’t trust it to support me and carry me through life anymore.
One of the main reasons I felt this way was the chronic pain I experienced each day, often from the moment I woke up until the moment I went to sleep.
My heavy, tired limbs ached to their very core. Exercise only made it worse. I dreaded the moment when I would have to get up each morning and face the pain. Stretching for 45 minutes would loosen things up, though I would often be hours into the day before I experienced a pain-free moment.
Those days are thankfully long behind me. I now wake up without pain and roll out of bed with plenty of energy, ready to attack the day.
But, I wanted to share what I’ve learnt over the last several years about fibromyalgia with you because I know that a lot of you with chronic health issues will be struggling with it. I also think it’s a health condition that doesn’t get nearly as much time in the spotlight as it deserves.
What is Fibromyalgia?
Fibromyalgia is a complex condition that has long been associated with widespread pain, fatigue, and tenderness in muscles, ligaments, and tendons. Despite its prevalence, affecting approximately 2-4% of the population, fibromyalgia remains poorly understood, often misdiagnosed, and difficult to treat with Western medicine.
So what causes fibromyalgia? There’s no straightforward answer to that just yet. But we do know that mitochondrial dysfunction is involved (surprise, surprise!). What’s more, the extent of mitochondrial dysfunction predicts disease severity.
So it’s an issue of metabolism, but how exactly does mitochondrial dysfunction play out in fibromyalgia?
Understanding the Nervous System and Electrolytes in Fibromyalgia
Most experts are going to tell you that the nervous system's dysfunctional response to stress and pain is at the heart of fibromyalgia. This is somewhat true, but when you dig a little deeper, I think it becomes obvious that it’s a little more complex than that.
Increasing evidence points to the role that electrolyte imbalances play in the condition. Electrolytes don’t just magically become imbalanced by themselves; our cells regulate them tightly because they’re so pivotal to everything they do, including how mitochondria work. Clearly, something has to happen for their balance to change.
Maybe your nervous system isn’t dysfunctional, but behaving in an entirely appropriate way?
In fibromyalgia, it's not just about what's happening in the bloodstream; it's also about the cellular environment. Electrolytes like magnesium, calcium, potassium, and sodium are essential for nerve conduction, muscle function, and fluid balance. Disruptions in these minerals, especially at the intracellular level, can significantly impact neuromuscular function and exacerbate fibromyalgia symptoms.
Magnesium: This mineral is crucial for neuromuscular function and energy production. A study by Andretta et al. found that women with fibromyalgia had an inverse relationship between serum magnesium levels and C-reactive protein (CRP), suggesting that lower magnesium levels may be associated with increased inflammation in these patients.
Magnesium is also crucial for the functioning of the parasympathetic nervous system, which regulates the body's relaxation response. Without sufficient magnesium, the body may remain stuck in a stress-response state, amplifying pain and making it harder to recover. Here’s the thing that most people don’t realise: the more stress you experience, the more magnesium you need to counteract its effects at a cellular level.
Yes, you can still have too much magnesium, and that can be equally problematic. But checking your intracellular magnesium levels is a great place to start if you have fibromyalgia.
Calcium: Calcium plays a vital role in muscle contractions and neurotransmitter release. The same study reported a positive correlation between serum calcium levels and triglyceride levels in women with fibromyalgia, indicating that higher calcium levels may be linked to elevated triglycerides and potential metabolic disturbances.
Calcium has a synergistic relationship with magnesium. Where magnesium calms your cells down, calcium gets them excited and activated. We want this at certain times. For instance, if you’re involved in some sort of intense physical activity or cognitive task, you want to have enough calcium to get your nervous system and brain cells firing properly. But too much calcium can lead to a state of “over-excitation”, which can potentially contribute to nervous system dysfunction and heightened pain perception.
Potassium and Sodium: These electrolytes are essential for maintaining membrane potential and nerve impulse transmission. While specific studies on intracellular potassium and sodium levels in fibromyalgia are limited, general knowledge indicates that imbalances in these electrolytes can lead to muscle weakness, fatigue, and cognitive disturbances, which are common symptoms in fibromyalgia.
In addition, chronic low-grade inflammation in the nervous system, or neuroinflammation, has been increasingly recognised as a key factor in fibromyalgia. Inflammation in the brain and spinal cord can make nerve cells more excitable and sensitive to pain signals, further perpetuating the cycle of pain and discomfort. Electrolytes such as sodium and potassium play critical roles in regulating fluid balance and the function of inflammatory cells, such as microglia, in the brain.
So which of these is it exactly? Low magnesium, high calcium, dysregulated sodium and potassium? The truth is that it could be any or a combination of all of these. All of them can interfere with mitochondrial metabolism, leading to musculoskeletal pain, lethargy, or any of the myriad other symptoms associated with fibromyalgia.
What Your Body is Trying to Tell You
I like to think of fibromyalgia as the body's way of signalling a more systemic problem—one that goes beyond just muscle and joint pain. The connection between fibromyalgia and electrolyte balance suggests that the body is experiencing dysfunction in how it regulates nerve activity, muscle contraction, and stress responses.
While this may be happening at the cellular level, those cells are responding to cues and changes in your internal and external environments. Though electrolyte imbalances may be contributing to the vicious cycle of pain, fatigue, and other fibromyalgia symptoms, we need to look deeper again to understand what’s causing the electrolyte imbalances themselves.
The Intersection of Pain, Emotion, and Electrolyte Imbalances
Fibromyalgia is not just a physical condition—emotional stress and mental health issues like anxiety and depression are common co-occurring symptoms. This connection is important, as chronic stress and negative emotions can disrupt electrolyte balance, which in turn worsens pain and muscle tension. People with fibromyalgia are often stuck in a feedback loop where stress worsens pain, and pain exacerbates emotional distress.
The role of electrolytes in fibromyalgia extends beyond pain and inflammation to how the body processes emotional stress. For instance, during times of stress, the body uses up more magnesium, which can further disrupt electrolyte balance and increase feelings of anxiety or depression. Recognising and addressing both emotional and physical sources of stress could, therefore, be essential for managing fibromyalgia symptoms.
The Path to Healing: Balancing Electrolytes and the Nervous System
I know exactly how painful fibromyalgia can be. So, I think it’s incredibly important that the pain is managed and treated in some way. But this is only part of the treatment process. If you don’t correct underlying electrolyte imbalances, that’s all you’ll be doing: managing pain.
Beyond that, it’s important to address what’s causing the electrolyte imbalance in the first place. There can be all sorts of factors, like parasites, heavy metal toxicity, and mould.
From my personal experience, though, and working with clients, I can tell you that stress and trauma are some of the biggest triggers for fibromyalgia symptoms and flare-ups from other chronic conditions. Constantly experiencing the stress response can change your electrolyte balance at a cellular level and lead to all kinds of issues, including chronic pain conditions.
What exactly you need to do to ameliorate and reverse your condition is highly personal and context-dependent. The first place I would start, though, is to find ways to nourish your nervous system.
This isn’t only about reducing stress and doing breathwork. There’s a whole realm of lifestyle changes, ranging from what you eat and the timing of eating, through to waking without an alarm.
The most powerful, though (in my opinion)?
Find ways to bring more love, joy, awe, and wonder into your life.