Lady Gaga Has Fibromyalgia: Are Her Docs Missing the Underlying Cause?
People.com reported that Lady Gaga has opened up about her struggle with fibromyalgia and chronic pain. In a twitter post, the singer confirmed that she suffers from fibromyalgia. Said Lady Gaga, “I wish to help raise awareness and connect people who have it.”
We applaud anyone who speaks out about a health issue in order to help others. We want to help those who are struggling with fibromyalgia, as well. You don’t have to live with this pain, and many are unaware that a very common cause of fibromyalgia is hypothyroidism, or low thyroid function. Take a look at the statistics:
There are between 15 and 20 million people who suffer with fibromyalgia.
-National Fibromyalgia Association
Undiagnosed hypothyroidism affects tens of millions of people in the United States.
Even conventional medicine estimates that nearly 30 million Americans are suffering from undiagnosed hypothyroidism.
-Dr. Steven Hotze, Hypothyroidism, Health & Happiness
What is Fibromyalgia?
Fibromyalgia is a Latin word that means muscle pain. Conventional medicine uses the term to describe a set of symptoms that are also symptoms of hypothyroidism. According to the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention), fibromyalgia is a condition that causes pain all over the body, sleep problems, fatigue, and often emotional and mental distress. The CDC states that “The cause of fibromyalgia is not known, but it can be effectively treated and managed.”
Overlap of Symptoms of Fibromyalgia and Hypothyroidism
Research shows that all symptoms and abnormalities of fibromyalgia are common among patients with hypothyroidism. (1)
Joint pain and stiffness
Muscle pain and weakness
Fatigue
Nausea
Sleep disturbances
Dizziness
Headaches/migraines
Sore throat
Difficulty concentrating
Tingling or numbness in extremities
Mental fog/”fibro fog”
Memory loss
Constipation/irritable bowel
Shortness of breath
Bloating
Increased allergy symptoms
Painful menstrual periods
Heightened chemical sensitivity
Blurred vision
Chest pain
Depression
Sensitivity to light
Panic attacks
Weight loss or gain
Anxiety
Skin disorders (e.g., dry skin)
Cold hands and feet
Why Traditional Doctors Fail to Properly Diagnose Hypothyroidism
So, if hypothyroidism is a common cause of fibromyalgia symptoms, then why aren’t conventional doctors catching this? Because they are taught to only look at a single blood test, the thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) test, when it comes to evaluating a patient for hypothyroidism. So when this blood test comes back in the “normal range,” your doctor rules out hypothyroidism, even though you have its symptoms. He might tell you that you have fibromyalgia and give you pharmaceutical drugs to mask the symptoms such as Lyrica, Cymbalta, antidepressants, anti-anxiety medications, sleep medications, and pain medications. There is no diagnostic test for fibromyalgia. Doctors make a diagnosis by conducting physical examinations, evaluating symptoms, and ruling out other conditions.
Magnesium Relieves Muscle Spasms
The article also mentioned that Lady Gaga was undergoing treatments to help ease muscle spasms. Supplementing with magnesium can help stop muscle spasms since magnesium relaxes smooth muscles. Magnesium is also essential for just about every function in the human body. Factors that contribute to magnesium deficiency are those that you experience on a daily basis, like exercise, stress, air pollution, medications, drinking caffeine and alcohol and even a simple headache. Magnesium is available in several forms: topical, liquid, tablet and capsules.
See for Yourself: How Rebecca Overcame Fibromyalgia
Rebecca suffered from fibromyalgia for 15 years. She had muscle and joint pain, weight gain, she couldn’t sleep, and had no energy. Mainstream doctors were not able to help her – they only gave her antidepressants and pain medications. Watch as Dr. Hotze reveals how hypothyroidism is a common cause of fibromyalgia that is often overlooked by doctors and find out how Rebecca got her life back!
Our Approach to Fibromyalgia Treatment
We believe that by treating the underlying cause of your fibromyalgia, you can have a resolution of your symptoms. If you have been given a diagnosis of fibromyalgia and you have symptoms of hypothyroidism, even though your blood work is in the normal range, you should know that there is a better way. Research demonstrates that thyroid hormone therapy has reduced and eliminated fibromyalgia symptoms. (1) Research shows that symptoms including muscular pain and stiffness, and painful cramps resembling intermittent muscle spasms, were shown to be due to hypothyroidism, and responded to treatment with tri-iodothyronine (T3). (2) We treat fibromyalgia with a therapeutic trial of bioidentical thyroid hormone replacement and incrementally adjust your thyroid dose until your fibromyalgia symptoms are resolved.
Do you really have hypothyroidism instead?
Research shows that hypothyroidism is more common than is generally realized, and should be considered as a possible diagnosis in all patients complaining of generalized muscular pain and stiffness (fibromyalgia).(2) Don’t wait – take our symptom checker quiz now to find out if you have symptoms of hypothyroidism. Contact us today for a complimentary wellness consultation at 281-698-8698.
Research
1. Lower Resting Metabolic Rate and Basal Body Temperature of Fibromyalgia Patients Compared to Matched Healthy Controls
2. Some Muscular Manifestations of Hypothyroidism
Ilianna Garcia
I too was diagnosed by my doctor with fibromyalgia and was prescribed Lyrica. I didn’t last that long on the medication because of its side effects. I also suffer from depression and anxiety. Reading this article made me that much aware of my condition. My doctor failed me to give me more information. Since syptoms of my fibromyalgia went away I haven’t been treating it like I should. Symptoms of depression, anxiety, weight gain, muscle stiffness and all the symptoms listed have gotten worse. I thought that there was nothing that can be done. I don’t want a quick medication fix and that’s all doctor’s have done. This article was really informative and gives hope. Thank you
Bara
Have anyone tried 5-htp for fibromyalgia symptoms ???? This supplement helps with pain, low mood, stress, depression, anxiety and also a sleep ( http://brain-feed.com/can-5-htp-help-with-fibromyalgia-symptoms ) Sounds like a great thing worth trying for those with fibromyalgia..
Christine
Lady Gaga stated in her documentary “Five Foot Two” that she takes SYNTHROID!!! Watch the documentary at the point where she is in her doctor’s office and that is the first medicine she lists before they scramble her voice as she lists others.
Hotze Health
Dear Christine,
Thank you for sharing this! No wonder she is still having symptoms since Synthroid doesn’t work as well as desiccated thyroid. We will check out her video. We appreciate you passing this information along.
To your health,
Hotze Team
Cynthia
When I saw her on the sofa with an ice pack, I told my husband, “Who does that remind you of?” He said, “That’s how you used to be…”
The first thing I noted when she listed Synthroid was how awful it was for me and many others. It brings your basic thyroid labs up to normal but it’s terrible at actually abating the symptoms of hypothyroidism (muscle and joint pain especially). She needs to switch to Armour thyroid. When I did, my pain lessened by 80%. Someone needs to tell her this, poor thing. Also, she needs to be checked for Hashimoto’s. The flare ups of autoimmune disease can cause this kind of pain. There are many things she could be doing to help control those flare ups, if indeed she has it.
Ray
Hotze Health and Wellness:
Why is it that you downplay the synthroid? Millions of people take it and they’re just fine on it. I heard more problems with armour thyroid because it has quality control issues and inconsistencies dosages with patches.
Hotze Team
Dear Ray,
Thank you for your question. Synthroid is synthetic T4, which is the inactive thyroid hormone. Your cells must be able to convert T4 to T3, the active form of thyroid hormone, in order to produce energy. For this reason, many people still experience all the symptoms of hypothyroidism even though they are taking this medication. Our doctors have had great results in treating our patients with desiccated thyroid and compounded T3/T4. Here is a video of our doctors addressing this subject: https://youtu.be/rOUEz43yI5g
Have a wonderful day!
To your health,
Hotze Team