To ease the painful symptoms of fibromyalgia, try getting regular exercise and considering topical remedies and alternative therapies. Living with fibromyalgia is made more difficult when your loved ones don’t understand your pain, so talk to family and friends gently but honestly about what you're experiencing.

Fibromyalgia is a mysterious disorder. There are no laboratory tests to confirm its existence and no treatments to cure its symptoms. The condition is characterized by chronic, widespread joint and muscle pain without inflammation. To determine if you’re one of the estimated 10 million Americans who have fibromyalgia, you need to take note of the location and severity of your pain, as well as any of several other symptoms that are commonly associated with the condition.

Treating fibromyalgia with mainstream medicine is often effective, but sometimes alternative therapies can also ease your symptoms. Many people rely on alternative remedies, and this is especially true for fibromyalgia patients. If you’re considering an alternative therapy for your fibromyalgia symptoms, some people find these remedies work very well: Sedating remedies (such as valerian and chamomile) may improve the chronic insomnia that many fibromyalgia sufferers experience.

Dealing with the painful symptoms of fibromyalgia can be so distressing it drives people into depression or anxiety and may actually worsen your symptoms. Talk with your doctor about the emotional difficulties you’re dealing with and the use of medications for these disorders which may also improve your fibromyalgia symptoms.

Incorporating regular exercise into your routine may help improve your fibromyalgia symptoms. Gentle, low-impact, paced exercising will loosen muscles and stiff joints and may help to ease pain down the road. Be patient and persistent. Keep these tips in mind when you gear up to exercise: Start off easy. Don’t walk 5 miles or do 50 push-ups on your first day of exercising; if you do, you’ll get so tired you’ll probably give up exercising altogether.

Topical remedies can provide some relief for the muscle pain and tension of fibromyalgia although it may only last a few hours. Skin ointments are available at grocery stores and any pharmacy. Prescribed skin patches, like Lidoderm, can also greatly reduce muscle pain. Consider the following suggestions on topical remedies: If you buy an over-the-counter massage cream, make sure whoever rubs the cream in is gentle rather than heavy-handed.

Although awareness of fibromyalgia is increasing, many people don’t understand that it’s a real problem. This can be true even for the family and friends of people dealing with fibromyalgia. You have to be candid and patient when talking to people about your fibromyalgia. Try covering these points when you’re explaining it: Fibromyalgia causes chronic pain that often moves around in the body.