Fibromyalgia Treatment, Symptoms & Cure: Alcohol Consumption May be the Wrong Approach to Treating Pain

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Alcohol consumption is often related to adverse medical conditions that's why most experts advise against it. However, according to a Scottish study, moderate to heavy intake of alcohol can actually prevent people with chronic pain from getting disabled.

According to Philly, a study that has been conducted in the University of Aberdeen's Institute of Applied Health Sciences School of Medicine and Dentistry in Scotland has discovered that disability caused by pain is directly linked to alcohol consumption because moderate to heavy drinkers are less likely to experience being disabled.

The findings state that individuals who are consuming about 21 to 35 units of alcohol have a 65 percent chance of never experiencing disability. This means that an average American who drinks about 15 to 20 beers or 10 to 15 glasses of wine, which is already considered as moderate or heavy alcohol consumption, are more than likely to be safe from filing a disability claim related to fibromyalgia.

Alcohol has a stimulating effect on the brain's limbic system that's why it can trick the body into thinking that it is feeling a sense of ease.

However, regular alcohol consumption can make pain worse as withdrawal symptoms include increase in pain sensitivity, according to Dr. Alan Manevitz, a psychiatrist at the Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City.

Pierce Pioneer adds that the surprising findings may produce promising results but this does not mean medical doctors will prescribe their patients to try heavy drinking.

American Academy of Pain Medicine president Dr. Lynn Webster said it is very odd to even suggest patients to drink alcohol just to treat their chronic pain as the more alcohol an individual drinks, the more the individual gets the same effects. He explained that alcohol may stimulate the limbic system but replacing the sensory input for pain may not be a good idea.

Fibromyalgia is a condition of wherein an individual experiences a widespread of pain, abnormal pain tolerance, sleep problems and fatigue, defines the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It has no known cause and symptoms may vary from morning stiffness of the joints and muscles, headaches, irritable bowel syndrome, memory lapses, numbness of the extremities and painful menstruation.

There is a prevalence of two percent among five million adults since 2005 and reports have said that women are more prone to experiencing fibromyalgia. Experts often recommend the use of a multidisciplinary treatment, which includes screening for depression, pharmacotherapy, aerobic exercises and relaxation therapy.

The study is published in the journal Arthritis Care & Research.