Fibromyalgia & Chronic Pain LIFE Spring 2015, Issue 11 | Page 9

Professional Medical Advice

Table 1
Major Hormones Necessar y for Pain Control
Cortisol

Estradiol

Pregnenolone

Thyroid

Progesterone

Testosterone

Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA)
All of the hormones listed here can be tested as a “Panel” or “Profile” and be
practically replaced if found to be deficient.

The second development is the accumulated knowledge dating back
about 60 years documenting that
chronic pain may deplete certain
hormones that are essential for
pain control. (Table 1) Great credit
is given here to the outstanding,
hormone research studies involving fibromyalgia patients. Included
here are findings that fibromyalgia
patients may have deficient hormones such as cortisone, thyroid,
and estrogen, and they may have
less pain and more energy with hormone replacement. Hormone studies on fibromyalgia patients have
also determined that the higher estrogen levels in women are not responsible for the higher prevalence
of fibromyalgia in females.
The third development is the realization that essentially all our current pharmacologic agents for pain
control are simply symptomatic and
not curative. This includes antidepressants, anti-inflammatories,
anti-seizure agents, muscle relaxants, and opioids. Hormones have
curative properties, so chronic pain
patients should all have the opportunity to have a hormone profile,
replace any hormones found to be
deficient, and possibly reduce their
pain on a permanent basis.

WHAT WE KNOW

Two things are abundantly clear.
Optimal pain control can’t be
achieved with any major hormone
deficiency. (Table 1) Hormones are
essential for healing, reduction of
inflammation, and enhancement
of the body’s natural pain control
mechanisms. They also enhance
prescription medication such as opioids. Any pain patient with a major
hormone deficiency will experience a multitude of negative manifestations. (Table 2) Fibromyalgia
patients are quite familiar with
most of these abnormal physiologic
symptoms as they include depression,
fatigue, mental impairment (“fog”),
insomnia, reclusivity, decreased libido, energy, and appetite. (Table 2)

We now know that pain control in
the body is highly regulated and
dependent upon several hormones.
Many of these can be blood tested
as a “panel” or “profile.” (Table
One) We now know that the