Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) for Fibromyalgia

Inclusion criteria

• Having met American College of Rheumatology (1990) criteria for the diagnosis of fibromyalgia
• Having a primary Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) diagnosis of either Liver Qi Stagnation, Qi and Blood Stagnation, or Qi and Blood Deficiency
• Female gender
• Reported average pain of 5 or higher over last week on a scale of 0 to 10 with ten indicating higher pain.
• Willingness to limit the introduction or change of any medications or treatment modalities for control of fibromyalgia symptoms during the study
• No TCM in last 3 months (including acupuncture, Chinese herbs or herbal tea pills, tuina (Chinese massage), shiatsu (Japanese massage), qigong and Oriental food therapy)
• Ability to travel to the intervention and testing sites up to two times weekly
• Being over 18 and under 75 years of age, and
• Capability of giving informed consent.

Exclusion criteria

• Presence of a known coagulation abnormality, thrombocytopenia, or bleeding diathesis that may preclude the safe use of acupuncture;
• Individuals with celiac disease
• A score greater than 29 on the Beck Depression Inventory
• Presence of concurrent autoimmune disease such as rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, inflammatory bowel disease, that causes pain and could potentially confound the analysis;
• Routine daily use of narcotic analgesics or history of substance abuse;
• Concurrent participation in other therapeutic trials;
• Pregnant and nursing mothers (verification of pregnancy status will be determined via a urine test);
• Severe psychiatric illnesses (current schizophrenia, major depression with suicidal ideation, substance abuse within two years);
• Are undergoing disability determination, or are involved in litigation related to fibromyalgia
• Any impairment, activity or situation that in the judgment of the PI would prevent satisfactory completion of the study protocol
• Cognitive behavioral therapy in the last 6 months.
• Non-fluency in English