A potential cause for Fibromyalgia: Gluten sensitivity


Fibromyalgia is a condition often times associated with severe and debilitating muscle, tendon, and soft tissue pain pain. The disease is also often times referred to as:

  • Myalgia

  • Myofascitis

  • Fibromyositis

  • Fibrositis


The medical standard for making a diagnosis of this disease is the presence of chronic pain positioned along specific tender points. The pain has to have been present for at least three months. The diagram to the above shows the pain points typically affected in patients with fibromyalgia. Additionally, the following symptoms are also commonly present:

  1. Sleep disturbance

  2. Headache

  3. Chronic Fatigue

  4. Muscle tightness

  5. Depression and severe mood swings

  6. Gastrointestinal bloating

  7. Irritable bowel symptoms


What Are the Causes & Triggers of Fibromyalgia

  1. Fibromyalgia is thought to be a systemic autoimmune disease

  2. Viral, bacterial, parasitic, and fungal infections are thought to contribute to this condition (Lyme's disease has many of the same symptoms.)

  3. Disruption in normal bacterial flora.

  4. Vitamin and Mineral deficiencies contribute to fibromyalgia (especially vitamin D, magnesium, iron, vitamin B1, and CoQ10)

  5. Lack of exercise

  6. Food sensitivity (in my clinical experience, gluten, dairy, and sugar are the most common).

  7. Hormone disruption (typically brought on by chronic stress and the 5 elements listed above).


Gluten - an often overlooked factor

A recent study performed on non celiac gluten sensitive patients previously diagnosed with fibromyalgia showed a very big connection. The results showed reduced pain, improved ability to work and perform in daily activities, as well as a reduced need for pain medications when a gluten free diet was followed.



Fibromyalgia (FM) syndrome is a disabling clinical condition of unknown cause, and only symptomatic treatment with limited benefit is available. Gluten sensitivity that does not fulfill the diagnostic criteria for celiac disease (CD) is increasingly recognized as a frequent and treatable condition with a wide spectrum of manifestations that overlap with the manifestations of FM, including chronic musculoskeletal pain, asthenia, and irritable bowel syndrome... This observation supports the hypothesis that non-celiac gluten sensitivity may be an underlying cause of FM syndrome. . 2014 Apr 12.



Recovering from Fibromyalgia

In my clinical practice, I have seen a number of patients fully recover from fibromyalgia and go on to be free of pain medications. If you suffer with this debilitating condition, I would recommend the following steps:



  1. Rule out gluten sensitivity and other food reactions and change your diet appropriately.

  2. If you are on a traditional gluten free diet, switch to a TRUE Gluten Free Diet

  3. Have your doctor test you for vitamin and mineral deficiencies and supplement appropriately

  4. Rule out the presence of underlying infections that may need to be treated.

  5. Have your hormone levels checked.

  6. Rule out mercury and lead toxicity. (This is best done with a urine post chelation test).

  7. Rule out gastrointestinal bacterial over or undergrowth.

  8. Adjust your sleeping patterns - go to bed before 10 pm. This may take time to adjust if you are used to being up late, so be consistent with your bedtime and your wake time. Try to get at least 7-8 hours of sleep daily.

  9. Perform exercise to tolerance. Movement of your body and muscles helps to circulate your immune system and regulate the removal of wastes from your body.

  10. Drink clean, pure, water. Avoid flavored beverages (even naturally flavored). Avoid caffeinated beverages. Water is essential for soft tissue metabolism, and will play a big role in your ability to flush pollutants and other toxins that have a tendency to store in the body.


Supplements that Help Naturally Control Inflammation Always looking out for you,

Dr. Osborne - The Gluten Free Warrior


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