How Does Lady Gaga Cope With Chronic Pain?
When celebrities get personal about issues it often casts a spotlight on things that might go unnoticed otherwise. This is what happened when Lady Gaga told the world that she suffers from fibromyalgia.
You may not know about fibromyalgia, and medical professionals have a dearth of knowledge about the syndrome too. What they do know is that it causes long-term pain that can be felt throughout the body. It is a condition that can be extremely debilitating and very difficult to live with.
What Causes Fibromyalgia?
Some theories consider the cause of fibromyalgia to be an excess of a specific chemical in the brain. While a different school of thought places the origin in genetics.
Because its symptoms are shared with many other conditions there is currently not even a consensus about whether fibromyalgia is a unique condition in itself. It could be that these pains have their cause in a bunch of other poorly understood complaints. But this is no reason to stop sufferers from looking for ways to relieve the burden.
How is it Treated?
As the cause is not known, it is difficult for doctors to treat the syndrome.
Current prescriptions range from painkillers and antidepressants, to talking therapies and lifestyle changes.
But for some people suffering from Fibromyalgia these remedies are not enough.
How does Lady Gaga Cope with Fibromyalgia?
Lady Gaga’s touching openness about her condition has lead to many conversations among her fellow sufferers about how they manage the lives when dealing with fibromyalgia. And Lady Gaga herself was the first to offer some advice on how to cope with the pain.
Lady Gaga has been a fibromyalgia sufferer for several years now and in that time she’s worked out some personal coping mechanisms.
When she’s really suffering, which can be manifested in something severe as body spasms, Lady Gaga uses an infrared sauna.
While that might initially sound like only something a world famous pop star can afford, they actually come in a variety of forms including box-like constructions and electric blankets. There are also many public saunas that can be used for an affordable rate.
When using a sauna Lady Gaga wraps herself in a cheap foil blanket, the kind of thing you see marathon runners getting wrapped in at the finish line.
Afterwards, and here is where you’re going to have be really brave, she finds that a dunk in an ice bath is the ideal follow-up. If you’re not feeling up to the full on splash of an ice bath, you could just run cold water instead or place ice packs on the spots where the pain is most severe.
Find Your Own Cure
The thing with Fibromyalgia is that, because scientists have such a little knowledge about it, there is no ideal solution. Lady Gaga’s brave revelations suit her but, as she says herself, they might not work for everybody.
Indeed, Lady Gaga has two personal doctors on the case, devising methods of respite based on their professional knowledge of her condition. So, while the infrared sauna/ice bath combo won’t harm you if you try it, take some of Gaga’s other advice and consult your doctor. Even though medical science hasn’t fully caught up with fibromyalgia yet, the experts are still the best people to get help from.