Q&A: Fibromyalgia, Sex Problems and Infected Nails

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In every issue of Herbs for Health, professionals from a variety of health-care fields answer your questions about using medicinal herbs. In this issue, Kathi Keville and Robert Rountree answer your questions on fibromyalgia, sexual dysfunction, and nail infections.

Kathi Keville is the director of the American Herb Association and the author of eleven herb and aromatherapy books including Herbs for Health and Healing (Rodale, 1996). She teaches seminars throughout the United States.

Robert Rountree, M.D., is a physician at the Helios Health Center in Boulder, Colorado, where he practices integrative medicine. He is the coauthor of Smart Medicine for a Healthier Child (Avery, 1994) and Immunotics (Putnam, 2000) and is an Herb Research Foundation advisory board member.

Please send your questions to Herbs for Health “Q & A,” Herb Companion Press, 243 E. Fourth St., Loveland, CO 80537; fax (970) 663-0909; or e-mail us at HerbsForHealth@HCPress.com. Provide your name and full address for verification, although both will be kept confidential.

The information offered in “Q & A” is not intended to be a substitute for advice from your health-care provider.

Fibromyalgia Remedies

Could you tell me if there are herbal remedies for fibromyalgia? I know that diet is extremely important, but everything I’ve read talks about prescription drugs.
A. R.
via e-mail

Maca helps treat decreased libido.
—Robert Rountree 

Keville responds: Dealing with fibromyalgia is tough, as I’m sure you have discovered. Holistic practitioners like to treat the cause of a condition, yet no one knows exactly what causes fibromyalgia or, for that matter, how to cure it. Fortunately, you can ease the symptoms.

Because the primary complaint is pain, especially in connective tissues, rubbing on a liniment helps warm and loosen muscles before physical activity. For general use, apply an anti-inflammatory oil of St. John’s wort (Hypericum perforatum) or arnica (Arnica spp.) over painful areas. Heat almost always brings relief, so run a hot bath and toss in a quarter-cup of Epsom salts along with five drops of lavender essential oil.

Experiment with taking herbal muscle relaxants such as chamomile (Matricaria recutita), catnip (Nepeta cataria), skullcap (Scutellaria lateriflora), and valerian (Valeriana officinalis) as tincture, pills, or tea in the evening. These herbs won’t offer much direct pain relief, but they will ease the muscle tightness that contributes to pain. And in case you’re one of the many people with fibromyalgia who suffer from insomnia, you will sleep better, too.

St. John’s wort can help repair an injured nervous system and is especially suggested if you feel depressed. Siberian ginseng (Eleutherococcus senticosus) is a great tonic for your nervous system and your adrenal glands.

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