Customer Reviews

Mayo Clinic Wellness Solutions for Fibromyalgia

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I got this hoping for some exercises for Fibro. The Fibro info section is very disappointing because it makes it sound like Fibro isn't real. And I don't agree with the info they give. I lead a support group, and I know that Fibro is more than "pain". I was hoping to get some stretching exercises with this. What I got was a yoga guy and a bunch of hard to follow yoga moves. The entire thing was about "breathing". You need to breathe. Yes, but I wanted a gentle way to stretch my muscles! I keep geting a list of stretches to do from PT and am trying to find a video, so that I can remember what it is I'm supposed to do. This isn't it. Don't waste your money. The Living with Fibromyalgia video is MUCH better as far as info on Fibro. No exercises, though. I'll keep looking.

I've had diagnosed FMS for over a decade. I was utterly debilitated for the first few years, and could not find any information on the illness, nor any help from the medical community. I had been very active in the past, doing yoga, dance, horseback riding... you name it. With the onset of my fibro, I could hardly get out of bed for weeks on end.

I was very pleased to hear of this DVD's release, having been a fan of Gaiam's workout videos. It is professionally produced and includes a number of perspectives from physicians, patients, a nutritionist, and the Rodney Yee yoga and guided relaxation segments.

Yee has modified the yoga section extensively to make it do-able for FMS-sufferers. He uses chairs, blankets/bolsters, and yoga blocks to modify the poses and make them pain-free, and encourages the viewer to continue comfortable, full breathing (something those in pain often do not do enough of!) to gently stretch painful areas "from the inside." All of the poses are relaxing, not strenuous, and Yee has chosen them based specifically on their applicability to FMS symptoms.

Yee also provides two separate guided meditation/relaxation segments on the DVD.

It is a GREAT practice for when you are in a bad flare (in which case there is NO WAY you are going to be doing even a single sun salutation!)

If you need a "step up" from this after a while, "Crunch - Candlelight Yoga" with Sara Ivanhoe is a wonderful, slow, non-demanding practice (with a bonus wake-up yoga segment on the DVD). I recommend it highly.

Another great thing about this DVD is that it shows several physicians explaining their differing opinions on the syndrome. Although you might not agree with 100% of what is said, you will certainly identify with at least one perspective, and the presentation as a whole helps you gain the means to better explain your condition to your family and friends (you could just have them watch the DVD, too!)

There are many, many suggestions for taking back control of your life, and dealing with all you are going through physically and emotionally, if you are ready to take responsibility for your health into your own hands and stop waiting for someone to give you a magic pill to cure you.

I think it's a great tool, and as there are so FEW tools available for those of us with FMS, I am very curious as to why a few folks have dissed this when my own opinion differed so radically...

Nothing new AT ALL. What a surprise because I thought Mayo Clinic would have been so innovative. I like Comfort Zone Training Feeling Younger Workout - they REALLY makes me feel better right away. I also like the Feldenkrais water exercises DVDs too.

Really isn't worth the money. Nothing in there you couldn't pick up from a magazine article or at the library.

I was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia from the Mayo Clinic earlier this year.
I've had it for years and got shifted from doctor to doctor and none knew what the issue was. After seeing a few doctors and going through some tests at the Mayo, they sent me to the Fibromyalgia clinic where I was diagnosed with fibro. They may not have treatment for fibromyalgia, but they do have a Pain Rehabilitation Clinic at the Minnesota location (not Arizona & Florida for some reason) and it's an amazing program. It turned my life around. It's all day for 3 weeks, but it's well worth it if insurance covers it. They teach you how to moderate, modify your normal activities and also show Tai Chi, Yoga, stretching, biofeedback (not so hot on that one) and occupational therapy, and physical therapy.
They don't talk about the fatigue related to fibromyalgia, but all chronic pain is very similar.
I borrowed this from my local library and was expected this to help me maintain some of the stuff I learned like stretching & excercises.
I was severely disappointed. I was amazed by the Mayo when I was there.
This doesn't even seem like the same organization.

This DVD was very disappointing as it summed up Fibro as "an overactive mind and an underactive body". The DVD expressed a very negative feeling, like Fibro isn't real. The "overactive mind / underactive body" really got to me......it relayed a feeling like we are a bunch of lazy slobs who have talked ourselves into believing we have this condition that really doesn't exist. Again, I was severely disappointed with this DVD.

FYI.......for those of you who did not like the Yoga segment.....Sun Salutations are WONDERFUL for Fibro....there are many different ways to do them and they take just about 10 minutes. I recommend you look for a DVD which includes variations of Sun Salutations...there are many out there and you can do this at your own pace....when I am done doing it, I feel like I just did the greatest stretch routine in the world. Good Luck to you all in gaining good health, hopefully pain free.

I'd like to share with you a "review" of 5 sections of this video so you can see why someone newly diagnosed with Fibromyalgia may want to purchase this video.

1) Dr. Brent Bauer introduces you to the concept of integrative medicine. [This in itself it very important, to my way of thinking. This treatment approach has proven to be the most helpful of all in the treatment of Fibromyalgia.]

Dr. Bauer explains that integrative medicine is simply the best of both worlds of medicine. It utilizes both the 3,000 yr-old traditional methods of healing and treatment along with alopathic (or Western) medicine. This method of treatment combines prescriptions when necessary, with acupuncture or chiropractic manipulation or physical therapy or water therapy, or whatever your doctor thinks may be right for you. Both methods use a form of cognitive behavioral therapy and/or stress reduction--whether deep breathing, meditation, exercise or physical therapy.

[Note: you'll find that many medical doctors are not familar with integrative medicine. You may want to seek out an osteopath, a naturopath or a physician specifically trained in the integrative medical field. You can find one by checking online at [...] and click on your state, or zip code, or you can google "integrative medical physician."]

2) Drs. Jeffrey Thompson and Amit Sood, both practicing at the Mayo Clinic, explain this complex syndrome and tell how it is diagnosed. Dr. Thompson explaines that there are no tests to diagnose Fibromyalgia, but rather it is diagnosed by the symptoms. The typical symptoms are overall body pain, tiredness/weakness and trouble sleeping. There is also an extreme sensitivity at any or all of 18 tender points. He also says that these 18 points are not exactly written in stone - there can be even more points. And there can also be fewer.

Dr. Thompson said that he's heard that some doctors tell their patients that "the pain is all in their head." He says that's quite true. ALL pain emanates from the brain, and so, yes, the pain IS in your head, but so is the doctor's own pain in HIS own head. This is actually a good thing, because the brain, in fact, is the most powerful thing we have to treat and manage our Fibromyalgia pain! Then he explains.

Dr. Amit Sood says that there are environmental triggers, predispositions, poor sleep, stress and the ever present "overactive mind and underactive body" that aggravate the symptoms of Fibromyalgia.

He also says that most people when diagnosed with Fibromyalgia, or even before they are diagnosed, are fearful that their body is being damaged, leading to debilitation and disability. But once they are assured that this is not the case-- that there is no actual damage happening to their body-- they are usually quite relieved and can better come to terms with their condition. [This is a fairly idealistic statement on his part.] Then, he continues, the patient can go about beginning their own healing and treatments in the form of exercise, stress management, sleep management and so on.

Drs. Sood and Thompson strongly emphasises exercise, explaining that even if you only begin by exercising 5 minutes in the morning, 5 minutes at noon and 5 minutes in the late afternoon (5-5-5), you will have exercised 15 minutes that day. As your body becomes accustomed to that amount of exercise, after a week or two, you can GRADUALLY add another minute to each of these and then another then next week and so on, until you can get in a half hour or more of exercise per day.

Both doctors stress the importance of spirituality, positive self-talk, positive attitude, humor, goal setting and pacing and much more, finalizing their contribution with the 5 most important TIPS for dealing with fibromyalgia: 1) reduce stress - learn stress management techniques like meditation, positive self-talk or even expressing your spirituality; 2) get restful, restorative sleep via your doctor's assistance or acupuncture, or massage therapy or other means - if you're not sleeping well, it's almost impossible for muscle pain to get better; 3) exercise every day, eg. yoga, tai chi, chi gong - but don't over do it, because that can increase pain; 4) pace yourself - do everything in moderation; 5) maintain a healthy lifestyle - eat lots of healthy fruits and veggies, whole grains, nuts and legumes, and enjoy fun occassions, and family.

3) Dr. Donald Hensrud takes you on a trip through the grocery store. This section is very informative, especially for those who are not familiar with the importance of diet and Fibromyalgia. He literally walks through a grocery store picking up foods to put in his cart, as he explains why this or that food is beneficial for helping pain and other symptoms. He also explains that we should be cutting back (or omitting) excess sugar, hydrogenated fats, coffee, soft drinks and the like.

[Diet is indeed a very important factor for those of us with Fibromyalgia. Learning all you can about this one important factor can certainly help alleviate a lot of pain.]

4) Rodney Yee takes you through a simple sitting meditation, where you sit comfortably in your chair and listen as he speaks-- soothingly describing how to relax. Then he describes a meditation while you are lying down. The visual background is a beautiful mountain meadow on a sunny day, and the music is soothing and relaxing, so that playing this section of the tape can literally melt away your stresses as you watch or listen. This is an nice walk through a light, relaxing meditation. [For newbies at meditation, you'll find this a very relaxing and soothing experience.]

5) Rodney Yee is also a famous yoga master. In the same beautiful mountain valley on a sunny day, he and two of his assistants [who obviously don't have Fibro] demonstrate a number of simple yoga positions, called Asanas. He utilizes folded up blankets for the easing of the positions and a chair to lean on, so that none of the Asanas would be too strenuous or painful in any of the moves. Apparently he selected these positions especially for Fibromyalgia sufferers so they wouldn't be too strenuous.

[Note: I have been doing Tai Chi DAILY for 11 of my 12 years with Fibro, so I am fairly limber and had no problem with these Asanas. But if you are new to this kind of exercise, it may be prove to be a bit much. I plan on staying with Tai Chi, thank you.]

This DVD is very helpful in a variety of ways. And it is helpful as a meditation aid or even for learning about shopping appropriately at the grocery store! For a beginner at Fibromyalgia, it explains why an integrative approach works better than a straight Western medical/prescription approach. It could say more about this method and give more ideas as to options, but it will give beginners an idea of where to begin.

The DVD would be wonderful for those who have no idea what Fibromyalgia is. I will be using it as a tool to teach those about my medical condition. It is wonderful!

This product gave me great emotional relief. Finally someone prestigous is taking fibromyalgia seriously. Of course it is still up to me to do the work, and I still wish there was just a little pill to cure it...but after viewing this DVD I can finally accept this difficult condition.

I have other yoga DVD's with Rodney Yee. He is wonderful. The theraputic yoga is more difficult than I thought it would be, but I can see where it would help so I will stick with it. I wish the views of the participants were 360 degrees, it is hard to see exactly how they do the poses...but again it is great to have a yoga program by a fantastic teacher, put together with advice from the Mayo clinic.

Thank You Mayo Clinic and Rodney Yee

I was so disappointed by this video. It was very misleading. I thought it would be a nice lady doing real exercises for fibrymyalgia. However, it was Rodney Yee who did some yoga stretches and who obviously does not have fibromyalgia. I expected so much more from a Mayo Clinic DVD.