A Prospective Observational Study of a 2-Week Integrative Inpatient Therapy on Patients with Fibromyalgia Syndrome

Area of Science:

• Integrative medicine
• Naturopathy
• Mind-body medicine

Background:

• Fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) is a complex condition characterized by chronic pain and fatigue.
• Current guidelines recommend multimodal therapy for severe FMS.
• Integrative and naturopathic approaches show promise for FMS management.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of a multimodal integrative treatment program for FMS.
• To assess the impact on primary symptoms (pain, fatigue) and psychological aspects (QoL, anxiety, depression, stress).
• To determine if treatment effects are short-term or long-term (6 months post-discharge).

Main Methods:

• A two-week inpatient multimodal integrative treatment program.
• Program elements included mind-body medicine, European naturopathy, and fasting.
• Focus on stress reduction and lifestyle modification.

Main Results:

• Significant short-term and long-term improvements in pain and fatigue intensity (approx. 12%).
• Long-term pain reduction potentially supported by medical fasting.
• Sustained reductions in anxiety, depression, perceived stress, and helplessness.
• Long-lasting increases in self-efficacy, quality of life, and work ability.

Conclusions:

• The two-week inpatient program yields significant, lasting improvements in FMS symptoms and psychological well-being.
• This integrative approach shows potential for integration into FMS clinical guidelines.
• Further research, including RCTs, is needed to validate the program's efficacy.