LiBelle' Essential Living

11/19/2025

11/16/2025

💜 Fibromyalgia: The Pain You Can’t See… But Millions Live With Every Day

StrongHer. Seen. Supported. Never Silent.

Fibromyalgia isn’t “just pain.”
It’s not “all in your head.”
And it’s definitely not something you should have to explain or defend to anyone.

Fibromyalgia is a complex chronic pain and sensory-processing condition that affects 4–8 million Americans, with nearly 90% of cases occurring in women. It influences the entire body — the nervous system, immune function, sleep cycles, gut health, energy production, and even mood.

And yet… most people with fibromyalgia fight two battles:
👉 The pain itself
👉 And the misunderstanding that surrounds it

Today, we break that silence.
We bring awareness.
We bring validation.
We bring StrongHer support. 💜

💫 What Fibromyalgia Really Feels Like

Fibromyalgia symptoms can vary from day to day, which is one reason it’s so misunderstood. Common symptoms include:

✨ Widespread muscle pain & tenderness
✨ Chronic fatigue (even after a full night’s sleep)
✨ Brain fog / forgetfulness
✨ Headaches or migraines
✨ Sensitivity to light, noise, cold, pressure
✨ Stiffness in the morning
✨ Sleep disturbances
✨ IBS, nerve pain, restless legs, and more

Many describe it as:
“Like the flu, but it never ends.”
“Electric shocks shooting through my body.”
“A heavy, aching fog wrapped around my muscles.”

If you’ve ever felt this — you are not imagining it. You are not weak. You are living with a real, recognized medical condition.

🧠 What Causes Fibromyalgia?

Here’s the truth:
There is no single cause. Instead, fibromyalgia appears to be a whole-body imbalance involving the nervous system.

Research points to:

🔹 Central nervous system hypersensitivity
Pain signals are amplified in the brain and spinal cord.

🔹 Neurochemical imbalances
Changes in serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine can affect pain and mood.

🔹 Hormonal shifts
Fibro commonly worsens around perimenopause and menopause.

🔹 Gut–brain axis dysfunction
Leaky gut, dysbiosis, and chronic inflammation play a major role.

🔹 Immune dysregulation
Chronic inflammation may maintain the pain cycle.

🔹 Stress & trauma
Emotional, physical, or environmental stressors can be triggers.

Fibromyalgia is real, physiological, and complex — not imagined.

🩺 Diagnosis: Why It’s So Difficult

There is no single test for fibromyalgia.
Diagnosis comes from:

✔ Medical history
✔ Pain location & duration
✔ Tender points or symptom scoring
✔ Ruling out other chronic conditions

Dr. Ben Gaylhardt and many functional practitioners advise patients to never accept fibromyalgia as a final diagnosis until you’ve had a complete autoimmune panel because symptoms can overlap with:

Lupus

Rheumatoid arthritis

Lyme disease

Multiple sclerosis

Thyroid disorders

Vitamin deficiencies

Getting the right diagnosis matters.

🌿 Managing Fibromyalgia the Whole-Body Way

There’s no cure — yet — but symptoms can be significantly improved with a holistic, multidisciplinary approach.

🌸 Lifestyle & Natural Supports

Gentle movement: walking, swimming, yoga, tai chi

Anti-inflammatory diet

Stable sleep routines

Heat therapy or warm Epsom baths

Meditation, breathwork, nervous-system calming techniques

🌱 Supplements (with professional guidance)

Magnesium

Vitamin D

Omega-3s

CoQ10

Melatonin

SAMe

Acetyl-L-carnitine

🌼 Herbal Supports

Turmeric (curcumin)

Boswellia

White willow bark

Devil’s claw

Ginger

Adaptogens like Ashwagandha

💆‍♀️ Complementary Therapies

Massage therapy

Acupuncture

Red light therapy

Hydrotherapy

TENS units

🧠 Mind-Body Approaches

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)

Mindfulness & guided imagery

Stress reduction practices

Fibromyalgia requires a whole-body, whole-life healing approach, not a one-size-fits-all solution.

💜 The Mental Health Connection

Living with fibro can be emotionally exhausting. Many patients also experience:

Depression

Anxiety

OCD tendencies

PTSD symptoms

Social isolation

This is not a coincidence — the brain chemicals involved in fibromyalgia overlap with mood regulation. When your nervous system is overwhelmed, your mind and body feel that together.

You are not alone. You are not “too sensitive.”
Your pain is valid. Your feelings are valid.

💪 StrongHer Message

If you’re living with fibromyalgia, here’s what I want you to remember:

✨ You are not weak — you are surviving the unimaginable.
✨ Your pain is real — even when others can’t see it.
✨ Healing is not linear — and that’s okay.
✨ You deserve answers, support, and compassion.
✨ And you are StrongHer than this moment.

November is Fibromyalgia Awareness Month — but your strength is year-round.

11/15/2025

Event overview:
Lupus Education day 2025

We saw & listened to 3 speakers, Dr Jennifer Anolik, Dr Abeles & Dr Richardson. There was also a brave group of women that answered questions about living with lupus in real life.

The overall main focus was the strides & great results coming out of the clinical trials for the use of biologics as a treatment for SLE lupus. Biologics are treatments currently used with cancers, and some other autoimmune conditions. These treatments are generally administered via IV, or injection. They essentially block the flow of lupus cytes getting from the B cells to the T cells. Your T cells are the ‘good guys’. Which in turn the B cells die off.

Additionally, there has now been a standardized protocol established for patients diagnosed with lupus with a goal of no steroids after 6 months.

I’ve attached some of Dr Anolik’s presentation slides as well.

Lupus cutaneous, lumps of the skin has recently had a biologic approved by the FDA for treatment, and that is the first in almost 5 years.

All in all, it was a great day learning & chatting with everyone there.

I urge you to talk to your doctors about being tested if you think you have lupus or any autoimmune condition. If you see a rheumatologist and you aren’t satisfied, talk with them. Find a new one that works with you. Be your own advocate. Be loud if you have to! There is help and treatments out there.

11/13/2025

💜 Fibromyalgia Awareness Quiz

“How Fibro-Aware Are You?”
StrongHer. Seen. Supported. Never Silent.

⸻

🔸 1. Fibromyalgia primarily affects:

A. Only muscles
B. The brain and nervous system’s pain processing
C. Only the joints
D. The skin

✅ Answer: B — Fibromyalgia involves how the brain and spinal cord process pain signals.

⸻

🔸 2. About what percentage of those diagnosed with fibromyalgia are women?

A. 25%
B. 50%
C. 90%
D. 10%

✅ Answer: C — Roughly 90% of patients are women, most diagnosed in midlife.

⸻

🔸 3. Which of the following is not a common symptom of fibromyalgia?

A. Widespread pain
B. Fatigue
C. Vision loss
D. Sleep disturbance

✅ Answer: C — Vision loss is not a symptom, but “fibro fog,” fatigue, and pain are hallmarks.

⸻

🔸 4. What part of the body is sometimes called the “second brain” and linked to fibromyalgia symptoms?

A. Heart
B. Gut
C. Liver
D. Lungs

✅ Answer: B — The gut–brain connection affects mood, pain, and inflammation.

⸻

🔸 5. Fibromyalgia can often coexist or be confused with:

A. Lupus
B. Rheumatoid arthritis
C. Multiple sclerosis
D. All of the above

✅ Answer: D — These autoimmune conditions can mimic or overlap with fibromyalgia symptoms.

⸻

🔸 6. Which lifestyle habit has been shown to help most with symptom management?

A. Regular, gentle exercise
B. Skipping meals
C. High-intensity workouts
D. Avoiding all movement

✅ Answer: A — Gentle, consistent movement (walking, yoga, swimming) supports pain control and mood.

⸻

🔸 7. True or False: Fibromyalgia is “all in your head.”

✅ Answer: ❌ False — Fibromyalgia is a real, chronic pain condition recognized by the CDC and WHO.

⸻

🔸 8. What nutrient may help improve energy and pain in fibromyalgia?

A. Vitamin D
B. Vitamin C
C. Iron
D. Calcium

✅ Answer: A — Vitamin D supports nerve and muscle health and may ease pain.

⸻

💫 Your Results:
• 0–3 correct: You’re learning — and that’s the first step to healing!
• 4–6 correct: You’re fibro-aware and StrongHer every day!
• 7–8 correct: You’re a Fibro Warrior — share your strength and keep spreading awareness!

⸻

💜 Share this quiz & tag a friend who’s StrongHer than they know.

11/11/2025

Today we honor the brave hearts who’ve carried our freedom on their shoulders. 💜

To every Veteran — thank you for your courage, your strength, and your sacrifice.

You remind us daily that being StrongHer isn’t just about muscles… it’s about heart, resilience, and service.

🇺🇸 LiBellé Essential Living stands in gratitude with you — today and always.

💜 We remember. We honor. We continue to live freely because of you.

11/09/2025

🌿 LiBellé’ StrongHer Reflection 🌿

Has anyone ever told you it’s okay to go through the 5 stages of grief after getting an autoimmune diagnosis?
You didn’t die… but the old you did.
The person you once were — the one who pushed through pain, ignored the whispers from her body, and thought “fine” was enough — she’s gone.

And that’s okay.
Because what rises in her place is someone wiser, softer, stronger… StrongHer.
So let yourself grieve.
Cry. Feel. Release.

Then use that grief as fertilizer for your new growth — the woman who blooms differently, but still beautifully. 💜✨

🩵

11/08/2025

I started LiBellé Essential Living in 2018, shortly after my mother was diagnosed with Lyme disease. Watching her struggle through symptoms that traditional medicine couldn’t fully address inspired me to learn everything I could about natural healing. That’s when I became a Certified Natural Health Practitioner and Crystal Reiki Master, determined to help her—and others—heal and thrive.

Fast forward to 2023, when life handed me my own challenge: a lupus diagnosis. I won’t share every detail of that journey, but I will say this—it taught me resilience, balance, and the importance of looking at health as a whole-body picture. Through that experience, I saw firsthand the gaps in modern medicine. While conventional care has its place, it often treats symptoms instead of root causes—what I like to call “a Band-Aid on a gushing wound.”

[My lupus was triggered by extreme stress. It showed up as extreme exhaustion, weight loss, and skin changes—symptoms I brushed off as a virus & over-worked.]

What I learned through that is your body always whispers before it screams. When you slow down and listen, healing truly begins

Before all this, I worked as a medical technician and office manager in some of the largest clinics in our area, so the science behind wellness has always been part of my world. Going back to study natural health wasn’t a leap—it was coming full circle.

Now, my mission is simple:
To educate, empower, and encourage others to take charge of their own wellness journeys. I believe the best patient is an informed one—the one who asks questions, listens to their body, and advocates for their health every single day.

Because at the end of the day, you know your body better than anyone else. 💜

11/08/2025

These are great tips!

Just 1 Swap For Your Health 🫒

11/07/2025

✨🎄 Don’t forget to take care of YOU 🎄✨

After the lights are hung, the cookies are baked, and the gifts are wrapped… your body deserves a moment of calm too.

Our Naturally Pure Essentials 600mg CBD Pain Cream is your perfect winter wellness companion ❄️

💜 Soothe sore shoulders after hanging those decorations
💜 Calm tired feet from all that shopping
💜 Find relief from holiday hustle tension

🌿 Handmade. Clean ingredients. Trusted since 2022.
🎁 $40 | Limited stock this season

Give your body the gift of relief 💫

11/07/2025

11/07/2025

💜 November is Fibromyalgia Awareness Month 💜

StrongHer. Seen. Supported. Never Silent.

Pain you can’t see is still real.
Fatigue that steals your fire doesn’t define your strength — it reveals it.
This month, we’re turning awareness into action 💪✨

🌸 Take our “How Much Do You Know About Fibromyalgia?” mini-quiz and see how fibro-aware you really are!

🦋Fibromyalgia Awareness Quiz 🦋

“How Fibro-Aware Are You?”
StrongHer. Seen. Supported. Never Silent.

⸻

🔸 1. Fibromyalgia primarily affects:

A. Only muscles
B. The brain and nervous system’s pain processing
C. Only the joints
D. The skin

✅ Answer: B — Fibromyalgia involves how the brain and spinal cord process pain signals.

⸻

🔸 2. About what percentage of those diagnosed with fibromyalgia are women?

A. 25%
B. 50%
C. 90%
D. 10%

✅ Answer: C — Roughly 90% of patients are women, most diagnosed in midlife.

⸻

🔸 3. Which of the following is not a common symptom of fibromyalgia?

A. Widespread pain
B. Fatigue
C. Vision loss
D. Sleep disturbance

✅ Answer: C — Vision loss is not a symptom, but “fibro fog,” fatigue, and pain are hallmarks.

⸻

🔸 4. What part of the body is sometimes called the “second brain” and linked to fibromyalgia symptoms?

A. Heart
B. Gut
C. Liver
D. Lungs

✅ Answer: B — The gut–brain connection affects mood, pain, and inflammation.

⸻

🔸 5. Fibromyalgia can often coexist or be confused with:

A. Lupus
B. Rheumatoid arthritis
C. Multiple sclerosis
D. All of the above

✅ Answer: D — These autoimmune conditions can mimic or overlap with fibromyalgia symptoms.

⸻

🔸 6. Which lifestyle habit has been shown to help most with symptom management?

A. Regular, gentle exercise
B. Skipping meals
C. High-intensity workouts
D. Avoiding all movement

✅ Answer: A — Gentle, consistent movement (walking, yoga, swimming) supports pain control and mood.

⸻

🔸 7. True or False: Fibromyalgia is “all in your head.”

✅ Answer: ❌ False — Fibromyalgia is a real, chronic pain condition recognized by the CDC and WHO.

⸻

🔸 8. What nutrient may help improve energy and pain in fibromyalgia?

A. Vitamin D
B. Vitamin C
C. Iron
D. Calcium

✅ Answer: A — Vitamin D supports nerve and muscle health and may ease pain.

⸻

💫 Your Results:
• 0–3 correct: You’re learning — and that’s the first step to healing!
• 4–6 correct: You’re fibro-aware and StrongHer every day!
• 7–8 correct: You’re a Fibro Warrior — share your strength and keep spreading awareness!

⸻

💜 Share this quiz & tag a friend who’s StrongHer than they know.

Learn the signs, the science, and the self-care behind the struggle — because knowledge is healing power.

🪶 Stay tuned for our upcoming LiBellé Blog feature:
“Fibromyalgia — More Than Pain, It’s a Whole-Body Conversation.”