Whole Body Hyperthermia (WBH) as a Rapid Treatment for Fibromyalgia

Fibromyalgia has become an increasingly pressing public health problem in the United States. Although some treatments exist for Fibromyalgia, many individuals suffering with Fibromyalgia do not adequately respond to currently available treatment options, highlighting the need to develop and test new interventions for the disorder. To address this pressing clinical issue, we will conduct a pilot study to determine if Whole Body Hyperthermia (WBH) reduces symptoms in adults suffering from Fibromyalgia. We plan to recruit individuals with Fibromyalgia who will receive a single session of WBH to determine if this single session improves Fibromyalgia symptoms and if so whether this improvement will last at least 2 weeks. To do this, the study will include self-report symptom assessments immediately before and one and two weeks after WBH. In addition blood will be collected at these time points to explore whether WBH changes immune system chemicals that are believed to contribute to fibromyalgia. We intend to conduct the study until 10 individuals with fibromyalgia have received a single treatment of WBH and have completed all pre-treatment and post-treatment assessments. Given scientific evidence from our research group that WBH may improve depression, we anticipate that it may also be of benefit or adults suffering from Fibromyalgia.