fibromyalgia is an unnecessary pain in the everything

If you are suffering from fibromyalgia, you probably feel like you have lost control of your life, just as I did. Control is what it is all about!
You can control what you put in your mouth and to a large degree, what you put into their mouth determines to what extent fibromyalgia controls you.

I am not a doctor or medical professional and this is not intended as medical advice. This is simply the research of experts that I have compiled. I hope that it helps others to take control of their health as I have.

The National Fibromyalgia Association (NFA) published an article describing the role nutrition can play in healing Fibromyalgia. Referring to numerous research studies, the article maintains that due to poor soil and modern food processing, the foods we eat today are far less nutritious than in the past. The article advocated daily vitamin supplementation as a part of nutritional therapy.

Besides adding vitamin supplementation to your daily routine, other dietary changes may be necessary. The NFA article also advises you to eat less saturated fat and more alkaline-forming foods like organic fruits and vegetables. Certain foods should be avoided. They are dairy products, gluten, corn, sugar. A reduction of acid forming foods is recommended. These foods include tea, coffee, alcohol and red meat.

Some doctors also recommend that other foods and food additives can contribute to Fibromyalgic symptoms and should be avoided. They include: margarine, aspartame, MSG, soda pop and sugar. Margarine should be avoided because "hydrogenated cells" cannot properly exchange oxygen or other nutrients. According to Dr. Julian Whitaker, aspartame is comprised of an amino acid that easily enters the brain and can interfere with normal brain function. (Dr. Whitaker's Health and Healing, March 2000 vol. 12 No. 3. ) MSG can cause sleep disturbances, a significant problem for Fibromyalgia sufferers. Soda pop, besides being high in sugar or aspartame, contains phosphates, which rob our bodies of calcium. Sugar, among other things, upsets the balance of intestinal flora.

Delta Sleep

I spent over a decade either sleeping all of the time or suffering from insomnia. Both problems left me feeling exhausted. What I didn't realize when I was sleeping 16-20 hours per day was that the amount of sleep I was getting was not the problem, it was the kind of sleep. I wasn't going into delta sleep.

Delta sleep is the most crucial stage of sleep. It is during this recovery stage that our body repairs muscle tissue. A person who does not go through delta sleep can sleep a full eight hours and feel tired.

When it comes to planning your meals, try to remember that digestion can interrupt deep sleep. Try making breakfast and lunch your heaviest meals. Plan out the time and how much that you will eat in the evenings. Eating a big meal may make you feel sleepy, but digestion can effect the quality of sleep you get.

Several dietary nutrients effect sleep. GABA is able to induce relaxation, analgesia, and sleep. Zinc has been shown to aid health and tissue recovery in delta sleep and may even decrease frequency of restless legs syndrome. A deficiency of potassium, folic acid, or iron has also been linked to restless legs syndrome. Low consumption of B vitamins can cause insomnia and low magnesium levels can lead to sleep disturbance.

The amino acid 5-HTP improves your body's ability to manufacture serotonin, which regulates sleep patterns. One study found that certain prescription SSRI's, like Prozac, were ineffective in individuals deficient in 5-HTP. (Note: Talk to your doctor if you are taking a prescription SSRI and want to try 5-HTP.)

Another dietary choice that can increase serotonin levels is consumption of omega- 3 fatty acids. According to a study published in the American Medical Association's Archives of General Psychiatry: Omega-3 fatty acids increase the level of serotonin in a way similar to prescription anti-depressants like Prozac.

Pro-Inflammatory Cytokines

Many who suffer from Fibromyalgia/CFS also pile on various autoimmune disorders, as I did. Pro-inflammatory cytokins are a catalyst of fibromyalgia and traditional autoimmune disorders.

Pro-inflammatory cytokins are yet another piece of the fibromyalgia puzzle that can be controlled by what we put in our mouths.According to Life Extension magazine, DHA in fish oil is the best documented supplement to suppress certain inflammatory cytokines. Omega- 3 fatty acids in fish oil are of great importance. Turmeric has a number of cytokine-inhibiting properties. Nettle leaf, boswellia, and cat's claw are some other useful herbs found to have anti-inflammatory properties. Vitamins A, B, C, E, and K are also considered anti-inflammatory. In addition, foods such as fresh pineapple, fresh papaya, spinach, blueberries, strawberries and onions are found to be useful.

Dr. Paul Cheney believes that glutathione counteracts some of the damaging effects of excessive cytokines.

Also, researchers have discovered that DHEA (dehydroepiandrosterone) decreases cytokines. DHEA was given to the mice and researchers discovered that when the animals were treated with DHEA, it led to a significant reduction of pro-inflammatory cytokines. (DHEA should not be used by individuals at risk of certain cancers.)

Leaky Gut Syndrome

A healthy human gut contains trillions of friendly bacteria and other microbes. They are necessary for healthy digestion, immune function, producing vitamins, and lowering cholesterol. Yeast is also a normal resident of the gut. One yeast is called candida albicans and is a parasite, meaning that it lives off us. (It is the same bug notorious for vaginal yeast infections.) The parasite takes in food from us and puts off toxic waste. However, when present in small numbers, yeast has no negative effects on health, especially if we eat diets high in fiber, which helps absorb and sweep out the toxins.

When the candida reaches unhealthy numbers and begins to cause problems, it is called candidiasis. If present in large enough amounts, candida and it's toxic by-products can overwhelm the body's ability to detoxify itself. Eventually, this will result into disease.

The Standard American Diet high in refined foods and sugars, but low fiber, high fat foods, caffeine, alcohol, chlorinated water, chemicals in fermented and processed foods, dyes, and preservatives further compromises the balance of bacteria and yeast. Prolonged antacid use and mercury toxicity also allow candida to grow out of control, as do the digestive enzyme deficiencies inherit in autoimmunity.

Candida also causes cravings and addictions to sweets, carbohydrates, and alcohol. Additionally, eye pain, blurred vision, intolerance of tobacco smoke and other strong odors, jock itch and diaper rash, diarrhea and constipation, heartburn, abdominal bloating, gas, or pain, kidney and bladder infections, cystitis, sinus infections, acne, hives, eczema and psoriasis, loss of sex drive and impotence are all symptoms that can be attributed to candida. What makes candida so frustrating is that it has so many seemingly unrelated symptoms. Candida also creates relentless fatigue, memory loss, numbness or tingling, flu-like symptoms, endometriosis and painful periods, irritability and mood swings, hypoglycemia, hemorrhoids, mouth sores and bad breath, and a sore throat or cough.

Healing the gut means eliminating allergic foods, eating plenty of alkaline forming foods, and avoiding food that feed candida. Vegetables are preferable over fruit for at least the first month, as the fruit sugars will feed the candida. It also may mean adding anti-fungal supplements to your routine. (Some physicians will prescribe anti-fungal medications.) Additionally, beneficial bacteria, digestive enzymes, and the proper pH must be restored to the gut.

Opioids

No, I am not going to tell you to use opium in this next section!! Your body makes opioids to control pain. People with Fibromyalgia do not have enough pain blocking opioids.

It is possible to increase opioid levels nutritionally. The micro-trace mineral germanium has a positive effect on opioid levels. According to Sandra Goodman, a leading researcher and expert on germanium, this trace mineral acts as an analgesic by increasing opioid numbers.

Digestive Disorders

Even if you do not suffer from Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), the mere fact that you have Fibromyalgia suggests a digestive/absorption problem. Those suffering from Fibromyalgia and other chronic illnesses must supplement their diets with digestive enzymes. It is also vital to restore the natural flora of the gut with probiotics (good bacteria). The herb pau d'arco, garlic, artemesia, citrus seed extract, and uva ursi have anti-fungal properties. L-glutamine, antioxidants, glutathione, zinc, and fiber provide nutrients to support gastrointestinal mucosal integrity.

Magnesium/Calcium

For an individual suffering from Fibromyalgia, the two most important minerals are magnesium and calcium according to Dr. Mark Percival. He says that the two should always be taken together.
Signs of a Magnesium deficiency include: fatigue, cramps, muscle pain, and constipation. Pain specialist, Linda Rapson, says about 70 percent of her patients show signs of magnesium deficiency. She reports that most all of them improve after she puts them on a magnesium supplement.

Conventional Treatments Fall Short

According to a representative of the Active Health Care Centers, not much has changed. Conventional medicine has little to show for their efforts.
If you have tried nutritional products in the past to no avail, DON'T GIVE UP! Try again. You may not have been taking high quality, easily absorbable supplements. This may be true even if they were expensive and purchased at a favorite health food store.

As part of my 12 Weeks to a New You course, our group discussed the principles in the Marci Shimoff book Happy for No Reason: 7 Steps to Being Happy from the Inside Out. The lessons taught in this book are so VITAL to individuals with fibromyalgia that I am starting a support forum based upon the concepts that Marci teaches.

In Happy for No Reason: 7 Steps to Being Happy from the Inside Out and in this forum you will learn about exercise, supplements, food and behavior that will change your life.

The forum will be a no-cost part of my program. I am extending an invitation to all of you and anyone else that you think could benefit. I sincerely hope you will take advantage of this opportunity! http://groups.yahoo.com/group/happy_for_no_reason/