Fibromyalgia

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Comment by Amy K on October 24, 2009 at 2:53am

I wanted to let you all know that I posted a link above in the Helpful Sites, Blogs and Resources section to the 2010 Research Review put out by the Colorado Fibromyalgia Center. I hope you find it useful.

Comment by debdrake on October 16, 2009 at 6:51pm

Thank you!

As far as artificial sweeteners, I do suspect they were part of my problem. I have always had sugar problems (hyperinsulinemia -an overproduction of insulin in response to eating sugar) so,unfortunately, I used artificial sweeteners for over 15 yrs.

But on the SCD you can pretty much only use raw honey. That is risky for me so I don't use that much - maybe a little in my oatmeal. I use a little stevia extract now (not truvia or processed stevia) and a little xylitol. I just started using the xylitol so I dont have any reports on that yet. The stats on it sound really good. Stevia actually helps build up the pancreas. I know someone that grows it and uses the leaf to sweeten his tea.

Barbara, glad you were able to identify the culprits.
Those chemicals sneak into so many processed foods that we finally had to give up eating processed foods. Being processed takes out a lot of important nutrients anyway.

Change is hard but it eventually sticks if we are stubborn enough.

Comment by Barbara Engle on October 16, 2009 at 1:51pm

I began my battle to gain control over my stomach problems with the removal of soda pop. Then I had to take the issue on step further, when I came to realize that soda pop was not the only product I was consuming that has some man made chemical that was casing me a problem. I also had to remove, from my diet food that are processed with preservatives and dyes, as well as artificial sweeteners.

Very few people that battle stomach issues , or chronic pain, ever come to realize that our bodies were never designed to handle harsh chemicals . Therefore , it reacts according to our own bodies sensitivity .

Thanks for the post

Comment by Amy K on October 16, 2009 at 3:22am

Deb, what an amazing and enormous amount of helpful information you have given here. You have done some really hard work, too and I want to give you a big virtual *hug*, all of that work isn't easy! You are a great inspiration, to me and I know to others, too.
Thank you for sharing!

Comment by debdrake on October 15, 2009 at 10:43pm

Yes we have made changes, like cutting out soda, in our lifestyle over the past few years. Most of them since 2003. That was my worst year. IBS got to be unbearable. I went on the SCD diet (www.breakingtheviciouscycle.info). It took 30 days for the pain to stop.

But that is not a diet you can stay on forever. It is too restrictive. But it did allow some healing time. We stopped drinking sodas then. I only stayed on that diet for less than a year.

Slowly some of the symptoms started coming back. Rather than starting over on the SCD. The second time we made some other changes. By then I was in school to be a naturopath.

Some of the hardest changes to make was cutting out the microwave. It was hard at first but now we dont think about it. Our food tastes a lot better too.

We got a water distiller and add some trace minerals to our water. I love it! http://is.gd/4lDav

We eat a large serving of vegetables at least once a day and some raw fruits and vegetables every day.

We eat meat 2-3 times a week, and only a few ounces. Instead of processed foods we cook up various whole grains.

Taking probiotics, enzymes, omega 3 and minerals is very important.

Eating out is rare but I'm happy with that. You lose your appetite for the junk they have to offer at fast food restaurants and even regular restaurants.

Be sure not to make too many changes all at once though. Only make one change a week. Drinking water is the first and biggest change you can make. If you must have flavor, make some herbal tea or add a little chlorophyll to your water. http://is.gd/4lDWi

I'm always looking for more tips. Most days if I do have pain, I know why. I can say it's because I didn't get enough sleep or I didn't realize I was thirsty so I didn't drink enough or maybe it's just that time of month.

But I feel like there needs to be deeper healing so that I wont have that. Others dont have body pain from those same activities. Maybe some day we will know what causes this.

It seems that it is a central nervous system problem. If that is the case, we may not be able to get it 100% healed.

Comment by Amy K on October 15, 2009 at 6:23pm

Deb, It truly changed my life when I gave up bad drinks like diet soda, etc and focused predominately on drinking water, I am a believer of it's greatness!

Comment by debdrake on October 15, 2009 at 6:05pm

Yes I notice a difference too if I don't get enough water. I think that is an important key.

Comment by Amy K on October 15, 2009 at 5:42pm

Gosh, I have been away too long... I am really sorry I have missed out on the great conversation and potential discussion topics that have crept up while I was away. I have been focusing so much of my efforts on suicide prevention these days, but Fibromyalgia is so very important and close to my heart.

I love the talk about the supplements. I am going to come back soon, take notes, and do some experimenting myself with these vitamins, minerals and supplements. I have found a big change in the way I feel the more water I can get into my system as I have been making a concentrated effort on that.

Looking forward to better health!

Comment by debdrake on August 8, 2009 at 8:00pm

oh yeah and this is the B12 I just got for only $10.85. It doesn't take too bad either. That is important since you need to hold it in your mouth for 30 seconds.
http://tinyurl.com/mnmq9n

Comment by debdrake on August 8, 2009 at 7:57pm

I think one of the best things I ever did for myself was the elimination diet. You can do it in as little as 3 weeks. It's not easy to do but it's so worth it. There are various types of allergic reactions. An allergen causes an Immunoglobulin response in your system (in your white blood cells). They are referred to as IgA, IgG, IgE etc. It may be a severe reaction like swelling and a rash within a short period of time (usually IgG). Or it may be the type of reaction that is days after a food has been eaten.
The only way to find offending food is to eliminate all of the foods that are potential allergens all at the same time and keep them out of the diet 100% for 3 weeks or more before reintroducing them.
Known allergens - dairy, soy, wheat and other gluten foods, nuts, tomatoes, eggs, citrus, corn and everything processed. caffeine and sugar are in that category.
That basically leaves fresh meat and poultry, any vegetable (except corn and soybeans), fruits and fruit juices (but not citrus fruit/juice and not beverages normally consumed daily), rice, and oats for the first 3 weeks. then slowly add in one food at a time.
By the end of the 3 weeks you may feel a LOT better. If not, keep on it until you do. It took me exactly 30 days to find relief. I stayed on the elimination diet for 6 months before reintroducing foods.

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