If You Have Fibromyalgia or CFS-Avoid NutraSweet

The Health Dangers of NutraSweet-Fibromyalgia and Aspartame

Aspartame can be found in most diet sodas and in other artificially sweetened food products. Commonly known as NutraSweet or Equal, it is broken down by the body into methanol and formaldehyde. 

Toxic levels of methanol are linked to systemic lupus and now Alzheimer’s disease. 

Methanol toxicity can cause depression, brain fog, mood changes, insomnia, seizures, and similar symptoms associated with multiple sclerosis. 

As for formaldehyde, it is grouped into the same class of drugs as cyanide and arsenic.

An EPA assessment of methanol states that methanol "is considered a cumulative poison due to the low rate of excretion once it is absorbed. In the body, methanol is oxidized to formaldehyde and formic acid; both of these metabolites are toxic." They recommend a limit of consumption of 7.8 mg/day. A one-liter (approx. 1 quart) aspartame-sweetened beverage contains about 56 mg of methanol. Heavy users of aspartame-containing products consume as much as 250 mg of methanol daily or 32 times the EPA limit.

When the temperature of aspartame exceeds 86 degrees F, the wood alcohol in the product is turned into formaldehyde and then into formic acid. Formic acid is the poison contained in the sting of a fire ant.

There are over 92 documented symptoms from the use of aspartame.

Aspartame accounts for over 75 percent of the adverse reactions to food additives reported to the FDA. Many of these reactions are very serious including seizures and death. A few of the 90 different documented symptoms listed in the report as being caused by aspartame include: Headaches/migraines, dizziness, seizures, nausea, numbness, muscle spasms, weight gain, rashes, depression, fatigue, irritability, tachycardia, insomnia, vision problems, hearing loss, heart palpitations, breathing difficulties, anxiety attacks, slurred speech, loss of taste, tinnitus, vertigo, memory loss, and joint pain.

Could Aspartame be contributing to your fibromyalgia or CFS symptoms?

One common complaint of persons suffering from the effect of aspartame is memory loss. Ironically, in 1987, G.D. Searle, the manufacturer of aspartame, undertook a search for a drug to combat memory loss caused by excitatory amino acid damage.

One expert, Dr. Olney, a professor in the department of psychiatry, School of Medicine, Washington University, a neuroscientist and researcher, and one of the world's foremost authorities on excitotoxins. (He informed Searle in 1971 that aspartic acid caused holes in the brains of mice.)

For more information about the dangers ofAspartame see Aspartame Sweetpoison, written by author Dr. Janet Starr Hull.

Gluten, Low Thyroid and Fibromyalgia

Gluten Intake May Trigger Low Thyroid Function and Lead to Fibromyalgia

I find that 40-50% of my fibromyalga and CFS patients are suffering with low thyroid function. Many of these patients are plagued with Hashimoto's thyroiditis.

Gluten sensitivity has been implicated in contributing to Hashimoto’s Hypothyroidism.

Several studies now show the link between gluten sensitivity and Hashimoto’s hypothyroidism. 

Gluten sensitivity (also known as "gluten intolerance") (GS) belongs to a spectrum of disorders in which gluten has an adverse effect on the body. It can be defined as a non-allergic and non-autoimmune condition in which the consumption of gluten can lead to symptoms similar to those observed in celiac disease.

Symptoms of gluten sensitivity include bloating, abdominal discomfort, pain or diarrhea; or it may present with a variety of symptoms including headaches and migraines, lethargy and tiredness, attention-deficit disorder and hyperactivity, autism and schizophrenia, muscular disturbances as well as bone and joint pain.

Hashimoto's thyroiditis is the most common cause of hypothyroidism in the United States. It is named after the first doctor who described this condition, Dr. Hakaru Hashimoto, in 1912. Hashimoto's thyroiditis is a condition caused by inflammation of the thyroid gland. It is an autoimmune disease, which means that the body inappropriately attacks the thyroid gland--as if it was foreign tissue.

Symptoms of Hashimoto's thyroididitis include anxiety, depression, fatigue, high cholesterol, weight gain, poor immune function, hair loss, cold hands and feet, and constipation.

According thyroid specialist, Dr. Datis Kharrazian, author of “Why Do I Still Have Thyroid Symptoms When My Lab Tests Are Normal?” it’s rare to find a person with Hashimoto’s who doesn’t have some degree of gluten sensitivity or full-blown celiac disease.

Celiac disease is defined generally as an autoimmune response to intestinal tissues upon gluten exposure, as well as overall activation of the immune system.

The list of inflammation-induced symptoms brought on by a gluten sensitivity goes on and depends upon the person’s genetic makeup. Needless to say such systemic inflammation also flares up an autoimmune condition.

Experience shows a gluten-free diet is a must

Dr. Kharrazian writes that “Hashimoto’s patients fall somewhere between gluten sensitivity and celiac disease.  Nevertheless, almost all patients with Hashimoto’s improve on a strict gluten-free diet, even if they do not fit the established criteria of celiac disease. By strict I mean you are 100 percent gluten-free.”

Regular Gluten Testing is Often Inaccurate

Part of the problem with negative gluten antibody tests is improper testing. The general gluten antibody test conducted by most labs today is only testing a small portion of the gluten protein, alpha-gliadin.

In reality, an individual can have an immune response to various parts of the gluten protein, including omega-gliadin, gamma-gliadin, wheat germ agglutinin, and deamidated gliadin.

Both the scientific and clinical evidence linking gluten with Hashimoto’s and autoimmune disease in general is too powerful and abundant to ignore. A strict gluten-free diet is the first and most important step to managing your Hashimoto’s hypothyroidism.

Treating and Beating Fibromyalgia With Orthomolecular Medicine

Dr. Janet Travell, White House physician for Presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson, and Professor Emeritus of Internal Medicine at George Washington University, co-wrote Myofascial Pain and Dysfunction: The Trigger Point Manual, which is acknowledged as the authoritative work on muscle pain. In one chapter alone, 317 studies are referenced showing that problems such as hormonal, vitamin, and mineral deficiencies can contribute to muscle pain and soreness.

Vitamins, minerals, amino acids, essential fatty acids, and certain enzymes, when properly supplemented, can provide profoundly beneficial results for those suffering from poor health. 

Below is a sample listing of essential nutrients and their contributions to the treatment of FMS and CFS.

• Vitamin E helps to relieve pain in CFS patients. It can also improve nighttime leg cramps, which interfere with sleep.

• Vitamin C boosts the immune system by increasing natural-killer (NK) cells, B cells, and T cells.

• Magnesium and malic acid have been found by controlled
studies to be effective in relieving the symptoms of FMS. Magnesium is essential to healthy muscle function, and, working with malic acid, it increases cellular energy, reduces pain, and enhances immune function by increasing NK cells. Magnesium is also a natural muscle relaxant and critical for the relief of muscle pain.

• Inositol enhances the immune system by increasing NK cells.

• Selenium supports the immune system by enhancing antibody production.

• Vitamin D regulates many immune functions.

• Amino acids, such as glycine, serine, taurine, and tyrosine, are essential for the production of energy in the body and for brain function.

• Zinc supports the immune system by enhancing white-blood-cell activity and supporting healthy antigen-antibody binding.

But I Already Take Vitamins

You might be thinking, I’ve taken  vitamins for years, and I haven’t noticed a difference. You probably haven’t been taking enough to even make a dent in your deficiencies. If you compare Centrum or One-A-Day vitamins to the Essential Therapeutics multivitamin and mineral formulas, including the CFS/Fibromyalgia formula, you’ll notice that our specially designed vitamins have 50 times—and in some cases, 100 times—the recommended daily allowance (RDA). 

This is because the RDA is an outdated system that does not take into account the depletion of our nutrient-rich top soil, environmental pollutants, chemical food processing, the addition of artificial ingredients, and the increased demands placed on an individual’s homeostatic system in the 21st century.

So nearly as criminal as not recommending vitamin and mineral supplements is the recommendation of them based on the RDA. It was never intended to advance health, only to prevent deficiency diseases like scurvy and rickets. 

Taking the minimum amount of a nutrient to prevent gross deficiency doesn’t help those people who want to be truly healthy and not just free of severe symptoms. And optimal health should be the goal for all of us.

The key to reversing disease and the unwanted symptoms, pain, fatigue, depression, poor sleep, etc. is to take the RIGHT DOSE AND RIGHT COMBINATION of optimal daily allowance nutrients. The reason my patients see such a drastic improvement on the CFS/Fibromyalgia Jump Start supplements.

Are these higher doses safe?

One of the arguments against megavitamin treatment is that a high dose of certain vitamins are toxic and may cause certain adverse reactions. Let me present some statistics to you and let you decide for yourself.

The American Medical Association reports that death from medical errors is now the third leading cause of death in the United States, behind only heart disease and cancer. As reported in JAMA,
over 250,000 Americans die each year from medical therapies, including at least 113,000 from the negative effects of prescription medications.

The total number of deaths from vitamin/mineral therapy during the years of 1983 to 1990 was zero.

what is orthomolecular medicine?

When we establish nutritional deficiencies, our health suffers. Man-made chemicals (synthetic prescription drugs) can’t correct these deficiencies, but a nutritional-replacement therapeutic program can. This is the very premise of orthomolecular medicine, which means, “right molecules in the right concentration.”

Linus Pauling, two-time winner of the Nobel Prize, is regarded as one of the greatest biochemists of our times. He defines orthomolecular medicine as “the preservation of good health and the treatment of disease by varying the concentrations in the human body of substances that are normally present in the body.” This concept involves a medical approach based on the physiological and enzymatic actions of specific nutrients present in the body, such as vitamins, minerals, and amino acids. The idea that to beat a disease one has simply to “get healthy” may seem trivial to those with such life-robbing illnesses as FMS and CFS. Still, it’s hard to argue with the results.

Synthetic drugs may be helpful at times, but they always have an inherent ability to cause harm. Not only are nutrients such as vitamins, minerals, amino acids, and essential fatty acids unharmful, the body depends on them for survival. The body knows what to do with—and depends on—vitamin B6. The same certainly can’t be said for Lyrica. The World Health Organization’s definition of health is “a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.” These words advocate to us the need to correct the biochemical causes of disease rather than merely covering up the symptoms with drugs.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid stated in a recent report that the nation spent $140.6 billion in the year 2000 on prescription drugs. And of course this number is rapidly escalating; over one billion prescriptions were written last year. But even though the United States spends more money on health care per capita than any other country in the world, The World Health Organization ranks the overall health of the United States as 15th among the 25 industrialized countries.

Even with this dismal ranking, things in the United States are changing. A new paradigm is emerging, one based on taking responsibility for our own health through abstinence from dangerous habits—like nicotine, trans-fats, sedentary lifestyles, and excessive stress—and through proactive behavior like regular exercise, healthy diet decisions, and optimal nutritional supplementation.

You can reverse fibromyalgia and get your life back. It won’t happen with a magic new drug though, that is a dead end (see Lyrica, Savella, and Cymbalta). Having specialized in treating fibromyalgia for almost 14 years I know orthomolecular medicine is the only true way to beat fibromyalgia.

Study Links Obesity and Fibromyalgia

The purpose of the study, conducted by University of Utah researchers, was to evaluate the relationship between fibromyalgia and obesity. They hypothesized that obesity significantly adds to the disease and disability burden of the condition. Two hundred fifteen fibromyalgia patients were evaluated in the study and given several physical tests to measure strength, flexibility, range of motion, and strength. Heart rates and sleep quality also were assessed.

The authors reported that consistent with previous studies, obesity is common among those with fibromyalgia. Half the study sample was obese and an additional thirty percent were overweight. Also consistent with previous findings, obese patients in this study showed increased pain sensitivity, which was more pronounced in lower body areas. The obese patients also had impaired flexibility in the lower body and reduced strength.

The study concluded that obesity is a common comorbidity of fibromyalgia that may compromise clinical outcomes. The adverse impact of obesity is evidenced by hyperalgesia, disability, impaired quality of life and sleep problems. The authors also noted that recent evidence suggests weight loss improves fibromyalgia symptoms, perhaps resulting from patients adopting healthier lifestyles and taking more positive attitudes toward symptom management, and overall quality of life.

In recent years, scientists have looked at fat cells and their surrounding cells not just as yellow blobs that make our clothes too tight, but more as an organ, or neighboring bodies of organic fatty tissue. The fat cells, or “adipocytes,” within this tissue have several functions, such as pumping out vital energy-producing fatty acids, storing fatty acids for future use, and secreting hormones that regulate body weight. But unfortunately, among the obese, they’re a source of inflammatory chemicals.

My thoughts-first not everyone with fibromyalgia is obese, true many are but one third of Americans are overweight so this is no big surprise. Second if anything- being overweight is a result of fibromyalgia not the cause of fibromyalgia. Fibromyalgia lowers a person’s metabolism (low thyroid). Those with fibromyalgia become less active as their energy levels decrease and painful flares from over activity, including exercise, increases.

What needs to be clear about this study is that fat cells store inflammatory chemicals, the more fat cells you have the more inflammatory chemicals you have-and of course the pain you experience.

Dietary Changes Can Help Reduce Inflammation

To reduce degenerative disease, it’s necessary to avoid pro-inflammatory foods and rely exclusively on anti-inflammatory foods:

Pro-inflammatory foods to avoid:

* Red meats from corn-fed, antibiotic/hormone-laden animals (choose grass fed livestock when possible)

* Saturated fats such as lard and over consumption of meat fats

* Fried foods

* Partially hydrogenated (trans fats) found in margarines, chips, candies, cereals and baked goods

* Cooking oils that are exclusively corn, safflower, sunflower or soy based

* Soft drinks (both high sugar and diet varieties)

* Excess sugar (both from heavily processed sources, such as candy and from naturally occurring sources such as fruit juice)

Reduce Sugar Consumption

Sugary foods quickly elevate blood sugar, creating an insulin release along with free radicals that oxidize fats. When oxidized, the fats form plaque deposits in our arteries, leading to disease. Thus, a diet high in sweets, pasta, fruit juices, cereals and even rice cakes can actually lead to heart disease. Insulin release also increases stored body fat and release of pro-inflammatory chemicals causing cell damage and accelerated aging.

Anti-inflammatory foods and dietary supplements to include:

* Foods high in omega-3 fatty acids, especially cold water, wild-caught fish (or fish oil    supplements)

* Raw nuts and seeds (especially pecans, almonds, walnuts and flaxseeds)

* Dark green vegetables (especially kale, seaweed and greens)

* Antioxidants in supplement form (especially vitamins C and E, and qurcetin)

* Zinc taken in supplement form, which assists healing and reduces inflammation

   Extra virgin organic olive oil is good anti-inflammatory oil

Neurontin-Here We Go Again

A recent Cochrane Report, embracing the use of Neurontin for Fibromyalgia is making noise in the medical profession. It apparently doesn’t matter that Neurontin has been largely abandoned by most doctors who treat fibromyalgia and by patients who have fibromyalgia. Once the side effects of Neurontin became well known and sales started to become compromised, Lyrica was released-same drug different name.

See my article on Lyrica here http://treatingandbeatingfibroblog.blogspot.com/2010_10_01_archive.html

The Cochrane Report-

Gabapentin (Neurontin) for chronic neuropathic pain and fibromyalgia in adults

Antiepileptic drugs like gabapentin are commonly used for treating neuropathic pain, usually defined as pain due to damage to nerves. This would include postherpetic neuralgia (persistent pain experienced in an area previously affected by shingles), painful complications of diabetes, nerve injury pain, phantom limb pain, fibromyalgia and trigeminal neuralgia. This type of pain can be severe and long-lasting, is associated with lack of sleep, fatigue, and depression, and a reduced quality of life. 

In people with these conditions, gabapentin is associated with a moderate benefit (equivalent to at least 30% pain relief) in almost one in two patients (43%), and a substantial benefit (equivalent to at least 50% pain relief) in almost one in three (31%). 

Over half of those taking gabapentin for neuropathic pain will not have good pain relief, in common with most chronic pain conditions. Adverse events are experienced by about two-thirds of people taking gabapentin, mainly dizziness, somnolence (sleepiness), edema (swelling), and gait disturbance, but only about 1 in 10 (11%) have to stop the treatment because of these unpleasant side effects. Overall gabapentin provides pain relief of a high level in about a third of people who take it for painful neuropathic pain. Adverse events are frequent, but mostly tolerable. This review looked at evidence from 29 studies involving 3571 participants.

I have several issues with this drug:

It only works in about 30% of patients who take it-if you’re in the 30% group, great. Most folks with fibromyalgia won’t notice any pain relief. And two-thirds of patients taking the drug will have side effects. Please keep in mind that two-thirds is extremely conservative and the percentage of those who will experience side effects is realistically more like 75%-90%.

You can read more about the deceitful marketing campaign Pfizer orchestrated in their attempts to take a worthless drug and turn it into a multi-billion dollar block-buster seller-click link below-

http://drmurphree.blogspot.com/2010/10/neurontin-for-everything.html

In my experience of treating hundreds of patients who’ve tried Neurontin and Lyrica I find both drugs to be potentially dangerous, toxic and ineffective for fibromyalgia.

Fibromyalgia and Atypical Antidepressants

Atypical antipsychotics remained the top-selling class of medicines in the United States with $14.6 billion in sales, about equal to 2008 revenue.

Atypical antidepressant drugs including Zyprexa and Abilify are being aggressively marketed "off label" for all sorts of ailments including fibromyalgia. There is a growing campaign of propaganda to make folks think they are bi-polar and need these drugs. Not a week goes by that I don't encounter a patient with fibromyalgia who has been placed on one of these mind numbing drugs.

Atypical Antidepressants are Dangerous

Researchers have already reported that newer antipsychotics are associated with an increased risk of diabetes. The Food and Drug Administration put out warnings on this danger in 2004.

According to the new study, published in the Archives of General Psychiatry, patients taking antipsychotics tended to gain weight after one month and had increases in their cholesterol levels after three to four months.

Obesity, high cholesterol, and diabetes all increase the risk of heart disease.

"This change in risk is evident early in the course of treatment, within several weeks of continuous use, but may continue to alter over several years," Foley told Reuters Health in an email. The "risk varies depending on the specific drug taken and how long it is taken for," she added.

About one in 100 adults in the U.S. has schizophrenia, according to the National Institute of Mental Health.

But antipsychotic drugs are also given to some patients with bipolar disorder, personality disorders, or anxiety, general depression, ADHD, fibromyalgia, and other "off label" targeted conditions.

The drugs in Foley's study included Janssen's Risperdal, and Lilly's Zyprexa, among others.

Foley and her team looked at 25 previous studies that had tracked risk factors for heart disease in patients taking older or newer antipsychotics. These included high blood pressure, cholesterol levels, and body weight.

They found that across all the studies, six to seven of every 10 people on antipsychotics were overweight after six months. Before taking the drugs, only about four of every 10 were overweight, the same as in the general population.

Fibromyalgia isn't caused by a drug deficiency, certainly not one as dangerous as Abilify or Zyprexa.

You  can read my article on atypical antipsychotic drugs-Abilify and Zyprexa by clicking on this link http://www.theamericanchiropractor.com/interviews/item/4886-the-evolution-of-mood-disorder-wonder-drugs.html

New Criteria for Diagnosing Fibromyalgia

Fibromyalgia may be under-diagnosed in both men and women because of the reliance on 11 tender points which is broad but ineffective approach for diagnosing fibromyalgia.

Consequently, fibromyalgia diagnosis in practice has often been a symptom-based diagnosis. The new criteria will standardize a symptom-based diagnosis so that all doctors are using the same process.

The tender point test is being replaced with a widespread pain index and a symptom severity scale. 

The widespread pain index score is determined by counting the number of areas on the body where the patient has felt pain in the last week. The checklist includes 19 specified areas.

The symptom severity score is determined by rating on a scale of zero to three, three being the most pervasive, the severity of three common symptoms: fatigue, waking unrefreshed and cognitive symptoms. An additional three points can be added to account for the extent of additional symptoms such as numbness, dizziness, nausea, irritable bowel syndrome or depression. The final score is between 0 and 12.

To meet the criteria for a diagnosis of fibromyalgia a patient would have seven or more pain areas and a symptom severity score of five or more; or three to six pain areas and a symptom severity score of nine or more.

Some criteria will remain unchanged. The symptoms must have been present for at least three months, and the patient does not have a disorder that would otherwise explain the pain.

You can read more about how I diagnose fibromyalgia by visiting my website www.treatingandbeating.com

Fish Oils Help Prevent and Reverse Depression

Fish Oils Help Prevent and Reverse Depression

Omega-3 fatty acids may help alleviate depression but only when a particular type of fatty acid called DHA is used in the right ratio with another fatty acid known as EPA, a new study suggests.

The researchers analyzed the results of some 15 previous controlled clinical trials on the use of omega-3s -- commonly found in oily fish or in fish oil supplements -- to treat depressed people.

They found that when used by itself, DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) alone did not seem to offer any benefit. However, DHA combined with a rather high dose of EPA (eicosapentenoic acid) did improve depressive symptoms.


I recommend taking 2 grams of fish oil a day. If you experience an unpleasant aftertaste try freezing the fish oil capsules and the be sure to take with food.

Traditional Medicine Offers Little for Fibromyalgia

With so many different symptoms, it’s no surprise that fibromyalgia and CFS patients are typically taking 6–12 different prescription drugs. Lyrica, Elavil, Klonopin, Paxil, Effexor, Xanax, Trazadone, Neurontin, Zanaflex, Ambien, Lunesta, Cymbalta,  and Provigil have all been heralded as “the drug” for fibromyalgia. 

Some of these are helpful, some worthless, and some really dangerous.

Drug management alone typically fails to yield lasting relief from the most common fibromyalgia and CFS symptoms, and patients’ and doctors’ optimism over a new drug treatment eventually gives way to this sad reality. Oh well, a new drug with an even larger marketing budget is on the horizon. (Forgive my cynicism. I’ve just seen this situation so many times!)

Many of the most commonly prescribed drugs for fibromyalgia have side effects that are similar or identical to the symptoms of FMS and CFS. These similarities can cause a lot of confusion when doctors are trying to determine the effectiveness of treatment. Ambien, for instance, can cause flu-like symptoms, achy muscle pain, sore throat, and fatigue. Sounds like CFS, doesn’t it?

Tranquilizers are often prescribed for restless leg syndrome; achy, tight muscles; and sleep problems. But these drugs deplete the sleep hormone melatonin, which then leads to a disruption of a person’s circadian rhythm (sleep-wake cycle). Instead of promoting deep restorative sleep, these drugs prevent it!

It’s important to realize that your drug or drugs may be causing or contributing to some or all of your symptoms. 

I spend a great deal of time with my new patients reviewing and discussing their current drugs—how they interact with each other, and the potential side effects. I often find that by asking the right question, I can help the patient realize that her symptoms began or worsened soon after the drug treatment began.

Sometimes, though, I do find drug-induced symptoms that began months after the start of the drug treatment. Drugs deplete essential nutrients that the body needs to properly function, but it can take weeks, months, or even years for the drug to fully deplete the nutrient and for you to see the side effects surface.

Still, not everyone can be drug free, and most of my patients are on at least one prescription medication. But the least offensive drug should be used—sparingly—and only to manage symptoms unresponsive to more natural therapies.

A study conducted by the Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research demonstrates the need the limitations of traditional medicine alone for treating fibromyalgia.

Thirty-nine patients with FMS were interviewed about their symptoms. Twenty-nine were interviewed again 10 years later. Of these 29 (mean age 55 at second interview), all had persistence of the same FMS symptoms. 

Moderate to severe pain or stiffness was reported in 55% of patients, moderate to a great deal of sleep difficulty was noted in 48%, and moderate to extreme fatigue was noted in 59%. These symptoms showed little change from earlier surveys. 

The surprising finding was that 79% of the patients were still taking medications to control symptoms. 

We can conclude that the medications weren’t making a significant impact.

Conventional medical treatments for FMS and CFS is a controversial topic, and I certainly have no desire to offend the many brilliant medical doctors out there. 

Still, in my experience, most traditional doctors continue to rely on prescription medications to treat fibromyalgia, even though their own studies show them to be ineffective and potentially dangerous. 

They still just don’t get it. Those with fibromyalgia and CFS are sick and they want to feel well, not drugged.

Just try to find a doctor who really knows anything about these illnesses. Most don’t. It’s even harder to find one who is having any lasting success treating these illnesses. How many folks with fibromyalgia get well under the care of a traditional rheumatologist? 

I rest my case.

I speak to fibromyalgia support groups across North America, and I can tell you what the answer is: very few. The three-month wait for a new patient appointment typically ends in a two-hour interview and exam followed by a 10 minute visit to discuss test results, and then several prescription drugs and a follow-up appointment every 3–6 months.

And let’s face it, those with fibromyalgia are medical misfits, they don’t usually respond to medications like other folks. The ACR has, like many physicians, thrown up their hands and admitted they have little if anything to offer for those suffering from fibromyalgia. They focus more on helping their patients “cope.” At least they’re honest about their limitations.

Are Fibromyalgia Patients Crazy?

www.treatingandbeating.com

www.beatfms.com

Have you’ve been told you’re crazy, lazy or depressed? If so you’re not alone. Friends, family and doctors may try to make you think your illness isn’t real, “its all in your head.”

You often lose your train of thought mid-sentence, have strange reactions to medications, and suffer with an assortment of health problems; yet all your labs are normal. You’ve got numerous complaints including anxiety, depression, fatigue, chronic pain, insomnia, IBS, MVP, chronic sinusitis, tingling in their extremities, night sweats, chemical sensitivities, headaches, reflux, and other symptoms.

I’d be crazy too if I went days without sleeping, had diffuse chronic pain, no energy, no life, and no hope. You’ve been bounced from one doctor to another, had dozens of tests, taken numerous drugs which didn’t help, and continue to get worse, year after year. The traditional drugs of choice for fibromyalgia, including, NSAIDS, antidepressants, anticonvulsant medications, muscle relaxants, tranquilizers, and pain medications, may provide short-term relief, yet their results are often fleeting and their side-effects detrimental. It’s not unusual to be taking twelve or more prescription drugs, many of which contribute to their erratic behavior.

The sleep drugs Ambien and Lunesta may cause short-term memory loss, fatigue, flu-like symptoms, and depression. Tricyclic antidepressants, including Trazadone and Elavil, may cause early-morning hangover, mental confusion, and lethargy. SSRI drugs may cause anxiety, depression, mental blunting, and lethargy. Klonopin and other benzodiazepines may cause depression, fatigue, and decreased mental function. All of these drugs are known to deplete at least one or more essential mood-dependant vitamin, mineral, or nutrient (B6, B12, CoQ10, Folic acid, etc.). Individuals with fibromyalgia are also deficient in the brain chemicals, which help regulate mood and mental function.

Neurotransmitter Deficiencies

Research shows that the majority of fibromyalgia patients are deficient in serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine. These three neurotransmitters (brain chemicals) are essential for optimal mood and mental function. Serotonin, also known as the “happy hormone,” helps regulate mood, sleep, digestion, bowel movements, pain, and mental clarity. Individuals with fibromyalgia have low levels of the amino acid tryptophan, as well as 5HTP, which are needed for the production of serotonin.

L-phenylalanine derived norepinephrine, when released in the brain, causes feelings of arousal, energy, drive, and ambition. No wonder you suffer with “fibro fog.”

 

Stress Coping Savings Account

I like to use the analogy of being born with a stress-coping savings account. We have certain chemicals, vitamins, minerals, and hormones like serotonin, dopamine, norepinephrine, and cortisol that allow us to handle moment-to-moment, day-to-day, stress. The more stress we’re under, the more withdrawals we make. Individuals with fibromyalgia have made more withdrawals than deposits.

Serotonin re-uptake inhibitors, Lexapro, Paxil, Zoloft, and others, don’t make serotonin, they only help the brain hang onto and use serotonin more effectively. These drugs are like using a gasoline additive, but those with fibromyalgia don’t have any serotonin to re-uptake. They’ve bankrupted their stress coping savings account and depleted their serotonin. These drugs usually don’t provide long-term relief.

Fortunately, there are some tried-and-true nutritional protocols that can help build up the bankrupted stress-coping savings account.

5-Hydroxytryptophan 5HTP

Double-blind, placebo-controlled trials have shown that patients with FMS were able

to see the following benefits from increasing serotonin through 5HTP replacement therapy:

• Decreased pain.

• Improved sleep.

• Less tender points.

• Less morning stiffness.

• Less anxiety.

• Improved moods in general, including in those with clinical depression.

• Increased energy.

S-adenosyl- L-methionine  (SAMe)

S-adenosyl- L-methionine  (SAMe) increases the action of several neurotransmitters including serotonin, norepinephrine and dopamine, by binding these hormones to their cell receptors. However, patients with fibromyalgia have been shown to be deficient in this essential amino acid.

One study shows that patients taking SAMe for a period of six weeks had an improvement of 40 percent in pain reduction and 35 percent improvement in their depression.

Along with 5HTP and SAMe, I’ve found that a good optimal daily-allowance multivitamin with a free-form amino acid blend, fish oil, malic acid, and generous amounts of magnesium is essential for reversing the “brain fog,” poor energy, chronic pain, mood disorders, and sleep disturbances so common in fibromyalgia.

Please know that, while you might not think you’re the sharpest tool in the shed, with the right nutrients you can replenish your brain chemicals, build-up your stress coping savings account, and even remember where you put your car keys.

 

Lyrica and Fibromyalgia

Lyrica is the first prescription medication approved to treat fibromyalgia.   Because fibromyalgia patients typically do not respond to conventional painkillers like aspirin, Lyrica affects the brain and the perception of pain.  Pfizer’s Lyrica, known generically as pregabalin, binds to receptors in the brain and spinal cord and seems to reduce activity in the central nervous system.

No one knows exactly how Lyrica works.  But some say that Lyrica does not work well enough to have warranted its FDA approval.  According to The New York Times, in clinical trials, patients taking Lyrica reported that their pain fell on average about 2 points on a 10-point scale, compared with 1 point for patients taking a placebo. About 30 percent of patients said their pain fell by at least half, compared with 15 percent taking placebos.

In 2004, Lyrica was reviewed by the FDA as a remedy for diabetic nerve pain.  The reviewers recommended against approving the drug, citing its side effects.  Lyrica causes weight gain and edema, or swelling, as well as dizziness and sleepiness. According to the New York Times, in 12-week trials, 9 percent of patients saw their weight rise more than 7 percent, and the weight gain appeared to continue over time.

But the FDA ignored the advice of Lyrica reviewers, and approved it anyway.  Then Pfizer asked the FDA to expand the approved uses of Lyrica to include the treatment of fibromyalgia, and the agency did so in June.  It was a good move for Pfizer.  According to the New York Times, worldwide sales of Lyrica reached $1.8 billion in 2007, up 50 percent from 2006. Analysts predict sales will rise an additional 30 percent this year, helped by consumer advertising.  During the first nine months of 2007, Pfizer spent $46 million on Lyrica ads alone.

While I welcome anything that will help my fibromyalgia patients, I’m not a big fan of Lyrica.

Why? It doesn’t seem to offer any real long-term relief and the side effects are potentially dangerous. 

There are many side effects that are considered "normal" of Lyrica. However, it should be noted that if these symptoms occur they should be brought to the attention of the prescribing doctor. You must keep in mind that the Federal Drug and Food Administration often approve drugs that will result in certain side effects. However, they do so on the notion that the benefits of the prescription will outweigh the consequences associated with side effects in the long run. The following outlines some of the "common" side effects of Lyrica:

Experiencing Weight Gain

Blurred Vision

Body Tremors

Possible Insomnia

Gastrointestinal Difficulties, such as Diarrhea and Constipation

Mild to Severe Headaches

Nausea

Swelling in Hands

Dry Mouth

Swelling in Ankles

Dizziness

Drowsiness

Possible Fainting

Traditional medicine alone isn’t very helpful for fibromyalgia- 70 percent of fibromyalgia patients seek out alternative methods.

I encourage my patient’s to use the Essential Therapeutics Fibromyalgia Jump Start Package.

Traditional Medicine Offers Little Hope For Fibromyalgia Sufferers

Excerpt from Dr. Rodger Murphree’s “Treating and Beating Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.”

With so many different symptoms, it’s no surprise that fibromyalgia and CFS patients are typically taking 6–12 different prescription drugs. Lyrica, Elavil, Klonopin, Paxil, Effexor, Xanax, Trazadone, Neurontin, Zanaflex, Ambien, Lunesta, Cymbalta,  and Provigil have all been heralded as “the drug” for fibromyalgia. Some of these are helpful, some worthless, and some really dangerous.

Drug management alone typically fails to yield lasting relief from the most common fibromyalgia and CFS symptoms, and patients’ and doctors’ optimism over a new drug treatment eventually gives way to this sad reality. Oh well, a new drug with an even larger marketing budget is on the horizon. (Forgive my cynicism. I’ve just seen this situation so many times!)

Many of the most commonly prescribed drugs for fibromyalgia have side effects that are similar or identical to the symptoms of FMS and CFS. These similarities can cause a lot of confusion when doctors are trying to determine the effectiveness of treatment. Ambien, for instance, can cause flu-like symptoms, achy muscle pain, sore throat, and fatigue. Sounds like CFS, doesn’t it?

Tranquilizers are often prescribed for restless leg syndrome; achy, tight muscles; and sleep problems. But these drugs deplete the sleep hormone melatonin, which then leads to a disruption of a person’s circadian rhythm (sleep-wake cycle). Instead of promoting deep restorative sleep, these drugs prevent it!

It’s important to realize that your drug or drugs may be causing or contributing to some or all of your symptoms. I spend a great deal of time with my new patients reviewing and discussing their current drugs—how they interact with each other, and the potential side effects.

I often find that by asking the right question, I can help the patient realize that her symptoms began or worsened soon after the drug treatment began.

Sometimes, though, I do find drug-induced symptoms that began months after the start of the drug treatment. Drugs deplete essential nutrients that the body needs to properly function, but it can take weeks, months, or even years for the drug to fully deplete the nutrient and for you to see the side effects surface.

Still, not everyone can be drug free, and most of my patients are on at least one prescription medication. But the least offensive drug should be used—sparingly—and only to manage symptoms unresponsive to more natural therapies.

A study conducted by the Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research demonstrates the need for FMS and CFS treatment beyond drug therapy.

Thirty-nine patients with FMS were interviewed about their symptoms. Twenty-nine were interviewed again 10 years later. Of these 29 (mean age 55 at second interview), all had persistence of the same FMS symptoms. Moderate to severe pain or stiffness was reported in 55% of patients, moderate to a great deal of sleep difficulty was noted in 48%, and moderate to extreme fatigue was noted in 59%. These symptoms showed little change from earlier surveys. The surprising finding was that 79% of the patients were still taking medications to control symptoms. We can conclude that the medications weren’t making a significant impact.

Conventional medical treatments for FMS and CFS is a controversial topic, and I certainly have no desire to offend the many brilliant medical doctors out there. Still, in my experience, most traditional doctors continue to rely on prescription medications to treat fibromyalgia, even though their own studies show them to be ineffective and potentially dangerous.

They still just don’t get it. Those with fibromyalgia and CFS are sick and they want to feel well, not drugged.

Just try to find a doctor who really knows anything about these illnesses. Most don’t. It’s even harder to find one who is having any lasting success treating these illnesses. How many folks with fibromyalgia get well under the care of a traditional rheumatologist?

I speak to fibromyalgia support groups across North America, and I can tell you what the answer is: very few. The three-month wait for a new patient appointment typically ends in a two-hour interview and exam followed by a 10-minute visit to discuss test results, and then several prescription drugs and a follow-up appointment every 3–6 months.

And let’s face it, those with fibromyalgia are medical misfits, they don’t usually respond to medications like other folks. The ACR has, like many physicians, thrown up their hands and admitted they have little if anything to offer for those suffering from fibromyalgia. They focus more on helping their patients “cope.” At least they’re honest about their limitations.

Traditional Doctors Are Often Opposed To Natural Medicine

I find that people in general are usually down on what their not  up on.

Many conventional doctors are quick to ridicule nutritional
therapies, even though these therapies have consistently shown themselves effective in treating fibromyalgia. This prejudice just doesn’t make sense.

The usual accusation is that “there are no controlled studies.…”

But actually, there are numerous studies that validate the use of nutritional supplements to manage and often correct the symptoms of poor health. There are over 1,000 studies demonstrating the positive effects of various supplements and foods in the treatment of hypertension alone. And hundreds of studies demonstrate magnesium’s benefits in treating high blood pressure, angina, heart arrhythmias, chronic pain, muscle spasms, anxiety, mitral valve prolapse, and fatigue.

Dr. Janet Travell, White House physician for Presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson, and Professor Emeritus of Internal Medicine at George Washington University, co-wrote Myofascial Pain and Dysfunction: The Trigger Point Manual, which is acknowledged as the authoritative work on muscle pain. In one chapter alone, Dr. Travell references 317 studies showing that problems such as hormonal, vitamin, and mineral deficiencies can contribute to muscle pain and soreness.

And modern medicine itself, despite the millions of dollars spent to promote it’s superiority over other forms of health care, is largely an art—with a lot of unproven science. The Office of Technology Assessment, under the authority of the Library of Congress, published a year-long study entitled “Assessing the Efficacy and Safety of Medical Technology.”

The study showed that only 10–20 percent of all present-day medical practice have been shown to be beneficial by scientific controlled clinical trials. The study concluded that the vast majority of medical procedures now being utilized routinely by physicians are “unproven.”

Or how about, “Nutritional supplements aren’t regulated and therefore are dangerous.” Too much might make you queasy, but no one dies from taking vitamins, minerals, and other essential nutrients! The same can’t be said about drug therapy.

The great physician Oliver Wendell Holmes once said, “A medicine…is always directly hurtful; it may sometimes be indirectly beneficial. I firmly believe that if most of the pharmacopoeia [prescription drugs] were sunk to the bottom of the sea, it would be all the better for Mankind and all the worse for the fishes.”

Prescription drug therapy attempts, for the most part, to cover-up symptoms. This approach does little to correct the underlying problem(s).

After seventeen years of specializing in treating and beating fibromyalgia I’ve learned that traditional medicine alone yields little if any long-term results.

The best hope for those with fibromyalgia is to find and work with a doctor who practices integrative medicine-combining judicious use of prescription drugs (short-term if possible) and natural therapies (vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients).

Combining prescription drugs (when needed) with natural supplements allows the symptoms associated with fibromyalgia to be corrected, not just covered-up.

Subscribe to my Health Matters email newsletter-it is free to join and gives you free access to all my past tele-conferences (including those on fibromyalgia, heart disease, depression, hypothyroid, fatigue, and more).

www.get-healthmatters.com

Fibromyalgia Drug Savella- Another Gasoline Additive

The FDA’s approval of Savella for the treatment of fibromyalgia, comes 19 months after the approval of Lyrica, the first drug approved for fibromyalgia and roughly nine months after the approval of Cymbalta.

Savella is similar to Cymbalta, both are antidepressants known as selective serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs). These drugs are supposed to help a person re-uptake and use the serotonin (calming brain hormone) and norepinephrine (stimulating brain hormone) more effectively.

The approval of Savella was based on two clinical trials involving 2,084 fibromyalgia patients (1,460 on Savella and 624 on placebo).

About 25 percent of people taking Savella had a positive response. This was considerably better than the 13 percent who had a positive response to placebo.

However, while the maker’s of Savella will be sure to promote it as being twice as effective as a placebo, what they won’t say is what you now know- the drug failed to help 1,095 of the 1,460 participants in the study who were taking Savella.

There are no studies directly comparing Savella to Cymbalta, although it’s likely that because of their similar mechanisms of action they would be similar in effectiveness.

If you’ve read my book, “Treating and Beating Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome” or past articles on fibromyalgia,  you know that those with fibromyalgia have low serotonin and norepinephrine levels due to bankrupting their stress coping savings account.

Serotonin is a brain chemical that helps regulate deep restorative sleep, reduces pain, boosts mood and mental clarity, and controls digestion and elimination (IBS).

The brain chemical norepinehrine helps boost moods, mental and physical energy, and block pain.

Restoring serotonin and norepinehrine to optimal levels often yields dramatic improvement in the chronic pain, poor sleep, low moods, and brain fog associated with fibromyalgia.

But using SNRI drugs like Savella is analogous to using a gasoline additive to help your car get more mileage out of the gasoline in their gas tank.

Unfortunately, for the majority of the individuals who suffer with fibromyalgia and or depression, they don’t have any serotonin or norepinephrine in their brains to re-uptake.

A gasoline additive poured into an empty gasoline tank doesn’t help much, if at all. A SRNI drug given to someone with little to no serotonin or norepinephrine to re-uptake doesn’t do much- results are usually short-lived and disappointing.

Studies show that the use of antidepressants causes the brain to release less and less serotonin and norepinephrine over time. SNRI drugs work by blocking the removal of serotonin and norepinephrine from its synapse.

Over time, the brain tries to compensate by shutting down the nerves that produce these two neurotransmitters.

This is known as down-regulation. Eventually, the brain begins to reduce the number of serotonin and norepinephrine receptors–up to 40-60 percent in some parts of the brain–until they literally disappear from the brain.

Now the patient is really in trouble as depression, anxiety, chronic pain, irritable bowel, brain fog, and poor sleep become even worse.

This may explain why patients often switch from one antidepressant drug to another in hopes of feeling better.

Common side effects of prescription antidepressants may include anxiety, depression, headache, muscle pain, chest pain, nervousness, sleeplessness, drowsiness, weakness, changes in sex drive, tremors, dry mouth, irritated stomach, loss of appetite, dizziness, nausea, rash, itching, weight gain, diarrhea, impotence, hair loss, dry skin, chest pain, bronchitis, abnormal heart beat, twitching, anemia, low blood sugar, and low thyroid.

Savella may be helpful, certainly safer than Lyrica, but no one suffers from a Savella or antidepressant deficiency.

Amino Acid Therapy/Nutritional Therapy

Neurotransmitters   or brain chemicals like serotonin and norepinephrine are produced from the amino acids 5-hydroxytryptophan (5HTP) and S-Adenosyl-methionine (SAMe).

These 2  amino acids along with B vitamins and certain minerals (one of many reasons why I recommend my patients take the CFS/Fibromyalgia Formula and the Fibromyalgia Jump Start Package) produce the brain chemicals serotonin and norepinephrine.

Use the Brain Function Questionnaire to Know if You’re Low in Serotonin and or Norepinephrine-

The Brain Function Questionnaire

The "S" Group (S for Serotonin)

Please check the items, which apply to your present feelings:

It's hard for you to go to sleep.

You can't stay asleep.

You often find yourself irritable.

Your emotions often lack rationality.

You occasionally experience unexplained tears.

Noise bothers you more than it used to. It seems louder than normal.

You "flare up" at others more easily than you used to.

You experience unprovoked anger.

You feel depressed much of the time.

You find you are more susceptible to pain.

You prefer to be left alone.

5HTP- Boosts Serotonin Levels

Supplementing with 5-hydroxytrryptophan (5HTP), a form of tryptophan helps raise serotonin levels. Studies show that 5HTP is as effective as antidepressant drug therapy including SSRI medications. One study showed that patients on 5HTP had a 50 percent improvement in their mood disorder symptoms.

Start with 50mg of 5HTP 30 minutes before bed on empty stomach with 4 ounces of grape juice. If you don’t fall asleep and sleep through he night keep increasing your dose by 50mg each night until fall asleep and sleep thgrough the night or reach 300mg. If you take 5HTP at bedtime on empty stomach and it wakes you up, take it during the day with food- start with 50mg a day and build up to 300mg a day with food (won’t make you tired or sleepy if take it with food).

The "N" Group (N for Norepinephrine)

Please check the items which apply to your present feelings:

You suffer from a lack of energy.

You often find it difficult to "get going."

You suffer from decreased drive.

You often start projects and then don't finish them.

You frequently feel a need to sleep or "hibernate."

You feel depressed a good deal of the time.

You occasionally feel paranoid.

Your survival seems threatened.

You are bored a great deal of the time.

The neurotransmitter Norepinephrine, when released in the brain, causes feelings of arousal, energy, and drive. On the other hand, a short supply of it will cause feelings of a lack of ambition, drive, and or energy.

SAMe

S-Adenosyl-methionine (SAMe)- is involved in regulating the brain's neurotransmitters. SAMe has been shown through several recent, well designed, studies to be one of the best natural antidepressants available.

SAMe helps boost serotonin and epinephrine levels. It also helps increase the production of endorphins.

SAMe Helps Boost the Effects of Antidepressants

Research has already shown that SAMe increases both serotonin and norepinephrine levels (brain chemicals) and is a potent antidepressant by itself. Now researchers have shown that combining SAMe with prescription antidepressants reduces the failure rate by 43%.

There are over 100 peer-reviewed studies showing that S-adenosyl-methionine (SAMe) is a safe and effective antidepressant.

It also helps increase the production of endorphins. Endorphins are the bodies natural pain blocking chemicals and are more powerful than morphine.

SAMe helps manufacture and repair cartilage components. A study of osteoarthritis patients compared SAMe with NSAID drugs in its ability to reduce pain.

One double-blind study showed SAMe was superior to ibuprofen in the treatment of osteoarthritis.

Several studies involving SAMe and fibromyalgia patients yielded substantial improvement in over all pain levels (as well as depression).

Start with 400mg taken on an empty stomach (30 minutes before breakfast) in the morning and if needed increase up to 1200mg.

The best way to boost your serotonin and norepinephrine levels, improve your sleep, moods, IBS, mental clarity, and reduce your pain is to take the CFS/Fibromyalgia Jump Start Package and add SAMe.

You can learn more about ways to safely and effectively reduce your pain, IBS, fatigue, depression, brain fog, and episodes of poor sleep by ordering my book “Treating and Beating Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.”

www.TreatingandBeating.com 

Dr. Rodger Murphree D.C., C.N.S.

205-879-2383