My goodness, I have to agree with ET.  The answers are right in front of our faces.  I WAS diagnosed in 2000 with Fibromyalgia, and went straight to work to figure out what this series of symptoms really was.  I just KNEW that it was not a disease.  I drank herbal potions, took over a hundred herbal capsules daily and improved and improved and improved.  Over time I came to the conclusion that this was an issue of toxicity.  Finally, I found Natural Cellular Defense liquid zeolites, and finished up the detoxification of the circulatory system with that.  You can email a gal named Leah that I know who has all the research on it, if you like.  Her email is carlandleah@netzero.com.  

Today, I am free from not only a diagnosis, but also pain, stiffness, depression (I felt sad about my situation and did not like this diagnosis), medication, and so on.   Everyone benefits from detoxification!  Our environment is just bombarding us with way more toxins than our bodies were designed to eliminate on their own.

Your comments that FM symptoms are very real is of course true. My symptoms reduced when I addressed each of the following conditions, using very few prescription drugs: viral, bacterial, and fungal infections; yeast overgrowth; presence of toxins, including heavy metals; adrenal and other hormone imbalances; arthritis; insomnia; fatigue; and depression.

I also believe fibromyalgics' metabolism does not process waste efficiently, so an organic, balanced diet with limited sugars and no wheat or corn-based carbs, avoiding inflammatory foods, and moderate exercise help a lot. The most comprehensive manual I have found is Teitlebaum's "From Fatigued to Fantastic." I found this best used in conjuction with a holistic medical doctor familiar with the protocols--it was  too complicated for me to sort out on my own, and each person's medical profile is different.

Several people I know with FM have commented that weather affects them a lot, as it does me--symptoms worsen when the barometer drops, cold and damp, but also too warm humidity are really tough. I have not found a good explanation or counter to this, other than to anticipate and plan my energy expenditure accordingly, when possible. Any ideas here?  

When I get sleep, the depression lifts along with the fatigue. But so far I have found only a prescription drug, Ambien CR, to be an effective sleep aid with, for me, no immediate unwanted side effects. Any other ideas, anyone?

I agree with Dr. M that many of our symptoms are physical manifestations of emotional issues. (This was hard to admit, but hard to avoid after addressing all the physiological issues and still feeling not quite right). EFT sounds promising for both depression and sleeplessness.

Judy E

I would like to second Patty D's position that Fibromyalgia is real. From the research I've done into my own case of Fibromyalgia, it appears almost certain that it stems from an atypical polio. Even my doctor agrees that its clinical presentation is indistinguishable from post-polio. Mine hit at the time of taking the Sabin oral polio vaccine.

I also take exception to Dr Mercola's assertion that there is an underlying emotional component to Fibromyalgia.  I suppose that, whoever you check for whatever, you could -- if you looked -- find an underlying emotional component. However, I believe that with TRUE Fibromyalgia -- unless I have something else -- emotions are NOT an underlying cause.

Some years ago, I saw a chiropractor who was really big on EFT and other bioenergetic normalization techniques for dealing with previous emotional traumas. Personally, I never found ANY of this to be helpful in any way.

What I've found to be most helpful is therapeutic-grade essential oils -- particularly the oils that are most oxygenating, anti-viral or nerve-regenerating. Using the oils took me from over 30 years of severe disability to being able to start my own business.

I have Fibromyalgia, It is real, infact I almost killed myself by not heeding to the signs of heart attack as I could not recognize the heart pain as the real thing because I have lived with pain for many years due to untreated Lymes Disease, at the time I thought it was costal chondritis of my rib cartlidge as I was a nurse, I hurt all the time somewhere with pains coming and going,so I disreguarded the pain, by the time the heart problem was found I was 50,unable to work and pain so bad I couldnt sleep,my chest hurt but still this was not unusual for the fibromyalgia,anyway I went in for a angiogram and had a tripple bypass as I had a 100% and 2-95% blocked arteries and I couldnt tell the difference in pain due to fibromyalgia pain !   BEWARE !! BEWARE !! Fibromyalgia is REAL ! with that said ,it's not curable just like untreated Lymes disease. I was a busy,active,outdoors person as that's my personality ,Fibromyalgia is not for the wimpy whinny couch potato person, we with Fibromyalgia just have to modify our lives now around the pain but HEED the unusual constant pain with getting it cheked out.

I agree with you completely, Patty!  Thank you for writing!  What I found most appalling about the above article is that in order to "legitimize" a condition so that a traditional doctor will not tell you "it is all in your head" a chemical compound (aka pharmaceutical) needs to be found which can be sold to you for its treatment.  I would expect EFT, nonetheless, to be effective against fibromyalgia.  It does wonders for allergies!  But few try to tell you that allergies are all in your head or that you are malingering.  The callousness of these people gives me great pain!!!  (Hand me those tranquilizers, thank you.)

Patty D - you know what my doctor told me about the word "syndrome"?  It's the word the medical profession uses for a seemingly-related group of symptoms when they don't know what's making a person sick.  For example, they used to call PCOD (polycystic ovarian disease) PCOS (polycystic ovarian syndrome) until they understood the pathology of the disease (not necessarily the cause, but the relationship between the various symptoms and effects of the disease, and the path the disease usually takes.)  So now whenever I hear the word "syndrome", I know it's just a euphemism for "I don't know what's wrong with you or how to fix it, so we'll just have to experiment until we (hopefully) find something that helps you."  

jeftekhar, damp weather, either hot and humid or cold and wet is the perfect environment for mould to grow.  If you're sensitive to yeasts (ie. have had chronic systemic candida) then you will react to the microtoxins they produce and release into your home environment.  Hope this helps.  Good luck with your healing journey to everyone.  Good health is a journey, not a destination.

Sarah

Google NO/ONOO cycle... It's a good theory and might help. I've been sick 10 years and I'm still searching. I've had emotional childhood traumas, physical trauma(whiplash), candidiasis, and when I was 18 I overdosed on Maggie Moo's(ice cream), had a terrible allergic reaction and possibly a virus for 5 weeks and never recovered from it. I believe I could get some relief from combining all the info I've found. The dilemma is I barely have the energy to work at all. How am I supposed to save the money to buy my health? And that's where the depression comes in... It's hard to keep fighting, but I have to. If I push myself to earn the money, will I do it, or will I crash? And if I finally get the money, will the treatment help at all? Such is 1/3 of my life. Thank all of you for being open about your illnesses and confirming that it exists. I do not want to hear "There's nothing wrong with you" or "maybe you're a hypochondriac" one more time. Thank you for sharing your hard earned information as well. Maybe if we all work together we can find a way to beat it!

Judy E, This is what my chiropractor recommended and

I purchased from his office... PINEAL PLUS by Atrium

and AdrenaCalm Cream by Apex Energetics. Within 30

minutes I can actually feel my body relax and I start

to feel sleepy.  I have been so grateful for these

products

Thank you, Dr.; and blessings to you for telling it like it is!  In another post I state that if it were not for Chiropractors...well, you'll see.

chirojenn, Thank you for what you said. I would like to add that I believe that there are more than one cause for many syndromes. Epilepsy is a cluster of symptoms not a disease, just as Fibromyalgia is. There is more than one cause of epilepsy and fibro, but the results are the same for each diagnosis respectivly-seizures/pain.  

I assume most of us believe fibromyalgia is very real and perhaps most of us posting have it. I do and have for at least 15 years. It is the cause and treatment that cannot be agreed upon- not even by us. I am quite sure that mine is NOY heavymetal or floride poisoning. I have been tested for heavymetals and drink floride free water from my well that is supplied by a clean spring. My thyroid is fine. I do have RA, irritable bowl syndrome(possible ulcerative colitis), psorasis, and have had endometriosis and cancer. Most of what I have had is a autoimmune disorder. My SED rate varies between 35 all the way to 83! I believe that my fibromyalgia is a "logical" responce by my body to its stressors. chirojenn is correct that stressors, either emotional or physical, cause breakdowns in the body.

I believe it is a mistake to BLAME emotional stressors, although they of course play a part in ANY illness including cancer. Lets hope that people don't start telling cancer patients that all they have to do is heal their emotional issues.(actually I was told this by an herbalist-I'm glad I had it cut out).

30 years ago MS was as unreal as fibro, had similar symptoms, and thought to have the same causes. Now we know that it is the demyelination of neurons in the brain.

WE all, EVERY human being alive today has emotional stressors and they aggravate their physical weaknesses. High blood pressure, asthma and heart attacks can all be made worse or even caused by emotional stress.

I think that natural healing, including the psychological and dietary should be part of holistic healing, but if it doesn't work,use allopathic meds if they work.

Yes thanks chirojenn, chiropractic is great modality.  

So is hypnotherapy which can quickly take someone out of fight flight (sympathetic nervous system) and give them the experience of full relaxation (parasympathetic) This just by itself starts a healing process.  During the session fears and worries can then be addressed and resolved.  Suggestions of deep sleep and all other helpful things then planted as desires and expectations.

Then by learning self hypnosis a person can become able to deal with all symptoms for themselves.  I often teach people EFT as well as quick, in the moment forms of self hypnosis.  I have personally found magnesium to be amazing for muscle relaxation.    

I notice that no one has mentioned fungus or parasites. I've read many

articles that say parasites can mimic syndromes and diseases and that

fungus is a huge reason for just about EVERYTHING, according to Doug

Kauffman, a man well worth listening to...www.knowthecause.com.

Do you know why fruits & vegetables help people heal? They are anti-

fungal. Sugar and starch are fungi's favorite food. They have to be

starved. And in many cases vaccine reactions can lay dormant for

years. How do we know THEY'RE not the cause of many symptoms?

I wanted to share my experience. I agree with everything chirojenn has said. I'm not sure if what I have is fibromyalgia, but it is extremely similar if not. Mine started with a damaged sciatic nerve. I've been told I have a condition called hypersensitivity. Like many who've written in, I can say this pain is REAL! It does have emotional bases, but it is real. I was told the hypersensitivity is caused by the brain reading the same pain signal for such a long time, that it forgets how to operate normally. I think this is a reasonable assumption. I had some success with diet, exercise (which I believe to be crucial, despite the pain) EFT type techniques, chiropractic. I did see a brilliant chiropractor recently who performs a kiniesiology type process to remove entities. That gave me immediate mobility to areas that hadn't been able to move. Eg. My leg raise immediately went from 25 to 45 degrees. My neck movement was amazing. These conditions seem to make the muscles spasm and hence more nerve pain, than we already had. It seems to work like a domino effect. We chased the pain from one area to the next one night trying to find any relief by unlocking the spasms. All of these things were temporary. I tried everything. The doctors had given up, and after the last attempt to put me on a drug called Endep in the hope of stopping the nerve messages, which instead put me in hospital with convulstions and very nearly coma. (Another side effect of all this, we seem to be hypersensitive to drugs, with alarming results) I was offered prednisone for the rest of my life, or a bunch of needles in the butt. No thanks! Anyway, last year we were invited to a demonstration of a machine called a Pulsed Energy Replenisher. The results were nothing short of amazing. I had been in constant level 8 - 10 chronic pain. The pain level immediately dropped to about 2, and within 2 days to 0 !!! I'd spent 10 min on this machine. Look up this website. www.pulsedenergytech.com It helped me a lot

Totally agree with chirojenn.  I also treat this syndrome with chiropractic care, cold laser therapy, and nutritional supplements.  The patient must make dietary changes to see longterm results.  The most important change, I think, is to eliminate ALL aspartate / glutamate from the diet (this is difficult as these substances are called by hundreds of different names), because these two chemicals occupy NMDA receptors on cell membranes and lower the pain threshold, which is why these patients are so sensitive to even light touch.  A good quality fish oil and black currant seed oil (for the omega 3 and GLA content, respectively) are extremely helpful.  The cold laser can be used to address the emotional layers, and the chiropractic care helps by improving mechanoreceptor function, which causes a down-regulation of the sympathetic nervous system.  We get great results in my clinic.  See your chiropractor!!!

chirojenn, I too am a chiropractor.  I've seen so many fibromyalgia patients that I've lost count.  I've found that massage, cleaning up their diet and of course adjusting the nervous system out of the fight or flight mode works wonders in these people.  I know we aren't alone, every chiro I know reports similar success.  What I have noticed is that people with fibromyalgia, for the most part, won't do much, if anything at home to help themselves. "Change your diet" is usually met with obstinance yet they walk in with a McDonald's cup or I watch them finish up fast food in the parking lot. Diet has a HUGE amount to do with the whole thing. Your diet can and does put every cell in your body into a fight or flight type of response.

My recommendations on fibro are drink clean, filtered water; get your nervous system straightened out by getting adjusted regularly; Nutrition, get an excellent nutritional supplement (Wal-mart, Walgreen's, etc brands won't help much); exercise (swimming seems to be the easiest for fibro); work on your mental state, focus ONLY on the positive things. Don't watch the news; Treat yourself as you would want others to treat you (golden rule in reverse); affirmations and visualizations of what they want their life to be like. Do a detoxification cleanse, clean out the bowels, the liver and all of your tissues.  Oh, and get a set of custom made foot stabilizers (posture and movement in the body begin at the feet).  

There is a large underlying mental challenge for people with fibro. Look at your predominant thoughts, are they positive or negative? How do you treat yourself?  Better than you would treat others or maybe not so great. Enjoy gossip? Eliminate the negatives in your life.

Wish I had more space. God Bless you all, I know its no fun but find a good wellness oriented chiropractor to help you out.

My concern with EFT is that I think it is a new age (mystical) technique.  Doesn't it focus on energy? And to me that sounds like hinduism/buddism -- Am I correct or am I wrong? That has been my view and why I've stayed away.

Mick-Marie, Im glad you mentioned fungus...I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia after years of tests and false diagnoses. After much research and an elimination diet I learned that, in my case, these symptoms are associated with "leaky gut syndrome," brought on by candida and fungi as a result of many years of pharmaceutical treatments for asthma, bronchitis and incorrectly diagnosed lyme's disease. Antibiotics and anti-inflammatories destroyed the natural function of my gut, allowing food proteins to enter my blood stream and build up through out my body, causing all the symptoms of fybromyalgia. I am a therapist for children with Autsim, and in both cases I am convinced there are many causes for the disorder.

There might be many thing that may lead to fibromyalgia, but here's one nobody has mentioned.

I was diagnosed with FM along with arthritis, Sleep apnea, sinusitis. All the drugs, nor anything else helped. By chance I read an article about amalgam fillings, and root canals. Both dump heavy metals, and toxins into the body and it's organs.

I had all the amalgam fillings replaced with a composite material, and the root canals removed. Within a few weeks all the above health problems disapeared.

Sometimes the answers are too close to see.

I completely agree with your comments foxtroter, as someone who's been there. The drugs aren't the answer.

In another response foxtroter, I was a little disturbed by the sleep, depression medications used. I wasn't told about the possible side effects. I did explain to the doctors that I was having really bad reactions to medications. I had Irritable bowel, and that was part of it, so Tramal, Codiene and it's cousins were immediately thrown back, but chest pains, etc were also other reactions to celebrex and the like. Anyway they decided to try a drug called Endep and gave me a toddler's dose because of the above reactions. I took one tablet and ended up in hospital with severe convulsions and completely out of my head. I thought I was dying. The doctor in the hospital said it was just psuedofits or as he put it like an epileptic fit. But when I saw my own GP, he looked up the side effects on his computer and it read, convulsions and coma. I thought it responsible for patients to know exactly what it is they are being offered with these drugs. Apparently Endep is a quite commonly distributed sleeping pill quite regularly used in hospitals. Sounds like my case was rare, but it would have been nice to be informed of a little more than just the dry mouth side effect. We would most certainly have called the hospital sooner or at least called an ambulance had we known how serious this reaction really could have been. In all honesty I know drugs may have a place, but Wow! not for me. Exercise is a much better way of getting sleep when you have chronic pain. I very much agree with you about sleep and depression. Unfortuately one feeds the other and it's a never ending merry-go-round. I found success with Pulsed Magnetic Energy, which tends to make you sleepy for the first 12 hours or so, and then full of energy after 24 hours. From what I'm reading it seems to balance our systems rather than unbalance it like the drugs seem to. From what I understand of what happened to me, the Endep caused an imbalance in the seretonin levels in my brain. I don't know, I'm not a medical person

I wholeheartedly agree, as someone who worked hard all my life. I have a theory, that perhaps we push ourselves a little too hard. We seem to have high emotions and expectations of ourselves. Maybe this has something to do with it.

Mine began with a series of losses is what they told me, especially losing the business I'd built up over 30 years. So maybe you're onto something there. But I do think what we eat also plays a big part. Busy people often eat badly. I know I did. I remember my parents dishing up wonderful home grown fruit salads every night for dessert, but I didn't like it, it was mushy. I found out why later. It was all the sugar my Dad laced it with. I lived on penicyllin as a child for tonsilitis and earache until I was 12. Then it was tetracyclins for achne. My teeth are disgusting from that, they've proved that one. After that analgesics for period pain, which they later found to be endemitriosis. So I wonder how much other harm these drugs may also have done. Has it put my whole immune and nervous systems everything completely out of whack. Interesting that I'm unable to tolerate any drugs nowdays.

Hello Islander, In 1984 I worked full time for a communication company, had a part time business and still managed to grow most all of my veggies in an organic garden in the back yard. People used to laugh that they were going to buy me a chair since they never saw me sit down. If I wasn't in bed sleeping, I was up doing something. Then one day I didn't feel right. I was tired, spaced out, confused and frightened. I could not remember things, important things. All the doctors at the HMO told me that I was overly sensitive and that women usually only get like this. Finally my companies medical department told me to go home and I went to bed for 5 years. I report in Dr. Mercola's discussions all the time that I think Aspartame poisoned me, but everyone says there is no known cause for CFIDS/FM. Anyway, I just wanted to say that you are right on in your observations.