DOM'S NEWSLETTER
March 6, 2010
A Christian-based newsletter for people with FMS/CFIDS/ME and their families.
26 TOPICS BELOW - DON'T MISS THE RED ONES! Readers' comments in BLACK. My comments in TEAL.
Dom's Quick Links: Fibromyalgia CFIDS Insomnia Search Newsletters Meds & Supplements Homepage Previous Newsletter
1. READERS WRITE
"I found your site www.fms-help.com and I am very grateful that you take the time to help other people."
"I have had fibromyalgia for about a year now & I'm currently still working a 40 hr work week as well as still taking care of three kids at home. However, I'm finding it harder & harder to do. It helps to know that someone else out there can feel just as bad as I do at times. I don't feel so alone or nuts anymore like I did in the begining. Like what I'm feeling is all in my head."
"Thanks for sharing all the information that you have gained over the years."
"I was diagnosed with FM 2 years ago. I am in my 20's and a mother to 2 small boys. I just recently lost my health insurance. So I now find myself in a situation of not being able to afford health care or medicine. I have a lot of pain, sleep issues, brain fog, depression and anxiety issues. I am worried about my future."
"How very sad that human kind is not compassionate. Many people just don't get it, unless they are in our shoes."
"I’m so glad that I’ve finally found your newsletter. I find it very helpful. I thought that I had read just about everything that I can and then I found you. Thank you so much for taking the time to help us."
2. LOSING SLEEP OVER FIBROMYALGIA?
Our brain is stuck in alpha wave mode.
Also read this interesting snippet about Lynne Mattellana, President of the National Fibromyalgia Association--
About 20%-40% of people with
fibromyalgia also have overactive limbs at night. This stems from two
conditions: periodic limb movement syndrome (PLMS) or restless leg syndrome
(RLS).
With RLS, people
feel a creepy-crawly sensation in their legs at night. Legs may feel twitchy and
tingly and they have an overwhelming urge to move them.
“The other night I forgot to take my RLS medication and I had to
get up and run up and down the stairs 50 times,” Mattallana says. “That was the
only thing I could do to not jump out of my skin.”
All movement disorders like
PLMS and RLS chase slumber away.
“They pop you up into a more
wakeful level, so you’re never able to get into a deep sleep,” Bateman
says.
Sleep
solutions:
Drugs to treat RLS include:
Dopamine agonists, such as
Sinemet, Permax, Mirapex and Requip
Anti-anxiety drugs, such as Klonopin and
Ativan
Anticonvulsants, such as Neurontin
3. FREE LUNESTA COUPON
http://www.lunesta.com/dreamkit/lunesta-savings.html?iid=body_lunestaSavings
FROM DOM: I call Lunesta my "nap" medicine, because it only helps me sleep about 2 hours, but that can be useful on a Sunday afternoon between playing for morning and evening church services. One of the greatest helps to me in my fibro-life has been having docs who were willing to work with me on meds, letting me try things that I suggest. The internet has been such a boon to those of us with health problems! We have been able to do our own research and sometimes, because we have more time to devote to a particular illness, we may even know more than a doc about an illness or medication. I really appreciate the many docs I've had over the years who have been willing to cooperate with me in finding meds that help. It wasn't this way back in 1982 when I was first diagnosed. Although each of us is different as to what may help our FMS/CFIDS woes, my personal list for review is at www.fms-help.com/what.htm.
4. YEAST (CANDIDA ALBICANS)
Reader 1--
"Do you or any reader know if there is a blood test for candida albicans. I suspect my daughter is loaded with it. She has done the written tests off the internet, but, is there a test out there for it?"
Reader 2--
"Do you know if an overgrowth of yeast can change your taste of food. I have not been able to taste anything for well over a year. I have lost 35 lbs because the food taste funny not anything like I remember it tasting. Or do all fibro people have that problem."
Reader 3--
"Before I got sick with CFS in 1993 my tests showed my yeast numbers to be low and my gut in a healthy balance. After I got CFS all that went haywire. My yeast numbers became very high and stayed high to this day because my immune system is not doing what it is supposed to do to keep those yeast numbers down and in balance. It is the immune system that keeps the intestional yeast at a healthy balance. Mine is now under functioning and not keeping the yeast in check anymore no matter what I do. I take probiotics in large numbers and have tried different brands everyday of my life and had done that for 20 years or more."
5. POLYMYALGIA RHEUMATICA
From a reader--
"Polymyalgia Rheumatica is differentiated [from fibromyalgia] with labwork showing elevated SED rates and treatment includes doses of cortisone. Elevated SED rates do not appear in Fibro patients UNLESS they actually have Polymyalgia Rheumatica. The symptoms can be eerily similar but the treatment and course of the illnesses are different."
6. CHOCOLATE FOR CFS?
From a reader--
"http://www.prohealth.com/library/showarticle.cfm?id=3464&t=CFIDS_FM -
FROM DOM: I would enjoy it too if it wouldn't ruin my complexion, my waistline, cause cold sores, and create yeast havoc. I can have very little if any chocolate. I became pain free with a specific OPC product in 1996 after 14 years of suffering severe fibromyalgia pain. I also have a longer list of things that help with pain at www.fms-help.com/what.htm.
7. MIDDAY NAPS ARE GOOD FOR YOU
From a reader--
"A midday 90-minute stage 2
non-REM
sleep (takes place between deep
sleep and the dream state known
as
Rapid Eye Movement or REM) period
refreshes the mind and can make
you
smarter, UC Berkeley researchers
have found. The findings
reinforce
their hypothesis that sleep is
needed to clear the
brain's
short-term memory storage and make
room for...http://www.physorg.com/news185948338.html
FROM DOM: Ha. Naps? I can't sleep during the day at all unless I take some heavy sleep meds. I never get "sleepy" - not even late at night - just a kind of sick feeling when my body has had "enough" - www.fms-help.com/insomnia.htm. I know a lady locally who doesn't sleep nearly at all! She is in her mid-50's, looks great, functions well. She doesn't take any sleep meds. I don't know how she survives.
8. DISABILITY FOR FMS/CFS
Reader 1--
"I have a question concerning disability. I think that I have CFS but can’t get a Dr to give me any diagnosis of anything because all my tests are OK or inconclusive. I am having extreme difficulty maintaining my job, and wonder if you have gone through the disability process to obtain financial help for the loss of a job. I guess that I am hesitant starting this process if I don’t have the strong support of a Dr. and am wondering if this is necessary based on others experience."
Reader 2--
13. EARTHQUAKES
ARE EARTHQUAKES GOD'S FINAL WAKEUP CALL? - A dozen killer earthquakes and thousands of smaller ones rattle the Earth daily — but only a few cause utter devastation. However, "Relative to the 20-year period from the mid-1970s to the mid 1990s, the Earth has been more active over the past 15 or so years," said Stephen S. Gao, a geophysicist at Missouri University of Science and Technology in 2010 LiveScience.com. "We still do not know the reason for this yet."
We may not understand the reason for this increase, but we do know the significance of it. When the disciples asked Jesus what signs would precede His return to earth, He answered, “For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory....And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.” (Matthew 24: 7,30,31)
Also, just got this email:
Nasa scientist says the Chilean earthquake
actually shortened the day by shifting the axis of the
earth. http://www.businessweek.com/news/2010-03-01/chilean-quake-likely-shifted-earth-s-axis-nasa-scientist-says.html
16. READERS PRAYER CORNER
Reader requests prayer for "G." - a friend who has had life-threatening multiple surgeries who must now undergo complete shoulder replacement: "Please lift her up to our Father...to give her endurance through the pain and the emotional confusion that she has to live with. G. is a living testimony, and although the brakes have been applied to her life , she keeps her eyes straight ahead...on Jesus....and my prayer is that her daughters see this; that her daughters take this and hold it and embrace it and see how their mother has handled her life...and how she will handle her physical death. Her girls are young...all teens..if there is a time that is most difficult to lose a parent, I would imagine it to be now."
|
"I wanted to share this video info with you. It is a video of Jorge
Cruise (author of the Belly Fat Cure) and Dr. Christiane Northrup
(author of many menopausal books). It has some pretty interesting info
about nitric oxide and eating low sugar diets for women over 40.
Video Link: http://jorgecruise.com/freeemailclub/2010/2/25/the-latest-discovery-in-the-science-of-youth.html
I know for myself, sugar is like poison. The more I eat,
the worse I feel. And now that I am approaching
menopause, and going through hormonal interuptions, I've
had more pimples and blemishes on my face than I did
in all my adolescent and high school years, and the
belly fat has become a problem, especially over the last
few years of a more sedentary lifestyle. I am going to
start following this simple 7-day eating program Jorge sent
out to see what happens.
Here's another link to The Special Dangers of Sugar to Women
Over 40: http://jorgecruise.com/freeemailclub/2010/1/29/the-special-dangers-of-sugar-to-women-over-40.html
Although this doesn't mention women with fibromyalgia, I feel this
type of eating and information could also help those of us to feel
better."
18. VITAMIN D3 &
FLU
From a reader--
"Have you looked at www.homefirst.com
for Dr. Eisenstein's recs on Vitamin D3 dosing. I have
not had a cold, flu or sorethroat this year!!!!! If I feel
one symptom I jump from D3 20,000 IU's daily to 165,000 IU's for
10 full days and all symptoms are gone!! It's 1000 IU's per pound of
body weight. Dr. Eisenstein sells capsules of 50,000 units so you
can easily take the higher preventive dosing. Just had my D3 level
checked. Dr. Eisenstein likes the level between 50-60. Some
Docs are linking low levels to Osteoporosis and checking them in
Gainesville."
19. OSTEOMYELITIS OF THE
JAWBONE & FMS
From a reader--
"Have you ever read Dr. Wesley Shankland's take on
Fibromyalgia. Osteomyelitis of the jawbone. Anerobic
bacteria in jawbone are a veritable fountain of toxins causing fibro
type pain. Even the chestwall pain. He has a machine
called a cavitat sonogram that can see the abscess
down in the jawbone...MRI's are hard to read if the radiologist is even
aware of what to look for. Google Dr. Wesley Shankland, DDS
and osteomyelitis of the jawbone....the blog is www.healthcentral.com/chronic-pain.
Take a look at the pain issues they are dealing with. The govenment
is trying to put Dr. Shankland out of business. He always gets a
biopsy of the bone tissue he removes that comes back showing staphlococcus
growing or osteomyelitis...he has to remove teeth and bone in stages
now. This may be the source of many problems people have once the
wisdom teeth are removed it can begin."
FROM DOM: I had 4 very impacted
wisdom teeth surgically removed when I was 23. I was 30 when my FMS
began in June of 1982 www.fms-help.com/fibro.htm,
but 18 months prior I had been in a major car accident caused by
a drunk driver. Who knows what caused the FMS to start. I was
also in a bad marriage at the time with terrible emotional pain and stress
daily.
20. POTS
(POSTURAL ORTHOSTATIC TACHYCARDIA SYNDROME)
Reader 1--
"Has anyone been diagnosed with POTS?"
Reader 2--
Efficiency Evaluation of
Autonomic Heart Control by Using the Principal Component Analysis of ECG
P-Wave' Krisciukaitis A, Simoliuniene R, Tamosiunas M, Saferis V, Vainoras A, Gargasas L. Methods Inf Med. 2010 Feb 22;49(2). [Epub ahead of print] A. Krisciukaitis, Institute for Biomedical Research, Kaunas University of Medicine, Eiveniu 4, 50009 Kaunas, Lithuania, E-mail: akri@kmu.lt. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20177647 (reader's bolds) Background: Cardiac output is controlled by the autonomic nervous system by changing the heart rate and/or the contractions of the heart muscle in response to the hemodynamic needs of the whole body. Malfunction of these mechanisms causes the postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome and/or the chronic fatigue syndrome. Evaluation of functionality and efficiency of the control mechanisms could give valuable diagnostic information in the early stages of dysfunction of the heart control systems and help to monitor the healing process in rehabilitation period after interventions. Objectives: In this study we demonstrate how P-wave changes evoked by an orthostatic test could be quantitatively evaluated by using the method based on the principal component analysis. Methods: ECG signals were recorded during an orthostatic test performed according to the typical protocol in three groups of volunteer subjects representing healthy young and older persons, part of which had transient periods of supraventricular arrhythmias. Quantitative evaluation of P-wave morphology changes was performed by means of principal component analysis-based method. Results: Principal component-based estimates showed certain variety of P-wave shape during orthostatic test, what revealed a possibility to evaluate the properties of parasympathetic heart control. Conclusions: Quantitative evaluation of ECG P-wave changes evoked by an orthostatic test by using a newly developed method provides a quantitative estimate for functionality and efficiency of the heart rate control mechanisms. The method could be used in eHealth systems |
21. "GOING HOME"
From my brother--
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o2aLSat3h0w - "Give this a listen - Libera sings 'Going Home'."
FROM DOM: This Dvorak piece is so moving and beautiful! All of us who have loved ones in heaven www.fms-help.com/eulogy.htm will be blessed by these young singers. Fantastic!
22. A WOMANS' HEART
Quote sent in by a reader--
"A woman's heart should be so hidden in Christ that a man should have to seek Him first to find her."
FROM DOM: Excellent advice for unmarried women if you want to get the right man! If you are already married, check out my Marital Harmony advice at www.fms-help.com/marriage.htm.
23. STABILIZED LIQUID OXYGEN QUESTION
Please reply to David triviaguy@bellsouth.net--
"I take lots of liquid oxygen and notice nothing, good or bad. Maybe the oxygen is making me more anxious. Not sure. I don't feel any other results. It tastes like swimming pool water, I put it in regular tap water, maybe that is bad. I hope it's not the quality of it. It seemed decent quality. Can we ask if anyone on your list uses www.stabilized-liquid-oxygen.com oxygen and how they like it? - reply to David triviaguy@bellsouth.net"
FROM DOM: I've been extremely happy with the brand of my oxygen drops http://neveranoutbreak.com/oxygen.php?partner=FM5H1PDB - been using them since August 2009. You start with just 1-2 drops in at LEAST 8 oz. of purified (or bottled) water 3 times a day. Add a drop only every several days to avoid fast detox. I now use 10 drops in 16 oz. of water 3 times a day. Evidently I needed the alkalization, which helps the oxygenation. I have stamina all day long now, no brain collapse, fatigue, etc. The only time I have those symptoms are after a rare night of bad sleep, for which I am medicated very well now - see www.fms-help.com/what.htm.
24. DO WE NEED DOPAMINE?
From a reader--
"I am currently reading a fibro book called, "The Fibromyalgia Solution" by David Dryland MD. Very interesting in the fact that he states ( as I already knew ) that ALL people with this illness had some kind of major stress or trauma in their life. So he feels that our flight or fight response was overtaxed and hence we have lower dopamine. He has had much success in giving his patients a drug called Mirapex, which mimics dopamine, along with all the things you have mentioned on your website. Quite interesting."
FROM DOM: My main tip for all fibromites is #1 at www.fms-help.com/tips.htm. I can say a HUGE AMEN to the theory that massive amounts of stress or trauma trigger FMS www.fms-help.com/fibro.htm. If you have had a good or bad experience with Mirapex (reported on in past newsletters www.fms-help.com/newsletters.htm), please write dombush@bellsouth.net.
25. NO DEPRESSION OR ABUSE WITH FIBRO
From a reader--
"For the record, I have been diagnosed with fibro by an exceptional rheumatologist at one the world’s leading military rheumatological facilities (BAMC in San Antonio). I have never had depression or any psychological and emotional disorders. Nor have I had any childhood abuse. I don’t fit it any mold that [some] claim for fibromites. Nor do I have a sad life or bad marriage or family issues. I have fantastic parents, siblings, and am happily married. I am quite tired of hearing that fibromylagia patients are depressed, you CAN have it with no depression at all."
FROM DOM: I would like to know what caused this reader's fibro. Most can point to a period of severe stress or trauma, which I think affects brain function.
26. FIBROMYALGIA SKEPTICS
FROM DOM: A few days ago a reader sent me a link to a very interesting article called Voices of Fibromyalgia http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/03/03/the-voices-of-fibromyalgia - the New York Times health blog. In the comments section, there were many fibromyalgia "skeptics." I just felt that I had to write a response. It is comment #21 at the end of the article--
MY COMMENT: Fibromyalgia is real. I was diagnosed in 1982 and have maintained an informational and supportive website at www.fms-help.com since 1996. I also write a free weekly newsletter covering many topics related to FMS. I am "managed" but not "cured" (www.fms-help.com/what.htm). I have heard from thousands of people with fibromyalgia from all over the world. They have identical symptoms, but differ in lifestyle, culture, gender, climate, diet, age, race, nationality, occupation, education, etc. I believe that fibromyalgia may be something viral adversely affecting the brain and nervous system. A list of occupations of my readers is at www.fms-help.com/occupations.htm. You will see that fibromyalgia is an "equal opportunity" illness. For those who are "skeptics," may I caution you to temper your statements, as your turn may be next. - Dominie Bush
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In personal news, I've been feeling very well these days. Many of my students www.fms-help.com/students.htm have been sick the past few weeks with cold / flu / bronchitis. Amazingly, me - the weak one - is still standing!
To my cherished readers: I am unable to answer all of my email, but if you can keep it very short, I may be able to answer more emails than I do now. My time is very limited and the newsletter takes up gobs of time every week - but it is a labor of love (for the past 14 years) and now I have an extreme curiosity as to what is causing FMS/CFIDS worldwide, so I will keep writing until there is a cure for all of us. Meanwhile, I use a bunch of stuff to keep functional: www.fms-help.com/what.htm. Keep the faith and stay encouraged by reading the Word every day - even just a little bit will minister to your spirit. The Lord is returning soon! Wars, rumors of wars, earthquakes, sea and waves roaring, pestilence, famine - these are all signs of the end. If you have not yet watched "The Privileged Planet," I highly encourage you to get this incredible CD - you will find it deeply discounted at www.amazon.com. I got a new copy for the price of a used one. It has changed the way I think about the earth, sun, moon, stars, planets and galaxies, to which I have given very little thought - since I am only a finite little creature running around on this privileged planet (ha!)
Bye for now!
Dominie
P.S. The little angel in the picture at the top of this newsletter is my darling stepgrandbaby celebrating her first birthday! If I look a little frazzled, I was emotionally drained, having just returned from a friend's funeral.
II Corinthians
1: 4 - "Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort
them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are
comforted of God." Visit Dominie's FMS/CFIDS Homepage at
www.fms-help.com for Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome sufferers and their
families.
DOMINIE'S FIBROMYALGIA & CHRONIC FATIGUE SYNDROME
HOMEPAGE
DISCLAIMER: I am not a medical doctor. I am a fibromyalgia / chronic fatigue syndrome survivor. The purpose of this website is not to diagnose or cure any disease or malady, but is presented as food for thought. This information cannot take the place of professional medical advice. Any attempt to diagnose and treat an illness should come under the direction of a physician. No guarantees are made regarding any of the information in this website.
