"I just wanted to respond to your
reader who mentioned ear canal swelling in your latest newsletter. I have
suffered with frequent swimmer’s ear ever since I was a child
and on the swim team. I used to get a horrible case every Summer like
clockwork! As I got older, I started getting it even when I was NOT
swimming, any time my ear got wet, like from showering or sweating. For
years, I used the swimmer’s ear drops which are mostly alcohol. They are
pretty good at preventing swimmer’s ear, but after years of using them, my ear
canal became dried out and irritated. What I do now, is try to keep my ear
canals as dry as possible by drying them out a bit with a Kleenex after any time
I swim, take a shower, sweat, etc.. Then I use a hair dryer and gently dry
my ear canals on a low setting. (Not too hot! It can burn
them!) If I feel an infection coming on, I use hydrogen peroxide
drops. This usually knocks it out. I have had to use antibiotic
drops from the ENT when I have had a bad infection, but haven’t had to do this
in some time now. One other thing, usually this
condition will make your ears really itchy. Try VERY hard not to stick
your fingers in your ears to scratch them, as this can introduce bacteria into
the ear and make things worse! I know, I’ve done it many times! If
you absolutely must scratch because it is driving you crazy, cover your finger
with a clean tissue before GENTLY scratching your
ear. Also, I have read some information
that chronic outer ear infections are usually related to yeast overgrowth, so
that should be addressed too. I try to avoid too much sugar and am taking
probiotics."
8.
MGUS
From a
reader--
"Recently, I was diagnosed with MGUS (Monoclonal
Gammopathies of an Underdetermined Origin). I have a vague memory of
seeing that somewhere on your site, either my memory is making things up or I
just can't find it. This is the first time that I have been tested for it even
though I have been complaining for many years. Please remind your readers to
encourage your doctor to test for it (inexpensive blood test). It marks people
as having a one in four or five chance for Multiple myelomas (an untreatable
cancer) later in life. Now going to see a hematologist this week for further
testing to see what type of MGUS I have. Did you have an article on MGUS or is
it my imagination?"
FROM DOM: This is the first
time I have heard of MGUS. If anyone has info, please write
dombush@bellsouth.net and I will include it in the next
newsletter.
9. MERCURY FILLINGS
REMOVED
From a
reader--
"I wanted to update on having my teeth pulled.
It has been 6 months now since I had all of my teeth pulled that had the metal
fillings, and I see no change in my energy level nor do I feel better
health wise. To add, I also quit smoking (smoking contains metals
that the body absorbs while inhaling and goes straight to the blood stream) and
I have done a partial detox, nearly complete and I do not feel better health
wise nor do I have more energy. I know we had discussed before about the
metals having an effect on the body, but now I wonder if they
ever leave the body, even after detox. Speaking of which, I am not sure any
detox can remove the metals."
10. A.D.D. MEDS FOR
FIBRO
From a
reader--
"My sister in law has two children who are
autistic and she swears it is from the mercury in the
vaccines. If this were the case, eventually the body would relieve
itself of the toxins by way of the blood stream renewing itself or through bile
or intestinal passing. That leaves one to question if the metals stay forever,
or is autism really a genetic disease not a mishap of metal like parents keep
wanting to claim. I know it seems unrelated, but really, it is related. There
was an email a while back about a girl who had taken medication for ADD
or ADHD and the medication for it had relieved her symptoms of CFIS and FIBRO
Fog. Odd as it seemed, I tried an herb made specifically for ADD (well,
because, I thought, Genius, I have ADD too, lets give it a whirl).Incedentally,
ADD and ADHD is a very slight mild form of Autism that is an
effect of the brain not concentrating that if Autism was proven as a disease
that is brought on by environment then autism would be the worse stage of ADD or
ADHD. Yes, they are two totally different diseases, but they only represent
themselves as such because they are on opposite ends of the severity scale.
Although, they have the same characteristics, and same effects on the human
brain and concentration. Most of the time they are treated with the same
medication. Anyway, I tried the ADD medication and I saw
the effects this person was talking about. I felt great on the
medication, and when I came off of the medication my pain and sufferring was 10
times worse than before I took it. I tried it off and on for several
weeks out of the month and guess what, the less medication I took, the better I
felt in the pain area. The withdrawal of the ADD medication was a form
of mimic feeling of a serious Chronic fatigue and fibro flare. The
intense pain that shuddered throughout my body made it impossible to function
for the next few days after I stopped the medication. Now, it has been 2 weeks
since I took the medication and I do not feel any worse or better, no cured
feeling and no tortured feeling, compared to before I took it. In other words,
the medication for ADD tricked me at first into thinking I had been
cured of CFS and FIBRO yet, in the end, I still felt pain but had more false
energy. Once I got off the medication the withdrawal from it created
such intense pain and feelings of despair that I wished I had
never started taking the medication. The energy compensation (which was very
little) and the feeling of (Yeah! I feel great emotionally) emotional release
was not worth the intensity of the pain that was increased ten fold by coming
off the meds. Let me just say that, if you take an herb for it, then you risk
that herb changing, and the calories involved in your meds. If you take a
prescription you risk them not refilling or you getting addicted. Either way,
you will come off this med for about a week here and there. You will have to
feel the flare from the withdrawal, and the effects of relief are
merely an illusion. Once you get the medication in you for awhile your
body will get used to it, and will eventually demand a higher and higher dose of
it for it to work properly. At that point, you will either start having
withdrawals or you will be paying more, putting more in your body and getting
less of a return for the problems you are facing with the true problems.
It doesn't cure, it only makes you feel like you don't have it at the
time. The physical effects you endure while you think you are normal
have a lasting effect or trauma on the body if you come off of the meds. In
other words, if you over exert yourself physically because you are on the
medication you will feel it after you come off of the meds, and you will be
paying for it as if you never were on the meds, and sometimes you will pay
worse."
11. READER QUITS
SMOKING
From a
reader--
"For those who are not
allergic to pineapple, I do recommend taking Turmeric and
Bromelain formula mixture for inflammation and pain. Only as a
temporary relief though to make it through a day that you really need the extra
help. I did a lot of research when I quit smoking
and I went to the herb shop for help. Normally I do not take a lot of things and
hardly take anything regular because I refuse to get my body used to anything
and then have them take it off the market once I find out how great it works.
Anyway, there is a huge amount of products on the shelf with an
ingredient called "Dopa". I found this most helpful when quitting smoking.
Quite literally, it helps restructure the dopamine levels in the brain.
When you smoke for many years your brain is pumped loads and loads of dopamine
levels from the cigarettes. Your brain is rewired in a sense into receiving a
lot more dopamine levels than what a normal brain should. This gives you that
feeling of "getting hi" when you smoke. It is the relaxing agent that
most smokers swear by to get their anxiety down. Basically, when you
stop smoking you have shut down 85% or so of the receptors that are waiting for
dopamine to be shot into them. Without those shots of dopamine the brain goes
into withdrawal mode and starts sending signals of fear and frustration
throughout the body trying to force you to get another cigarette and feed the
dopamine levels back to the state you had trained them to be at when you smoked.
By the grace of God, I was blessed this time when I quit smoking and I was given
the smarts to study this and was shown through spiritual eyes what to find to
help me accomplish this goal. I was shown this dopa product and told by the Holy
Spirit to get it. It worked beyond belief. It was literally a Godsend to me, and
I believe it could help others as well. It is powerful and it helped wean my
dopamine levels back to normal until now I only take it during my cramping
season. It is the one agent that goes straight to the brain and sends the
natural painkiller out to the body to do it's work. It's like going to the
source. Instead of filling your body with painkillers, like the Turmeric and
Bromelain like I suggested earlier, you can take the Dopa and let the brain do
the work for you. There are several products on the market with Dopa in
them but I am taking the Dopa Mucuna (made with Velvet Bean extract) and I love
it. I have not taken any others so far so I am unsure of any
comparisons. As a side note... I have been taking
Dong Quai as well for my hormonal imbalance and it seems to be working great. If
anyone wants to take this please research it thouroughly before doing so because
it has a serious effect on the blood. Please research before
taking."
12. LOW DOSE ANTIBIOTIC
FOR CFIDS
From a
reader--
"I have been on a low dose antibiotic (against your
best recomendation-I know) for about 6 months now. The doctor originally gave it
to me for my acne and it helped my CFS
tremendously. The low dose of the doxycycline that I
take has helped with swelling of the limbs brain fog, and energy levels.
Lately though, as with anything, the body has gotten adjusted and wants
more. Refusing to give more I am now dealing with swelling of the hands and feet
and legs, and once again the nightmares have returned, and the aches and low
energy, all of which were relieved by the antibiotics. I question if maybe a got
a bad dose of pills from the Pharmacist (it can happen quite often) so we'll
see. However, with anythng that I take, I always get to a point where I have to
deny my body of the medication and let it starve itsself of it so it can
appreciate it once again. This even happens with Tylenol so it is no big
surprise. The real surprise was in fact that I got away with taking it for 6
long months before I had to stop."
FROM DOM: Most
fibromites experience "habituation" (for lack of a better word) with both meds
and supplements. Sometimes giving your body a rest from them can help your
body respond to them again. We are a complex group of people - no wonder
we baffle doctors!
13. CANNED
OXYGEN?
FROM DOM: I found canned
oxygen at www.oxygeninacan.com.
Has anyone tried this for brain
fog? I'm loving the alkalizing and
oxygenating drops, but a few years ago my husband suggested that I look for
oxygen in a can, especially when I had to travel to homes to teach piano and was
so worn down I could barely make it to my next destination. That's when I
found the essential oil blend that helped revive my brain. (I would sniff
it as I drove along to avoid collapsing! I know "normal" people don't
understand this at all, but you guys do....so I feel okay sharing this with
you!)
14. TEETH
WHITENING
FROM DOM: Has anyone tried a
do-it-yourself teeth whitener that works? Cannot afford the big bucks at
the dentist and the dental assistant said it does somewhat damage the enamel on
your teeth, and who needs that...got enough problems. Please write
dombush@bellsouth.net with any
info!
Til next time,
Dominie
DOMINIE'S FIBROMYALGIA & CHRONIC
FATIGUE SYNDROME HOMEPAGE