"I am absolutely loving reading all your newsletters www.fms-help.com/newsletters.htm. I have had Fibro for 9 years and it has been extremely challenging. Thank you for all your contributions to our quest for 'normalcy'."

"I really appreciate you posting your experiences and things that worked to treat your insomnia/fibro www.fms-help.com/what.htm."

"Bless you for standing gently and firmly for the Lord through your newsletters."

"Thank you for your newsletter, it has informed me and helped me along in my Fibro journey."

FROM DOM: The things this man is doing with shadow boxing would have caused KILLER PAIN in my worst fibro days. Even moving a fraction of an inch caused incredible, searing pain. I don't like this "punching motion" for fibro - it causes the muscles of the arms to expand and contract too quickly. Once I became pain free in 1996 (after 14 years of suffering - see www.fms-help.com/fibro.htm), I was able to move normally, walk, even play tennis! I wish all fibromites would find something to become pain free. It is now 2012, and I am still pain free, although I battle many of the other problems of fibro, such as neurological weirdness, insomnia, fatigue, inability to travel, etc. Having suffered severe fibro pain for 14 years plus all the other issues, my heart goes out to fibromites everywhere, and I keep this newsletter going because I care about you!!! No one understands fibromyalgia except those of us who have it, although I must say that my husband has done a great job for many years advocating for me and defending me to those who don't get it. Like all fibro-spouses, he has had to endure many losses because of my condition and deal with the disappointment, lifestyle changes, and even anger at circumstances that are beyond our control. I applaud him for hanging in there with me.

"re: www.fms-help.com/102512.htm, Topic #12 - I too have suffered in this category. From my early years till now. Lyrica was a terrible experience for me. I had severe suicidal thoughts... It was such a traumatic experience for me and brought back several demons from my past."

"I have a question... as someone who interacts with many fibro people, maybe you have some anecdotal experience that perhaps my Dr. isn't aware of. I've been having intermittent unexplained pain in my upper left quadrant, but also in my lower middle. They've done 2 CT scans. They found a small liver hemangioma on the right dome of my liver that appears to be benign and has not change din 5 months. So that probably isn't causing my pain. Everything else looks normal to them. My Dr. says that fibromyalgia doesn't normally cause abdominal pain. This pains feels like a knife stabbing just under my ribs when it is severe. The rest of the time I just have a sort of dull muscular ache across my whole belly. I have talked with my Dr. about it extensively. She doesn't know what it wrong. Have you heard of other fibro patients having abdominal pain? Is it more common perhaps than my Dr. believes? Or am I once again an anomaly? I'm not asking you to diagnose, treat or cure any disease. I'm just asking if you have any clues about what to talk to my Dr. about? She wants to help me but she doesn't know how."

FROM DOM: Write dombush@bellsouth.net if you have any ideas. The abdominal pain I have heard about with fibromites is usually from IBS (irritable bowel syndrome), IC (interstitial cystitis) or endometriosis (which was my problem). Also, could it be a cyst on an ovary? Costochondritis (inflammation of the sternum) is common with fibro, but I don't know about the pain under the ribs, unless it could be from a rib dislocation. Also, use the search box at the end of this newsletter and type in "abdominal pain" to find references in my past newsletters.

Like most of us, I have many "Dark E.R. stories" to tell , but in general, before we found out names DO exist names for my symptoms...and those symptoms DO point to several different illnesses, I was treated with indifference and even mis trust by the medical staff in the Emergency Room setting. Like most of "us", I have my private doctors with whom I make appointments and receive treatment during regular business hours. those very same doctors have instructed me to go to ER during NON business hours. M.E. has affected my heart, lungs, and sight and the Scleroderma has affected my skin, bones (they are finally turning to stone) fingers, legs, joints, and even my stomach and esophogus; other illnesses have more symptoms. At times, I suffer greatly - as all of us do. So when these problems turn into flares in the middle of the night, I need attention that my doctor cannot give. I USE to try E.R. for help. The ONLY time I received immediate help in the E.R. was when the paramedics brought me in. I was not conscious for any of it, so I tell the story from my family's perspective. NOT ONLY DID THE PARAMEDICS SAVE MY LIFE AS I LAY ON MY KITCHEN FLOOR UNCONSCIOUS....BUT BY GETTING TO THE HOSPITAL IN AN EMERGENCY VEHICLE, I RECEIVED THE PERSONAL ATTENTION NEEDED in the E.R.

My personal advice is DO NOT drive yourself to E.R. GO VIA EMERGENCY VEHICLES. MY 82 YEAR-OLD MOTHER HAD TO WAIT HOURS BEFORE BEING SEEN FOR HER FAILING HEART in the E.R.
another story that angers me...HERE IN PHOENIX several years ago, the news reported that an elderly woman (shown to the viewing public via security video) was waiting to be seen; she complained of chest pain and breathing problems only to be ignored by the passing nurses, PA's and doctors. Other patients were trying to bring the old woman comfort with drinks of water and even patting her back and whispering into her ear. The woman eventually lay down on a row of old chairs and DIED! She was dead for quite a while with all the health professionals walking by with not ONE stopping to check on an old lady with her back to the camera, lying across a row of chairs!! it broke my heart! THAT could have been MY mother! I realize that was an "exception"., but honestly, these exceptions are becoming more and more common.
My FINAL trip to the E.R. was over ten years ago when the attending nurse was handing me the doctors' orders and releasing me; in a flat, indifferent tone of voice, she spoke the words; E.R. was for EMERGENCIES and I was NOT such an emergency! She actually instructed me to not return unless I was DYING.

So my question when I become ill with symptoms is this: "What could E.R. actually DO for me tonight?" and my answer is "not a thing" - I have never returned to E.R. Since that last visit, the doctors have found serious problems with my heart, and my decision to not return to E.R. was a good one for me. I believe (for me) I needed to be "kicked out" of E.R. so that I learned to honestly and actually rely upon the Lord.

My flares become severe, and it is during these moments when I draw closest to the Lord. One such time was so surreal that I can barely describe it. I was in such a physical place where I believed I might not make it through the night; I was not scared. I was nervous...the kind of nervous a new bride gets before walking down that aisle. I felt THAT close to meeting my Bridegroom! It was never more real to me than that evening, yet it was so UNreal. I was speaking with Him, asking Him if this was indeed the moment. I was ready. OH the REALITY of Eternity!

When we can, we should allow the wonderful medicines and medical miracles be used for our benefit. But when it just becomes too much of a burden...and in this case, going to E.R. was a huge burden and impossibility....and although it was NOT a DNR situation, it was even better; better because instead of being in a body hanging on to life in an unconscious state with others making the decision, I was awake and conscious and talking with MY Lord and being ready to meet Him FACE to FACE! OH the reality of it is so.....indescribable! And although I am glad to be here with my family, I have to admit, when my body began to improve, and my huge symptoms subsided, I was somewhat disappointed. It was such a miracle of an experience the last time I did not go to E.R."

"I tried Low Dose Naltrexone for about 3 months. Noticed nothing. It was getting expensive, you need it compounded cost about $65 and nothing seemed different after 2 or 3 months. I can’t remember if it was 2 or 3 months. I felt that was long enough to see if it could work. I noticed feeling worse sleepingwise during the last few weeks taking it."

"I have written a book on fibromyalgia and CFS entitled 'Autoimmune The Cause and The Cure.' The book is evidence-based and shows that every symptom and every valid scientific finding of fibromyalgia and CFS can be traced directly back to missing enzymes called DNase1 and protease. These enzymes break down dietary proteins and DNA. They also regulate iron metabolism and part of the immune system called tumor necrosis factor."

"I wanted to ask you about Elavil. It helped me with sleep and muscle pain years ago but had to get off it due to constipation.......it never worked again for me when I tried it again. Is that unusual? I took it 25 years ago, but it seems that it agitates me more than anything now - even at a lower dose. Thinking about trying again at a much higher dose. Also, my psychiatrist just gave me Remeron.....7.5mg.....to try.....your experience scares me www.fms-help.com/sleep.htm! I pretty much managed my fibro with physical work and exercise (to make me sleep) the last 20 plus years, but now it seems like it does not put me into deep sleep anymore. I am desperate to sleep right now, and the side effects from anti depressants are overwhelming......Seroquel made me groggy the next day and Rozerem gave me nightmares.......Antihistimines pretty much make me way too nervous and edgy the next day, including a faster heart rate."

FROM DOM: It is not unusual for meds to stop working for fibromites for no apparent reason. This battle we have with insomnia/FMS/CFS is a strange one! I often feel like it's a virus (or even something "evil") that keeps changing its face. The only way to tell if a med will help is to try it. My experience has been to use the lowest dose possible (split pills) to see if the drug has any bad effect. I am horrified by the high doses of some meds being prescribed by docs for fibromites! No wonder there are so many scary, terrible side effects. I TRY to take just enough to "nudge" my body into knowing what to do. Many meds highly recommended to me by readers have not always worked well and some have even backfired for me, so I'm pretty sure the opposite is true as well. The goal is to find meds that help at a dose that will be effective, but without negative side effects. I pretty much have my personal routine worked out now (after 30 years) - see http://fms-help.com/what.htm.

"I once heard a doctor on TV news say: 'If you can't sleep, never underestimated the power and benefit of rest.'"

FROM DOM: My mother (91 and going strong) has told me that too. My vicious insomnia (since age 16) is fully controlled by meds now www.fms-help.com/what.htm. However, for decades I lived a torturous life without restorative sleep, often little sleep, and even no sleep. It was soooo incredibly hard to keep working. Insomnia eventually wrecked my health. My insomnia story is at www.fms-help.com/insomnia.htm.

Snippet: "Aspartame complaints represent 80-85% of food complaints registered with the FDA. So-called "diet" products containing the chemical sweetener aspartame can have multiple neurotoxic, metabolic, allergenic, fetal and carcinogenic effects.

Despite mounting evidence to the contrary, many people still see aspartame as a safe diet aid – even though it has been demonstrated that the use of this product actually causes people to consume more food.

Aspartame is not your friend. In 1991, the National Institutes of Health listed 167 symptoms and reasons to avoid the use of aspartame, but today it remains a multi-million dollar business. Known to erode intelligence and affect short-term memory, the components of this toxic sweetener may lead to a wide variety of ailments including:

Brain tumors
Birth defects
Diseases like lymphoma, diabetes, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, fibromyalgia, and chronic fatigue
Emotional disorders like depression and anxiety attacks
Epilepsy/seizures
Migraines
Numbness
Hearing Loss and ringing in the ears
Blindness, blurred vision and other eye problems
Stomach disorders
Your body does not do well with regular sugar, let alone poisonous synthetic sugars like aspartame. With some resources indicating that aspartame may be found in over 9000 consumable products, this man-made sweetener is becoming increasingly more difficult to avoid.

The American diet may well be one of the reasons 18 million of us suffer from migraines, with aspartame at the top of the list of possible culprits.

Eliminating aspartame from your diet would go a long way toward improving your health. If you aren't familiar with all the ailments associated with this artificial sweetener, "Sweet Misery" will indeed open your eyes to a biomedical genocide that has been covered up for far too long.

Part documentary, part detective story, Sweet Misery starts with filmmaker and narrator Cori Brackett's poignant story about how she discovered aspartame's ill effect on her health. Brackett had a strange cause-and effect experience with the diet cokes she was drinking and quickly found herself disabled and diagnosed with MS.

Her condition quickly progressed to the point that she had double vision, slurred speech, and weak limbs forcing her to use a wheelchair. When she read an article about aspartame being connected to many health problems, Cori immediately quit using products that contain aspartame – like diet soda.

As if by magic, many of her symptoms disappeared. Through dietary changes and a host of therapies, Cori's condition improved and continues to do so to this day. After spending a decade in a mental fog, unable to do anything – today she is medication and symptom free.

Cori Brackett's journey takes us across the United States to learn more about the devastating effects of aspartame from an impressive list of medical experts – including renowned neurosurgeon Dr. Russell Blaylock. Dr. Blaylock explains how aspartame is a slow neurotoxin that's particularly harmful for diabetics.

Brackett also consults two respected MDs and a psychologist to describe what aspartame does to the body and the brain. All agreed – aspartame is poison.

Another source of Brackett's inspiration came from Dr. Betty Martini, the director of the nonprofit group Mission Possible. Martini has been searching the globe for over 12 years for every shred of evidence that exists about the dangers of aspartame – attracting the expertise of principled professionals who have furthered our understanding of aspartame biochemistry to the point where no valid arguments counter claim the absolute conclusion that aspartame is a toxic poison unfit for human consumption.

“The Lord will work out his plans for your life - for your faithful love, O Lord, endures forever. Don't abandon me, for you made me.” - Psalm 138:8 NLT

"I've written to you a number of times about my various ever changing diagnoses over a 4-5 year period (seep disorder, anemia, CFS/FIBRO, migraine variant/ migraine associated vertigo, etc.) . This past year I had extensive outside labwork done in addition to endoscopy/colonoscopy for possible Celiac Disease. The outcome: I tested positive for 2 of the celiac/ gluten sensitivity genes, and I tested positive for multiple food sensitivities, but no clinical biopsy evidence was found that I have textbook Celiac. My most recent issues were not G.I. symptoms but have mostly been neurological combined with fatigue and achiness.

Today, I have been on a totally gluten/ wheat free diet for one year - the results have been nothing short of miraculous. I haven't felt this good and been this functional in 5 years...my food sensitivities are slowly resolving, I have lots of energy with rarely a need to lie down at 3pm as in the recent past, my head is much clearer with almost no brain fog, my hair has grown back in, and I finally have resumed a social/church/ family life in which I can make plans without having to cancel them or waffle with my previous standard response: "I'll have to see how I feel.."

Anyway, I find that the ONE SINGLE change that I stringently implemented was a completely glutenfree/ wheat free diet including changing cosmetics, lotions, etc. Those who did not know me before my illness phase think I am a new person. Those who knew me before I dropped off the planet from illness think that I have " returned" in a new revised version. I am so enjoying my 2nd chance and the merciful gift of renewed health only orchestrated by our faithful God. Today one year later I would say I am at about 85/90% which is so much better than before. It has been a bumpy challenging year, but a life changing one as well.

Many FIBRO patients are well acquainted with giving up part of their lives to these horrible illnesses but may not be willing to further deprive themselves of favorite comfort foods. And, most of the doctors do not understand the longterm insidious damage to the digestive tract and the nervous system due to grain and or wheat/ gluten intolerance. This kind of damage causes food intolerances, severe weight loss or gain, migraines, neuropathy, accompanying light/ sound/ motion/ vertigo/ balance issues etc. I suffered from all those symptoms which are continuing to diminish. And, there are an ever- expanding array of gluten free recipes and products to eliminate the feeling of deprivation that can occur when switching diets.

Lastly, just because a patient does not have a firm celiac or informed doctor's diagnosis of gluten sensitivity this does NOT mean the patient does not have one of these conditions. Gluten damage manifests itself in many forms; for the extremely sensitive patient the impact of eating alternative grains can also mimic symptoms of gluten sensitivity so recovery can be slow and difficult. However, the efforts are so worth it.

The wave of glutenfree foods and glutenfree lifestyles are NOT a fad or trend for those severely impacted by this condition. And the sufferers of other conditions often find that they improve dramatically on a GF (gluten free) diet and/ or they never actually had their diagnosed condition as a primary illness but in fact have a form of gluten sensitivity/ intolerance instead. The older a patient is, the longer the recovery time usually is - but this can vary with good care and insight into how to manage diet and lifestyle while living gluten free.

Lastly, standard medical testing may or may not pick up wheat allergies or intolerance - so many sufferers go on a gluten free diet anyway though thy my be able to just avoid wheat and not be bothered by barley or rye products. Obviously this is a rather complicated and comprehensive set of conditions that can lead to all sorts of further complications. The celiac forums, organizations, etc. are the best starting place. If readers need more information, the Internet is just about the best place for research due to the lack of adequate knowledge and training of mainstream medical doctors. My allergist was my hero along with a chiropractor and my online celiac forum who have been like guiding angels helping to light the path. Thank you, Lord."

"I have been reading Dr. Shoemaker's books "surviving mold" and "mold warriors". I think I have a different DX for my fibromyalgia. I was cleaning out a storage closet in a school back in 1990, I had started work there in September of that year, by May of the next year I was having a lot of problems. Then when they had me clean out the closet. There were boxes that had been in their for over 15 years that I was sorting through. I started on a Monday and by Wednesday I knew something was really wrong. By Saturday I knew I had pneumonia, even though I had never had it before. Things did not show up on chest x-rays though, and they kept pushing the antibiotics. I got sicker and sicker, unti about 2 weeks later I just collapsed. I could not even walk. They admitted me to the hospital, and I was in for a full week on very strong IV antibiotics. They said it was a "mycoplasma" pneumonia. I kept telling them I thought it was from cleaning out that closet, but no one would listen. I never fully recovered from that ordeal. Was off all summer then went back in August of the next year and was getting sicker and sicker. I left in the end of October. A year or so later after seeing many specialists, lung docs, etc. I was given the Fibromyalgia dx. I have never been given Chronic Fatigue, but that is because they already had their diagnosis. I have had a very poor quality of life for 20 years, trying to work, and not doing anything else at night and on weekends. Then four years ago, I became deathly ill with a fungus from in the ground called Blastomycosis. I was in a coma for a month on a respirator because my lungs collapsed. It caused my kidneys to fail and many other horrib le things to my body. I was in the hospital for 6 weeks. Off work for 6 months, then came back part time for about another 6 months. I am having a lot of problems again, I am in a building now that I know has had water problems, and I can barely make it a week without being out ill. By ill I mean just crashing in bed and not being able to hardly move. Bad muscle pain, shortness of breath, anxiety, constant side aches (spleen area). Thank you for recommending mold warriors and surviving mold. I am going to see if my pulmonologist will read the book and give me some of the tests."

FROM DOM: Read my mold page at www.fms-help.com/mold.htm - try the simple, no-cost test at home to see if you have the "dreaded mold genome" - you can find how to do this in the December 2011 update on my mold page. Fascinating!!

"I am glad you have a good routine to manage your fibro right now. My beef with some of these doctors is that if they prescribe an antidepressant for sleep (they invariably also tell you have depression since you can't sleep) they always say it takes 4 to 6 weeks to kick in. Problem is side effects can be unbearable and it is not uncommon that they aggravate your insomnia. They are not very happy when you tell them that you cannot stay on it anymore after a week or less."

FROM DOM: I have always been very careful with any new meds to use a very low dose to see if my body had any negative reaction. I have had some bad experiences with meds (for example: www.fms-help.com/sleep.htm), but also been thankful for effective ones. A list of helpful things I have found is at www.fms-help.com/what.htm.

"I have read your story, the pain, the symptoms are all the same as what I have been dealing with for 4 years now. I am frustrated with this pain. I feel weak and in pain all the time. Doctors always give me diclofenac and pain killers. It works for days only and then causes me to be more weak. How can I heal myself? I am afraid my kidney and liver are already deteriorated because of consuming diclofenac, paracetamol and antibiotics all these years. I have a family to support and feel terrible when doing my job, even a simple task."

FROM DOM: My heart goes out to this reader. This story is all too familiar. Here's a list of occupations that my readers had when FMS/CFIDS struck their lives: www.fms-help.com/occupations.htm. Here's my Men with Fibro page: www.fms-help.com/men.htm. Here is a list of everything I have found to be helpful (based on 30 years "experience" of battling FMS/CFIDS symptoms): www.fms-help.com/what.htm.

Viread (Tenofir), an HIV med, is being used off-label and experimentally for CFS--

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/23/us/off-label-use-of-hiv-medications-is-catalyst-for-more-controversy.html - Snippet: "At a cafe on 18th Street in San Francisco, David sipped coffee and talked about the regimen of daily H.I.V. pills he recently started: Viread in July, and then last month, Isentress. He looked exhausted. David does not have H.I.V. For 20 years he has endured a debilitating case of chronic fatigue syndrome, which has left him unable to work.
“All of a sudden my brain dies,” said David, who asked that only his first name be used for privacy reasons. “I have such a narrow range of concentration.” He hopes the medications will help. Thirty years into the AIDS epidemic, the antiretroviral drugs that have provided lifesaving treatment for many of those infected with H.I.V. — 1.1 million in the United States today — are now being used or considered for treating other ailments.

"We know that many of you are filling out your ballots this weekend or going to the polls next Tuesday, and that health care is one of the top issues in this election.

We think it would be helpful for you to know what the majority of REAL, working doctors (those of us on the frontlines, actively treating patients) have to say about the current changes in medicine instead of what politicians have been telling you.

First, we want to thank you for the trust and respect you have shown us over the years. We love being your physician and sharing your success and good health. We are proud to be a part of the world’s greatest healthcare delivery system.

But as professionals we must share our concerns. We can no longer stand back and watch the dismantlement of America’s healthcare system.
We know we can make it better and we are asking for that opportunity.

Here’s what America’s physicians know:

We know that you need us to be there for you…..
….But that 83% of doctors think about quitting medicine because of more government and insurance company rules and regulations.

We know that our calling is to serve our patients…
…But that government and insurance rules and regulations are in direct conflict to our professional ethics and our responsibility to you, our patients.

We know that everything good about healthcare happens in the privacy of an exam room between a patient and his or her physician …

…But that government rules and regulations interfere with our efforts to do what is best for you in the exam room.

We know that the sanctity of the patient/doctor relationship is central to giving the best care to our patients….
…But that most doctors believe that relationship is in a tailspin because of government and insurance company rules and regulations.

We know that you deserve to choose your doctor, choose your insurance, and choose your care….
…But that your choices are becoming MORE restricted because of government and insurance company rules and regulations.

We know that you want and deserve 100% of our time and attention, and that we need to listen better….
…But that government and insurance company rules and regulations create paperwork that takes at least 25% of our time away from taking care of you.

We know every person is unique, and that you want and deserve the best individual care…
…But that government and insurance rules and regulations require us to conform to “standards of care” designed by bureaucrats who have never laid eyes or hands on you.

And finally,
We know that insurance is too expensive and that medical care is not accessible or affordable to many Americans…
But that the new healthcare law only makes all these things worse.

Please vote for the candidates who will repeal the new healthcare law
and its thousands of regulations, mandates, protocols, and paperwork.

And we promise to work hand-in-hand with you – our patients –
to secure America’s place as the best healthcare system in the world."

"I found a functional medicine practitioner here in Edmonton, Alberta (she did her trainining in the U.S.)

As I am menopausal now for the last 3 years and had lived on 2-3 hours of light sleep for 11 years...I knew intuitively that there was something wrong with my hormonal balance but couldn't find a doctor willing to listen to me. They would simply look at blood work and say that it was normal (well, of course it is normal to see lower female hormone/ testosterone levels in menopausal women...but it doesn't mean that they aren't required to help my body). I was put on the lowest dose possible to get results with the bioidentical hormones (My progesterone was ZERO, my testosterone was almost zero, and my estrogen level was about 1/3 of what they would have liked it to be at).

Within 3-4 weeks my anxiety had decreased about 40%, I was no longer moaning and groaning if I was on the floor and had to get up (I sounded like a really old woman trying to get up off the floor with my creaky bones), my brain fog is gone and my mind is starting to make me feel like a young whipper-snapper again! I was taking a progesterone capsule before bedtime which helped me relax and sleep better. My sleep was probably about 3-4 hours to start with - from the 2-3 hours of really like, fragmented sleep. One of the problems some doctors have when they prescribe b-HRT is that they do not get the doseage right, AND the creams must be applied in the correct area. If the creams are applied on the thigh or inner arm etc. most of the hormone is just stored in the fat cells. I learned that the cream should be applied to the genital area for best absorption. If the Dr. wants it applied to the inside of arms, or thighs etc the doesage needs to be much higher.

I then after 3 months added 150 mg of 5-HTP to the bedtime routine with the progesterone and my energy is so so much better, my mood is so much better ,and I have more energy. ( I started the 5-HTP with 50 mg pills to see what dose I would require. For me 150 mg works at night, but you can go up to 300 mg per night). At my 3 month check with the functional medicine practitioner, my female hormones and testosterone were balanced, and my thyroid number had come up somewhat ( I was not hypothyroidic at all) but this goes to show how the hormones are so inter-connected.

My next project is to get off the gluten, dairy, eggs, sugar, caffeine. I am a serious food addict and the gluten has been the worst thing to get off 100%.
The functional medicine practitioner ( who herself resolved her fibromyalgia in the mid 1990's, and several other medical issues) told me that she does not know of any fibro patient that does not have an issue with gluten.

Unfortunately for me, the sleep issue has been a lot of trial and error, and I am a serious anti-rx drug person. For me, any medication that has even the slightest incidence of tinnitus (could be 0.01% in their drug trials) and I will have the tinnitus get louder. So all that does is make the body feel as though the someone is poking me with a pitchfork all day and night long, and the nervous system becomes more hypervigilant and hypereactivty.

I now wake up during the night, for short periods of time, but I know that I am not laying there for hours trying to get back to sleep. I get up in the morning , and do not feel as though I am dragging myself out of bed to get going.

There is also a book on 5-HTP by Michael Murray and it gives a lot of information. Another book is by Dr. Van Vliet and I think the title is 'Your Hormones are Screaming to be Heard.'"

Used with permission from Joni and Friends International Disability Center--

But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. - Luke 10:40

Everywhere you look in the Bible, the ministry of service is lauded. Even Jesus said, "... the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." (Matthew 20:28). The heart of humility is found in sacrificial service, and great leaders are made great through their tireless aid on behalf of others. Martha was on the right path, even with her "much serving," as the King James version puts it. We can never do enough in God's kingdom, and Martha is not to be chided for rolling up her sleeves to prepare a meal for such an honored guest as the Lord Jesus.

The problem was Martha's focus. Today's verse tells us she "was distracted by all the preparations." It wasn't that she was too busy or planned too many things on the menu; hustle and bustle and vigorous activity weren't the culprit. Martha simply allowed those things to distract her from her focus, the Savior - she lost joy in her labor, gladness in ministering to her Lord, and delight in exercising her gift for the good of the group. A complaining spirit took over as she focused on her sister, Mary, along with all the pots and pans!

It requires great spiritual discipline, as well as a consuming adoration for the Savior to not become encumbered by the hard work of energetic service. Great Christians of the past - and many in the present - have worn their fingers to the bone in the advancement of Christ's kingdom while maintaining a tranquil spirit and an unyielding focus on Christ. Don't shrink from serving the Lord today; just be certain to keep Jesus and His glory as your goal.

Lord Jesus, may your Spirit convict me if I become sidetracked by the demands of my Christian service, whether at home, work, or at my church. May you and your glory always be my focus.

"For the person with severe sensory overload I had the same thing happen to me. Also needed complete isolation. It was so severe and I felt so desperate that I overdosed twice. Also because of pain etc. Doctors and Meds didn't help. I tried everything. It's called Sensory Integration Disorder and usually kids only get it. But fibromyalgia patients' nervous system can break down which happened to me. Stephen Daniel, the founder of Quantum Techniques , fixed it for me. He also fixed my cognitive function. Website is Quantumtechniques.com. Stephen told me I had the worst brain he ever saw and he fixed it. But it's a system that the person has to use daily. It's not hard and it's worth it. I also had severe, paging anxiety for over 10 years. Now I am calm. And I can go to a movie or an event with a band and deal with bright lights and everything. I remember I went to a wedding several years ago and cried in the ladies room and wouldn't come out. Everyone just thought I was crazy. It was absolutely horrible. Now I still have a lot of pain and am sometime fatigued but my nervous system is 100%. Stephen Daniel is a genius. He and the other QT practioners could help so many of your readers."

24. ARE YOU AFRAID TO DIE?

"Mom is Scared - We received a prayer request from someone saying that his mom needs a serious operation, and that she is unsaved, weak, and scared. If you know someone in that situation, point them to this booklet that they can freely read on line. It will help them deal with their fears, and at the same time they will come under the sound of the gospel."

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.

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.