DISCLAIMER: I am not a medical doctor. All material presented in this newsletter is intended to be used for educational purposes only. Consult with your own physician or health care practitioner before you make any dietary changes. The information in this newsletter is not intended to treat, cure or prevent any specific condition or disease.

Scroll down to read these articles--

"I will never forget the day I found your website [http://www.fms-help.com]. I just cried and cried because your site reached out and touched me, made me consider that I was normal and not some hypochondriac that my doctors seemed to believe I was, what with the wishy washy advice about eating better and exercising more and I'd be fine."

"This is just a note to thank you for all your effort and time spent to keep us updated and bring us comfort and wisdom in this our fibromyalgia valley of tears. Although I must tell you I have never been closer to my precious and glorious Lord than now. I'm very thankful for His mercies on me with this illness, for it's pleased Him to use it to drive me closer to Him and let me taste His love in a very special way."

[NOTE FROM DOMINIE: A great daily devotional book for those going through trials and suffering is STREAMS IN THE DESERT, VOL. 1 by Mrs. Charles Cowman. A retired missionary to Japan gave this to me many years ago and I have read it through 4 ot 5 years in a row. What wisdom, comfort and spiritual sustenance for each day! Also, be sure to read the "Spiritual Uplift Corner" below.]

"I had copied your 100 Tips and saved it to a file on my
computer but my computer crashed and so now I don't have them any more.
I like to have never found your website again. I knew it was about
Fibromyalgia and I was pretty sure your name was Dominie or Dominic but
I finally found it! What a relief! Your web page [http://www.fms-help.com] gave me the most of hope of anything I've found. If you can send me the tips I would appreciate it."

"I needed to be reassured I wasn't a nut case when the doctors are trying to keep my whole body suppressed with drugs, and shaking their head when I just want to go back to my natural supplements. Of course, the government wants to stop us from going to natural supplementation when it might take from the pharmaceutical companies! I'm not a radical but I am a master herbalist and have a trauma nurse for my DH and we do know simple nutrition can be so helpful!"

As most of you know, I had to take down my "100 Tips for Coping with Fibromyalgia and Insomnia" from my website in November. Dr. Derek Enlander http://www.enlander.com, a kind CFIDS doctor in New York City, offered to host 50 of my "100 Tips for Coping with Fibromyalgia and Insomnia" on his website. However, he was unable to put all 100 on the site, so I kept hoping for another M.D. to host all of the tips. Then, a chiropractor in North Carolina, expressed interest in putting my tips online (but not anytime soon, since he is just now looking into getting a website started), so I decided to put the tips back on my own site along with a disclaimer. You can find the tips at http://www.fms-help.com/tips.htm

Many of you have suggested that I write a book. I considered this, but frankly I don't have time due to my work, and I prefer the flexibility of the internet to stay accurate and relevant in this ever-changing and confusing field of FMS/CFIDS research. Years ago, a friend was willing to financially back an audiotape with my story and tips. However, I had reservations even back then about putting my "advice" into concrete, because I was learning new things every day....and all these years later, I continue to do so, which is why I write the newsletter every month.

"I saw a nutritionist who has put me on a special diet. basically it's a high-protein, low sugar, no starch plan. so I eat meat and vegetables all day with a little fruit and a protein shake for breakfast. it is actually great since I've also lost 10 pounds in a month. this week I wanted to test it to see how I would feel if I ate sugar and starch again. so last night I ate bread and potatoes and ice cream. today I feel awful! my hands are puffy, I am aching all over and feel exhausted even though I slept more than 10 hours. isn't that amazing? I never realized how what I eat plays a huge role in how I feel. I also can't eat fermented foods like aged cheeses (new cheeses like feta and goat are ok), soy sauce and other soy products like tofu and wheat gluten found in bread made with yeast. so I guess the 600 bucks I spent on the nutritionist was worth every penny. what can I say, new york is an expensive place to live. well, hope you are doing well. feel free to pass on my diet information to anyone else who may be interested."

[NOTE FROM DOMINIE: I have tried a diet like this and didn't feel well on it. I need some carbohydrates. But we are all different, so I say to keep trying various approaches until we find what helps us feel better.]

"Eating to heal fibromyalgia requires a diet rich in antioxidants. Some researchers think that antioxidants might help prevent damage in some types of arthritis and boost immune function when a system is under stress. Protein is also important to build and repair body tissue and fight infection. Too little protein in the diet may lead to fatigue, weakness, apathy and poor immunity. Average-size adult women need 45-55 grams of protein a day, and more protein than that if there is fever or infection." (Source: The Women's Guide to Ending Pain: An 8-Step Program, by Howard S. Smith, M.D., and Debra Fulghum Bruce, M.S.)

4. CHEAPER PRESCRIPTIONS

From a newsletter reader--

"With regards to the article about 'Mobic,' it has helped me as well. It is, however, expensive. Good news is that I now go to http://www.hometownmeds.com (a Canadian pharmacy). I get a THREE month supply of all of my medications there (including the mobic) for what I would pay for ONE month here in the US. You can get prices online (or by phone) before you decide to order.After you get your prices (and if you decide to order), it is so very simple...you just download a simple form...fill it out and FAX it into them. They do not even need the original of the prescription...a fax will suffice. They are also very nice to deal with. You might want to pass the information on.....never hurts to save money!"

"Along with fibro and CFS there is also another ailment only determined by exclusion of other diseases. One of my friends sent the following sites to me:

http://www.wilsonssyndrome.com

http://www.orthomed.com/wilsons.htm

Symptoms of Wilson's Syndrome: If you have a body temperature of less than 98.6 F. and some of the following symptoms you probably have Wilson's Syndrome. This condition involves a disorder where the cells of the body are unable to convert the inactive thyroid hormone, T4, into the more active hormone, T3. Wilson's Syndrome itself does not alter the thyroid hormone tests. It may exist in association with true hypothyroidism, however. In these cases, thyroid tests may be abnormal but the usually prescribed thyroid hormones may not entirely solve the problem....."

Research at the CFS-FM Integrative Care Centre in Toronto, Canada showed that patients with CFS have marked alterations in microbial flora, including lowered levels of bifidobacteria and small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO). The researchers cited other studies that indicated that CFS patients are under increased oxidative stress, have a type 2 helper cell dominated cytokine profile, frequently report allergies, have altered essential fatty acid (EFA) status and may have malabsorption of certain micronutrients. The researchers proposed that lactic acid bacteria (LAB) have the potential to influence the immune system in CFS patients by supporting T helper cell 1 driven cellular immunity and may decrease allergies. In addition, LAB are strong antioxidants, may improve EFA status, can enhance absorption of micronutrients by protecting the intestinal epithelial barrier, and have been used to treat SIBO. For these reasons, the researchers concluded that LAB may have a therapeutic role in the treatment of CFS. (Source: Logan AC, Venket Rao A, Irani D. Med Hypotheses, 2003 Jun;60(6):915-23.)

According to Dr. Sangani, "Restless legs syndrome is a common, poorly understood disorder characterized by unpleasant sensations of the limbs (deep within the legs and sometimes in the arms) that are precipitated by rest and relieved by activity." It has been reported that more than half of fibromyalgia patients also suffer from restless legs syndrome. See http://www.immunesupport.com/track.cfm?id=2472

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.