PART 1: "Here's part one of my informative interview with Dominie Soo Bush. She is a patient advocate and well-known to many of us with Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. She has struggled with these conditions herself and is active in the movement to bring more awareness about FMS/CFS. I found her answers to be very honest (refreshingly so), insightful and inspirational. Read on:"
http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art23063.asp

PART 2: "In the second part of my interview with Dominie Bush, you'll learn which of her "100 Tips for Coping with Fibromyalgia & Chronic Fatigue Syndrome" are her favorites. You'll also hear some personal stories of heartbreak and inspiration that just may surprise you and remind you why participation in such activities as the Million Letter Campaign is so very important."
http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art23065.asp

7. STRESS AND IMMUNITY

From the Tenderpoints Newsletter--

WASHINGTON -- Psychologists have long known that stress affects our ability to fight infection, but a major new "meta-analysis" - a study of studies - has elucidated intriguing patterns of how stress affects human immunity, strengthening it in the short term but wearing it down over time. The report appears in the July issue of Psychological Bulletin, which is published by the American Psychological Association.
Read More http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2004-07/apa-sai062904.php

8. COLLAGEN HELPS READER'S PAIN

From a newsletter reader--

"I have some GOOD NEWS for all of us who suffer with fibro!!!!!!!! I am on collagen now. I have been taking it since July 28th and I have NO PAIN at all and it also helps lose weight. I have been sleeping in a deep sleep now also. It is great to have no pain. I am praying it works for others as it does me."

9. CHELATION THERAPY FOR FMS

From a newsletter reader--

"I just wanted to pass on to you that after having chronic fatigue and
fibromyalgia for twenty-two years I am now free of it after undergoing chelation therapy. A hair analysis revealed that my system was full of arsenic, lead, uranium, cadmium and many other things that were causing toxic overload and interfering with normal body function. I have no idea where I picked those things up. I was put on a small amount of armour thyroid in the beginning, which immediately raised my body temperature so I'm not always cold like I used to be. I live an almost normal life now, except for some lingering sleep problems if people want to find out more about chelation therapy or find a doctor who administers it, they can look up the American Academy for Advancement in Medicine (ACAM) on the internet.
Also, there's a book called "Forty-something Forever: a Consumer's Guide to Chelation Therapy and other Heart-savers" by Harold and Arline Brecher. Most chelation patients seem to be heart patients, but the therapy is useful for a host of other ailments, including chronic fatigue and fibromyalgia.
A good doctor will combine the therapy with appropriate nutritional supplimentation tailored to the patient's needs. (The hair analysis will highlight some deficiencies, but people also need extra supplimentation because the chelation process leaches out some nutrients as well as heavy metals and other toxins.) I think the key is finding a really good doctor. Mine happens to be extremely knowledgeable about alternative therapies and how the body really works. That may not be the case with every doctor who administers chelation, but membership in ACAM is at least a step in the right direction."

10. A GREAT MILLION LETTER CAMPAIGN LETTER

I have received several emails from readers who have already written their letters for the MILLION LETTER CAMPAIGN on May 1, 2005--see http://www.fms-help.com/letter.htm They were all EXCELLENT!! Below is one that may be a catalyst to help get our writer's caps on and start composing our letters!

"Hello!

I am a registered nurse who has suffered from fibromyalgia for 5 years
now. The purpose of this letter is to ask for recognition of this illness as
a true and often disabling disease.

There are many theories as to the cause of this disease. Emotional or
physical trauma, a virus-type illness prior to occurrence, or surgical or
physical injury are just a few. Personally all three of these occurred prior
to my diagnosis.

Many people ask what it means to have fibromyalgia. There is no one
answer to that question as there are as many symptoms as there are people
that suffer from them. Personally I can describe my pain as a SEVERE case of
the flu-like body aches intensified so badly all over my body that I can
think of anything else or stand to be touched. I am one of the lucky ones
though. I work full time as an RN. The nurses I work with have no idea how
much I may hurt at work, how hard it is for me to get there, and how long it
takes me to recover. My off days are spent doing everything I can to take
care of myself so I am able to get up and go to work once again. NO ONE but
another person with fibromyalgia understands how bad it gets.

I pray each and every day that I will continue to have the inner
strength and health to continue working at a job that I love. What happens
to me if I can't work? I would lose everything that I have worked so hard to
obtain: my home and my independence. Why is it so hard to obtain disability
for a disease that is truly horrible?

Please care enough to help in whatever ways that you can to help lessen
the stigma that people with fibromyalgia have come to see. We are NOT lazy
drug drug-seeking hypochondriacs! We deserve to be taken seriously for
disability claims, research funding, and public education. Doctors should
not feel scared to be able to offer us the pain relief that is so
desperately needed. We have a right to a health and happy life.

Thank you for taking the time to read my letter and to help us in
whatever way you are able. I am sure that together we can make a difference."

[NOTE FROM DOMINIE: MILLION LETTER CAMPAIGN T-SHIRTS AND SWEATSHIRTS ARE NOW AVAILABLE http://www.fms-help.com/tshirts.htm ]

11. HUSBANDS AND FMS

From a reader--

"Eerie how you knew to send me the Marital Stress article http://www.fms-help.com/marriage.htm Husbands.......hard to live with them and even harder to live with them when you're sick. My husband knows that I have FM, but I think he enjoys the invisible-ness of it. That way he can forget I have it. I continually sense his disappointment that I am not as productive as I was. I wish FM presented itself with big, fat purple dots across a person's forehead. Then he would be reminded continually that everyday is uphill for me. It's just no-win. If I act strong and resilient, I get sicker. If I rest and care for myself, I look lazy. If I speak aloud about what I am feeling, then I start to sound like a complainer. I just keep chasing my tail going back and forth between how I should handle it. Funny how years ago, I never viewed grocery shopping as an aerobic sport, as I do now. I remember when my mother was dying of breast cancer, my father was strong and quiet, but his eyes were always red from crying silently behind closed doors. With FM, I'm the one who cries silently early in the morning before everyone wakes up. Right now, I feel like I'm playing both roles. And I feel like an idiot tapping people on the shoulder to inform them that I'm not feeling well. Where are my big fat purple dots???!!! I'm just so tired of being tired and pretending not to be."

[NOTE FROM DOMINIE: This letter wrenched my heart---but how accurate her comments are for most people with FMS/CFIDS! Do you see how the Million Letter Campaign http://www.fms-help.com/letter.htm would help this situation by bringing AWARENESS? Let's all participate! A short letter from a million people with FMS/CFIDS will have more impact on our society than another book, dissertation, organization or website on the subject."

12. AIR CLEANER WITH ELECTRICAL BLACKOUT

From a newsletter reader--

"Since we all have an affected respiratory system, some to a lesser degree than others from the polio virus, I thought you might find this interesting. My breathing and sinus problems are greatly changed when I leave the metropolitan areas for the non-factory areas of Texas. This finally hit the TV news today -- 1 year later!"

http://www.ems.org/rls/2004/06/09/2003_power_failu.html

13. THE VIRUS AND THE VACCINE

Received this link from a newsetter reader--

http://www.mercola.com/2004/aug/14/virus_vaccine.htm

The True Story of why the Polio Vaccine is Believed to Cause Cancer Revealed in The Virus and the Vaccine (from Dr. Mercola's site)

Imagine receiving a vaccine, meant to shield you from disease and harm, and later finding out that you may have been injected with a cancer-causing monkey virus known as simian virus 40, or SV40. This is precisely what happened to some 98 million Americans during one of the biggest medical blunders, and cover-ups, of the 20th century, and the entire scenario is spelled out in detail in The Virus and the Vaccine: The True Story of a Cancer-Causing Monkey Virus, Contaminated Polio Vaccine, and the Millions of Americans Exposed, by Debbie Bookchin and Jim Shumacher.

14. CFIDS RECOVERY

From a newsletter reader--

"Hi, I know I have shared part of this with you before, but I thought this might
be encouraging to you... I am a CFIDS survivor! I had read several other people's claims about their recovery from CFS and FM, by using 'Herbal treatments'. Since the doctor's I visited had given me NO help. I was 'naive' enought to look other places. And I made a dramatic recovery when I followed a Nutritionist/Herbalist's advice, after she explained to me that CFIDS is because of a dysfunctional, typically over-active immune system, that is trying to combat a virus. She suggested I take 'Saventaro' - which is a US patented 'immune-modulator' and also natural anti-viral. I also took 'Cordyceps' - a Chinese mushroom which helps circulation and benefits the liver (where ATP is formed/stored). Within 3 weeks I had about 25-30% more energy. After 5 weeks I was 70% recovered and many of my CFS symptoms were disappearing or greatly improved! At 8 weeks I was 90% recovered! I have my LIFE back!!!!! Afterwards, I wanted to know why the herbs had helped me, and I started learning that Saventaro had the same properties as many of the other herbs that helped other people recover.. (various supplements with Aloe Vera and Ashwagandha, etc.)... and the answer was: they all had natural 'immune-modulating' and anti-viral properties. PS. Later, I found out that a client who had 'caught' the bad cold from me when I was sick (and he ended up collapsing and in the hospital) ...later told me that the doctor's said he had an "unidentified virus". Praise God for giving us...plants that HEAL. (One would think maybe God put them here on Earth for a reason!)

15. DOCTOR SAYS FMS/CFIDS ARE AUTOIMMUNE DISEASES

From a newsletter reader--

"I run a support group and several of us in the group have started going to a neurologist in the area who specializes in multiple sclerosis. his credentials are quite good. he believes that cfids and fibromyalgia are just firther expressions of an underlying autoimmune disease that causes m.s.,lupus, rhuematoid arthritis, sjgogrens,and hashimoto's thyroiditis. he is helping us with standard m.s. treatments as well as validating, for disability purposes, our illness.he uses a brain MRI to diagnose the disease. it is some new way of interpreting the pictures to see the damage to the myelin. he states that this understanding is very new and the radiologists haven't been trained in it yet. he believes that we can often have symptoms from many or all of the above previously named diseases. i am the oldest of four. all of us are disabled with the same disorder but expressed differently. my brother in fla is in a motorized wheelchair with classic M.S."

16. SKIN TEST FOR DEPRESSION AND CFIDS

From a newsletter reader--

"There is a skin test developed in Edmonton Alberta Canada that can tell the difference from depression or CFS. This is a big deal to anyone with either condition. The test finds that skin temperature and skin conductivity [electricity] are higher for CFS than those with Depression, and so the distinction is made. I would love to know why that is, because the diagnosis can lead to more knowledge as is sometimes the case. Like, skin conductivity is higher due to this or that, and that points to the causes of CFS."

17. CUSTOMIZED SUPPLEMENTS

From a newsletter reader--

"I also have only found relief with natural supplements http://www.idealhealth.com/pro_the_sci.asp. I had an in-home test and have mine custom made for me each month. It has changed my life." (If you're interested in this, please contact Nancy Brunet directly at Dudnet@aol.com)

18. READER NEEDS ADVICE FOR SPINAL BLOCK FOR SURGERY

Please respond directly to Linda at shasta19@iquest.net--

"Need some info if you can pass it on. My knee has given out and I am now walking bone on bone (no cartilage left) and leg is becoming shorter and deformed; therefore, a knee replacement seems inevitable. I am scheduled the first of November. My problem is this: apparently a spinal block is done and I am fearful of this � especially since I have had fibro for so many years. Has anyone out there had spinal blocks successfully done without bad side effects?"

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READ PAGE 2 (Topics 19-40) - http://www.fms-help.com/October2004Page2.htm

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.

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