See Table of Contents for a quick list of my 100 tips

91. RELAXIN - A friend gave me a tape by Dr. Samuel Yue, an anethesiologist who became interested in researching fibromyalgia about 10 years ago when he heard a doctor dismiss fibromyalgia symptoms as "all in your head." This statement made him quite angry, because he knew that the patients' pain was real! He said that in some countries, people with FMS are even given opium to relieve their pain. Dr. Yue has now tested hundreds of people with fibromyalgia and found very low relaxin levels in the female patients and very low testosterone levels in the males. He says that relaxin is the hormone that is produced in greater quantities during the third trimester of pregnancy which helps relax the muscles and tendons and increases their elasticity to prepare for childbirth. He believes that birth control pills have a lot to do with the development of fibromyalgia in women.  Dr. Yue says that teenagers as young as 14 being put on the pill and not getting off until age 34 when they want to have a baby. Dr. Yue is trying to get government agencies and doctors to recognize fibromyalgia as an ILLNESS, not a "syndrome" as it is presently called. Wow!  Sadly, he stated that half the money given to the NIH to research fibromyalgia has now been siphoned off to research other illnesses instead. Dr. Yue wants to get relaxin recognized as a possible "cure" for fibromyalgia. He also mentions how monthly hormonal fluctuations affect female fibro patients.

92. WARM WATER EXERCISE - A newsletter reader shared this helpful information with me: "When I get too sore, I head for the nearest warm water pool and do the Arthritis Foundation water exercises. It MUST be a warm water pool....the results are astounding. For me, anyway. When I was first diagnosed (3 1/2 years ago) I went to the pool 3 times a week. Now I go only when I'm hurting and usually that's once every 3 weeks or so. I highly recommend it. Contact the Arthritis Foundation for a list of pools in your area that offer the certified classes. Go for a few weeks to learn the exercises and then do them on your own, when needed. It truly works wonders for me."

93. ESSENTIAL OILS - Some people are getting help for their FMS with therapeutic grade essential oils. These don't feel oily on the skin, but silky smooth. Lavender and Peace and Calming help with my insomnia, fatigue and fibro fog. You rub several drops on the soles of your feet, on your wrists and temples. Then rub some on your palms (or put a few drops of the oils on a cotton pad) and inhale deeply for several minutes. The olfactory (sense of smell) system is connected to the limbic system of the brain (glands that affect sleep, etc.) If you are interested to learn more, please email me at dombush@bellsouth.net. Essential Oils are fascinating -- involving electrical frequencies! The only down side is that some of the oils have a strong odor that may or may not be pleasant to you or your spouse.  You can always put them on the soles of your feet to get them away from your nose.  They are wonderful and one of the gentlest ways to get your body to function more normally!  You can immediately access testimonials of how people are using essential oils to help every imaginable health care issue at Oil-testimonials.com.  Read how I "discovered" the usefulness of essential oils for "fibro fog" at www.fms-help.com/oils.htm. 

94. BLOOD VOLUME - Dramatic abnormalities found!  It's not all in your head!! Below is a snippet from the fascinating article found at http://chronicfatigue.about.com/health/chronicfatigue/library/weekly/aa07260 0a.htm - "Dr. David S. Bell's last major study, with endocrinologist Dr. David Streeten, yielded a startling discovery: that the vast majority of Bell's CFIDS patients had extraordinarily low circulating blood volume (a combination of plasma and the red blood cells via which the plasma delivers oxygen throughout the body). While his average patients ran about 70 percent of normal, several patients with chronic fatigue syndrome (PWCs) had only half the blood volume of a healthy person, an amount so low that it would ordinarily cause shock and prove fatal in a car accident (as apparently happened to Princess Diana during a 2 1/2-hour drive to a French hospital). Bell hypothesized that the low blood volume could help account for the prevalence of orthostatic intolerance (worsened symptoms upon standing) in CFIDS, because the limited amount of blood tended to pool in the legs and feet, with a corresponding drop in the amount available to the brain. The result? That common sensation of overwhelming gravity and of wearing lead boots. Other research has added to the mounting evidence that this is a core problem in CFIDS, including reduced cerebral blood flow on SPECT scans and neurally mediated hypotension on tilt-table tests."  Dr. Paul Cheney has also done extensive work on this issue of blood volume as well and recommends patients have a VIVID7 test, which measures the blood level in the heart at the fill stage.

95. ACIDOSIS - Here's a short quote from a thought-provoking article at http://www.majidali.com/Vol%202%20No%201%20Fibro%20Furies.htm - "I call oxidosis (too much oxidation), dysoxygenosis (abnormal oxygen metabolism), and acidosis (too much acidity) the three furies of fibromyalgia ("the fibro furies")....The fibro furies are unleashed by the gods of sugar, antibiotics, and pesticides industries...and of industrial pollutants, toxic metals, synthetic hormones, and radiation. Other gods of greed populate hospital committees, licensing and insurance boards, and medical journals. They do know what they do. They are utterly committed to profitability. How many children get hurt in their way is not their concern. How many adults are mauled is not their concern. How many elderly are numbed by their drugs is of no significance." [NOTE: For help with acidosis, I use sachets in my drinking water that have a mineral in them to keep body fluids more alkaline. I have now switched to a powder that you put in water.  Acid promotes disease. To help oxygenate body tissue, try OPC's!  I have had amazing results with these.  Please write me dombush@bellsouth.net for the brand that I use.  Not all OPC's work as effectively.

96. OXIDATIVE DAMAGE - The Journal of Musculoskeletal Pain reported a study in 1997 which showed evidence of oxidative ("free radical") damage in people with FMS. This could be why OPC's help so many people with FMS get significant relief from pain. (See Tips 14, 77 & 95.)

97. HYPERBARIC OXYGEN - A friend told me that her friend with fibromyalgia was basically cured with hyperbaric oxygen treatments. More about this on the net at http://www.arrowheadhealthworks.com/HBOTInfo.htm and http://www.bcna.bc.ca/article-hyperbaric.htm (See Tips 14, 77, 95 & 96.)

98. BEDDING - This is so important!  We need all the help we can get with sleep.  (See my insomnia story at www.fms-help.com/insomnia.htm.)  People with FMS usually need both support as well as softness on the top of the mattress.  Here are some things I have heard from newsletter readers that help them: convoluted foam mattress topper, Cuddle Ewe underquilt, magnetic mattress topper, Select Comfort Sleep Number Bed, and tempurpedic mattresses (although these have kind of a chemical odor that can bother some people with MCS).

99. HISTAMINE INTOLERANCE - A newsletter reader alerted me to the subject of histamine intolerance and FMS, CFIDS and IBS. This seems to be a problem for many of us.  There are many sites on the net about "histamine intolerance."  Perhaps this is why many of us with FMS sleep better if we take a mild antihistamine at bedtime.

100. BLOOD THICKNESS - A newsletter reader wrote to ask if there could be a link between blood thickness and conditions like FMS/CFS and also if anyone had received heparin injections and if so, did it work? See the article below: Hypercoagulation Theory Viable Explanation for Some CFS & FM Symptoms http://www.immunesupport.com/library/showarticle.cfm?ID=3110 Here's a snippet from the article: "Dr. John Couvaras, an infertility specialist in Phoenix, AZ, and HEMEX, began to research infertility in women. We found a hypercoagulable state due to a coagulation protein defect, existing in women that we tested who were infertile and/or had recurrent spontaneous abortions. In 1996, Dr. Couvaras noted that when he put women on low dose heparin in order to become pregnant, the CFS/FM symptoms, pelvic pain, and migraine-like headaches diminished. He asked us, "Why?" As a result of this scientific curiosity, we performed a retrospective study on 30 patients with chronic illness symptoms, and determined that all had coagulation system activation. As the hypercoagulability was decreased by heparin injections, the chronic illness symptoms diminished. This was the first clue to the connection between coagulation and chronic illnesses."  OPC's can also help red blood cells work more efficiently and not clump together.  Write me at dombush@bellsouth.net for the brand I use.

Thanks for reading my 100 tips for coping with FMS/CFIDS/ME! I could have written 500 more, but people with "fibro fog" wouldn't be able to read all those!  Instead, I write a newsletter with new information that comes my way.  It is sent via email several times a month.  If you would like to subscribe, please visit fms-help.com/newsletters.htm  As researchers continue to study fibromyalgia and CFIDS/ME, it will be most interesting to see what develops.  After so many years of suffering, I am glad to be able to function again, although I probably will never be completely "normal" again. I am grateful to the Lord for all that I've learned and for the great measure of relief that I have found. I'm happy to share this information with other sufferers!

If you missed some of my 100 tips, here's where to find them:

Tips #1-10 - Reduce Stress, Get Plenty of Sunlight, Computers, Sleep, Mental Relaxation, Rest, Cold, Heat, Immune System, Exercise

Tips #11-20 - Massage, Excitotoxins, Mattress, Anti-oxidants, Soft Drinks, Doctors, Depression, Nightshade Vegetables, Repetitive Activity, Magnesium

Tips #21-30 - Noise, Calming Herbs, Yeast, Vitamin E, Fasting, Dark/Light, Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), Pain Relieving Gels, Brain, Parasites

Tips #31-40 - "Be Happy," Smoking, Junk Food, Nutritional Supplements, Research, Raw Foods, CO-Q-10, Low-Fat, Anti-inflammatories, Pillows

Tips #41-50 - Sleep Meds, Milk, Chiropractic, Sunglasses, Coral Calcium Water, Posture, Tension Myositis Syndrome, Epsom Salts, 5-HTP, Malabsorption

Tips #51-60 - Progesterone Cream, Neck Injuries, Hormone Instability, Carbohydrates, Prayer, Aspartame (Nutrasweet) and MSG, Guaifenesin, Ions, Colds and Viruses, Sleep Anxiety

Tips #61-70 - Magnets, Fructose (Sugar) Intolerance, MSM, Electromagnetic Fields, "Leaky Gut" (Intestinal Permeability), Migraines, Cytomegalo Virus, Books, Overactive Bladder, Shoes

Tips #71-80 - Methylcobalamin, Mercury Poisoning, Soy and Food Allergies, Thyroid, Marital Stress, Lyme Disease, Breathing, Ativan, Soluble Fiber, Delayed Sleep Phase Syndrome (DSPS)

Tips #81-90 Type A Personality, B-Complex, Brain Surgery, Red Blood Cells, Iron, Substance P, Gluten Intolerance, Racing Thoughts, DHEA, Mycoplasmas

Tips #91-100 - Relaxin, Warm Water Exercise, Essential Oils, Blood Volume, Acidosis, Oxidative Damage, Hyperbaric Oxygen, Bedding, Histamine Intolerance, Blood Thickness

Click here to go to the massive immunesupport.com web resource for fibromyalgia & chronic fatigue syndrome patients!

Before saying goodbye to this web page, be sure to read the rest of my 100 tips. You just might find something that will help! Click on the convenient links located right after Tip #100 above.

100 Tips for Coping with Fibromyalgia & Insomnia

  My Fibromyalgia Story

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