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The Mosby Medical Dictionary defines Fibromyalgia in very clear terms as a form of non-articular (joint) pain, with spasms, stiffness and severe sleep disturbance. However, fibromyalgia is anything but a clear-cut illness. Other symptoms related to fibromyalgia may be: asthma, Tempro-Mandibular Joint syndrome (TMJ), ear pain, tooth pain, bad dreams, sinus problems, foot pain, fatigue, stress, joint problems, thyroid problems, high blood pressure or low blood pressure, reflux problems, lack of appetite, memory problems and much more (Keville). The cures are just as varied. A search on the Internet brings up a variety of cures including: magnetic therapy, beef tallow extracts, a variety of herbs, healing centers, Ayurvedic methods, dietary supplements, dietary recommendations, specialized chiropractic techniques and many more. However, many traditional healers, herbalists, and people who have controlled their fibromyalgia believe that fibromyalgia can be better defined and that it can be controlled using some simple techniques you can do yourself.
Kathy Keville, in her speech, "Fibromyalgia" defines it simply as an auto-immune disease. As the director of the American Herb Association and writer of eleven herbal and aromatherapy books, she is in a good position to help others who suffer from fibromyalgia.
She has personally suffered from autoimmune disorders since childhood; in late adulthood when she was finally diagnosed with full-blown fibromyalgia. Her advice is to detect the problem before it gets out of control. She shares her personal history with the groups of people she speaks to in hopes that somebody else will recognize themselves in these common situations:
- When she was ten, she started having severe sleep, pain and digestive problems. Then doctor diagnosed her as having simple "growing pains". Keville says that someone should have instead recognized that these were the first clues that her body was not functioning well and that something in her diet or environment needed to change. At the time, she was taking antibiotics regularly her diet was filled with cereals, snacks, lunchmeat, sugars, margarine and other unhealthy items.
- As a teenager Kathy started to develop more digestive and reflux problems in addition to memory problems. She was prescribed anti-depressants. Again, no one examined her lifestyle, diet, or allergic conditions and the anti-depressant's side effects actually started to cause more symptoms.
- As a young adult she suffered from diarrhea and back and breast pain. She was told "Oh, that just comes with your age."
- As a 28-year-old she suffered severe joint pain and was told that she had arthritis. She did not want to admit defeat by her body at such a young age, so instead of finding natural solutions she trained for an International bike race and took medications.
- At 30 she got mononucleosis and hepatitis. She took a long string of antibiotics, recovered and got married.
- At 34 she had three miscarriages, one child and endometriosis. She underwent a hysterectomy.
- She developed fibrocystic disease and had three surgeries for cancerous tumors.
- By age 33 she was on heart medication.
- By age 37 she had "full-blown" Multiple Sclerosis, which later turned into fibromyalgia.
Kathy looks back on her own history of fibromyalgia and says that someone should have looked at her as a "whole person" from the very beginning. She also pinpoints three factors that could have been easily controlled or detected during either her childhood or adult life:
- Frequent use of antibiotics.
- Immunizations.
- Candida, or yeast overgrowth, problems.
Drs. William Shaw and William Crook, considered the two top experts in the research of candida, have both found insurmountable evidence that candida can cause autism and a number of other auto-immune disorders, including fibromylagia (Shaw, Crook). They cite antibiotics, processed foods and sugar as the three main contributors to candida in children. Separate scientific studies confirm the fact that antibiotics kill off "good bacteria" and cause a yeast-overgrowth of "bad bacteria" in children. For this reason doctors have been told only to give their patients antibiotics in severe cases of bacterial infections. However, many people still cannot comprehend that antibiotics will not work for their colds, flus or other viral infections and continue to pressure doctors into prescribing them. "Doctors all too often prescribe antibiotics inappropriately for colds and flu, against which antibiotics are not effective," said Sidney Wolfe, executive director of Public Citizen Health Research Group. "The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) estimates that each year one-third of outpatient antibiotics are prescribed inappropriately and unnecessarily" (cspinet). This compounds the problems of candida in children as well as the problem of drug resistant bacteria.
Candida can be controlled by a whole foods diet combined with the elimination of wheat, milk products and refined sugars. Over time, these items are added back into the diet at minimal levels. Acidophilus tablets and some herbs such as pau d'arco also help control symptoms. Reducing the intake of refined wheat products, refined sugars and non-organic milk in a person's diet can help them avoid candida overgrowth problems, which include ADD, ADHD, autism, asthma, obesity, frequent colds and flus, allergies, digestive problems, ear infections and much more.
In adults, birth control pills, cortisone, steroids, tetracycline, hormonal issues, and chemicals in foods or cleaning materials can exacerbate candida.
"Immunizations can also start a chain-reaction that can trigger fibromyalgia and other auto-immune disorders," says Kathy Keville. Research supports her statement. The Thinktwice Global Immunization Institute cites the following research in their list of over two hundred statements:
In one study, serious reactions to the DPT vaccine (including grand mal epilepsy and encephalopathy) were shown to be as high as 1 in 600. In another study, approximately one out of every 200 children who received the full DPT series suffered severe reactions.
Immunization: Survey of Recent Research, (United States Department of Health and Human Services, April 1983), p. 76.
A recent study in the British Medical Journal concluded that MMR vaccine is associated with an increased risk of arthritis.
C. M. Benjamin, et al., "Joint and Limb Symptoms in Children After Immunization With Measles, Mumps, and Rubella Vaccine," British Medical Journal, (April 25, 1992), pp. 1075-1078.
Lancet recently published an article showing evidence that the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine may be linked to autism.
A. J. Wakefield, et. al., "Ilcal-lymphoid-nodular hyperplasia, non-specific colitis, and pervasive developmental disorder in children," Lancet, (February 28, 1998). pp. 637-641.
Kathy recommends that parents think twice about giving their children antibiotics or immunizations; but if they must, they should at least follow the prescribed guidelines for safety outlined in the rules of immunizations and antibiotic use. She also recommends that all adults and children follow a whole food diets low in sugar and refined wheat products. To manage the disease she also recommends that sufferers make a list of their "triggers" and use that list to start working on their problem. "Triggers" are foods, events, or items that cause fibromyalgia symptoms to flare up. In fact, Dr. Devin Starlanyl says that this is the most important course of action you can take in managing the disease. He says, "No matter what you do to relieve the symptoms, they will come back if you have perpetuating factors. If you have chronic MPS, or FMS&MPS Complex, you do have perpetuating factors, and if you want to feel better, you can't ignore them. They won't simply go away" (Starlanyl).
Both Keville and Starlanyl recommend that any course of action against fibromyalgia be taken for at least six months to a year.
In my personal experience, I have seen two very distinct cases that illustrate this point well. In the first case, Sara had all the classic symptoms of fibromyalgia. She came to me for advice on herbs and natural healing and I shared my books and herbs with her. She did everything I advised and felt better within a week. However, the minute she started to feel better, she abandoned everything she was doing "right" and immediately relapsed. Her conclusion was that she needed something new. For months she pursued as many "new" things as she could find, never really finding relief, and when she did, she often abandoned the method within a week or two or only used it sporadically. She had a hard time sticking to a method. She had defined her triggers but often ignored them when she was "feeling OK".
The second case was Amina. She had fibromyalgia as well. However, by the time she came to me for advice she had already come across a couple of methods that helped her and she continued to do these even a year later, on a regular basis. She had a notebook in which she listed things that "triggered" her symptoms and was careful to avoid those things, or at least minimize her exposure to them. Her list contained foods such as wheat and items such as fingernail polish. I gave her some herbs and other suggestions, which she quickly and regularly added to her program. She has been using them steadily for three months and still continues to do so. Sara still suffers from severe fibromyalgia. However, Amina shows symptoms only occasionally - perhaps three times a year.
Recent research also shows a tie-in between fibromyalgia and rhabdomyolysis (a deadly disease that resembles fibromyalgia) and Baycol, Lipitor, Zocor, Lescol, Meyacor, Pravachol and other cholesterol lowering drugs. The FDA has already pulled Baycor from the market because of the number of deaths associated with it (Clarrislaw).
In closing, Kathy Keville, suggests that anyone suffering or witnessing their child suffer from inaccurately or unsatisfyingly diagnosed health problems, consider a dietary solution to avoid future complications. She also advises that people re-consider some of the medications they are taking for fibromyalgia as many medications have side effects that mimic the original problem and patients on fibromyalgia may end up taking many multiple medications over time. She recommends combining prevention with dietary techniques and seeking a Chinese practitioner for advice on herbs and acupuncture to relieve symptoms (Keville). She has a newsletter that you can sign up for by going to www.fibrosolutions.com. She gives personal consultations by phone. You can call her number at 816-903-5427. Her consultations are $50.00 for ˝ hour.
However, the most important thing to remember is that fibromyalgia is a disease that takes at least six months to a year to control and one must have patience with their chosen therapy to succeed. For the Qur'an says, "O you who believe! Seek assistance through patience and prayer; surely Allah is with the patient [Qur'an 2.153]."
Karima Burns, MH, ND attended an herbal and natural healing conference the weekend of August 18th, 2001. At the conference she met many well-known and respected herbalists and healers. During the next few weeks she will be sharing with you some of the latest trends, insights and movements within the natural health field.
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