Earlier this week (12 May) the world marked Fibromyalgia Awareness Day, as well as International Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Awareness Day.
If you are unfortunate enough to suffer from any of these conditions, you are probably rolling your eyes.
The reason you’re rolling your eyes is that most doctors still don’t recognise these conditions as legitimate. “It’s all in your head,” is the usual response when faced with these conditions. It may not be verbalised this brutally, but the attempts to fob you off on a psychologist or psychiatrist imply more or less the same.
Just getting the diagnosis of fibromyalgia (FM) or Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) can take years, even decades, as you get pushed from medical pillar to medical post. To this day, the diagnosis is largely based on clinical symptoms (though there are rumours of tests, but not much evidence for their accuracy).
Fibromyalgia is mostly marked by chronic, diffuse pain and some intensely painful trigger points.
Chronic fatigue is mostly characterised by unusual fatigue. Sleep does not help to reduce the tiredness.
There is a large overlap between the two conditions. There are also other symptoms (especially gut related) that may or may not be present.
Small wonder, then, that the medical fraternity with its insistence on exact numbers cannot put its finger on a clear diagnosis. Neither pain nor fatigue nor gut symptoms are easily quantifiable. No number = no disease.
There are many theories about the cause(s) of these conditions, but no clear evidence.
Doc Frank has dealt with FM and CFS cases for some 25 years and has noticed some patterns:
* Opioid pain killers: In the case of FM, there is almost always a history of using opioid pain killers BEFORE the pain syndrome begins. Since opioids are known to damage small nerve fibres (leaving pain sensors exposed), this may help explain why the pain does not respond to any conventional therapy (and why taking opioids for pain is a really bad idea).
* Antibiotics: There is often a history of antibiotic use before the symptoms of pain or tiredness begin to appear. This indicates a gut microbe connection.
* Diet: It is increasingly clear that a diet rich in sugar, sweeteners or MSG (mono sodium glutamate) makes matters worse. It may not be causative, but it does contribute to the pain.
* (Pre)diabetes: The prevalence of insulin resistance / prediabetes / diabetes among patients with FM and / or CFS is much higher than the population average. Insulin is a pro-inflammatory hormone, which may explain this connection.
* Stress: Especially CFS is often preceded by a high stress lifestyle. This is why a variant of CFS is called “yuppie flu” (officially myalgic encephalitis or ME). Young, highly motivated professionals who suddenly “burn out”. This suggests that high cortisol levels are implicated, leading to damaged production of stress response hormones, such as adrenaline and noradrenaline. It also indicates that treatment with steroids is counter-productive.
* EBV: Epstein Barr Virus infection often precedes both FM and CFS symptoms. It is thought that the virus continues to replicate at a low rate (thus escaping immune detection) long after the initial infection is over. Where the initial infection is accidentally treated by antibiotics, it seems to worsen the risk of contracting CFS or ME. Other viruses, such as herpes, have also been implicated in these syndromes.
* Low Vitamin D levels: Patients with FM or CFS symptoms always have Vitamin D blood levels below 30 ng/ml. Once blood levels are raised to above 80 ng/ml, symptoms often begin to recede. It is ironic that a blood level of 30 ng/ml is regarded as “normal” by all labs in South Africa, while a level of 80 ng/ml is regarded as “high”.
* EMF: Electro-magnetic frequencies (“electro-smog”) seem to play a role in some cases, but not in the majority. Exposure to mobile radiation, mobile tower radiation or even wifi radiation can worsen symptoms in this subset of patients.
* Glyphosate: Chronic exposure to the weed killer sold as RoundUp seems to be linked to worsening of symptoms. There are a number of ways this can happen. One mechanism would be the destruction of the gut microbes that help detoxify the body. Another mechanism likely has to do with the way the body produces energy – glyphosate likely compromises this pathway.
There are many other suspicious toxins as well, such as pesticides, plastics, molds. The list goes on.
How Now Brown Cow?
While there is no silver bullet to deal with FM or CFS, here are some useful pointers from Do Frank’s experience:
* It’s NOT in your head. FM and CFS are real physical conditions. We don’t properly understand the causes, but we do know enough to know these are definite syndromes and not made up by a hypochondriac looking to shirk work. FM and CFS symptoms should be taken seriously even if they cannot be quantified.
* It is NOT a life sentence. If dealt with correctly, the symptoms will disappear over time. There is no quick fix, but consistency wins the day.
* Diet: Eat a low carb, high fat diet. Some versions of this are the ketogenic diet or the carnivore diet. Doc Frank helped develop the FIRE diet. A low carb Mediterranean type diet could also work. Avoid sugar, all sweeteners (except raw honey and xylitol), as well as MSG-containing foods (if it’s in a package and it’s yummy, it probably has MSG in it). Raw food or whole food diets could also work. It is advisable to avoid grains, since most of them are sprayed with glyphosate as a “ripener” shortly before harvest.
* Fasting: Doing OMAD (One Meal A Day) on any three days of the week helps the liver to detoxify itself. It also helps with lowering insulin, thus reducing inflammation. Doing this for three months seems to reverse a lot of FM or CFS symptoms. If you cannot do a 23 hour fast, begin with 18 hours and stretch from there until you get to the 23 hour mark. Only drink water on a fast, about 2.5L / day.
* Mega D3: Our high potency Vitamin D3 can help lift your blood levels quickly. Initially, one Mega D3 three times a week is advised (= every second day). After two months, taking one capsule twice a week should be enough to keep levels optimal.
* Papaya Seed Extract or Manna pH Balance: These products help the kidneys to excrete excess acid via the urine. This reduces inflammation and pain over a week or two.
* Fulvic acid: This helps detoxify the body from a wide range of toxins. The exact mechanism of action is not clearly known. Fulvic acid is known to lower inflammation markers. A dose of one tablespoon (liquid) or two capsules daily is sufficient.
* Low Dose Naltrexone (LDN) and Low Dose Cannabis (Green Immune): These alternative pain remedies help reduce pain levels without worsening the nerve damage. One spray below tongue in the morning is a good dose to begin with. LDN and Green Immune work via different pathways and can safely be used together, if needed. Green Immune can also be rubbed into trigger points. Green Immune before bedtime (one or two sprays) should also help with deeper, more restful sleep.
Note: If you are currently taking opioid medication regularly, you may need VLDN (Very Low Dose Naltrexone) or ULDN (Ultra Low Dose Naltrexone).
Note 2: Banhoek Chilli Oil, applied to the skin over joints and trigger points once or twice daily, helps reduce the intensity of the pain. It is completely safe
* ALA: Alpha-lipoic Acid in doses of 200 – 1,200 mg daily may help reverse nerve damage where present. This is particularly relevant where is a long history of opioid pain killers being used.
* Sutherlandia (Cancer Bush): This herb, taken in a dose of 1000 mg daily, boosts the hormonal axis responsible for the stress response. It calms anxiety and increases energy levels.
* Lava Dust: Lava Dust contains all the minerals known to occur in humans. A pinch a day, added to food or water, helps to improve overall vitality within about a month of daily use. Hair and nail growth is much improved as well.
The above interventions have proven valuable to numerous patients suffering from FM, CFS ad ME, but they may not work for everyone. Where relevant, we’ve linked each name to our shop.
We trust that this information was useful to you or someone you love. It is given for informational purposes only and should not be taken as medical advice. Discuss with your doctor before making any decision about your prescription medications.
To your (pain-free) health!
The Team at Integrow Health
