Fibromyalgia Cure Finally Found ! Or Has It ?

I recently came across an article written on the Guardian Liberty Voice website.  It was dated 20th June 2013, a year ago, and was written by Rebecca Savastio.

The thing is, I have never heard of this reason for the Fibromyalgia I suffer with day in day out, all over.  So I got to wondering if anything had come of it, and if anyone else out there had heard anything to back it up...

If anyone knows of any other information pointing in this same, or a similar direction, I'd love it if you could share it with us in the comments below please.

The following is the article as it appeared a year ago:

"Researchers have found the main source of pain in Fibromyalgia patients, and contrary to what many believe, it does not stem from the brain. The findings mark the end of a decades-old mystery about the disease, which many doctors believed was conjured in patients’ imaginations. The mystery of Fibromyalgia has left millions of sufferers searching for hope in pain medications. Up until recently, many physicians thought that the disease was “imaginary” or psychological, but scientists have now revealed that the main source of pain stems from a most unlikely place- excess blood vessels in the hand.

The discovery may lead to new treatments and perhaps even a total cure in the future, bringing relief to as many as 5 million Americans thought to have the disease. To solve the Fibromyalgia mystery, researchers zeroed in on the skin from the hand of one patient who had a lack of the sensory nerve fibers, causing a reduced reaction to pain. They then took skin samples from the hands of Fibromyalgia patients and were surprised to find an extremely excessive amount of a particular type of nerve fiber called arteriole-venule (AV) shunts.

Up until this point scientists had thought that these fibers were only responsible for regulating blood flow, and did not play any role in pain sensation, but now they’ve discovered that there is a direct link between these nerves and the widespread body pain that Fibromyalgia sufferers feel.

The breakthrough also could solve the lingering question of why many sufferers have extremely painful hands as well as other “tender points” throughout the body, and why cold weather seems to aggravate the symptoms. In addition to feeling widespread deep tissue pain, many Fibromyalgia patients also suffer from debilitating fatigue.

Neuroscientist Dr. Frank L. Rice explained: “We previously thought that these nerve endings were only involved in regulating blood flow at a subconscious level, yet here we had evidences that the blood vessel endings could also contribute to our conscious sense of touch… and also pain,” Rice said. “This mismanaged blood flow could be the source of muscular pain and achiness, and the sense of fatigue which are thought to be due to a build-up of lactic acid and low levels of inflammation Fibromyalgia patients. This, in turn, could contribute to the hyperactivity in the brain.”

Current treatments for the disease have not brought complete relief to the millions of sufferers. Therapies include narcotic pain medicines; anti-seizure drugs, anti-depressants and even simple advice such as “get more sleep and exercise regularly.” Now that the cause of Fibromyalgia has been pinpointed, patients are looking forward to an eventual cure. Other expressed frustration about how much they had suffered already:

“When are they ever going to figure out that things are never “all in your head?” said one commenter. “Whenever something doesn’t fit in their tiny little understanding, they belittle the patient and tell them they are crazy. People have suffered through this since they were invented. Prescribing SSRIs for everything is not the answer any more than a lobotomy or hysterectomy was.”

The announcement has the potential to unlock better future treatments and undoubtedly has patients all over the world rejoicing that the mystery of Fibromyalgia has finally been solved."

Click Here for link to the Guardian Liberty Voice Fibro Cure article, as above

5 Ways to Relieve Fibromyalgia Pain with Diet

It's well known that what affects Fibromyalgia in one person, may not affect someone else.  But some things seem to be fairly consistent in this disease we know so little about.

I have always believed in diet having a massive and defining influence on how we are and who we are, and am always reading anything I can find on the matter.  So it's no surprise that I have been researching online for articles about Fibromyalgia and diet.

After reading a few articles some things seem to be consistent.  The main one, bin my mind, is that prevention is better than cure.

Now, I know we can't, as yet, cure Fibromyalgia, but we can try and prevent some of the effects it has on us.  An obvious way to do this is to exclude foods from our diets that irritate the FM, and to include foods that alleviate symptoms and ones that help the central nervous system in some way.

We can't prevent our Fibromyalgia, but we can sometimes prevent the worst of it's symptoms.

1.  Caffeine 

Caffeine is a stimulant, and one of the most devastating effects of Fibromyalgia is broken sleep at night.  So why would you stimulate your mind and body when you are trying to relax it and sleep ?

If you can't stop caffeine completely, then at least have a cut off time after which you consume no coffee, tea, hot chocolate or even a choccy bar !

DON'T consume anything containing caffeine after 6pm.  And if you can, cut out all food and drinks containing caffeine completely.

2.  Food Additives

We all know that one of the main aspects of Fibromyalgia is having a heightened sensitivity to pain, with the slightest touch being excruciating at times.  Also, it's well known that certain food additives have long been known to cause hyperactivity in children.  My own daughter back in the 80s, was hugely affected by artificial colours added to food, as well as some other food additives.

What many people don't realise is that artificial additives can also affect adults and their pain l, and in very unpleasant ways.

In relation to Fibromyalgia, there are some additives which are known to increase the pain.  These include MSG (monosodium glutamate) and Aspartame (artificial sweetener).  These additives can act as excitotoxin molecules, a group of chemicals that can activate the neurons that increase your sensitivity to pain. Therefore it follows that you could decrease your pain by avoiding MSG and aspartame.

Why not make a food diary, and note when you eat Chinese take away, or drink fizzy drinks, especially diet drinks (soda pop).  Nowadays aspartame is in many things, not just diet products.  It is in almost ALL cold drinks such as squash, cordials, soda and fizzy drinks in cans and bottles.  It's now cheaper than sugar, so is used all over the place.  Become addicted to reading food labels !

DON'T eat MSG or aspartame.

3.  Fruit & Vegetables

Almost all fruit and vegetables contain antioxidants, such as vitamins A, C and E.  Antioxidants help keep you healthy by fighting the free radicals which damage your bodies cells.  The process where free radicals attack the bodies cells and damage them, because you aren't producing enough antioxidants, is called Oxidative Stress.

Oxidative Stress is believed by some researchers to be the cause of our Fibro symptoms.

Eat a good variety of fresh fruit and veg.  Organic is best obviously, as that means you avoid all the damaging chemicals, but price often is a barrier to buying organic food.  Raw fruit and veg is best, but gently steamed is fine too. Don't boil veggies, as much of the goodness leaches into the cooking water.

There are a few studies that show a raw, vegan diet can help Fibromyalgia, but that is pretty extreme and not for the feint of heart !

If you want to eat meat, then only consume free-range outdoor grass fed meat.  Beef is good because it contains a good source of iron and B12.  Iron and B12 are both important in helping your pain-processing nervous system work properly.  Bear in mind that in Ireland, all pork and chicken is battery farmed, indoors in tiny pens - no grass, no real food. Lamb is outdoor here, as is beef.  So always look for the Free Range label on chicken and pork/bacon products.

4.  Vitamin D

Vitamin D, the sunshine vitamin, is vital to all humans, but most do not get enough with our modern lifestyles.

It has been shown that it is almost always especially deficient in Fibromyalgia sufferers.  What is interesting maybe, is that the symptoms of a lack of vitamin D mimic some of the symptoms of Fibromyalgia.  It causes muscle and bone pain among other things.

Spend as much time as you can outdoors, and uncover some of that skin so that your body can naturally gather the vitamin D it needs.  In the winter you will probably need a good vit D supplement.

5.  Fish

What are known as the 'oily fish', contain good amounts of omega 3 fatty acids.  Omega 3 fatty acids are know to reduce inflammation, morning stiffness, tender joints and reduce soreness generally.

Many Fibromyalgia sufferers also have Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA), or Irritable Bowl Syndrome (IBS), and the qualities of omega 3 fatty acids also apply to those illnesses too.

Eat plenty of salmon, mackerel, sardines, walnuts and flax seeds, as all of these contain high amounts of omega 3 fatty acids.

Update - A Full Diagnosis At Last

I was so fed up with the whole situation that in October I decided to take this blog down. In anger.

I was very low.

Then in November I was lucky enough to take part in the Arthritis Ireland short course called 'Living With Arthritis' in South Galway.

It was wonderful to meet other people who had been through and who were going through the same or similar things as me. And I learnt how to feel more empowered to ask for what I wanted etc when seeing my GP and rheumatology consultant.

It's a very worthwhile course to attend for anyone with arthritis of any kind and at any level.

On December the 8th 2009 I had my next scheduled appointment in the HSE Merlin Park Rheumatology Clinic.

By some wonderful quirk of fate I was there on a day when the 'other' consultant (not my normal one) had his clinic (apparently they work a rota of clinic and wards between the 2 consultants).

This time I saw Dr Carey and a very thorough doctor working with him. I was treated as an individual, asked many many more questions etc than ever before, with exceptional manners and kindness, and was included in all discussions and decisions.

Dr Carey made a diagnosis of Osteoarthritis (which my previous consultant had already diagnosed), Rheumatoid Arthritis and Fibromyalgia. I was so relieved that someone at last was taking all my pain and difficulties into the picture and seriously. Despite the unpleasant diagnosis - it was a massive weight off my shoulders to know just exactly what is going on.

I have been prescribed Lyrica for the Fibromyalgia pain and Plaquenil for the RA. The Lyrica dose is fairly low and both will take a good while to take proper effect, so I will be patient and wait and see if I am lucky enough for them to work. I believe it is 4-6 months for the Plaquenil to take full effect, and a bit less for the Lyrica.

As soon as I start noticing a difference I will post it here.

I have since managed to be able to afford heating oil - so my house is toasty and I have hot water at last as myself and a friend fixed the airlock in the system.

I am taking a lot less Solpadol, partly because my GP doesn't like me taking it and that rubs off - I feel guilty taking it - and partly because it really barely makes a difference a lot of the time...

The pain and stiffness is therefore pretty bad still most of the time, and can at times be unbearable. I only take the Solpadol now when I can't sleep because it hurts too much, or if I am trying to work at something and the pain/stiffness has got too much and is stopping me doing the work.

The rest of the time I try and ignore it.... and I admit to being quite used to living with it now.

I still hate the pain though...

Pain Rant

This is a Pain Rant

A major Pain (and anger) rant

I have had a day from hell

Yet again

And I am 100% sick of it....

I ran out of my Solpadol painkillers this evening, which I feel guilty taking because it is always emphasised to me that they are addictive blah blah blah BLAH

Why the hell would I want to be addicted to something that barely makes a difference to me and my pain ? I've heard rumours that taking 60mg of codeine once will make you as high as a kite, let alone taking it 3 times a day....

All it does for me is SOMETIMES it takes the top edge off of the pain... and SOMETIMES it slightly relaxes the muscles...

And sometimes I would never know I'd taken it... so much for the wonderful euphoric effect

I wish !

So... I had 2 doses and then none for this evening... although the 2 lots I took today had hardly any effect. I have had a day of horrible pain and stiffness, and to make matters worse it was cold and I had to pay late bills instead of ordering heating oil with my meagre months salary (€300 for part time work) !

And another thing... I have apparently had arthritis for years as an adult (besides having Stills Disease as a child since I was 2), and now my spine is also affected seriously, why, at the very most, does my consultant only ever offer me NSAIDS ? Which he knows I can't take as my stomach is ********.

Why after several years seeing the same consultant do I not have a full diagnosis and and am not being treated specifically ?

A part of me says 'Girl YOU don't complain enough maybe'.... And then... at times... I even consider that maybe I'm imagining all this pain and inflammation and I'm not given the required drugs as I'm not ill enough to warrant them...

See how insidious the whole situation gets ?

All I know is I'm sick of IT.... Sick of the constant never ever ending pain and stiffness.... It's like living your whole life walking through MUD, and having PAIN walking through mud... Even opening a door hurts in the joints of my hand and in the arm muscles and in my shoulder...

I have to consciously consider and think about every single movement I make, and I can feel every single movement I make, feel it in every single muscle in my body. I have to consciously walk, it's no longer unconscious.

SO

Despite the fact that I can't even afford heating oil, or a plumber to fix the system and restore my hot water, I will scrimp and save and go without...

I am going to get an appointment with another consultant and if I'm lucky hopefully make life bearable again, because as it is I do nothing but struggle through pain and extreme exhaustion. I have almost no current quality of life.

Watch this space...

Off The Grains - Result

Well its been a while now since I decided to try and see if not eating grains made any kind of difference to me personally.

I was 99% good !

And 1% bad....

Well we can't all be perfect. Especially not me!

I mostly didn't eat any kind of grain at all. I lapsed on a very few occasions, such as croissants... a cheese and marmite sarnie.....small bits of rice... testing a bit of a peanut butter cookie I made for a friend...

I actually do feel a bit less stiff, and in particular much less bloated. But the pain levels are the same. As a result I will definitely continue to eat a lot less grains, in particular ones containing gluten, as the less bloated feeling is much more comfortable all round.

I have some very good tasting gluten free wholegrain organic pasta made by Doves Farm in the UK. They make a fantastic range of very high quality organic flours and related products, which I use whenever I can.

I have also almost completely cut out sugar, but I always put honey in my drinks etc anyway. Maybe this has also helped with reducing the stiffness slightly, its hard to tell. However I ate very little sugar before reducing it.

But I definitely feel less bloated and therefore more comfortable.

And I have lost 10lbs ! Which is a big bonus for my joints and muscles and my back.

Sunshine and Gardening

Today is the third day of gorgeous warm sunshine and pale blue skies here in the west of Ireland.

Its heaven. Its a sheer joy to sit with limbs and skin exposed to the warmth and feel some of the pain just ebb away. Maybe its the lovely feeling of warmth on the skin, but to me heat is one of the most instant and noticeable forms of pain relief.

I have pottered in the garden with 'rests' in between with my legs up and a good book... and at times the sheer pleasure of it makes me forget the sluggish feeling and the all over hurt. I can understand why people emigrate to warmer climates.

Only problem with that is you have to leave behind your good friends. And they are as important as heat.

Besides, you have to be pretty well off to be able to afford to move country !

However, I have the perfect solution... win the Euromillions and then buy a second home on a remote Greek island, or if you prefer more action, southern Spain... then spend your life between Ireland and the warmth of the med sun... MMMM.

I also love being warm ! And dreaming...

Well now its back to the polytunnel as I have a jungle of weeds in there that I remove bit by bit. I won't use weedkiller as I like to grow my veggies and fruit as organically as I can.

I am what I eat.

It is also good gentle all over exercise. I just have to watch my back as I have arthritis in my spine also.

H Pylori & Manuka Honey Treatment

I am still taking the Manuka honey about 30 minutes before every meal and I am extremely happy (and amazed) to report that I have not had a 'sore' stomach for over 5 days now. According to all treatment plans with Manuka, you need to keep taking it for between 2 and 4 months to ensure that all H Pylori are totally killed off and don't return when you stop. So naturally I will keep going (besides it tastes heavenly).

Cutting Out Wheat and Grains

It has been a week now since I ate any grains, and I can't say that I notice any difference in my pain levels or the inflammation. One thing I can say is rather different is that I don't feel as bloated around the middle, more comfortable somehow, less fat in the tummy !

I will try and stick to it for another week, just in case.

Diet & RA Continued

I was reading this morning, yet again, about diet and rheumatoid arthritis, and I found the following paper

http://www.nutramed.com/arthritis/arthritisfa.htm

It is very interesting and adds more confirmation to what I have been thinking for a while, based on my own feelings and experience.

Perfect over your afternoon coffee !