Fibromyalgia
Treatment Center
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Fibromyalgia Treatment Center |
Another quick comment: Advertisements for "bioidentical" hormones," disguised as informaton articles, should not be confused with hard facts. Your physician can help you to distinguish what's appropriate for your individual condition. Some physicians, and I work for one, won't prescribe hormones at all these days, believing that the jury is still out on their safety, and the risk is too high. Others feel that these newer, topical or oral hormones might be safer, although no long term studies have been done to support that. Let me repeat that: No studies have been done to find out if the risks are different for these newer hormones. There is a huge increase in breast cancer and so-called female cancers these days. Many occur in women who were told that as long as they balanced their hormones and protected their uterus against cancer with progesterone they would be safe and stay young and sexy. Well, the long term studies, those of twenty or thirty or forty years---showed the opposite to be true. Experts are still hashing out what might have gone wrong. There are many, many theories. There is no evidence at this point to support any of these theories. Another quick comment: "bioidentical" is a nonsensical word. Something is either identical, or it isn't. It's like "exact same!" No one knows which hormones are safe for which people. We can hope that the human genome work that's being done can reveal that to us. In the meantime, it seems prudent to remind ourselves that youth is in your heart and in your spirit, not in a bottle. Some of us have medical conditions that require the use of certain hormones. These are several of the issues we need to work out for ourselves on an individual basis. The rule in the scientific community is "as little as possible for as short a time as possible" for all medications. I think this should go double for hormones. top 3. What is the difference between FMS and MPS? Dr St Amand feels that fibromyalgia is caused by a system-wide energy deprivation. This lack of energy accounts for all the systems in our bodies functioning marginally and for the spastic, contracted areas in muscle. He believes that it is a disturbance in phosphate metabolism and has literally hundreds of papers filed that detail this as the basic bottom line result in all cells that cannot make energy properly. He believes this common denominator explains the contracted painful areas in FMS muscles and myofascial tissue. He believes it causes the fibrofog and the fatigue. Bursitis, tendonitis, and myofascial tissue simply describe WHERE the problem is, not what causes it. He does not believe that myofascial lesions are caused by a different disturbance. Injuries can cause energy deprivation also, but are limited to the specific area in question. If you look at a cell overworked by exercise and one overworked by FMS we don't think you would see a difference, that is, the end result would be the same. You can have pain in the myofascia all over your body or in one area. If it is part of what we call fibromyalgia then it is not localized but all over. Part of the definition of FMS is that the pain must be in all four quadrants in your body of longer than three months' duration. The real name of the Myofascial pain disorder that is either part of FMS or closely related to it is "Chronic Myofascial Pain Syndrome.' The key is the word chronic, as opposed to acute--that is of a certain time with sudden onset and clearing characterized by a single injury or incident. I read a funny article one time about when they wrote the criteria they wanted it to be something that could differentiate between this illness and" those who regularly engage in bar fights each month and have, therefore, widespread pain and diffuse tender points over the past three months...." top 4. Stimulants (Provigil) and FMS The problem with Provigil (and other stimulants) in FMS is that you cannot make energy properly. The stimulants will work, but they quite rapidly exhaust (deplete) your system more, like beating a dead horse. Then you are farther into negative energy. They do not make mitochondria or do anything to rebuild the energy production capabilities of the body. All they do is over stimulate the existing system that will eventually buckle more under the pressure. top 5. Is the supplement CoQ-10 helpful for brain fog? CoQ-!0 is (as you can tell by the name) is a co-enzyme that is involved in energy manufacture in the body. Studies have been done using it for various things, including prophylactically for migraines. I am personally using myself as a guinea pig for that use. The downside of Co-Q-10 is cost. It is really rather pricey. Bearing that in mind, I am giving it a fair trial, and not introducing any other variables in my life right now. If you have just started guai, you might want to be sure you are at a plateau before you try it. Reason being, if suddenly your brain fog gets better you might not be able to determine if it was guai or the CoQ10 that is doing the trick. Also, you might want to do a short trial, a month or so, of cutting back on carbs and doing a diet without added processed sugars or heavy starches such as pasta. That might also have a good effect on brain fog and would not require you to take an expensive supplement. I am not sure if there is data for long term follow up on the safety of Co-Q-!0. Because supplements are not tracked in the same way as prescription drugs which have often been taken off the market when widespread use detects problems that did not surface in short clinical trials (a la Phen-Fen) it is advisable to be aware and keep checking medical journal resources every so often to make sure nothing has come up with the ones you are taking. You might want to set aside an evening every few months to do a Medline or Pub Med search. You do not want to do this research on google.com because you will turn up articles written by vitamin companies touting their products in what seems like a controlled study. The primary warning I know of with Co-Q-10 is to be careful with blood thinners. It apparently also affects the way your body uses other medications as well (makes them more potent). So, if you want to try it, you have a little legwork to do, but I think it's fair to give it a trial. Again, use supplements as you would prescription drugs. They may not require your doctor's written approval but they do have medicinal effects on the body. Respect and knowledge should be a given with anything YOU put in or on your body. top 6. Are canker sores common with fibromyalgia? Yes. I used to get a flare of them every time I cycled. Usually they caused by the cold sore virus. You can do several things: 1. Buy a stypic pencil (79 cents at drugstore.com) and touch them with it. 2. Rinse your mouth with sauerkraut juice. 3 Get a prescription for one of the acyclovir type drugs if your doctor thinks it's the cold sore virus.Take it immediately at the first sign of an outbreak. top 7. Should Fibromyalgics take vitamins? Dr. St. Amand is staunchly against multivitamins because he does not feel it is safe to large amounts of vitamin A. Several large studies have shown it to be either carcinogenic, or causes cancer to grow. There have also been warnings against certain doses of vitamin E and selenium. In addition, many vitamins carry well over 100 percent of the daily requirement of the ingredients. Dr. St. Amand thinks this is unwise. Vitamins in large quantity are medications and have not been tested for safety. We do know large doses of vitamin B can cause nerve damage. Dr. St. Amand takes calcium, vitamin E and an inexpensive B complex every other day. He tries to dissuade his patients from taking anything else. However, if you feel you would like to take a multivitamin, there are many options available that are salicylate free. Remember to check labels for any plant additives -- those that have a strength which denotes that they are active ingredients, and bioflavinoids. Vitamin C is especially likely to have either rose hips or bioflavinoids. As of this writing, Centrum A-Z, and Centrum Silver are examples of multivitamins that do not block guaifenesin. top 8. Do you recommend flu shots for Fibromyalgia sufferers? Yes. A flu shot can make you a bit achy for a short time, but getting the flu is much worse. Stressed bodies are more susceptible to the virus, and recovery is slow and prolonged because Fibromyalgics have depressed energy production. If you get the flu, recovery time will be several months AT LEAST. top 9. What is the effect of stimulant drugs on people with Fibromyalgia? Most stimulant drugs are a form of amphetamine. All stimulant drugs try to mimic the body's own natural stimulant, adrenaline. Artifically forcing a fibromyalgic cell (or body) to put out energy it doesn't have is like beating a dead horse. Eventually you will crash and be so exhausted it may take months, or longer, to recover. If you also have HG, stimulant drugs will massacre you. The most commonly used (and abused) stimulants are Adderall, Provigil, Ritilin, Concerta, Dexadrine, Methamphetamine, and all diet drugs. The family of stimulants used to be popularly referred to as "speed." Speed kills. top 10. Is there a link between osteoporosis and fibromyalgia? Osteoporosis and Fibromyalgia have no known link, except that both are common in women. Osteoporosis is more common in thin women, and women of certain ethnic backgrounds, whereas fibromyalgia is not so discriminating. Osteoporosis, unlike Fibromyalgia causes damage to your body by weakening your bones. It needs treatment. If mild, it needs at least attention by taking calcium supplements and doing weight bearing exercise. If not mild, or if progressing (a bone density test will show this) then you need to do even more. There are new options for medications you can take such as the statins and Fosamax. You do need to be under the care of a capable doctor for this condition as it can change your life in later years when your bones become brittle. It generally runs in families. Ask your doctor for a bone density test if you are around the age of menopause and it is in your family. top 11. Are rashes a symptom of Fibromyalgia? Many varieties of rashes are common in fibromyalgia-- as is itching without a rash. Often you can have itching and just irritation from your own scratching. Allergic rashes are one of two kinds: 1) all over--which is from something you ingest, either food or medicine, or 2) localized--- which is contact dermatitis from making contact with something. Contact dermatis can be almost all over (from an allergy to your laundry detergent used on your sheets) or under a ring on a finger (from the alloys, usually nickel, in the gold). Heat rashes which are an allergy to your own sweat are normally found in crevices and covered areas on the body. Then there are non-allergic reactions like ringworm and fungus infections which can be made worse by an allergy to the fungus, etc. The kind of itching and rashes that get worse after starting guai are from your body excreting acids through the skin. These are the acids which also give you the odd taste in your mouth, the smelly urine, the burning and itching eyes, and vaginitis and vulvodynia. Your vaginal secretions can be very acidy and even burn your partner when they are bad. Little tiny blister-like break-outs are common too. They can itch like the dickens, and when they are scratched off, they burn. One word of caution: If you are over fifty and you notice a painful outbreak of blisters (that look like chicken pox buds) that travel in a straight line (as opposed to being in a clump like most rashes) see your doctor. If you do have shingles it's important to know it early. top 12. Can FMS cause elevated liver enzymes? There is no data linking elevated liver enzymes with FMS. Of course researchers have been looking for years for any connection with anything, and any blood tests that might be off. The fact that none has been found so far is fairly conclusive. Remember that elevated liver enzymes are a result of some type of liver damage and no damage has ever been seen in FMS. There are other things that can cause liver problems. A common one is herbal medications, or a plant toxin, like, say, certain mushrooms or funghi. A cold can cause your liver enzymes to be high, as can the many forms of hepatitis. Other common culprits are alcohol and anti-inflammatory drugs--together, or individually. top 13. Is Fibromyalgia an auto-immune disease? Fibromyalgia is not an auto-immune disease. Auto immune means that the body destroys itself. Hashimoto's thyroiditis is autoimmune --the body actually attacks its own thyroid as if it were foreign tissue and destroys the gland. ( "Auto" means self as in the word autonomy.) Antibodies made by our own body destroy parts of it in this kind of illness. In fibromyalgia there is no tissue destruction. It's one of the hallmarks of FM, actually. No changes are seen on Xray, MRIs, on blood tests, or in biopsies. If you see destruction--you know immediately that the cause is from some other condition. The immune system in FMS is somewhat underactive. This should not be a huge shock to us fibromyalgics since our mind and our muscles and our stomachs and our fingernails and hair don't work very well either. Our immune systems are probably too tired to attack us! There doesn't appear to be any more of a connection between the immune system and FMS than this general one. top 14. What is Fibromyalgia? Fibromyalgia is a syndrome, meaning that it is a collection of symptoms that occur together, and not all patients have all of them. Women are affected more than men--only about 20 percent are male--and it also occurs in children. Fibromyalgia means "pain in muscles and fibers." This pain must be present in all four quadrants of the body for three months. Diagnosis is made by the prescence of tender swollen areas that hurt when a small amount of pressure is applied. However, not all patients have significant pain, for some fatigue is the primary complaint. Other symptoms include headahces, irritable bowel syndrome, irritable bladder, vulvodynia, problems with memory and concentration, nervousness, depression, and sensitivity to sound, light and odors. top 15. What causes Firbromyalgia? We believe it is an inherited trait and that from birth phosphates very slowly build up in your tissues. At puberty and other accelerated growth times your body uses more of the phosphate you ingest. The build up might completely stop at that time. However, at some point, depending on your genetic trait, you become symptomatic: ie the phosphates have built up to the point where they cause an impediment in making energy. Eventually this lack of energy, dysenergism, causes our symptoms. You will reverse one year of build-up with about 2 months of guaifenesin. If you stop taking guaifenesin when you stop feeling symptoms the build up will begin again and in time your symptoms will come back. That's why we stay on guai for life despite the fact that we feel better. top 16. What is the difference between Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome? Chronic Fatigue is a symptom of Fibromyalgia. All pain is diagosed by a subjective scale - "Does this hurt?" If a person has a high pain threshold, "this" wouldn't necessarily hurt. Yet CFS patients have all the cognitive symptoms and many others of classic fibromyalgia. They don't fit the usual FM classification because pain is a minor rather than major complaint. It doesn't however make their illness different than ours. It helps to think of all illnesses, especially ours, as a bell shaped curve. In the middle, where most patients are--is a mixture of pain and fatigue. At each end are the extremes: a few patients with only pain on one side, and on the other, a few patients with only fatigue. top |
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