Re: Hi again



Michael B wrote:
BTW, have you considered ashwaghandha?

On Sep 29, 5:45 pm, "Cheeky ***" <InvalidEm...@xxxxxxx> wrote:
Most thyroid patients use http://www.canaryclub.org for the saliva
test.

Hey Mike now that we know 100% I have a hormone problem and yeast problem look at this old article posted in AMF long ago. I swear doctors made up FMS & CFS just to make money.
Funny how everyone here has read the information and listened to what the doctors have told them and left it at that.
Yeah so it took a bunch of threats and a few bashings to get to the bottom of this but I never gave up! (Probably at the cost of my organs)

ashwaghandha? Where in the f*ck is that? LOL Seriously the herbs and I don't get along too well. Everyone I did try had some rotten side effect.

CB


Source: http://www.lef.org/protocols/prtcl-050.shtml

FIBROMYALGIA

Fibromyalgia is an illness characterized by severe muscle pain, that is
associated with poor sleep and often depression. It shares some of the
features of chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS). Indeed, 70% of patients
diagnosed with fibromyalgia meet all of the diagnostic criteria for CFS.
The major difference between the two is the presence of
musculoskeletal pain in fibromylagia. In medicine, a disease exists when
an illness has very specific symptoms and physical exam and laboratory
findings. An illness that cannot be as definitively defined and may mimic
other conditions is called a syndrome. Fibromylagia (FMS) is such an
illness.

Fibromyalgia is one of the more common problems seen in a general
family medical practice. It is characterized by muscle pain, which may
be generalized, and tender points, which are localized to known specific
locations. Unlike arthritis, no inflammation is present and joints are not
directly affected. The associated pain may cause aching or burning and
is unpredictable in nature. In some people, the pain can be severe and
disabling; in others there is only mild discomfort.

Although there is no known cause of fibromylagia, its onset may be
related to physical or mental stress, inadequate sleep, injury, exposure
to cold and dampness, infections, and occasionally rheumatoid arthritis.
The condition seems to run in some families although no genetic
component has yet been identified. Current thinking suggests that
patients with the disease may have lower levels of serotonin, which
explains the problem with sleep and an exacerbation of the response to
pain. It may affect 4% of the general population.

The stiffness and pain associated with FMS usually appear gradually
with worsening due to fatigue, physical straining, and overuse. The soft
tissue and muscle of the neck, shoulders, chest and rib cage, lower
back, and thighs are especially vulnerable. The diagnosis requires that all
three major and four or more of the following minor criteria be present:
Major Criteria

1. Generalized aches or stiffness of at least three anatomical sites for
at least 3 months
2. Six or more typical, reproducible tender points
3. Exclusion of other disorders that can cause similar symptoms

Minor Criteria

1. Generalized fatigue
2. Chronic headache
3. Sleep disturbance
4. Neurological and psychological complaints
5. Numbing or tingling sensations
6. Irritable bowel syndrome
7. Variation of symptoms in relation to activity, stress, and weather changes
8. Depression

The following is a more detailed list of potential symptoms that patients
may experience:

Sleep disturbances. Sufferers may not feel refreshed, despite getting
adequate amounts of sleep. They may also have difficulty falling asleep
or staying asleep.

Stiffness. Body stiffness is present in most patients. Weather changes
and remaining in one position for a long period of time contribute to the
problem. Stiffness may also be present upon awakening.

Headaches and facial pain. Headaches may be caused by associated
tenderness in the neck and shoulder area or soft tissue around the
temporomandibular joint (TMJ).

Abdominal discomfort. Irritable bowel syndrome including such
symptoms as digestive disturbances, abdominal pain and bloating,
constipation, and diarrhea may be present.

Irritable bladder. An increase in urinary frequency and a greater urgency
to urinate may be present.

Numbness or tingling. Known as parasthesia, symptoms include a
prickling or burning sensation in the extremities.
Chest pain. Muscular pain at the point where the ribs meet the chest
bone may occur.

Cognitive disorders. The symptoms of cognitive disorders may vary
from day to day. They can include "spaciness," memory lapses, difficulty
concentrating, word mix-ups when speaking or writing, and clumsiness.

Environmental Sensitivity. Sensitivities to light, noise, odors, and
weather are often present, as are allergic reactions to a variety of
substances (see below).

Disequilibrium. Difficulties in orientation may occur when standing,
driving, or reading. Dizziness and balance problems may also be
present.

Substantial overlap between chemical sensitivity, fibromyalgia, and
chronic fatigue syndrome exists. The latter two conditions often involve
chemical sensitivity and may even be the same disorder. Those agents
associated with symptoms and suspected of causing onset of chemical
sensitivity with chronic illness include gasoline, kerosene, natural gas,
pesticides (especially chlordane and chlorpyrifos), solvents, new carpet
and other renovation materials, adhesives/glues, fiberglass, carbonless
copy paper, fabric softener, formaldehyde and glutaraldehyde, carpet
shampoos and other cleaning agents, isocyanates, combustion products
(poorly vented gas heaters, overheated batteries, etc.), and medications
(dinitrochlorobenzene for warts, intranasally packed neosynephrine,
prolonged antibiotics, and general anesthesia with petrochemicals, for
example).

Multiple mechanisms of chemical injury that magnify response to
exposures in chemically sensitive patients can include neurogenic
inflammation, kindling and time-dependent neurologic sensitization, and
autoimmune activation. The scientific literature suggests that there may
be a marked correlation between the body's ability to effectively
detoxify xenobiotic (foreign) substances and the presence of chronic
disease processes such as fibromyalgia.

Epidemiological studies have shown that the tendency toward
depression in patients with fibromyalgia may be a manifestation of a
familial depressive spectrum disorder (alcoholism and/or depression in
the family members) and not simply a "reactive" depression secondary
to pain and other symptoms.

Diagnosis

There is currently no diagnostic or laboratory test to identify
fibromylagia. A diagnosis is made by first ruling out other conditions that
may mimic its symptoms such as thyroid disease, lupus, Lyme disease,
and rheumatoid arthritis. A study of thyroid function showed that 63%
of a group of FMS patients suffered from some degree of
hypothyroidism. This percentage is much higher than for the general
population. Fibromyalgia patients were shown either to suffer from a
thyroid hormone deficiency or from cellular resistance to thyroid
hormone. (Refer to the Thyroid Deficiency protocol for suggestions that
could correct a thyroid hormone defect as a possible underlying cause
of fibromyalgia.)

The diagnosis is made based upon the patient's historical and physical
findings. A history of generalized muscle pain and malaise coupled with
the finding of the specific tender points is suggestive. The patient will
often state that the symptoms developed after a viral infection. A history
of poor sleep is also suggestive. It is important to consider other
conditions including depression and chronic viral infection. It is the latter
that overlaps with chronic fatigue. Sometimes treating the poor sleep
resolves the condition, which would not be true for depression. On
physical exam, in addition to tender points, the patient may have a
particular type of skin and soft tissue consistency that may be best
described as "doughy."

Both fibromylagia and CFS not only overlap, but describe a vague
constellation of symptoms. That is why one of the major criteria is
exclusion of other disorders that can cause similar symptoms. A truly
thorough workup would include things that most conventional physicians
do not look at, such as the yeast syndrome (see the Candida protocol ),
for example. A complementary physician, Dr. Ed McDonagh, has a
very extensive protocol for the diagnosis and treatment of both
fibromyalgia and CFS, which he groups together.

His workup includes dark-field (specialized) microscopy of the blood;
routine blood chemistries; sedimentation rate for inflammation;
antinuclear antibody test for lupus; antioxidant assay; intra-
cellular mineral diagnostics for mineral status; comprehensive digestive
stool analysis for digestion; DHEA level; ELISA-ACT for T-cell
mediated allergy; hair analysis for minerals looking for heavy metals;
amino acid analysis of urine; basal temperature for thyroid function (see
the Thyroid Deficiency protocol ), antibodies for candida; antibodies for
Epstein Barr, CMV, Herpes, Chlamydia, and Heliobacter to look for
chronic infection; and other testing as needed.

Drug Treatment

Treatment consists of managing the symptoms to the greatest possible
extent. It may be necessary to try several approaches before a
satisfactory regimen is found. Various medications and nutritional
supplements that have been studied in clinical trials have provided pain
relief and improved sleep quality in FMS patients.

One study found that 55% of FMS patients suffered from sleep
disturbances, and that these sleep disturbances were not caused by
pain. Alleviating insomnia with antidepressant medication, melatonin,
and/or prescription sleep-inducing drugs could alleviate pain.

Antidepressant drugs have been used with varying degrees of success in
treating fibromyalgia. Begin with a tricyclic antidepressant. If this does
not work, a SSRI antidepressant such as Celexa (20 to 40 mg) replaces
the tricyclic. Celexa has a much better side-effect profile than Prozac.
Tryptophan is now available from some compounding pharmacies and
may be taken by itself up to 3000 mg a day. If it is combined with either
a tricyclic or SSRI antidepressant, the dosage must be reduced.

One European study showed that the combination of monoamine
oxidase (MAO) ...