When is the last time scheduled a rest day? I am not talking about spending the day in bed because your chronic illness flared and made leaving it impossible. What I am asking is, when did you last choose a day to relax, give your body a break, and allow yourself to chill out in front of the television for no reason other than you wanted to?
It is like all eyes were on me and that unless I was completely unable to leave my bed, I would be judged for not pushing myself to catch up on everything that I had fallen behind on.
The bad part about that way of thinking was that I wasn’t showing any love or consideration for myself. My life became a full-time punishment. If I was in bed, I was being punished by my chronic illnesses.
If I was able to get out of bed, I was punished for the time when I couldn’t get out. Over time I became bitter towards not only my family, but friends, acquaintances, and pretty much anybody who was alive.
After a decade of punishing myself, it became clear that I needed to give myself permission to take a day “off”. To do whatever I wanted, even if that meant doing nothing but binge shows on Netflix or Hulu all day. I had to love myself enough to not feel like everything I did was a punishment.
A day of planned rest may not always rejuvenate me physically, but it sure does wonders for my mental state. Rest days allow me to clear my head, breathe, and remember that I will be of no use if I continue to run myself into the ground.
A funny thing happened after I began allowing myself to enjoy life, I fell in love with living again. I will always be chronically ill. Yes, my chronic pain has been well managed for the past two years and continues to be, but there are no guarantees that this will always be the case.
I don’t know what the future holds. What I do know is that no matter what my chronic diseases decide to throw my way, no matter what new illnesses or injuries I accrue, I will never punish myself or my body the way that I did before.
Meditation is a way to practice being present. According to Jon Kabat-Zinn, a pioneer in the field of meditation and medicine, meditation is a practice of cultivating mindfulness, which means “paying attention, on purpose, in the present moment, non-judgmentally.”
For this post, I wanted to look at some recent research on mindfulness meditation programs involving participants with chronic pain. The purpose of these studies was to assess whether mindfulness can lower pain, reduce depression, and improve quality of life.
The Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) program created by Jon Kabat-Zinn to teach mindfulness meditation to patients had demonstrated remarkable benefits for reducing chronic pain as well as anxiety and depression. I personally have found that this approach has helped me to reduce my anxiety, improve my quality of life, and manage my pain. The MBSR intervention is structured so that participants attend weekly sessions where they learn “different types of formal mindfulness practice, mindful awareness during yoga postures, and mindfulness during stressful situations and social interactions” (p. 227, Grossman et al., 2007).
Researchers investigated the effect of MBSR programs for participants with mixed chronic pain conditions and the significance of at-home practice for pain management. The study measured results in terms of bodily pain, quality of life, and psychological symptoms for each chronic pain condition (neck/back pain, arthritis, fibromyalgia, chronic headache, and two or more coexisting conditions). The researchers discovered that the degree of benefit of participating in mindfulness programs varied depending on the chronic pain condition, but that overall improvement was seen in almost every category (Rosenzweig et al., 2010).
Rosenzweig (2010) suggests different possible causes for how meditation practice can improve chronic pain conditions:
First of all, nervous system pathways to parts of the brain associated with stress can be inhibited through mindfulness practice.
Secondly, reducing psychological symptoms like anxiety and depression can help because those symptoms can amplify the perception of pain.
Third, mindfulness practice can help improve emotional regulation and coping skills in stressful situations.
Fourth, mindfulness contributes physical self-awareness which could help lead to better self-care.
Finally, mindfulness can help activate nervous system function associated with rest and calm (parasympathetic nervous system), which in turn can lead to deep muscle relaxation that may reduce pain.
Similar results were found in a study of the effects of participating in an MBSR course for people with fibromyalgia (Grossman, et al., 2007). Significantly, the researchers interviewed about half of the original participants from the mindfulness training group 3 years later and found sustained long-term benefits among those who continued their mindfulness practice (Grossman et al., 2007).
One research review compared 38 studies involving a total of 3500 participants. It examined previously published studies that investigated the effectiveness of mindfulness meditation as a treatment for chronic pain. They found that “mindfulness meditation was associated with a statistically significant improvement in depression, physical health-related quality of life, and mental health-related quality of life” (Hilton et al., 2017). In this review, participants showed promising outcomes on pain symptoms, but the degree of improvement was limited.
Research reviews like this are limited in their ability to compare and contrast different studies. Different meditation techniques were used in the different studies, such as Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction and Mindfulness–Based Cognitive Therapy. In addition, the studies investigated outcomes in patients with different conditions, like fibromyalgia and migraine – which is like comparing apples to oranges. This highlights the need for more high-quality studies that include a greater number of participants with the same condition, using the same type of meditation program.
When it comes to trying mindfulness meditation, for people with chronic pain, there is nothing to lose and everything to gain. Prescriptions rarely offer total relief and come with unpleasant side effects. The only cost of meditation is a little bit of time. while the potential benefits are less pain, better mood, and a greater quality of life.
Recently published research stated that those patients with Rheumatoid arthritis had higher pain levels if they also were diagnosed with Fibromyalgia.
“Fibromyalgia is associated with worsening function in rheumatoid arthritis patients”.”The researchers noted that Fibromyalgia is a debilitating syndrome characterized by widespread, non-articular pain. The condition is more common in RA patients, with a prevalence of about 20% compared with 2.5% in the general population.”
A few additional facts from the study included a psychosocial stress element and a suggestion for rheumatologists to consider using a pharmacological approach for treating RA patients with Fibromyalgia. Even though the study attempted to connect a psychosocial distress element there was no recorded worsening of the RA/Fibromyalgia patient.
What the research found was RA patients without Fibromyalgia had significantly higher anxiety and depression scores, on the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). At this point, this worsening of psychosocial status in RA patients minus Fibromyalgia cannot be fully explained.
Researchers suggested that RA/Fibromyalgia patients may benefit from treatment that involved improving physical function and consider prescribing antidepressants, anti-convulsants, and serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors.
The author and coauthors of this research reported financial relationships with a number of pharmaceutical companies.
I am happy to see that research has finally caught up with what we in the field working with these patients knew for many years. Fibromyalgia is a “condition” that makes all other conditions that a patient has worse. As I have written numerous times in my blogs, all Fibromyalgia patients have multiple conditions with interrelated symptoms. These symptoms are constantly exacerbated by Fibromyalgia. Regardless of the condition whether it be RA, Lime disease, Osteoarthritis, thyroid conditions, traumas from auto accidents or work-related injuries, or any other condition not mentioned if you also have Fibromyalgia your symptoms will be 3 to 5 times greater.
A number of years ago I had a female patient that doubled as a famous female singer. Her resemblance to the singer was remarkable. After performances, this patient double would be ushered through the crowd to a limo that the followers and photographers would converge on. While this was happening the star singer was going out a side door with no crowd. It was great theatrics. When she was in town and available I would see her for her own chiropractic needs. After some years this double decided to have a breast enhancement. She actually came in and asked my opinion on the size she was considering. I told her in my professional opinion that she looked just fine and that anything that a person adds to the body may very well cause an immune response.
Bottom line is that my patient did have the enhancement. The enhancement was quite large for her size. Within a month the patient became quite ill and had numerous physical reactions that eventually turned into Fibromyalgia. She was in constant body pain. She finally decided to have the implants removed but it was too late. Her body was racked with Fibromyalgia disease. Her anger actually turned toward me for not talking her out of doing the implants. I don’t know what she did with the doctor that actually did the surgery.
The reason why I bring this breast enhancement decision up is that within the past two weeks there was a television program on how many women were suffering various reactions from these surgeries. Of course, the surgeons and the AMA supported the idea of breast implants as safe, and the idea that this procedure would cause health problems was as believable as the condition of Fibromyalgia. ( That last part was obviously my own idea of how allopaths think if it affects some recognized procedure they are making a lot of money from.)
Fact: When a foreign body is added to your body your immune system will react. Sometimes there is a minimal negative reaction. The body says “we can deal with that”. Sometimes especially if your immune system is already compromised your body will attack itself and cause a medical problem. This problem might be Fibromyalgia if you already have a genetic factor that triggers this condition. Just a reminder that Fibromyalgia is triggered by some physical, emotional, or chemical trauma or multiples of these. I think surgery and implanting objects in your body are considered a trauma. If you have already had this procedure and you have had no negative physical reaction then you are fortunate and your body has accepted your surgery. If, however, you are considering this procedure be aware of possible physical complications. One of the worse is Fibromyalgia.
Talk about “coming out”. Lady Gaga announced she had to enter a hospital and cancel a number of future engagements due to severe body pain and fatigue that has been diagnosed as Fibromyalgia. She was very positive but she had no time schedule as to when she might be able to return to a regular schedule of work. If you have Fibromyalgia or know of someone who has this disease you know that this debilitating condition can literally change your life’s ability to function in a normal fashion.
Hopefully, Lady Gaga will not be just drugged up to be able to perform. I’ve already had some patients and marketing individuals try to send her information on my almost 30 years of working with Fibromyalgia patients. This just goes to prove that whoever you are if you are genetically tagged for Fibromyalgia it can be triggered by any physical, emotional, or chemical stress. As a high intense performer, I’m sure Lady Gaga has had many stressful moments. Regardless of an individual’s position, we should all be praying for Lady Gaga’s health.
A number of years ago an individual in the entertainment business told me that he knew of a number of performers that had Fibromyalgia but were afraid to “come out” because even years ago this condition meant that their ability to work, be on time, remember their lines or just be functional was compromised by their Fibromyalgia condition. If you are a performer and you are causing production to lag due to your illness that’s causing a money loss for the investors you might be labeled as not reliable. That could mean the end of your career. For many of you who are suffering from Fibromyalgia, it has already meant the loss of your job, spouse, and a normally functioning life that you once knew.
In almost 30 years working with Fibromyalgia patients, I have had almost every manner of individual including rich, poor, famous, females, males, and children and the common thread is the loss of the life they once knew. Do not give up hope. We have successfully helped those who have followed our protocol. Getting back to the life you once knew is what we help you achieve.
Last week I traveled to the California Fibromyalgia Research and Treatment Center to visit with Doctor R. Paul St. Amand and his assistant Claudia Marek. During my visit, I found that the research center is getting closer to identifying the genetic component that triggers fibromyalgia and its many symptoms.
Since pharmaceutical companies control where and how much of the research money is distributed the ability to complete the study is lacking. Guaifenesin, the OTC product used in the treatment protocol to reverse the symptoms and control the condition is not something that would financially benefit the pharmaceutical companies. Therefore, the money needed for this study to be completed is limited.
Really ladies and gentlemen did you expect anything else from the same companies that sell Lyrica, Cymbalta, Savella, morphine, and any of the other “answers” for your fibromyalgia.
During my visit, I asked Dr. St. Amand about a paper that was published in the 1990s by Dr. Bennett, a rheumatologist, that questioned the validity of a research study involving guaifenesin and its effects on fibromyalgia patients. The paper has again resurfaced. Dr. St.Amand stated there were mistakes during the research study due to the incomplete knowledge as to how salicylates infiltrate so many of our daily products including herbal supplements. Since that time, published research has proven the validity of guaifenesin with numerous research papers and references.
In further discussions with Dr. St. Amand and Claudia Marek, they stressed the importance that each individual take upon themselves the responsibility to check all products for salicylates. A simple rule to follow is to check the ingredients on each product. If the ingredients state “Nutritional values,” it’s a food that can be ingested. If the ingredients state “Supplements” do not eat this product regardless of how much you might love what’s in it. If you are on the fibromyalgia protocol and you start “playing” with salicylates, you will fail and return to the whole body aching pain you started with. It’s not worth it!
During our meeting, there was a discussion of multiple conditions and how they affect fibromyalgia patients. In my treatment of fibromyalgia patients over the past 25 years I have not had any that did not have other conditions. These secondary conditions either affected or were affected by fibromyalgia, the most common being chronic fatigue.
Finally, hypoglycemia has so many related symptoms to fibromyalgia that Dr. ST. Amand coined the term “fibroglycemia”. In my restricted hypoglycemic diet I removed sugar, gluten trans-fatty acids, and dairy from the patient’s diet for 2 1/2 to 3 weeks. This removes inflammatory products from the individual’s diet during this detox period and also leads to many patients losing weight during this time. Most fibromyalgia patients respond within days with reduced symptoms and clearer thinking. It just takes self-will and determination.
If you’re still suffering from whole body pain, fatigue, “fibro fog,” irritable bowel, headaches, and many other symptoms what have you got to lose but all the symptoms above. You can do this and I am here to help. Call me with any questions you may have.
Obviously, I cannot answer for all of the people of the countries in the world, however, those people that I interviewed for the most part either never heard of fibromyalgia or had very little knowledge of this condition. In my opinion, the people that I interviewed were well educated. Some had heard the term fibromyalgia but had little knowledge of this condition except for some similarity to flu-like symptoms. Any of the other many symptoms related to fibromyalgia such as headaches, fatigue, intestinal problems, hair loss, etc., were not considered or mentioned in the discussion.
For example, a lengthy meeting with a group from Brazil found my discussion both interesting and fascinating but apparently had fibromyalgia confused with diabetes and cholesterol conditions. It was interesting that one male individual from the group had no problem remembering his medication, Crestor, for his cholesterol problem but refused to consider any dietary changes including heavy levels of butter and bread along with excessive smoking. When I mentioned fibromyalgia I was met by stares, shrugs, and questions. Languages caused minimal problems since most people I met were conversant in the English language.
There were three groups of people that not only were knowledgeable about the condition of fibromyalgia but also had either family or friends that had been diagnosed with it. These individuals were from the countries of England, Scotland, and Denmark. These individuals were also knowledgeable because their medical community has apparently accepted fibromyalgia as a medical condition. However, treatments suggested in these countries follow the allopathic pharmaceutical forms of treatment.
Apparently, fibromyalgia is not known or understood internationally by the general public. I also question whether or not this is also true in the U.S. This lack of knowledge and acceptance only adds to the problem of understanding the many symptoms that surround a fibromyalgia patient and the proper treatment required.
In twenty-four years working clinically with fibromyalgia patients I have yet to meet one that does not have some lumps, bumps, and/or water-filled swellings also known as lesions just below the skin. What are these and where do they come from? They most often are not painful trigger points. They are areas of swollen tissue. With excess phosphate and calcium in fibromyalgia patients’ cells, the body is unable to evacuate these and other chemicals. These swellings, lumps, and bumps can be found in muscles, tendons, ligaments, and at times in the joints.
Mapping is the form of examination used in our fibromyalgia protocol. This examination is done by a trained physician such as a chiropractor, MD, DO, or a physical therapist or licensed massage therapist by lightly running the flat area of fingers, the pads, over the arms, legs, neck, and any other exposed area. The location of these lesions is then drawn on a caricature of a body. As the patient continues through the fibromyalgia protocol these lesions begin to disappear.
This Mapping technique not only assists the doctor in monitoring the success of the protocol but also an additional positive stimulant for the patient to recognize progress in the return to health. This is an objective test run by the examiner on the fibromyalgia patient. Regardless of the reaction of the patient as too painful areas the examiner should only mark down those areas that are lumps, bumps, and or swellings. There is only one area that is checked during Mapping for pain and that area is the left front thigh.
Mapping should be done on the first visit prior to beginning any other portion of the treatment program. The establishment of the baseline prior to any medication or portion of the program will be used as a reminder and comparison to where you were at the start and how each patient progresses through the protocol.
Fibromyalgia, meaning muscle and connective tissue pain (also referred to as FM or FMS), is a disorder classified by the presence of chronic widespread pain and a heightened and painful response to gentle touch (tactile allodynia).
Daily variations are interwoven in combinations from the following list of the most common symptoms.
Central Nervous System – Fatigue, irritability, nervousness, depression, apathy, listlessness, impaired memory and concentration, anxieties, suicidal thoughts, insomnia, frequent awakening from pain resulting in non-restorative sleep
Musculoskeletal – Pain and generalized morning stiffness in muscles, tendons, ligaments, and fascia arise from the shoulders, neck, upper and lower back, hips, knees, inner and outer elbows, wrists, and chest. Injured or old operative sites are often most affected.
Fibromyalgia is described as a non-articular disease, but those with the illness know better. Joint pains — with or without swelling — redness, and heat are frequent.
Irritable Bowel— often called leaky gut, spastic colon, or mucous colitis – Nausea – often brief, repetitive waves; indigestion, gas, bloating, cramps, constipation alternating with diarrhea and sometimes mucus in the stools
Genitourinary– Pungent urine, frequent urination, bladder spasms, burning urination (dysuria) with or without repeated bladder infections, interstitial cystitis, vulvar pain syndrome (vulvodynia), vaginal spasms, irritation of the vaginal lips (vulvitis), irritation of the vaginal opening (vestibulitis), painful intercourse (dyspareunia), “Yeast infection” without the typical discharge, intense PMS and cramping, symptoms worse premenstrual
Dermatological– Various rashes with or without itching, hives, red blotches, tiny bumps or blisters, Eczema, Seborrhea, Neurodermatitis, brittle poor quality nails, premature loss of hair, feelings of cold or hot skin – especially on the palms and/or soles and thighs, crawling and electric vibrations, prickling, super-sensitive to touch, flushing – sometimes with heavy sweating
Miscellaneous Symptoms– Headaches – including migraines, dizziness, vertigo (spinning) or imbalance, dry eyes with itching or burning and blurred vision, nasal congestion, post-nasal drip, irritated tongue, abnormal tastes (bad, scalded, or metallic), ringing or swishing sounds, numbness and tingling hands or feet or face, leg or foot cramps, weight gain, low-grade fevers, greater susceptibility to infections and allergies, heightened sensitivity to sounds, lights, odors or chemicals, morning eyelid and hand swelling from fluid retention that gravitates to the lower legs where it stretches tissues and causes restless leg syndrome
This separate entity can be induced or intensified by fibromyalgia. Forty percent of female and 20 percent of male fibromyalgics suffer from fibroglycemia — what we call the combination of both conditions. Symptoms greatly overlap those of fibromyalgia, but sugar craving, accompanied by tremors, sweating, anxiety, panic attacks, heart palpitations, faintness, and frontal headaches — especially if hunger-induced — are solid clues to the diagnosis.
Hyperglycemia must be treated concurrently or the patient will not totally recover despite the reversal of fibromyalgia.
Fibromyalgics with hypoglycemia must follow a low carbohydrate diet as prescribed or they will not feel better, even when guaifenesin clears the lesions of fibromyalgia. Though not mandatory, fibormyalgics with carbohydrate cravings will get a “jumpstart” with similar dietary modifications for the first 30 days of treatment. Carbohydrates (sugars and starches) release insulin. This hormone not only induces kidney absorption of phosphate but also drives it into various cells and intensifies symptoms.
Another fibromyalgia patient just recently has reached that level of recovery that most of you only dream of. I’m talking about no pain and being able to plan to begin living and enjoying life. This young lady is 30 years old and was literally nonfunctional when her parents brought her into our clinic. With doubts and apprehension, she decided to give one more program a chance, and three months later she is a hiking, fishing, and planning on her “new” life.
Three months you say? Impossible! Well, although all of our patients are not as successful, it has been more common than not for patients to reach pain-free levels in three months’ time. The fibromyalgia protocol is that successful. It takes determination and a strong will to follow exactly what we outline for your program. That often is the difference between success and failure. You cut corners and you will fail. Our protocol is not painful or filled with mental gymnastics. The program requires you to get out of your comfort zone of life and diet and follow what really is a simple step-by-step program. The best part is you have me to help guide you so you do not fail.
Try our protocol or check the website for patient videos on their success.
Recently I completed a number of “video blogs” better known as “vlogs” that explain a number of steps in our protocol that might require a video in order for you to understand more clearly about fibromyalgia and our program. When completed they will be available on Youtube. We also plan on a regular series of video presentations that will include information and also a question and answer session for you and the general public. We will notify you as to when this will begin.
Due to the number of fibromyalgia patients in so many different states requesting assistance in starting our fibromyalgia protocol, we will be visiting a number of states training doctors in our program in order that you have direct contact with a trained fibromyalgia physician in your area.
We will notify you as to the dates and locations of training seminars for your doctors.
