One of the most gratifying ‘syndromes’ to treat using the principles of Integrative Health is Fibromyalgia/ Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. What we have learned over the years is to look for the underlying cause of the problem instead of relying on the symptoms or the disease diagnosis. We may all be exposed to a similar stress or environmental toxin but we could all manifest different symptoms and be given different diagnosis.
A physician colleague of mine moved to practice in a small town in Texas many years ago. After a few years, his wife developed a skin condition called Psoriasis, his daughter developed asthma and he started feeling increasingly fatigued. After much research, he discovered that the well they were getting their water from was contaminated with arsenic. After taking care of this problem all their symptoms went away. All three of them were exposed to the same toxin but all three manifested different health problems. And yet the solution for all three was the same. The way in which our body reacts to physical, chemical or even mental stresses is unique and shaped by our genetic make up, our total environment, the presence of other toxins and our mental conditioning. The old model of this germ or this environmental problem causes this particular disease is an oversimplification.
And so it is with Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. One person with this diagnosis might have a totally different underlying problem or problems from the other. It is a matter of finding out what went wrong in each particular situation and fixing it. Often the history of what happened prior to the symptoms appearing will give us clues as to which direction we need to look. There is often a history of exposure to a toxic chemical or mold in the house but most frequently there is a history of severe emotional or physical stress prior. In certain situations anesthesia can trigger Chronic Fatigue Syndrome or Fibromyalgia. Other times the search can be longer. The below listed factors are thing we commonly look for when we treat Fibromyalgia and CFS.
Food Sensitivities: As absurdly simple as it sounds food sensitivity can trigger Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. The most common food sensitivity that can do this is a protein called ‘Gluten’ commonly found in wheat, barley, spelt and rye. Four years ago a client came to me with strange nerve pains that started after a surgery on his shoulder. I looked for possible causes, but the only clue I got was a skin rash that made me think of gluten sensitivity. Laboratory tests showed that he was indeed sensitive to gluten. Once he got off the gluten, his nerve pains and his rash went away but most amazing was that the mild depression he had suffered from for more than 30 years went away!
Food Additives too can cause CFS/ Fibromyalgia. There are studies documenting the disappearance of symptoms when one gets off food allergies. Click here for a link to a study published in the Annals of Pharmacotherapy, which documents four people with this diagnosis and how it completely disappeared after removing MSG and/or aspartame from their diet! One of them had suffered for 17 years before this simple solution was found! Don’t let that happen to anyone you know. Let them know there is hope for this condition.
Problems in the Digestive System and Nutrient deficiencies: The digestive system is not only the system that most of our nutrients come through, it is also one of the most important immune organs in our body. After all imagine the amount of food that it has to process and categorize into harmful and safe. If your symptoms involve digestive problems then that gives us a clue to what may be triggering your problems. Common causes of digestive problems are low stomach acid, poor digestive and absorptive function, food allergies and ‘dysbiosis’. The normal human gut (using the term gut to indicate the whole digestive system) has about one hundred trillion (one trillion = 1,000,000,000,000 = 1 followed by 12 zero’s) organisms in it. In fact the normal human body has more friendly, beneficial bacteria than cells. Any imbalance to this delicate ecosystem is termed dysbiosis. This can throw off not just the digestive system, but also the immune system and the ability of the body to detoxify.
Hormone deficiencies and imbalances are another very important reason for fatigue and lack of well being. Most classic among these are deficiencies in the Adrenal hormones. Adrenal Fatigue is an often-undiagnosed reason for CFS and Fibromyalgia. But undiagnosed thyroid hormones, sex hormone deficiencies and very low growth hormone can also cause it. Problems in the Pituitary gland (also called the master endocrine gland) have been postulated to be a problem but that is little harder to prove.
I have seen many patients with these syndromes and happily witnessed many transformations. This is not a strange disease without a known cause. With the right tools one can get to the bottom of the problem.
Jonathan V. Wright, M.D., Tahoma Clinic
Leo Galland, MD
Life Extension
Phillip Alexander, BrandMuscle
Tom Peters!
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