Holistic Approaches to Fibromyalgia

Of people in the know, that is, people who have had success in lessening the symptoms of Fibromyalgia or, possibly, helping others heal from Fibromyalgia, holistic approaches seem to work best. That is, better than prescription drugs which act as a Bandaid approach only because they mask the symptoms, not remove them. With integrative, holistic approaches to Fibromyalgia, the results are better, longer lasting and sometimes they work indefinitely.

Today I’m covering some of the material offered in my new book that’s coming out soon, From The Floor Looking Up, a memoir/ health book on how I got so sick with Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and how I healed. Check this out below. Sign up to receive the newest information about the book, if you haven’t already done so. I welcome each person who suffers with this illness and who wants to get rid of it.

At the bottom of today’s Health Matters Show blog post, we’ll finish talking about “holistic approaches to Fibromyalgia”.

Thank you,
Cinda Crawford, host of the Health Matters Show and author of From the Floor Looking Up

(Audio podcast is 10 minutes 45 seconds)

Today we’ll look briefly at five areas:

I) LIFE CHANGES: a) Get moving. If you are able to get out of bed for any length of time at all, one of the first things to do to start feeling better is to add a slow-paced exercise program to your routine. The best examples include walking around the block, a gentle, easy-does-it water aerobics class, yoga, meditation, or entry level Pilates™ class.

LIFE CHANGES: b) Decrease stress. Another thing to put on your first to-do list, consider how to decrease your stress level. You can cut back on your hours spent at work, alter the number of days worked, change jobs or consider taking a break away from work entirely through the Family Medical Leave Act or provided for by a disability policy (personal or group).

LIFE CHANGES: c) Retool your kitchen and food supplies aiming at making life in the kitchen easier, healthier and a place that offers you better choices such as grass-fed beef, organic vegetables and fruit and lots of pure, clean water to drink.

LIFE CHANGES: d) Concentrate on restoring your body’s normal sleep schedule. The suggestion is simple, but many times hard to accomplish: Go to bed at a decent hour and get 8 to 9 hours of real sleep and complete rest. That allows your body the hours it needs to heal what’s wrong with you and, if necessary, to re-regulate its natural biorhythms. For more specific suggestions, order your “free” copy of 3 Critical Things You Must Know About Sleep to Begin Feeling Better today.

II) GAINING KNOWLEDGE. Putting it to good use. a) Reading and research. I do a lot of reading and research into many authority-figures’ works. Once of the best sources I’ve found to give insight to what is wrong with someone is Karol K. Truman’s Feelings Buried Alive Never Die. If you crack open the door and begin to look within, you may find some astounding answers about what is perpetuating your illness.

b) CONSULTING A TRAINED PROFESSIONAL counselor or healing consultant will help most patients develop effective coping skills. Once you’re extremely sick, it’s valuable to have someone on your side. I like to think of it as having a personal cheerleader and friend who’s always willing, able and ready to listen. I go one step further and offer my services as a healing consultant. The time spent with my clients helps them recover their health and is rewarding to me, too.

Just getting your problems out in the open is the first step towards resolving them. Plus, Fibromyalgia brings with it so many symptoms, having someone to help you cope with them can be a miracle in itself. The possible issues are almost too voluminous to cover in this short post.

III) ALTERNATIVE THERAPIES: Complementary Fibromyalgia treatment options

a) Alternative health information. As you and I investigate the best source of information about Fibromyalgia alternative therapies, we consult the Internet and such a source as the National Institute of Health (NIH) Complementary and Alternative Medicine, Mind Body methods research division. The website includes papers, clinical trials, web-teaching videos and lots of information about the value of considering a mind body approach to your health problem. Some of the best work is being done in the realm of cancer, but much of this approach can be applied to Fibromyalgia. *My point in aiming you at this credible website is to get you to open up to the possibility that mind body medicine does have something to offer you. I see the proof of this everyday in the technique I use to help people heal from Fibromyalgia, Sacred Cellular Healing.

(b) Begin a program of low-impact walking, water aerobics and/or movement therapies, such as Tai Chi and Chi Gong. They can help you stay active and may provide you a much-needed measure of body conditioning. Be warned that it’s even tougher to come back physically, if you allow your body to become de-conditioned due to lack of any exercise.

(c) Check out people who do hands-on work or specialize in relaxation. You can find local massage therapists with experience in working with people suffering with your symptoms. Also acupuncturists, Reiki masters, Chakra balancing, specialized energy work. One online source of relaxation work can be found with Dan Howard and his fantastic Intentional Resting™ Method. Check it out while you’re here.

I find Intentional Resting™ to be a simple yet powerful way to decompress and begin the healing process for me or anyone. I wish I’d thought of it myself! (Also, none of Dan’s products or courses are extremely expensive.)

Also, deep breathing, muscle relaxation techniques, visual imagery, and music therapy can be beneficial for some patients in overcoming emotional problems, reducing anxiety, promoting a sense of well-being and calming over-active, body processes.

(d) An additional therapy to also check out would be a Healing Touch™ program. This type of complementary (a.k.a. holistic or integrative) energy therapy can be used in conjunction with traditional therapies or as a stand-alone treatment.

IV. SUPPORT GROUPS AND ONLINE SOCIAL MEDIA SOURCES: for encouragement, interaction and helping you stay connected to the world. Specify what you’re looking for on Google by using a combination of “” quotation marks, + plus signs, etc. Example: a Google search for the term, support group + fibromyalgia + denver, delivered ten results. There a hundreds of thousands of people in “Fibro” groups on Facebook and scads of people looking for someone to talk to on Twitter. I am one of them! Contact me on Facebook at Cinda Crawford or my page, GET WELL HEALTH. Find me on Twitter at cindacrawford.

There are a few special Healthcare Links in the box on the right.

V. BLOGS, PODCASTS, FORUMS, TELESEMINARS, WEBINARS, VIDEOS & more! To find good resources in each of these categories, do some further research. Or make it easy on yourself by signing up for my teleseminar presentations by filling in the blanks of the box on this page entitled “What’s Happening? Get info by email.”

If you get back on Google and put in your terms plus (+) what you’re looking for (example Fibromyalgia + forum), you’ll get lots of information. Note, on most forums, there’s lots of talk going on with some of it being negative. On blogs, not so much so. On ones like the Health Matters Show, I tend to offer more information because I believe there’s power in what you know.

No matter which way you go, there’s always a good number of information sources at your fingertips, but few health and healing holistic approaches to Fibromyalgia like what you’ll find here with Sacred Cellular Healing. It’s mind, body, spirit healing at its best with a strong emphasis on the energetic and spiritual aspects of healing. Without a doubt, this is an excellent way to heal from Fibromyalgia!

Thanks so much. Please leave your comments. Come back to visit often

Since CFS and Fibromyalgia Awareness Day is tomorrow, May 12th, I suggest we start to celebrate and recognize what we’re capable of doing! We all have something we can do, even if it’s not always a march on City Hall or a declaration to the governor. Many millions of us are homebound and unable to get out into the world to advocate for the very illnesses that stole our lives.

Instead of being angry at yourself or your friends, let me encourage you to advocate for yourself online today. I’m keeping today’s Health Matters Show purposely short because there’s so much information ahead to read, study, watch and more! Go to Facebook, my page there, GET WELL HEALTH and the Events page. It goes “live” at 10:30 am EST on Friday, May 12th.

You can find a) information about a healing tool you can use now, b) four separate videos, c) special rates and discounts on the programs I offer and d) the chance to win one of five copies of Chicken Soup for the Soul’s: Celebrating Mothers and Daughters in time to give for Mother’s Day on Sunday!

You can’t lose! Don’t forget. Visit my Facebook Events page and then on to a fantastic Awareness Day Celebration!

(4 minutes 7 seconds)

Thanks, Cinda Crawford
Your Health Matters Show host

What is ME or Myalgic Encephalomyelitis? Our topic today for the Health Matters Show podcast may seem erroneous to talk about for readers and listeners in the US.

It’s not. That’s because ME, as a chronic illness, is very akin to CFS, CFIDS or Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. Looking at all the facts, I believe anyone can be stricken with one form of this illness or the other. Researcher/doctors can barely classify a person specifically with either one. The truth is few physicians understand both illnesses well enough to know the distinctions between them. Some people think they’re all one in the same thing. Today’s information will help to change that type of thinking…somewhat.

*For a bit of background information, see the first post I did last year about ME, then come back here.

It’s possible that today’s information and brochure will become one of your most important “get well tools” in your health arsenal. “Knowledge is power.” Plus, today, see how ME/CFS Australia is spreading important messages and now a brochure for you to download. (See link below.)

(9 minutes 18 seconds audio podcast)

According to the ME/CFS Australia (Victoria) website, ME is a serious neurological illness. There is no known cause or cure for ME. It routinely affects 250,000 people in the UK alone. Men, women and children can suffer with the illness, but it is more prone to strike in women. Some people do recover (how?), but many do not. Up to 25% can be severely affected to the point where they are housebound or bed-bound needing a full time caregiver or at least in desperate need of a family member or friend to meet intimate feeding, bathing and mobility needs, etc.

WARNING: Do not think ME is about fatigue only. There are a whole lot more ME symptoms. Also, do not think that all ME sufferers are automatically mentally ill. No. Think instead of how some ME people are really, really ill to the point where they cannot think, comprehend or perform mental tasks. Some are even dying slow, agonizing deaths and that makes me very sad.

ME symptoms can include:

• Malaise
• Flu-like symptoms
• Digestive symptoms
• Sleep disorders
• Difficulties with memory and concentration
• Tender lymph nodes
• Sensitivity to light and sound

If you’re thinking that science and research have not caught up to the needs of the CFS or ME population, you’re correct. To my knowledge, ME often expresses itself in people who cannot care for themselves…sometimes, at all. Weakness is one of the main ME symptoms, along with sensitivity to light, sound or movement. (I shed some light on this phenomena in today’s audio podcast.)

Take a look at ME/CFS Australia’s new, explanatory brochure. It’s a pdf and you can print it out for your needs or to have in your health file. (You only need a free pdf reader.)

I urge you to contact me for further information about how to heal from ME, Myalgic Encephalomyelitis: cinda(at)getwellhealth.com or call 1-512-827-0500 ext. 7354 and leave a message. *Note: I’m still offering a “free” 15 minute consultation!

Thank you for joining the Health Matters Show today where we’re discussing, “What is ME, Myalgic Encephalomyelitis -2?” As always, your comments and social sharing are greatly appreciated. Let’s get the word out!!

Cinda Crawford, show host

Whenever I hear the terms suicide mentioned in the same breath as ME, CFS or Fibromyalgia, I am left feeling weak and sad, not knowing exactly how to help. When a person endures such an illness with little hope of a healthier tomorrow, sad feelings are bound to creep inside. The biggest problem is when they take over and little else remains.

Below, I relate the story of Fiona Smith, a woman who took her own life at age 31 due to the despair and hopelessness she felt from having had ME for nine years. When she couldn’t get the help she needed, Fiona must have felt, suicide was her outlet.

Please don’t allow such feelings to rule your life. If you feel that suicide may be your only option, please leave a comment below. I’ll answer you, I promise. If you want your words to be private, say so. I will do what I can to help you in any way.  Just know…you’re not in this alone.

Cinda Crawford, host of the Health Matters Show

(9 minutes 56 second podcast>

ME drove my daughter to suicide
by ANDREA PERRY, femail.co.uk

Fiona Smith had a bright future ahead of her as a landscape architect when she was struck down with the debilitating illness chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS)- also known as ME. After a courageous nine-year battle to get help for the illness, which left her severely disabled and often bed-ridden, Fiona could take no more and took her own life in November last year. She was just 31.

Now her mother Trish has spoken bravely for the first time of the daughter who she described as “my best friend, adviser and confidante.”

Mrs Smith, of Bristol, broke her silence at a launch of a new report which revealed there is a major suicide risk amongst ME sufferers. The report reveals a catalogue of failure and discrimination through the NHS and social services towards the 150,000 patients diagnosed with the illness. The document highlights, in particular, the problems encountered by people who are most severely affected by CFS/ME. Many of those involved in the study have been confined to their homes or even bed-ridden for up to 10 years.

Conducted by Action for ME, the leading UK charity, it is the largest study published into ME and questioned 2,300 sufferers. It found that:

• 51 per cent had felt suicidal as a result of the extreme pain of the illness coupled with a lack of support from the medical profession.
• 65 per cent had received no advice from their GP on managing the illness.
• 33 per cent had to endure a wait of more than 18 months before being diagnosed with ME, despite evidence that early diagnosis can help
recovery.

Despite displaying classic symptoms of the illness, it took 19 months before Fiona Smith was suspected of having CFS/ME and a further two months before a formal diagnosis was confirmed. She became ill in February 1992 after a flu virus and shortly afterwards was so ill that she had to withdraw from her post-graduate diploma course.

Fiona deteriorated, becoming bed-ridden in July 1994 and often had no voice, was weak and in so much pain that she could do little for herself. Over the next two and half years she improved very slightly but still was mainly bed-ridden and unable to wash or feed herself. Without professional advice she plateaued at this stage for two years.

After a battle with her local health authority, who initially refused funding, she was referred to an in-patient unit in Romford where she made a slow but steady improvement. But a series of relapses set her back nearly five years. She had become so weak that she was too frail to attend six-monthly hospital appointments with the local consultant and instead her mother went to update him on Fiona’s state.

He could offer no advice and in summer 2000 he stopped seeing CFS/ME patients and said that Fiona’s GP would have to oversee her care. The GP had not seen another case as severe and was unable to help.

Mrs Smith said: ‘By last November the future looked bleak. Now dependent on others for virtually everything – despite nearly nine years of day to day struggle to overcome the illness – it seemed that Fiona decided, quite suddenly, that she had had enough.

“Why is it that some patients, despite maintaining excellent personal motivation and accepted as not having psychological problems or depression, steadily deteriorate to indefinite total dependency on carers?

“Why do they fail to respond to hospitalisation or professional interventions, which help others? They still seem to be a mystery to the medical profession but inevitably become forgotten as new patients emerge. I feel this category is seriously neglected and badly needs highlighting.

“The undertaker in our small village had handled three other ME suicides in recent years. There are many more like Fiona who are still patiently struggling and we must help them. The absence of a cure can be accepted but there is no excuse for such patients to feel forgotten and invisible as so many do.”

The Chief Medical Officer working group on CFS/ME is due to report on the most effective methods of treatment later this year.

Tony Wright MP, Chairman of the All Party Parliamentary Group on CFS/ME presented the report at today’s launch. He said: “ME is a complex, much misunderstood illness. My post bag is full every week with people around the country in despair because of this illness. There has to be more money put into research.” The illnesses cost the public purse £4 billion each year. Yet just £250,000 is spent on research. Three times as many women suffer CFS/ME than men. Many girls under the age of 18 contract the condition, but there is no research carried out into the illness in childhood.

~~~~~
Now, don’t forget. Leave your comments to “Suicide: ME, CFS and Fibromyalgia” below. The emotions you express, the words you type may help someone else today.

Today I’m interviewing Julie Seibert, host of Reawaken Your Brilliance and her Healing Through Organization, about the topics of self-healing and how to organize yourself even when you’re suffering with brain or Fibro fog. See her great tips below.

Plus, I just love this lady. She’s open, honest and forthright. If she’s knows it to be true, if she’s lived it or witnessed it, she’s not afraid to share the information with others.

~~~~~
Take her Reawaken Your Brilliance TV/radio show. She interviews people who can provide helpful information to her audience of people who want to know about how to live a healthier and happier life, how to feel better and get rid of the illnesses that are holding them back…plus there’s a whole lot more!

Today Julie shares with us…

(Audio podcast is 21 minutes 38 seconds)

Julie shares how important it is to face your past childhood trauma and abuse. She did and she’s living a healthier life because of taking that step some time ago. She believes in peeling back the layers of your onion…no matter how much muck and mire is beneath. Much of the time that takes great courage, especially when you’re feeling depressed. Today, hear Julie tell us how she fought and won that tough battle.

(I often write about childhood trauma and abuse. I do it in a powerful, “get well” way in which both of my teaching/healing tools, Sacred Cellular Healing and the Learn How to Heal Membership course, serve as an example of a healing modality that works gently and effectively. The purpose/ your goal is to get over childhood abuse and trauma and move on with your life in a healthy way!)

And finally, here are Julie’s Tips for Being and Getting Organized, even when you’re dealing with a maddening brain condition like Fibro fog.

1. Tip #1: Simplify, simplify, simplify. Make living your life and staying organized as simple as possible.
2. Tip #2: Have a home for everything. If you don’t have a place for an item, create it. Remember rule #1.
3. Tip #3: Label everything. Some OCD people will like this Just label it. I find this type of tip comes in handy with all my computer, recording, video and audio equipment. If I don’t label the cords and what goes with what, at some point, I will get into serious trouble!
4. Tip #4: And last but not least, color code everything. Julie suggests such a strategy as colored folders for paperwork. I do that, too, especially when I’m being super-organized. I’ll have to polish off that habit because I’ve been back-sliding a bit. I can see where it really will help me.

Yes, if Fibro fog gets to you, consider her tips. And if you get a chance, be sure to check out her websites. She has so many great shows and speakers there. Speaking of shows, she is honoring me by making me her guest on next Wednesday’s Reawaken Your Brilliance show at 8 pm EST, April 25th. Join us “live” if you can for a frank talk about healing, chronic illness and how you can get better. Get your ideas together about what questions you want to ask because Julie invites your participation.

Thanks so much to Julie Seibert, my interview guest today, and to you, my audience. Your comments are encouraged below. Please share this resource at will!

Cinda Crawford, host of the Health Matters Show

Since last Friday on the Health Matters Show, you and I have been looking at discovering many CFS Treatment Options. Today I’m wrapping up the week with a general overview, yet emphasizing the last piece of the puzzle, Complementary and Alternative choices. After the audio podcast, pick up your “FREE” gift for hanging in there with me all week, a GET WELL HEALTH JOURNAL extraordinaire! It’s “FREE” and it’s yours for the taking and using.

Okay, let’s look at this week’s topics:

Monday we did Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Diet. If you’re eating potato chips right now, be brave and read it if you missed it. I promise I won’t fuss, but I do have some great suggestions for you to think about and try.

Tuesday we did Treating CFS Using Drugs and Supplements. That is a hot topic for sure. Most people who have had CFS for awhile cannot manage unless they resort to some type of drug, OTC compound or supplementation. There were lots of ideas in this post.

Wednesday we did Lifestyle Changes for CFS. Now, to me that’s interesting information. If I can change my lifestyle (e.g. how I think, how I act, the attitudes I have, etc.), then I can gain a measure of control that I control. *Please read the whole post before you jump and down and accuse me of blaming the patient. I absolutely do not. This is simply a different way of looking at the problem.

Thursday, we examined the issue of CFS: Cognitive Behavior therapy. That may or may not be a new term to you, but it’s worth investigating. See if you agree or disagree that at least some of the aspects of Cognitive Behavior Therapy may have merit.

Friday, today as I mentioned, we’re doing a bit of wrap-up, but also looking at Complementary and Alternative CFS Treatment options. The first place I’m investigating is the NIH (National Institute of Health), Complementary and Alternative Medicine, Mind Body methods research.

The sub-topics there include Aromatherapy and Essential Oils (at http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/pdq/cam/aromatherapy/healthprofessional). I use essential oils myself to keep me healthy. Also addressed are hypnosis, yoga at http://nccam.nih.gov/health/yoga/introduction.htm, and clinical trials for mind body methods, plus how spirituality is being used and regarded in cancer care. In an age when not so long ago, it was taboo within the medical profession to talk about such topics, at least at NIH, they are addressing and looking into spiritual and alternative medical areas that could benefit the patient. I applaud them highly for such a move. However, all of the clinical trials right now involve cancer, not CFS. We anxiously await the results.

Today I’m particularly interested in a paragraph out of the health professional page referenced at NCI, the National Cancer Institute, on spirituality. It was linked to the NIH and reads this way:

Interest in and recognition of the function of religious and spiritual coping in adjustment to serious illness, including cancer, has been growing. New ways to assess and address religious and spiritual concerns as part of overall quality of life are being developed and tested.

I take that to mean that extremely ill people, like those with severe CFS and ME, may look toward their natural spiritual and religious leanings for answers that they can’t find anywhere else. This is a personal journey of exploration and a choice that I made years ago when I developed the mind/ body, energy healing product that I call Sacred Cellular Healing. I know I could never have gotten to the place I am now without undergoing that process, but more on that story another day.

Today, if you’re tired of being sick, tired of wasting your time, tired of throwing your money away with this product and that which doesn’t work, ask yourself honestly, what does it hurt to look inside of you for a deeper meaning to why you’re so sick? By deciding to be the spirit-based child of God that you were put on this earth to be, you have a good chance at figuring out how to be healthy again. Your inner spirit knows what to do; your body only needs a few tools to get there.

Yes, Sacred Cellular Healing is one of the many Complementary and Alternative CFS Treatment Options available today.

Thank you so much for joining me this week.
Cinda Crawford, host of the Health Matters Show

Anyone who is sick with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (or ME) wants to know the best methods for treating it. There is no exact science. Is there a drug that will cure CFS? Most everyone assumes the cure will come as a drug because CFS is such a horrible physical ailment. The answer surely will be biologically based, right? Not necessarily.

Is there something else that works better in helping a person heal from CFS? At this point in time, I believe the answer is that something else does work very well. (More on the specifics later.)

No “curative” drug for treating Chronic Fatigue Syndrome exists, although research is ongoing and more drugs are in the pipeline. Some current drugs help to relieve symptoms. That’s a far cry from healing the condition as a whole. Plus, you must continue taking the drug indefinitely to keep getting any relief of your symptoms!

To give every area of this huge topic its dues and a fair shake in our analysis, let’s open up the door and consider all your possible treatment options. There are quite a few. They can help some people with symptom reduction. However, again, I find little to help you really heal and get well, closer to that 100% mark. So, next week I’ll be addressing these options, one by one, concluding Friday in a big presentation for the Health Matters Show that summarizes this huge topic and let’s you in on what I believe works for a lot of people.

If you’re looking for the best answers for getting well– really well because you’re sick and tired of being sick and tired– I have information for you. That’s because I not only suffered with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome for fifteen years and struggled in getting it treated adequately, but, I got well and am now helping people heal from CFS every day!

Today I share some of that info on the Health Matters Show podcast, with a bit of the audio file where Dr. Deirdre Rawlings interviewed me about how I got well:

(Today’s Health Matters Show podcast is 9 minutes 53 seconds.)

After I got better, I began to develop my own theories about what works and what doesn’t. I’ll share many of them with you next week. Stay tuned!

• Prescription drugs (and OTC preparations)
• Nutritional supplements including multi-vitamins
• Adjusting your Diet
• Lifestyle changes- Which ones should you make? Which ones may be…dangerous?
• Cognitive behavior therapy- What is it? Does it work for everyone?
• Other Complementary or Alternative health and healing protocols, such as Sacred Cellular Healing

I do not have all the answers. So that this can be a gathering spot for all kinds of good info, I encourage you to leave your comments here for others to see. What you know could be of value to someone else for treating Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. Maybe even the missing part to their puzzle!

Thanks, Cinda Crawford
Your host of the Health Matters Show

Where is the best place for finding Fibro, CFS, and chronic pain info? Often the answer is “online”. Today that’s the case as I finish publishing my long interview with Dr. Josh Wagner, a chiropractor and Torque Release specialist from New York City. I really enjoyed talking to him and I learned several things I’d never heard before.

The way I figure it, everything I learn has the potential to help me. Everything I absorb is another tidbit of information that may fill in a missing piece of my health puzzle. Dr. Josh Wagner taught me:

• More about why chiropractic adjustments using nervous system components often work more efficiently than the standard pop-and-crack method of most chiropractors
• Why my body can get toxic and end up with damaging cellular inflammation
• About the dangers of hormonal imbalance, particularly with Leptin (*similar to the problems of sugar in Diabetes)

Download audio file (Podcast032312-12.mp3)
*Access in i-Tunes!

His easy-going ways and informative style are pleasant and effective for learning via video. If I lived anywhere close to him, I’d be seeking out his Torque Release technique to check it out. As it is with me living so far away, I believe my city has the other two chiropractic techniques he mentioned, Network Spinal Analysis and Upper Cervical Chiropractic Care. Learn more in the interview about what is available now.

So that you don’t miss your chance to hear the complete interview, go to the signup box on the Health Matters Show blog and signup for my teleseminars. I’ll be sending out several more notices to automatically get access to this video. (If you miss the email, send your request to cinda(at)getwellhealth.com and let me know that you registered and what you need.)

Thanks so much for stopping by the Health Matters Show today. In finding out more about Fibro, CFS and chronic pain info, you’re doing yourself a big favor and upping your chances of getting well. How smart!

Cinda Crawford, your host

“New” Fibromyalgia, CFS and Chronic Pain info is available today on the Health Matters Show podcast.

Today’s broadcast represents only a fraction of the complete, longer version interview of what Dr. Josh Wagner and I recorded in a video only a few days ago.

Yes, I’m almost through producing the entire, longer video interview: Dr. Josh Wagner: Conquering Fibromyalgia and Chronic Pain. It will be available very soon. You’ve got to trust me…it’s G-O-O-D!

So listen to what you can today during the Friday podcast. You’ll get a hint of what’s to come. If you register to receive info about all of my teleseminar/ video/ book events, you’re get the information about how to log on to Dr. Josh’s long interview…automatically.

*Look for the registration form at the top of this website, middle column, underneath the main video. When you’ve finished the process, simply lookout for the email with details about how to view this special interview video. I’ll be sending them out soon! Note: all messages will come from Get Well Health, our supporting, parent company. If you’ve registered previously, you don’t have to register again.

Personally, I find Dr. Josh Wagner to be a top-notched, professional chiropractor who’s heart guides his work. Let me explain. He not only offers his patients the greatest care, but he also is willing to give of his expertise and knowledge to people like you and me over the Internet! And he’s doing it right now without charge.

(Today’s video podcast is 6 minutes 30 seconds)

I find few professionals being so open about what they suggest and what works for their clientele. Most of them charge a pretty penny for that kind of access.

Although Dr. Josh Wagner practices in New York City, his new website on the Internet provides thousands of people the capability to learn from him personally. You can read more about the problems of and new info about Fibromyalgia, CFS and chronic pain when you download his FREE ebook online.

Please join us today for the Health Matters Show podcast and then later for the longer version of the interview. At either or both venues, I’d love to have your thoughts and comments. I feel good about the fact that Dr. “Josh” and I both believe that having Fibromyalgia is not your fault. Even so, it is possible that you can do something towards improving your health…starting today.

Thanks, Cinda Crawford
Host of the Health Matters Show

When the topic of Helping Fibromyalgia and Chronic Pain comes up, I am most interested. That’s why I invited Dr. Josh Wagner, a specialized chiropractor to join us for a video interview today on the Health Matters Show.

His practice in New York City involves regularly helping and working with people in chronic pain and, specifically, Fibromyalgia. He uses a technique to initiate change in the patient’s central nervous system called Torque Release. In our video interview today, he describes how this technique works.

(13 minutes 42 seconds)

Dr. “Josh”, as he’s allowing me to call him, recommends you seek out a Torque Release chiropractor, but also mentions that Network Spinal Analysis technique and Upper Cervical techniques are often very effective for such a health condition.

He believes the your body created your Fibromyalgia or chronic pain condition (e.g. not a bacteria, not a virus…). With enough stress and toxicity build up, anyone can get sick. Yet, with the right care, your body can un-create your health condition as well. I loved that term the first time I heard him say it- un-create it. To me that’s synonymous with do it; then undo it. Nice and neat.

If you go a bit farther and dig for the gold, you’ll discover the best healing and health tools, the most healing diet, the most encouraging people to surround you, and your healthiest personal attitude and goals to make your own healing happen. Dear ones, you can’t afford to be afraid of change or healing. Instead, be willing to get in the trenches and work.

Note: if you feel too badly and can’t bear the symptoms of Fibromyalgia or any chronic pain condition, by all means see your regular doctor and have him or her treat you. Prescription drugs can offer you temporary relief (even though they won’t fix the underlying causative problem). It’s important to listen to and follow not only your intuition, but your doctor’s advice as well.

Now for a BIG a-ha moment! None of the current drugs on the market for Fibromyalgia cure the condition. For getting well, you’re on your own and that’s why dynamic people like Dr. Josh Wagner are so important and powerful. He helps people relieve chronic pain and promotes long term healing.

QUESTION: Why don’t you take action and allow this information to help you get well? Is it fear? Is it that you have more questions? Fear can be overcome with knowledge. Be sure to sign up for my longer, one-hour interview with Dr. Wagner. Do so by accessing and signing up for my seminar mailing list. Find it on the top section of the middle column. Yes, dear ones, your own life and health goals depend on you getting this right! Knowledge is power.

Josh mentioned that he believes that many folks need mind/body/spirit healing, too, like what I do (e.g. Sacred Cellular Healing). But today’s post is not about me; it’s about what you can find out about the Torque Release technique and more.

If you’re surviving, but not thriving, this may indeed be for you.

If you’re stressed out, you need this information. I was amazed to hear that Dr. Josh has worked with perfectly healthy executives in doing Torque Release. They achieve better mental clarity in their jobs! That spoke to me of clearing up that old pesky symptom, brain fog. Yeah

Okay, that’s it for the Health Matter Show today. Be sure to listen to me interview Dr. Josh Wagner in the video above. Then sign up for the longer seminar. We’re going to try a video for that presentation, too.

I appreciate your support and ask that you share this info on Facebook, Twitter and beyond.

Cinda Crawford, your host

Anyone who has been involved with me or the Health Matters Show for awhile, knows that your commenting means so much to me and what I’m trying to accomplish for people suffering with Fibromyalgia and more. When you’re not feeling well and you’ve read about something that moves you, your commenting here let’s other people know what you’re thinking. Using today’s social media tools like Facebook and Twitter gets the word out to others. That’s also info they may not hear about any other way. A little nudge to your friends in the right direction might just be the help they need!

I find that social media is often the easiest way to spread the word about what is going on, where, when and why someone might want to pay attention. I urge you to “friend” me at Facebook at both my name Cinda Crawford and on my page, Get Well Health. Reach me at Twitter at cindacrawford and let’s keep in regular touch. I post to all three areas of social media several times a week.

For a great example of how commenting and social media go together and can be valuable to you and your friends, consider the exciting interview I’m doing next week and how you can access it for “free”…

(Today’s podcast is 6 minutes 45 seconds.)

I am interviewing Dr. Josh Wagner, a chiropractor extraordinaire from NYC. He is officially fabulous! He does so much work with Fibromyalgia folks and lots of people suffering in pain. He uses a particular treating technique that he’ll introduce to you next Friday on the Health Matters Show podcast and tell you how to get this same type of work in other locations (if you don’t live in New York). He has done quite a bit of scientific testing with it and found that it works marvelously well with people who suffer with Fibromyalgia and other types of chronic pain.

Using a specialized chiropractic method, Torque Release, there are no limits to the body’s ability to increase performance level, to heal and to achieve extraordinary health.

Dr. Wagner’s patients experience great results with his Torque Release technique. I hope you make a special effort to catch next week’s Health Matters Show podcast interview. Plus, plus, plus… in addition, I plan to interview him for one hour for a second program to be broadcasted on a special interview at another time for “free” also! That interview will be worth your time and energy to listen to because of its special, in-depth content. It is available to you, too.

Its’ simple. Make sure that you’re on my contact list and you’ll receive email notices about all such events. To do this, sign up on my contact list which sits at the top of the page, middle column, underneath the video.

The date for this second presentation will be finalized soon and I’ll be sending out the info shortly. If you miss the event, there will be a replay link so don’t let scheduling be a problem. You can catch the replay at your convenience after the event has aired.

*If you’re already on my teleseminar list, you don’t need to sign up a second time. You’ll receive the info. However, if you’ve never signed up, there is a multi-step process that you need to follow to the end. It’s important to do all steps because in doing so, you get what you signed up for AND eliminate spam.

So what else do you need to do today? Either comment on today’s broadcast (e.g. ask a question of him) or wait until after next Friday’s short podcast interview. Ask Dr. Wagner any question you like about Fibromyalgia, pain, how he helps his patients manage it, etc. I’ll see that he gets every question. Remember, ask right here or wait until after next week’s short interview/ podcast. He either will comment here or wait to address your question(s) during the hour-long interview.

No matter how you approach your questions and need for information, this is a good opportunity to find out the answers here on the Health Matters Show. And don’t forget that your friends may benefit from having access to this opportunity, too.

Thanks so much for joining me today. I’m Cinda Crawford, your host.

PS: If you share this post and podcast through a social media sharing tool like Facebook, Twitter, etc., you may help out a friend or someone in real need. See the easy share buttons below.

It’s long been known within the CFS (Chronic Fatigue Syndrome) and ME (Myalgic Encephalomyelitis) community that…

In the UK, the situation is worse. ME is the more common diagnosis of these symptoms in the UK, but too many doctors and clinics DO NOT UNDERSTAND the immunological dysfunction components of it– at all. (*See a special video below of two doctors talking about this issue and more. “ME is a bonafide, genuine medical condition.”)

But first, listen carefully to the podcast today featuring some very young “voices” and testimonies. Their stories make me sad. Also below is recent information provided by Dr William Weir, the medical adviser to the Northern Ireland’s ME Association.

(Today’s podcast is 10 minutes 23 seconds long.)

He believes government needs to spend more money on providing better services for people with the condition and on educating some GPs as to how to make a proper ME diagnosis.

But he says it is also very important that the exact cause of ME is found.

Dr William Weir said: “There was a very prevalent school of thought that this condition was due to a psychological disorder.

“There are still many in the medical establishment who think it is just that, but the evidence I think nowadays is irrefutable in favour of immunological dysfunction.

“Many patients I see tell me they feel they have the flu all the time and it is a very different condition from depressive illness which is sometimes the label which is applied to people with this problem.”

Check out more information about ME and a video at UTV Live News. Unfortunately the “ME Cry for Help” video is not available in the US, but by going to the website, you’ll get access to some of the transcript. Also, I’ve placed the second video below for your ease in viewing. The only thing that bothers me about it is in one doctor’s two recommendations to help a patient: 1) cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and graded exercise.

Among the CFS/ME patient community, the value of these techniques is debatable; there are those who consider it possibly harmful. Look at this as one size doesn’t fit all. Some people only need mental and social support for awhile during their illness (i.e. They are not depressed in a major way nor will they benefit from (#1) cognitive behavioral therapy.)

Others are too physically sick, too incapacitated for the approach of (#2) graded exercise. Take a basically, bed-ridden sick person and demand that he or she exercise! That’s a surefire prescription for sudden relapse and worse health! These are not universally, dependable recommendations for getting ME or CFS people well.

Thank you for joining the Health Matters Show today.
I’m Cinda Crawford, your host

PS- PLEASE LEAVE YOUR COMMENTS BELOW. YOUR VOICE IS IMPORTANT!

Today’s topic is Healing from Fibromyalgia: How is Self Worth involved in the process? It’s a big one. So often as we fall into the trap of being a chronic illness person, e.g. having long-term Fibromyalgia, we begin to think of staying sick more than the possibility of getting well. Yes, of course, we want to get well, but a chronic illness like Fibromyalgia is so invasive and involves living with so many unpleasant symptoms that the mind gradually shifts from the possibility and hope of getting well to the expectation of possibly living with this level of torment the rest of your life!

That’s not good.

Self-worth can feel like a joke. How can you have a good self-image of yourself when you don’t feel whole? How can you regain what you lost when you have no earthly idea how to go about it?

If you feel this way, you’re not alone. Thousands of people, if not millions, get caught in this dangerous trap. And know this fact for sure…it is a trap! Negative, doubtful feelings add to your feelings of being blue or depressed, if bad enough. It can be a tough spiral to break out of. And when these thoughts run rampant, it’s hard to see the possibility of healing. It’s almost as if you’re not really sure in your gut if your “sun” will ever shine again. Are you stuck? Will you hurt like this forever? Who can help you? What will alleviate your tough Fibromyalgia Symptoms?

Today’s Health Matters Show podcast is 12 minutes 19 seconds long. Listen to it today. Hear how other people are dealing with this same issue and conquering it!

When you’re finished listening to the audio podcast, my second suggestion is to get off your perch and take action. Really! You can’t afford to languish in a low, sultry mood. It’s important to find ways to boost your self-worth (in some circles called self-esteem) and to propel your health forward and upward.

As for now, my Learn How to Heal Yourself membership course is always open and the prices are exceptionally reasonable. If you decide to take it for the twelve months, I urge you to do so at the Platinum level. That way I can help you and offer you the most individual help with the actual Sacred Cellular Healing protocol. (*I do this all the time in my home with one-on-one sessions; -OR- at-a-distance on the phone or on Skype sessions, still just you and me, but using a device to help us communicate. Both ways work equally well.)

The point is…act. Do. Plan. Feel better. You want to get well. Your friends, family and doctor actually want you to heal and once more be more like the “self” you left behind. Discovery of lingering, nagging, unhealthy self-worth issues can play a big part in how you feel. And they greatly influence the mind, body and spirit challenge of healing from Fibromyalgia or any chronic illness.

Take care and Thanks, Cinda Crawford
Your host of the Health Matters Show

Today we’re asking — Are infections common in CFS (Chronic Fatigue Syndrome)? The answer surely is a “Yes!” But is there a CFS infection going on? And then we’ll look at some current CFS research. What causes this illness?

Some people get sick immediately after an infectious trigger event, or, at least, after a series of different ones. It’s common. If illness symptoms hit you all at once, a specialist/ doctor may class you in the sudden onset category. If you’ve been so sick for a long time and you’re gradually getting worse, then you may be classed as having gradual onset of the illness. Sudden, vicious infections can be a problem for a relatively healthy person. However, when you’re faced with a diagnosis of CFS, the issues of being sick and getting well just got a whole lot tougher to deal with.

Infections, whether bacterial, viral or parasitical, are topics addressed in medical literature and studied in laboratories the world over. But, not one of piece of research has ever been clearly identified as a cause or infectious trigger of CFS. Not one.

After you listen to my Health Matters Show podcast (below) on this topic of CFS Infection and Research, consider what you need to do to bolster your immune system and make it stronger. Next, take a look at the transcript of one health reporter, David Corcoran, as he interviews David Tuller about his recent article for the NY Times. (Thanks to ME/CFSForums Firestormm for making this transcript available.) He also discusses a new NIH research project initiative.

(Today’s Health Matters Show podcast is 7 minutes 14 seconds long.)

Science Times podcast interview with David Tuller
Tuesday February 7th with David Corcoran of the New York Times:
http://podcasts.nytimes.com/podcasts/2012/02/07/science/07science_pod/07sciencepodcast.mp3

David Corcoran [DC]: For this week’s health update we’re joined by reporter David Tuller, who’s been following the tangled developments in the search for a cause of chronic fatigue syndrome. David welcome to the podcast.

David Tuller [DT]: Hi, thanks David.

DC: So, what exactly is chronic fatigue syndrome?

DT: Well chronic fatigue syndrome is really complicated, is probably an immunological and neurological disorder. It seems to be probably triggered by an infectious illness of some kind, or multiple infectious illness, which seems to illicit a kind of immune response that is sort of hyperactive and goes on and on and doesn’t shut itself off – which is probably what causes all the symptoms.

DC: It’s quite common isn’t it?

DT: Well it’s hard to tell how common it is because it’s a little bit hard to define – since it can look like a lot of other things. But the
average estimate that people talk about is about 1 million people in the US. And some of those are really, really severely sick.
Really disabled, can’t leave the house, may be not able to tolerate light, heat and so on and so forth.

DC: For many years there was just no such diagnosis as Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. When was it officially recognised by doctors?

DT: Well I can’t even say that it’s officially recognised by doctors at this point because many still think of it as a psychological or psycho-somatic kind of illness, but in the US there was an outbreak – series of outbreaks – of what appeared to be associated with Ebstein-barr virus – which causes mononucleosis – and, so, those were the first investigations of what the CDC then calls Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. There had been earlier outbreaks, similar outbreaks, of a lingering or long flu-like illness from which people did not recover, in the
Thirties; in the Fifties there was a big outbreak like that in London. So there had been prior episodes the CDC just gave it a different name – Chronic Fatigue Syndrome – than other people had called it earlier.

DC: So, now we have the official diagnosis of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome; why is it so controversial?

DT: It’s really controversial because in all the years of research it’s been very hard to come up with a biological marker. When [?] most diseases, [e.g.] HIV or Tuberculosis, you can do a lab test and you can identify, ‘Yes’ this person has it or this person doesn’t. Something that’s a syndrome – as in CFS – is a collection of symptoms and so it’s defined by the symptoms and if you don’t get the definition exact – if it’s hard to describe in some ways – and doctors aren’t sure how to identify it (and researchers also) – then it’s very very hard to get consistent findings across studies; because everyone is using a somewhat different definition of the illness.

DC: And I guess it’s possible that there could be multiple illnesses involved and therefore different causes, right?

DT: Yeah, I think basically what seems to be the emerging perspective is that it’s a cluster of illnesses. So different people are going to have different pathways to the same kind of syndrome or to the same kind of hyperactive immune response that they’re getting. So for some it might be one or more infectious triggers, it might be an episode of mononucleosis, it could be exposure to some environmental toxins; they don’t really know and I think there’s a lot of intensive research now trying to look at sub-categories of patients. Because again, when you have a lot of patients coming to it [the same diagnosis] from a different cause it again is very hard to isolate one particular [common] cause. So I think that’s been a problem as well with the epidemiology.

DC: So, as you report in your article there was quite a lot of excitement back in 2009 when a study in the Journal ‘Science’ identified a possible cause for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. Can you talk about that study and what the findings were?

DT: That was a really high profile study, because ‘Science’ is the most prestigious, or among the most prestigious, Journals. This was study that found that about two thirds of a sample of people with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome were harbouring a retrovirus – a mouse leukemia retrovirus – and 4% of the control population. And so for people with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome who have long been used to having their illness mocked or ignored or treated like something faked, this was really, just a wonderful thing to read about this and to hear about this: that someone had pinpointed something that maybe could be a causal factor.

DC: And, who’s the researcher who led this study?

DT: It was an interesting development, because often these studies would come out of well-known government agencies, or well-known academic centres, and this was a study that came out of a small research centre – the Whittemore Peterson Institute in Nevada which was founded by a wealthy couple – whose daughter was sick with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. The researcher on the article was a former researcher at the National
Cancer Institute named Judy Mikovits. And so once the study was published – really it’s hard to overstate the degree to which the patient population has felt ignored and subsequently the degree to which they adopted Dr Mikovits’ as really a patron saint in a way, because she was really taking their illness seriously.

DC: And then what happened?

DT: Well, I mean over the last couple of years it’s been a real rollercoaster. Most other studies were not able to sustain the findings – they couldn’t find what she had found. One other study found something comparable which was viewed as supportive of her findings, and that was a high profile study also. But both of those studies were retracted about a month and a half ago by the respective Journals, and so the scientific base for what they reported is no longer in existence at this point.

Even so there is a study supported by the National Institutes of Health – that’s a very high profile and large study – that’s continuing to look at the issue as to whether these mouse leukemia viruses are related to Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. That study, which should have results coming up pretty soon, will be looked at I think as kind of the definitive look at this particular question.

DC: So it sounds like quite a tangle, but as you say we’re not exactly back at square one even with the retraction of these studies, there’s
another effort underway to find causes for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and apparently [the possibility of???] some promising results ?

DT: Yeah, I mean it’s been a very interesting phenomenon because I think while a lot of this was going on I think the patient community was feeling ‘It’s this retrovirus or it’s nothing’. You know, and they were really worried if it turned out not to be this retrovirus it would be the end of any attention for their illness; but in fact what seems to have happened is that through this whole debate a lot of researchers who were not necessarily interested in the illness before – or who may have dismissed it themselves – started looking at some of the epidemiology and some of the scientific studies about what these people have going wrong with their bodies and came to realise that, yeah, this may be a serious thing.

And at the same time I think some private philanthropies – who may have family members who have the illness or friends – have come to see
that the government funding has really been woefully lacking and have stepped up to the plate to try to fund some real effort. So there
really are some heavy hitters now involved and apparently committed to looking for causes and treatments, and hopefully that will continue.

DC: And meanwhile what are the prospects for people with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome – are there any treatments now that are effective?

DT: It’s been really difficult [to find treatments?], there are still some people who believe in retrovirus theory and are trying anti-retrovirals. There have been some small studies with anti-virals because a lot of people really do think that, not necessarily a
retrovirus, but some kind of viral infections are causing it. So there’ve been small studies of people on anti-virals for extended periods of time – which have shown some results. There was a small study in 2010 that showed some promising results. But there’s not really anything hard and proven that people can get. I think often that doctors who are expert in treating this, look to provide symptomatic relief, rather than necessarily feeling that they can treat the underlying cause because they don’t necessarily know what the underlying cause is.

There are doctors that have had sporadic and anecdotal success with some patients and I think part of the ongoing effort now is to not
only identify the pathogens at play but also, obviously, to identify some kinds of treatments that can be used to fight them.

DC: So, to be continued… David Tuller, many thanks for following this story for us.

DT: Ok, thanks David.

DC: David Tuller is a medical reporter, who writes for the New York Times.

I’m been burning the candle at both ends lately (proverbially, of course) and my immune system is talking trash to me, thus the title of today’s post: CFS and Germs. Now I don’t have full-blown CFS (Chronic Fatigue Syndrome) anymore. I don’t even have symptoms unless I’m living too close to stress and gotta-get-it-done-now style of life. Even so, today I’m suffering with a runny nose, sneezing and sometimes a stopped-up nose. Go figure. I’m even betting my voice sounds scratchy on the podcast today. But I’m hoping not too much so because I’m treating myself to extra sleep, I’m doing Intentional Resting for my immune system and taking care of myself.

It’s never easy to hold yourself back when there’s so much in front of you to do. That seems to be my life right now with a book in progress and…in the coming weeks, I’m preparing two fantastic interviews for you. I know how much both men can offer us on these topics of feeling tough, not having enough energy, not being as healthy as we want to be and wanting to do something mighty about the whole situation!

*Take a look at more CFS and germs info from quite a few years ago from Andrew W. Saul. None of us can afford to sit on our hands.

Andrew W. Saul drsaul@doctoryourself.com:
FOR SOME REASON, this item caught my attention. It was sent to me by Shirley Bentley, president of the US chapter of the Common Cause Medical Research Foundation.

“Germs Patented by U.S. Government Linked to AIDS, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/Gulf War Syndrome, MS, Cancers and Immune and Neurodegenerative Diseases.

“West Nile Fever Virus (NYC Encephalitis Outbreak) sent to Iraq FROM U.S. Center for Disease Control 5/21/85 (page 275, Congressional Record, May 25, 1994: “Dual Use Exports to Iraq and their Impact on the Health of Persian Gulf War Veterans”) The CDC West Nile Web Site is http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvbid ”

I must confess I found this all a tad hard to accept, at least until I saw that there are actual U.S. Government patents for some nasty little
germs. You can check for yourself:

U.S. Patent 5,604,093: Human Herpes virus-6 (HHV-6) Isolution and Products (Chronic Fatigue Syndrome; Health and Human Services) February 18, 1997 U.S. Patent 5,189,022: underlying viral cause of CFS (Health and Human Services) U.S. Patent 5,242,820: Pathogenic Mycoplasma (Mycoplasma
fermentans in CFS; Department of Defense) September 7, 1993 U.S. Patent 5,827,750: JHK Virus in CFIDS (Grossberg retrovirus) National Institutes of Health Grant RO1-AI-32710. …

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Permission to reproduce single copies of this newsletter FOR NON-COMMERCIAL, PERSONAL USE ONLY is hereby granted providing no alteration of content is made and authorship credit is given. Additional single copies will be sent by postal mail to a practitioner or patient, free of charge, upon receipt of a self addressed, stamped envelope only, to Number 8 Van Buren Street, Holley, NY 14470 USA Telephone (716) 638-5357

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I urge you to stay tuned and support the Health Matters Show, if you can. I depend on you to bolster me in times like this. Your care, concern and support will be returned triple fold. Together, CFS and germs will be more than just a title, but a goal to conquer and overcome.

Thanks, Cinda Crawford
Host of the Health Matters Show