Some foods or food substances are linked to increasing pain symptoms in many people.
Eating and drinking are some of the few pleasures often left to people severely affected by debilitating chronic illnesses, especially Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. If that’s you, by asserting your right to eat and drink as you please, you may be making yourself feel worse. An indignant assertion to enjoy whatever you wish to eat or drink may not be worth the price you’re paying it.
According to Daniela Boykin, RD, “Ask a Nutritionist” column in the last Pain Community newsletter by the American Pain Foundation, some of the problem substances are caffeine, alcohol, Monosodium Glutamate (MSG), and Aspartame (Nutrasweet). Those substances have long been suspected as heightening pain symptoms (and possibly causing other symptoms)!
Some people experience a lowering of pain by maintaining a vegetable diet and/or a diet higher in complex carbohydrates and lower in protein. (For me, my system works best if I get an adequate supply of daily protein. I suspect that level is a bit higher than what Ms. Boykins is suggesting. I must do what works well for me. Each of our bodies is different in the ratio of protein, fats and carbohydrates that the body system requires.)
However, consuming a high level of fats and sugar should be avoided. In fact, in many circles, sugar is suspected of increasing inflammation. More inflammation usually means more widespread body pain.
From the newsletter:
The most practical thing to do is keep a food diary and note what you are eating while monitoring your pain to find out how foods make you feel. As with other chronic illnesses, persistent pain should incorporate a variety of treatment approaches and eating well can help boost energy and mood. Try to work with a registered dietition or nutritionist in partnership with your healthcare provider to work out a plan for healthy eating and physical activity.
To eat and drink what is best for your body and health takes conscious thought and planning for most people. Be sure that you don’t take yourself for granted at any time and instead quit eating and planning for your good health.
Thanks, Cinda Crawford
Host of the Health Matters Show
Just a few days ago, Dr. Judy Mikovitz made a lengthy presentation about XMRV, the suspected new retrovirus and possible causal agent for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. The HHV-6 Foundation and ProHealth.com sponsored this event.
Here is the free link to the video, plus there are several other videos on Vimeo concerning this subject of XMRV research. The videos are a bit hard to hear, but they’re worth your time in viewing them. Turn up your speakers and listen -or- mark them to come back to later.
Hopefully, the major questions about the connection between XMRV and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome are not going away anytime soon because researchers will thoroughly investigate them and the long term health implications.
I’m looking forward to solid, verifiable data and I think we’re going to get it. Thank goodness for brave researchers like Dr. Judy Mikovitz and the people and organizations that support her like the HHV-6 Foundation and ProHealth.com!
Thanks, Cinda Crawford
Host of the Health Matters Show
Have you heard about some of the alternatives to expensive, high-priced prescription drugs to relieve Fibromyalgia pain symptoms? To help with some of the other awful symptoms of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome? Well, I say don’t be blinded or stick your fingers in your ears any longer because today we’re discussing two great choices, plus the second choice will be discussed in detail during the audio/ podcast version of today’s Health Matters Show. It includes specific information about products to help you feel better and help to improve the quality of your health.
LET’S GET STARTED.
ANSWER #1, of course, is not the brand new prescription drugs that get all the media hype, press attention and advertising dollars. Certainly those new drugs are out there and may be worth investigating if what you’re doing isn’t working, but you’ll pay a lot of money out of pocket if you make this choice. For those people who are absolutely determined to find less expensive answers that are highly effective, you’re in the right place today.
Note: When you completely finish reading the post and listening to the audio podcast for the Health Matters Show, come back here and click on this link at About.com, but don’t do it yet. Hang in here with me for a few minutes. This is important and you don’t want to miss anything or get side-tracked.
<><><><><>
*Today’s Health Matters Show podcast is whoppingly big and super packed with information. That’s why it’s 41 minutes and 50 seconds. Don’t miss even one single, itty-bitty second. You just won’t find such quality “how to heal” information on the Internet anywhere else!
<><><><><>
[click to continue…]
As you probably know, the vaccine, prescription drug Gardasil, produced by Merck, is advertised in the medical marketplace to help guard against someone contracting HPV (Human Papillomavirus), which can cause cervical cancer and other outcomes. The vaccine has been marketed and recommended for girls as young as age nine.
It’s been a few months since I blogged about Gardasil, but it’s time again. I (and a lot of other people) believe that so many vaccines in our systems may set us up for immune system dysregulation and confusion. And when the subject, immune system dysregulation comes up, I’m ripe and ready to listen to what can cause such an occurrence. I lived with it most of my life and I can’t imagine doing anything further to cause dysregulation of my immune system! (The latest occurrence was a terrificly tough case of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS).)
FACT: Every vaccine and every prescription drug that you put into your body has the chance to negatively impact your immune system! And you never know what that impact will be.
That’s why I do not take a prescription drug unless absolutely necessary. I first look for alternative health means to solve my problems.
Since my last post about Gardasil, I’ve found a lot more information. I’m trying not to repeat myself, so be sure to put the term “Gardasil” in the search engine on this website to read my past posts. Now, here are the additional resources:
[click to continue…]
When it comes to managing your pain level to actually get some pain relief, everyone is interested, especially if they endure chronic pain and need pain management. It can be such an important component of living a happy life! (Almost everyone that I know who carries the diagnosis of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome has the symptom of chronic pain -and- absolutely everyone who has Fibromyalgia fights it all the time.)
Pain is one symptom that can feel like it’s taking over your life!
Recently I found a good resource for you…
[click to continue…]
Most of the time when a person is watching a research drama (like the connection of the XMRV retrovirus and ME/CFS or Chronic Fatigue Syndrome) unfold with opinion (s) and contradicting research on both sides, that person is quiet.
Not so with me any longer, because I’m not sure we’re comparing apples to apples. To begin this discussion, read about this week’s happenings and what we can expect next week. Then let me know what you think about this opinion piece and my “publication” concerns:
“On January 22, Dr. Judy Mikovits, PhD, director of research for the Whittemore Peterson Institute for Neuro-Immune Disease, conducted a 2½-hour XMRV seminar in Santa Barbara that was streamed live online to an audience of more than 1,100,” reports ProHealth, plus a video on this event is due out early next week.
Sponsored jointly by the HHV-6 Foundation and Prohealth, this presentation plus a question and answer session covered many areas evident in this debate.
Per information at ProHealth.com:
- a) Interesting details, clarifications, insights, and plans that patients and researchers have speculated about since October 2009 (since discovery of the XMRV retrovirus in ME/CFS patients’ blood)
- b) The latest non-confirmation effort by UK researchers, as published in PLoS, the Public Library of Science and a non-profit organization.
Now, to highlight what could be amiss in this situation, I’ve heard that…
[click to continue…]
The value of Mindfulness, as a health concept, can be seen as you become more aware of your world and are better equipped at reducing your stress level and achieving more stress relief. Mindfulness is also a very popular philosophy. It’s getting more press and I could not be more pleased. As I read an article in the Seattle Times, I am reminded just how much of our world needs great tools for stress relief to help:
1) Our military veterans returning from active duty (for stress level reduction) and
2) The group of people fighting severe chronic illnesses, such as Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
As you read the article…
[click to continue…]
New research from London warns that prolonged sitting endangers your health.
Even if you exercise regularly, scientists are increasingly warning that sitting for prolonged periods could be bad for your long term health.
And the type of sitting you do does not seem to matter: at the office in your work chair, at school attending classes, in the car commuting to work or before a computer or the television trying to wind down after a stressful day. The overall number of hours that you sit during the day seems to be the problem and the risk factor here.
Most of us knew that sitting for long periods of time endangers and spreads the waistline and hips, but actually the act of sitting being an overall health risk? Yes, that’s news. Check out the following link… .
[click to continue…]
Almost everyone who suffers with Fibromyalgia or Chronic Fatigue Syndrome wonders about stopping muscle pain quickly. How do you do it? Today on the Health Matters Show, I’ll give you 3 tricks that work for me and some examples of how to do them yourself.
Since I’ve healed, I don’t have the tremendous, ongoing volume of muscle pain like I used to experience. Thank God, it’s not there anymore.
That does not mean that I don’t have pain. Because I’m still a bit physically de-conditioned, I am overweight for my body size, I have two slightly bulging spinal discs and I don’t have all the energy that I need when I get ready to do something really physical, I still experience some pain.
Now, of course, being inspired and motivated to engage in a physical activity helps, so that leads me to explain my first example today about stopping muscle pain quickly. This last Monday night I had my first Tai Chi session in over twenty years. I still remembered some things, but I could tell that my body was older and not in as good a shape as before.
The instructor had us warm up with some energy enhancing stretches, one of which he described as hugging a tree. (Sorry I don’t remember the specific name of the posture… .) We were told to stand tall in a good, straight stance. Imagine a string being attached to the top of my head near the back portion. As that string was gently pulled upward to the ceiling, I was to straighten and lengthen my spine with my shoulders back. As I breathed in deeply, I was to imagine energy coming up from the earth and through my feet, the energy rising to the top of my head and then settling back down into my hands which I held out in front of me hugging that imaginary tree.
Now this exercise was wonderful, exciting, and energizing for about two minutes. As I stood there, my back began to ache and my energy waned. I noticed these symptoms, but instead of panicking, I decided to practice mindfulness and be proactive. I had the intention of stopping my pain before it got worse.
(Audio podcast is 14 minutes 32 seconds)
Here’s what happened…
[click to continue…]
Whether you’re searching for information and answers on Fibromyalgia, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome or other chronic health problems, often you can find good health information on the web, if you know where to look and who to pay attention to. That can be a significant fact in your search for meaningful answers.
At the Health Matters Show I try very hard to provide you with great sources of health information to help you re-make yourself into being all that you can be– healthwise and on a mind/body/spirit basis. I believe I’ve demonstrated the “health information” facts this week alone. (Feel free to review the timely announcements about Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, if you missed them. See the blog post references that follow and the comments to those posts:
(Today’s Health Matters Show audio podcast is 8 minutes 27 seconds.)
[click to continue…]
In establishing a link between the XMRV retrovirus, the proliferation of CFS (Chronic Fatigue Syndrome), and the possible danger to the blood supply network, testing finally has been ordered in the midst of all this controversy. It’s about time! As reported by the CFIDS Association of America:
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Blood XMRV Scientific Research Working Group has been established to delineate the research studies that should be undertaken to evaluate whether XMRV represents a risk to the safety of the blood supply. As a first step in this evaluation, analytical panels are being developed by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Retrovirus Epidemiology Donor Study-II (REDS-II) that will allow for multiple laboratories to standardize methods to optimize sensitive detection of XMRV proviral DNA and viral RNA. Once methods are standardized, these same laboratories will test coded panels of blood samples obtained primarily from healthy blood donors and from CFS patients who have been reported to be positive for XMRV.
This study needs to be done to prove or disprove the facts about the relationship bettween XMRV, CFS and the blood supply.
Personally, I never gave blood because of how incredibly ill I was with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome in 1990. I remember reading at the time (probably from the CFIDS Association of America!) that there was a question of transmissability and “whatever the cause of CFS” was might show up in the blood supply and cause a more widespread problem. Whether I was wise or simply overly cautious remains to be seen.
Either way, now is the time to get the answer to this important question. We all need to know. This issue could be vital in getting a handle on the number of people who “get” CFS each year.
Let’s expect the answer from the Department of Health and Human Services Blood XMRV Scientific Research Working Group as soon as possible. And thanks to the CFIDS Association of America for the fine work they’ve done for so many years concerning all issues of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome!
To your health and mine,
Cinda Crawford, host of the Health Matters Show
As reported at the CFIDS Association of America website, Susan D. Vernon, Ph.D., states that the rigor of scientific study into the cause and effect relationship of XMRV and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) in the recent UK (United Kingdom) investigation (PLoS One) does not meet the same quality of testing as what has been (and is being) done at WPI, the Whittemore Peterson Institute, in the United States.
She gives specific examples why the PLoS ONE and WPI testing methods differ:
- The blood was collected from CFS patients in different types of blood collection tubes.
- The genomic DNA was extracted and purified using different techniques,
- The amount of genomic DNA included in the amplification assay was different,
- Different primer sequences were used that amplified different regions of the XMRV proviral DNA
- The conditions of the PCR amplification assay were different – from the numbers of cycles, to the type of polymerase used.
Her conclusion (paraphrased)…
[click to continue…]
For more news about what is happening in the UK on the subject of XMRV and CFS, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, ME/CFS and more, check out this link at the ME Association. You’ll find all of their published and up-to-date research articles. You may want to bookmark this page and visit it often (like you do the Health Matters Show!).
Also, as published by Co-Cure:
[click to continue…]
Alas, we knew that there might be a failure to replicate XMRV in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) patients, but does this spell the end? I doubt it. Much testing of this sort is necessary to confirm the relationships between XMRV, CFS and ME/CFS. It may be a long time before concrete results are nailed down and we have proven facts. Remember: this hasn’t been a short journey and there’s no reason to think that we’re at the end of the road yet.
Take a look at the findings from this European contingent: Jefferiss Research Trust Laboratories, Section of Infectious Diseases, Wright-Fleming Institute, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, St Mary’s Campus, Norfolk Place, London, United Kingdom, 2 Social Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry (King’s College London) De Crespigny Park, Denmark Hill, London, United Kingdom, 3 Department of Psychological Medicine, Institute of Psychiatry, King’s College London, Camberwell, London, United Kingdom.
They conclude:
[click to continue…]
Whether you’ve been hiding in the closet fervently hoping that Fibromyalgia or Chronic Fatigue Syndrome would go away on its own -or- you’ve been fighting with every last breath, speck of energy and last dime in your pocketbook, it’s still incredibly important not to lose hope because 2010 can be your year to return to better health.
Now don’t turn away. Hang in here with me. Yes, there are only a handful of people who say that it’s possible to get over, get well from, heal from… either illness, yet people are getting well. You may not have realized it, but healing is happening.
Make it your New Year’s Resolution: listen to the rest of this story, as Paul Harvey would say. It is “possible” to heal from Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.
IT REALLY IS.
(Audio 18 minutes 27 seconds. Listen here or download.)
[click to continue…]
