As I do my third interview with Janice Lynne Lundy, the Buddha Chick, we talk about self-compassion, self-blessing and how these two “self” practices are vitally important if you want to stay well from Fibromyalgia, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome or any illness. Today’s Goal: learning how to take care of yourself in more ways than simply the physical.

I urge you to read about and listen to Janice, a lady who has walked through her own deep, illness valleys (including Chronic Fatigue) and went on to regain her health. Reason? To become a teacher capable of helping others in special ways.

Metta phrases are like soothing phrases, depending on what you’re feeling in the moment. Example: ‘May I feel relaxed. May I feel safe.’

(19 minutes 14 seconds)

Note: If you and I don’t have a safe place of stillness in our lives, we cannot navigate the hills and valleys of them well at all! Instead…engaging in this type of personal practice can evoke previously felt emotions of safety and other healthy feelings. As you practice saying metta phrases, you are promoting your own health and healing! (Without side effects or additional costs.)

QUESTION: As you talk to yourself today, are you being loving and kind or are you fussing at your body for failing you?

Instead of fussing and complaining, love your body; love your whole self in return. During today’s audio podcast, Janice explains why this is such a powerful, healing concept and then she instructs you how to do it. Wow! In addition to great info today, she and I will offer you additional audio interview on Friday, July 22nd, and then on Friday, July 29th, when we do a video interview! That’s when Janice Lynne Lundy will skillfully take you through some marvelous meditations (she promised she would!). Then she’ll tell you about her brand new program Buddha Chick Training for Women with Health Challenges, which begins in September. Take a moment to review the details and I’ll see you back here next Friday. You’ll find the info on this program below:

Thanks so much, Cinda Crawford
Host of the Health Matters Show

In a great WSJ article by Amy Dockser Marcus, you can read an excellent report of the Chronic Fatigue outbreak of Lyndonville, NY.

For 20 years, a doctor in upstate New York has been trying to prove that an outbreak of the strange syndrome in his community was caused by a virus. Now new evidence is reopening the case.

Ginger Burg at her home in Gasport, N.Y., near Lyndonville. Ms. Burg, who fell ill at age 14, recalls that she and the others who got sick were considered ‘crazy, delusional, lazy people.’ One snowy afternoon in October 1985, eight children from the tiny farming community of Lyndonville, N.Y., went sledding together. Within a few weeks, they all got sick.

David Bell, the local doctor (a.k.a. Dr. David S. Bell) who treated the children, recalls that their symptoms were similar to the flu: sore throats, fevers, muscle aches and severe fatigue. After three days, they hadn’t recovered. Then a week. A month. Ninety days.

Nearly 25 years after the “Lyndonville outbreak” of chronic fatigue syndrome, a controversy is brewing among scientists over what causes the disease. A small-town doctor hopes his patients will help provide the answer. (See all the links below.)

For Dr. David S. Bell, Ginger Burg, the other Lyndonville children who are now grown adults and for millions of other people suffering with Chronic Fatigue, “chronic fatigue” is certainly a puzzle worth solving. Like us, Dr. Bell has his own ideas about the process that has taken so long… . “My greatest fear,” Dr. Bell says, “is that people will throw up their hands and say they are not going to pursue it.”

(When you finish this blog post, go here and click on “The Puzzle of Chronic Fatigue” below. The whole article will come up. Then access the XMRV link. Plus…another article by Leonard A. Jason, An Illness That’s Hard to Live With or Define.)

But before you leave here, I invite you to share your ideas in a comment. What do you think is really happening with XMRV or any aspect of CFS? How has the illness affected your life? You never know…your words might help someone else to cope with this puzzle known as Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.

Thanks, Cinda Crawford
Host of the Health Matters Show

As my husband and I are experiencing the coldest and most severe weather in our region of the US, mice have become a topic of conversation, mostly around the breakfast table. Now mice being important to us, may have started twenty-some years ago when I came down with severe Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS), but we didn’t understand the possible connection back then.

And, to be perfectly transparent, we still don’t have concrete knowledge about mice and the newly discovered XMRV, a xenotrophic murine leukemia retrovirus. Scientists have made a definite connection between it and male prostate cancer, but have not proved it to be a factor with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS)… not beyond a shadow of a doubt. Good speculation, yes. Some tests prove that it at least exists in people who have chronic fatigue. But absolute proof? No. We don’t know that is causes or even triggers CFS.

But information about mice being adventuristic and dirty, little, disease-carrying and producing creatures has been known for sometime. First there was the plague, then Hanta Virus, now maybe, possibly, kind’a sort’a… XMRV.

Where mice have once again intersected my life directly is inside of my family home. Picture some little field mice seeking the safety and warmth of the crawl space under our house. They can survive the winter weather there. Then they get really hungry and seek out the food sources and crumbs in my kitchen. They come inside the house! Yes, yuck, is in order.

(8 min 24 seconds)


The first day we had an indication of one creature. He was a small little guy and my dog Cricket first noticed his movement behind part of the stereo on the floor. Cricket went after him so hard, one of the mouse’s legs got injured and Cricket eventually caught him in the house after a lot of yipping and excitement from me. The thing had been scampering toward my bedroom!

After that my husband and I decided he probably wasn’t by himself and there were more mice around. He got out the old mousetraps of yesteryear, but they didn’t work well that night. Next day, buy new mousetraps. The second night we caught one little mouse. The third night, we caught a much bigger mouse.

That’s when he bought a chemical that attracts and kills the mice. We hated to do that, but we could not allow the germs and contamination the mice were bringing into the kitchen to remain. Neither of us wanted to get sick and there were “signs” in some of our dishes. Double yuck.

I spent hours washing & cleaning silverware and utensils that were located near the scene of the crime. Our thought was if these items were clean and sealed in plastic bags, we could wash everything else as we needed to use it. No use tearing the kitchen apart and sterilizing everything in it until we were sure the animals had been eradicated… or in this case, e-RAT-icated.

Well, it’s been a few days. No mice this morning in the traps. Does that mean we’re free and clear? Maybe.

The point here is that for all the mice in our lives, it’s a battle until you have the problem under control. For Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, that too is taking awhile to discover the whole problem and contain– for most people. Agreed?

Agreed. Okay, where are the mousetraps that we can use for CFS?

Thanks so much for joining me for today’s podcast edition of the Health Matters Show, Cinda Crawford, your host

My guest for a “live” teleseminar this week was Robin Thomas and she did a great job explaining why Fibromyalgia, Chronic Fatigue and free radicals equals a high degree of possible and probable oxidative damage, oxidative stress and illness. She even supplied the proof!

Free radicals are caused through normal oxidation thus producuing oxidative stress. As you’re breathing in and breathing out, free radicals occur and leave their carnage behind= oxidative damage.

Add in all of the other stresses that come with being terribly sick with Fibromyalgia or Chronic Fatigue Syndrome for a long period of time, add in taking multiple prescription medications, add in any other elements of a complicated life and your body is effectively set up to produce free radicals that leave you with tons of oxidative damage to your skin, organs and every body system (including immune, digestive, cognitive and musculoskeletal).

We now know that this type of oxidative damage occurs and actually adds to the degree of illness you suffer with, lessens your ability to feel and be really well, and can be successfully combatted with vitamins, minerals and high quality supplements making this an important topic of exploration. (See Robin’s website and the links to Dr. Ray Strand’s work.)

After all… any investment that you make is only worth its salt if you get a better handle on your illness and begin improving! Otherwise, it’s a waste of time, effort and money.

Robin explained the basics of oxidative damage and what it means to us so well in the teleseminar. Here for the Health Matters Show podcast today is a tiny snippet of her words from the recorded audio, plus there’s more info that she additionally is offering for your use below. Visit Robin’s website to get your “free” copy of a neat checklist… available through her now.

(5 minutes 41 seconds)

Robin graciously agreed to provide us with the medical citations backing up the facts and figure she used to prove the link between chronic health problems like Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue AND the fact that oxidative stress is occurring even when you don’t know it happening!

I encourage you to check out the website of Robin Thomas for even more information. Once there, look for her “Contact Me” button and ask her to send you a copy of proprietary information that she has access to as an associate of Dr. Ray Strand. Click on the ‘Contact Me’ button. I know one of the valuable reports she has available is a “Checklist for Finding a Quality Vitamin Supplement” that was done by an independent company. (Not USANA, the company that she represents as an associate.)

Thank you, Cinda Crawford, your host

*Okay, here are the medical citations that she quoted:

Clin Biochem. 2010 Sep;43(13-14):1174-6. Epub 2010 Jul 1.

Mitochondrial dysfunction in skin biopsies and blood mononuclear cells from two cases of fibromyalgia patients.
Cordero MD, Moreno-Fernández AM, Carmona-López MI, Sánchez-Alcázar JA, Rodríguez AF, Navas P, de Miguel M.
Centro Andaluz de Biología del Desarrollo, CABD, Universidad Pablo de Olavide-CSIC and Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Raras, CIBERER, ISCIII, Sevilla, Spain. mdcormor@upo.es

OBJECTIVES: Coenzyme Q(10) (CoQ(10)) is an essential electron carrier in the mitochondrial respiratory chain and a strong antioxidant. Signs associated with skin alteration and mitochondrial dysfunction have been observed in patients with fibromyalgia (FM). The aim of this study was to analyze CoQ(10) levels, mitochondrial dysfunction, and oxidative stress in plasma, blood mononuclear cells, and skin biopsies from FM patients. METHODS: We studied CoQ(10) level by HPLC in plasma, blood mononuclear cells, and skin obtained from patients with FM and healthy control subjects. Oxidative stress markers and mitochondrial respiratory chain enzyme activities were analysed in both plasma, blood mononuclear cells, and skin biopsies from FM patients. RESULTS: Oxidative stress, mitochondrial dysfunction, and CoQ(10) deficiency have been observed in blood mononuclear cells and skin biopsies. CONCLUSIONS: In our patients, mitochondrial dysfunction and CoQ(10) deficiency are present in several tissues. These results may contribute to the understanding of the pathophysiology of FM, and, moreover, CoQ(10) deficiency could represent a good marker for the diagnosis of FM.

PMID: 20599870 [PubMed - in process]

~~~~~~

Arthritis Res Ther. 2010;12(1):R17. Epub 2010 Jan 28.

Mitochondrial dysfunction and mitophagy activation in blood mononuclear cells of fibromyalgia patients: implications in the pathogenesis of the disease.

Cordero MD, De Miguel M, Moreno Fernández AM, Carmona López IM, Garrido Maraver J, Cotán D, Gómez Izquierdo L, Bonal P, Campa F, Bullon P, Navas P, Sánchez Alcázar JA. Centro Andaluz de Biología del Desarrollo (CABD), Universidad Pablo de
Olavide-CSIC, Ctra, de Utrera, km, 1, ISCIII, Sevilla 41013, Spain. mdcormor@upo.es

INTRODUCTION: Fibromyalgia is a chronic pain syndrome with unknown etiology. Recent studies have shown some evidence demonstrating that oxidative stress may have a role in the pathophysiology of fibromyalgia. However, it is still not clear whether oxidative stress is the cause or the effect of the abnormalities documented in fibromyalgia. Furthermore, the role of mitochondria in the redox imbalance reported in fibromyalgia also is controversial. We undertook this study to investigate the role of mitochondrial dysfunction, oxidative stress, and mitophagy in fibromyalgia. METHODS: We studied 20 patients (2 male, 18 female patients) from the database of the Sevillian Fibromyalgia Association and 10 healthy controls. We evaluated mitochondrial function in blood mononuclear cells from fibromyalgia patients measuring, coenzyme Q10 levels with high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), and mitochondrial membrane potential with flow cytometry. Oxidative stress was determined by measuring mitochondrial superoxide production with MitoSOX and lipid peroxidation in blood mononuclear cells and plasma from fibromyalgia patients. Autophagy activation was evaluated by quantifying the fluorescence intensity of LysoTracker Red staining of blood mononuclear cells. Mitophagy was confirmed by measuring citrate synthase activity and electron microscopy examination of blood mononuclear cells. RESULTS: We found reduced levels of coenzyme Q10, decreased mitochondrial membrane potential, increased levels of mitochondrial superoxide in blood mononuclear cells, and increased levels of lipid peroxidation in both blood mononuclear cells and plasma from fibromyalgia patients. Mitochondrial dysfunction was also associated with increased expression of autophagic genes and the elimination of dysfunctional mitochondria with mitophagy.

CONCLUSIONS: These findings may support the role of oxidative stress and mitophagy in the pathophysiology of fibromyalgia.

PMCID: PMC2875645
PMID: 20109177 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

~~~~~~

Rheumatol Int. 2010 Apr 8. [Epub ahead of print]
Pathophysiology and antioxidant status of patients with fibromyalgia.
Iqbal R, Mughal MS, Arshad N, Arshad M. Zoology Department, G. C. University, Lahore, 54000, Pakistan.

Fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) is characterized by systemic pain of unknown etiology and is often accompanied by various psychological symptoms. Research on different parameters in fibromyalgia (FM) indicates that multifactors are involved in its
pathophysiology; such as genetic factors, substance P, serotonin, hypothalamic pituitary adrenal axis (HPA), muscles metabolic dysfunction, reactive oxygen species (ROS) and reactive nitrogen species (RNS). Oxidative stress has also been
implicated in the pathophysiology of FM; therefore, supplementation with antioxidants may be important in modulation of the effects of ROS in patients with FM.

PMID: 20376669 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

~~~~~~

Stress. 2010 Jul 28. [Epub ahead of print]

Vitamins C and E treatment combined with exercise modulates oxidative stress markers in blood of patients with fibromyalgia: A controlled clinical pilot study.

Naz?ro?lu M, Akku? S, Soyupek F, Yalman K, Celik O, Eri? S, Uslusoy GA. Department of Biophysics, Medical Faculty, Suleyman Demirel University, Isparta, Turkey.

We aimed to investigate effects of vitamins C and E (VCE) supplementation with exercise (EX) on antioxidant vitamin and lipid peroxidation (LP) levels in blood of patients with fibromyalgia (FM). A controlled study was performed on blood
samples from 32 female FM patients and 30 age-matched controls. The patients were divided into three groups namely EX (n = 10), VCE (n = 11), and EX plus VCE (n = 11) after taking basal blood samples. After 12 weeks of EX and VCE supplementation, blood samples were taken once more from the patients. LP levels in plasma and erythrocytes were higher in the patients at baseline than those in controls, whereas LP levels were lower in the VCE and EX groups at the end of 12
weeks than those at baseline. Plasma concentrations of vitamins A and E and reduced glutathione were lower in the patients than those in controls and their concentrations were increased by VCE and EX. Glutathione peroxidase activity in erythrocytes was increased by VCE supplementation, with or without EX. Concentrations of beta-carotene in the groups did not change with treatment. Despite the measured effects on anti-oxidative mechanisms, FM symptoms were not improved by the treatments. In conclusion, VCE with EX may protect against FM-induced oxidative stress by up-regulation of an antioxidant redox system in the plasma and erythrocytes of patients with FM. Such protective effects of VCE in the patients seemed to be greater in combination with EX than EX alone.

PMID: 20666654 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

~~~~~~

Clin Rheumatol. 2009 Apr;28(4):435-8. Epub 2008 Dec 17.
Oxidative stress in fibromyalgia and its relationship to symptoms.

Chung CP, Titova D, Oeser A, Randels M, Avalos I, Milne GL, Morrow JD, Stein CM.
Department of Medicine, School of Medicine, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN
37232-6602, USA.

Oxidative stress is thought to play a role in the pathogenesis of fibromyalgia. We examined the hypothesis that oxidative stress was increased in patients with fibromyalgia and related to the severity of symptoms. Urinary F(2)-isoprostane excretion was measured in 48 patients with fibromyalgia and compared to those of 96 control subjects. In patients, we examined the association between oxidative stress and symptoms. Patients with fibromyalgia were significantly more symptomatic than control subjects, but urinary F(2)-isoprostane excretion did not differ significantly (2.3+/-1.9 vs. 2.8+/-2.2 ng/mg creatinine, p=0.16). In patients with fibromyalgia, F(2)-isoprostane excretion was associated with fatigue visual analog scale (rho=0.30, p=0.04) but not with pain, quality of life, functional capacity, depression, number of tender points, or overall impact of fibromyalgia. Oxidative stress is not increased in patients with fibromyalgia, but as was previously found in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus, oxidative stress was associated with fatigue.

PMCID: PMC2654204
PMID: 19089486 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

~~~~~~

Redox Rep. 2006;11(3):131-5.
Total antioxidant capacity and the severity of the pain in patients with
fibromyalgia.

Altindag O, Celik H.

Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Harran University, Sanliurfa, Turkey. ozaltindag@yahoo.com

The purpose of the study was to determine the oxidative and antioxidative status of plasma in patients with fibromyalgia. Total antioxidant capacity (TAC) of plasma was significantly lower in patients with fibromyalgia (n = 20) than in healthy controls (n = 20) [1.5 (SD 0.3) and 1.9 (SD 0.3) mmol Trolox equiv./l, P = 0.001]. In contrast, the total peroxide level of plasma was significantly higher in patients than in healthy controls [37.4 (SD 6.7) and 33.0 (SD 2.7) micromol H2O2/l; P = 0.01]. The oxidative stress index (OSI) level was significantly higher in patients with fibromyalgia than in healthy controls [2.5
(SD 1.0) and 1.8 (SD 0.4); P = 0.007]. A significant negative correlation between visual analogue scale (VAS) and TAC level was determined (r = -0.79, P < 0.001). The present results indicate that patients with fibromyalgia are exposed to oxidative stress and this increased oxidative stress may play a role in the etiopathogenesis of the disease. Supplementation of antioxidant vitamins such as vitamins C and E to the therapy may be indicated.

PMID: 16805968 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

Today in looking at the basics of Fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue (CFS) and more ailments, I’m offering you an audio clip of a portion of the information that Dr. Christopher Lepisto, ND, shared with us recently on one of my teleseminars. The complete body of knowledge that we discussed really was amazing!

Dr. Lepisto approaches brand new Fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue patients by starting with what he calls, the basics, thus our title today. He believes (paraphrased) that people get so sick not because of one singular event, but due to a whole host of (I’ll call them) mini-events, knowing full well that some of them are huge. Some of them can even be perceived as toxic!

Example:

(This audio is 12 min 38 seconds.)

1) Has there been a previous or recent traumatic injury or incident?
2) Is there indication of a super-infection? (One infection following another infection before you are well from the first.)
3) Is there a history of or possibility of genetic predisposition?
4) What is your toxic burden? (This is a BIG item that Dr. Lepisto talks about quite a bit and I know why. If you’re toxic and suffer with what he calls full barrell syndrome, you’re going to have a tough time improving your health. Maybe… that’s one of the reasons why you’re not getting well!)

I hope you listen to this entire Health Matters Show podcast today. You’ll hear Dr. Christopher Lepisto define full barrell syndrome, what causes the condition, how does it act in the body and a bit of information about how to get rid of it. Note: there was even more information included in the hour long teleseminar.

(Hey! Wait a minute. I’m jumping up and down here! If you are one of the lucky ones who received an an email invitation already, it’s not too late to click the link today & hear the entire, replay presentation. So go find your email and click the link. You’ll see that I’m right!)

Dear One, if you’d like to automatically be able to get such great quality information that is included in my “free” teleseminars, sign up on my teleseminar list today. Then when an event is scheduled, you will get a notice about the particulars.

What is wonderful about these events is that if you want to call in and be on the call, you can do it. You’ll be “live” in your participation. (Hearing it, experiencing it and maybe even getting to ask your own personal question at the event!)

However, if it suits you and your pocketbook better to listen via the “free” webcast line, you’re quite welcomed to do that and all at no charge whatsoever. You simply log in via your computer and listen to the teleseminar over your computer speakers. Plus, after the event the replay will be left up for awhile, too. That helps if you can’t be present for the live event. By registering, you can catch the program at a time that is more convenient for you.

Thanks so much for stopping by today. I hope that you agree with me that if you have CFS or Fibromyalgia, this is the place to be.

Cinda Crawford, host of the Health Matters Show

PS- Dr. Christopher Lepisto welcomes phone consultations at 1-970-250-4104 or you can email him at drchristopher@mac.com.

As I began to work on the interview with Dr. Christopher Lepisto and our talk on Fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue (CFS) and more for today, I was struck by how much information I suspect that you and I already know and have available to us. So I ask you… instead of blindly waiting for the newest medical announcement about a virus, bacteria or protozoan culprit, why don’t we begin to use the knowledge that we have?

Chances are that the philosophy of people like Dr. Christopher Lepisto is very on target and can help a lot of people (like you?) who are suffering. His Colorado medical practice certainly is bustling with patients seeking his expertise.

Let me explain a bit further why I’m encouraging you to consider taking this “natural” route. Plus, you’ll want to hear our conversation as I interviewed him for the Health Matters Show podcast today -and- learn the details about our live teleseminar coming up this Wednesday!

Dr. Christopher Lepisto expects that…

(audio is 23 minutes 17 seconds)

….the body has the ability to heal itself.

And he believes in… removing obstacles to the cure.

Being a naturopathic doctor, Dr. Lepisto’s approach is more towards the natural side. When someone comes into his office complaining of the symptoms commonly associated with Fibromyalgia or CFS, he often approaches the problem looking at the person’s basic health, especially considering a possible toxic burden overload situation, infections that may be present, incidences of trauma and autoimmune involvement.

Paraphrasing his words, he says that when a person is too toxic (e.g. from genetic predisposition, eating the wrong diet, etc.), something called “full barrell syndrome” is a major part of this type of dysfunction and then he goes on to explain the concept to us. (Ps-ss-st– apparently, it is critical for you to empty your body’s barrell of toxins. Your health can be severely hampered if you’re too toxic!)

Okay, how do I empty my barrell?

Well, that’s enough from me. You’ll have to listen to the doctor explain further. Tune in to the Health Matters Show podcast’s audio button above and hear about Dr. Lepisto’s fascinating approach to helping people get well from Fibromyalgia, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) and more.

To hear EVERYTHING Dr. Christopher Lepisto has to tell us in even MORE DETAIL, join he and I for a “live” teleseminar interview session on Wednesday, July 14th at 2 pm EST.

This will be a totally “free” teleseminar presentation no matter where you are in the world because this is a webinar. Listen to the presentation over your computer speakers. Plus, by being a registered participant, you will get a replay line that you can listen to later at your convenience, but you must register!

TO MAKE THIS HAPPEN, FIRST SIGN UP ON MY TELESEMINAR LIST TODAY.

Very shortly, I will send everyone on my list the details about this special Wednesday event. Hope to see you there!

I’m Cinda Crawford, your host of the Health Matters Show

PS- If you want to know about the benefits or non-benefits of eating soy, he has some fascinating insights and suggestions for that, too, especially when it comes to how soy impacts your Thyroid gland!

Be sure to be here at the Health Matters Show tomorrow, Friday, July 9, 2010, to hear Dr. Christopher Lepisto for the podcast. He is a naturopathic doctor who works with a lot of Fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue patients in Colorado. He is very knowledgeable about the illnesses and is willing to share what he knows.

Also, I am hosting a special “live” teleseminar with him as my guest on Wednesday, July 14th at 2 pm EST and you are invited. The event is free!

All you have to do is sign up on my Teleseminar list and you will receive a special invitation with all of the details. (The sign up box to get information about all of the events in this series is on the right side of this blog.)

If you can’t make the July 14th time slot, don’t worry. You can listen to everything on the replay line. Don’t let a cramped schedule keep you from hearing this important information.

Plus, once you’re signed up the teleseminar and have arrived at the event page, I’ve included a box for you to leave your questions.

1) If you haven’t already done so, Sign Up right now to receive notices about my teleseminars. (box is on the right side of the page)

2) You will receive an email. Be sure to click on the confirmation link as requested. (Such safeguards help to protect your privacy and that’s good.)

3) Everyone on my list (brand new today or you’ve been there awhile) will need to look out for the specific teleseminar invitation that will arrive in your email box, too. When you see it, open it and click on the link to confirm the event. Mark the date on your calendar..

4) Notice on the event page your ability to send in questions that you want to ask. The question box is located on the left.

5) Be here at the Health Matters Show to hear Dr. Christopher Lepisto tomorrow, Friday.

6) After the Wednesday teleseminar is over, you will have the ability to revisit the event page to hear the replay line. You may want to listen more than once.

I look forward to seeing you here tomorrow and interacting with you on the teleseminar next Wednesday.

Please tell all of your friends about this free teleseminar.

You can listen and be involved from anywhere in the world. Plus, we will learn a lot of good information about Fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue– together!

Thanks, Cinda Crawford
Your host of the Health Matters Show

When you, a person with Fibromyalgia or Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, go to do a task, does your personal energy crisis keep you from doing it? Chances are, you have been faced with this reality more than once.

Many, many years ago when I went to Dr. Charles Lapp (a really good CFS & Fibro specialist in NC), I had him explain the energy crisis this way (paraphrased, of course):

People affected by Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome probably don’t make enough energy easily to supply their daily needs -and- they don’t store it well in the body… .

Imagine that each of your cells is a little storehouse or warehouse of energy. Instead of it being at least three quarters full all the time with the energy available for your body’s needs, it’s only about 1/4 to 1/3 full at any given moment. That means that you have a smaller quantity of energy available when you go to do an activity. Upon expending energy for a physical task, you use up that meager supply of energy. Suddenly, you’re devoid of any energy. You run out! Your cell is flat! You’re empty!

When that happens, your muscles do not have what they need to continue- at the least. At the worst? Well, who knows. It would take an exercise specialist or Fibro CFS specialist to explain the cascade of symptoms that probably ensue.

I think the following is key to surviving this ever-present problem:

• 1) Plan and do small tasks. Don’t take on huge to-do lists without knowing that it will probably take you awhile (maybe days or weeks) to complete it.
• 2) Give your body a chance to build & recover before you exert yourself again. It’s so odd that if this were a friend you were watching totally exhaust her body, you would step in and say, “Take it easy. Give yourself a break!” We so rarely do this for ourselves. So the key here is give your body a chance to recuperate before you begin again.
• 3) Build up your stamina gradually. That may or may not be possible, but it’s the best you can hope for unless you’re really on the road to recovery. Think of it as walking to the mailbox today. Walking to your neighbor’s house tomorrow. (And maybe you do this for several days to a week or more.) Walking to the end of the block for a few days. Walking further and further each day and week. The goal is to even hold at that level for weeks or months if necessary. This will increase your stamina and energy gradually without triggering an onslaught of symptoms!
  ~~~~~
  And know that if you’re like Humpty Dumpty and fall of your wall into little pieces, simply start all over again when you’re able. Just be reasonable, thoughtful and kind to yourself. As long as you can remember to “move forward” when you can, you’re doing the best that you can do!

PS- I found some help with this on an ongoing basis from taking NADH and acetyl l-carnitine with alpha lipoic acid. They prop up and help my little energy storehouses.

Good diet (proper nutrition), good sleep, a reasonable thought-out approach (a plan) and a positive I-can-do-this attitude help most people to make progress gradually. And gradually is the key here, too. Go at your pace and listen to your body. Don’t get distracted by a couple of aches and pains, but if you seriously hurt, forego your task for awhile. Until science finds a way to undo your personal energy crisis (deficiency), energy management is a component of these illnesses that seems be unceasing and aggravating.

Have a happy spring day, if you can. Go smell the flowers!
Cinda Crawford, your host of the Health Matters Show