Why do I call Fibromyalgia the invisible disease? Because there are no laboratory tests to detect the widespread pain, fatigue, TMJ, poor memory, headaches and all the other miserable symptoms that usually accompany Fibromyalgia. How can a “disease” not be detected in blood work, Cat Scans, MRI’s, or with the use of other technology? You are about to find out.
Fibromyalgia is routinely diagnosed with a quick 5 minute physical examination where a physician or other health care practitioner prods 18 specific points on your body. If you have pain with 11 of them, guess what? You have Fibromyalgia. And now you must deal with this condition for the rest of your life. What a terrible diagnosis to give someone.
So we are faced with treating a disease that has no definitive testing procedure, and leaves the person diagnosed with Fibromyalgia with little hope.
Once diagnosed you now have a few very limited options for treatment. Anti-Inflammatory drugs, neurological drugs like Neurontin, steroids, or a combination of other medications, which usually offer little to no real relief from your pain. And these drugs all have very unpleasant side effects.
In order to get well you must identify the cause of the problem.
By studying and understanding the healthy body’s physiology, I am able to quickly observe and diagnose improper physiology. The key areas I would look at are as follows:
- The pH of your body tissues
- Liver function
- Kidney function
- Digestive function
- Adrenal function
- Electrolyte status
By observing the different functions of your body listed previously, I can observe how your body’s systems are working together, or not working together. Based on the observation and testing that I perform, I am able to provide the resources that will help you correct your health issues and keep you healthy.
The best form of treatment is early detection, and now through Functional Medicine Assessments we are able to detect illness in it’s earliest stages. This type of testing and evaluation is revolutionary and is changing the way in which healthcare is delivered. Functional Medicine is at the front of the wellness revolution and will be the healthcare of the future. The reason Functional Medicine is so powerful and effective is that it is medical science and testing that allows your doctor to deal with the CAUSE of your illness. Treating the cause of an illness leads to a removal of symptoms and is much more cost effective and time efficient.
After reading case study after case study, I have found what I believe to be the four main factors contributing to Fibromyalgia (which are very similar to the same physiology causing chronic fatigue.) There is dysfunction in three vital systems and one major cellular component.
- Liver (toxicity/stress)
- GI (colon/digestive tract)
- Adrenal stress or dysfunction (over or under functioning adrenal glands.)
- Mitochondrial damage (mitochondria are the power houses of the cell that produce energy)
There are three critical steps to get your liver, GI, and adrenal systems back to health, and turn the power supply back on in your mitochondria.
- ELIMINATE PROCESSED FOOD – especially foods that contain gluten and phytic acid. Gluten is found in all grain (except sprouted grains like “Ezekiel BreadTM”). Gluten is a protein that is very difficult to digest because we lack the specialized enzymes to effectively break it down, which causes damage to the cells in the GI tract. Phytic acid also found in grains and wheat products decreases the absorption of some essential minerals like Calcium, Iron, Magnesium and Zinc, which help decrease cytotoxins and prostaglandins production which cause inflammation.
INFLAMMATION = PAIN
This will help establish healthy bacteria in your gut and digestive tract and eliminate stomach and intestinal inflammation that blocks absorption of your food. This step will help your body to digest and utilize the good healthy nutrients you are about to feed it.
I know this sounds difficult, but please understand that grain and gluten are toxic to your body. Eating these types of food is like putting diesel fuel in your high performance car that was designed for premium unleaded fuel.
- DRINK LOTS OF PURIFIED WATER. You need half your body weight in ounces of water every day. If you drink any caffeinated beverages throughout the day, you need to match the ounces of caffeinated drink with an equal amount of water. For example, if you weigh 100 pounds, you would need to drink 50 ounces of clean water each day. If you weigh 100 pounds and drink 10 ounces of coffee, then you need to drink 60 ounces of water per day (50 oz plus 10 oz because you drank 10 oz of coffee.) DEHYDTATION = MUSCLE CRAMPING = PAIN
Your body is 70% water. But what you may not know is that your cells are producing toxic waste every second of every day, and if you don’t have enough water to flush them out they will pool in your body and cause sickness and play a huge roll in your pain level.
Pardon my graphic example, but think about what it would be like if you used the restroom and had a bowel movement, but you only had one cup of water to flush it down. What would happen? The same thing happens inside you! Your body needs water to flush. Many people, when I first meet with them, are lucky to drink just one glass of water a day.
Now before I give you the following recommendations please remember that if you have any questions regarding the supplements listed below, any of the terms I use in this report, or why I recommend these supplements specifically, please e-mail me at draaron@unitedwellness.net
I am always happy to answer your questions and to share with you any of the research that I used to evaluate the recommendations I am making for you. In many cases I can show you that the supplements I am recommending are more cost effective and will allow you to achieve better results than going to your local store and buying something off the shelf that is not as effective.
- TAKE HIGH-QUALITY SUPPLEMENTS. You will need initial supplementation to get your body over the “hump” and give yourself a much needed kick start. From the functional medicine testing that I have done I have found several common nutrients that people are lacking. Everyone’s exact supplementation requirements are unique (based on their Functional Medicine Assessment,) but I can give you the most common recommendations.
Here are my 3 primary supplement recommendations:
· A high quality essential fatty acid (fish oil), at 1,500 – 3,000 milligrams (mg) per day. Don’t buy just any fish oil…they are not all created equal. The two most important fatty acids found in fish oil are EPA and DHA, and together they need to equal 1,500 – 3,000 mg of the total fatty acids in the fish oil. We carry what research has found to be the two best brands.
LACK OF OMEGA FATTY ACIDS = INFLAMMATION = PAIN (You can view the Fish Oil supplements I am recommending on our web site at www.unitedwellness.net or feel free to email me with any questions at draaron@unitedwellness.net )
· Essential minerals like Calcium, Iron, Magnesium, Selenium and Zinc. These important nutrients help decrease cytotoxins and prostaglandin production which cause inflammation. Inflammation = pain.
FibroPlexTM is a nutriceutical which contains, among other things, a superior form of magnesium called, Magneisum Bis-glycinate. This form of magnesium helps increase energy production and reverses relative hypoxia…lack of oxygen to muscles.
Lack of oxygen to muscles = Muscle Breakdown = Pain.
· UltraInflamXTM is a medical food designed to help reduce pain-causing inflammation in the body. While this medical food tastes good, and it is incredibly effective and the results that my patients have experienced while using this sophisticated formula are amazing.
If you follow these three steps your will begin to restore purity and sufficiency to your body’s cells and remove deficiency and toxicities which lead to the pain and fatigue of Fibromyalgia.
In order to assess severe cases a clinical examination, case history, and Functional Medicine Assessment may be required to correct other underlying issues and achieve the desired results. This allows for a broader clinical picture and provides the most accurate information needed for the appropriate recommendations specifically for you.
I realize that the information shared above is very technical, but I welcome any questions you may have via my email address at draaron@untiedwellness.net .
The Wellness Prescription:
Eat Well, Think Well, Move Well
