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| Fibromyalgia
Posted: 10/19/2006 5:40:23 AM | venting is good for the soul,....icecapqueen,....
and I dare say all of us can identify with what you have said because we too have gone through this,....the best advice I can give you can be found on this web site,....
this Doctor is what many agree with,...the leading authority,....her information isn't restricted to patients but is there to help educate many doctors to help their patients,....
http://www.sover.net/~devstar/index.htm
and my personal advice is there are many medications for a multitude os signs and symptoms,....if some don't help try something else,...and something else until you find what works best for you and your particular troubles,....
this is where I am still at,...and I go in everymonth and we either up/down the dose or go onto something else,.....the best way you can help your doctor in determening what meds to try or keep is to write down in a journal,...(I hate journals but I do it) what you took when you took it what effect it had for how long and what adverse effect,...it also helps to keep track of how much relief you have gotten by tracking it on a 1-10 kind of grading system,....
The better you keep track the better your doctor is able to know what to do,...FOR YOU!!
so you can not be a passive patient if you want to get any better,....and you have to insist sometimes for what you deserve,....
I am also working with non medical aids like an at home tens mashine,...the wearing of braces etc,....which isn't that expensive anymore,....hynnotherapy,...and accupuncture,...
currently I am also in an in hospital (which is kept way hotter than a normal) pool,...hydrotherapy,...something that I wish I could do forever,....
and one more thing I recently discovered is that on those rare days that you feel "almost normal" give yourself permission to feel that way,...I discovered on those days I was hiding out at home because I felt guilty for feeling better,....and that's just dumb,.... | |
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| Fibromyalgia
Posted: 1/15/2007 9:43:57 AM | Hmmm, tried replying to a newer thread but it wouldn't go through so I followed a link on last page of that and transferred what I had tried to post to this thread ...
I have been experiencing symptoms for 17 years. Was diagnosed 9 years ago. Every day is a struggle but some days are better than others. I have gotten much better at coping, now that I know what I'm dealing with and what things definitely make it worse; sometimes bad days just happen out of the blue though and I think to myself "hey this is so uncalled for" .
Over the years, I waded through all kinds of advice and suggestions (helpful and otherwise, if you know what I mean, lol) and I put to use what I could and left the rest in the dust. I know what works for me may not be the answer for others; we all deal with this the best we can. I know my limitations and for the most part I don't push it - having good days are just too precious to me to squander on trying to live up to someone else's standards.
I use a pain scale to mentally assess how I'm doing. 1-10 with 1 being low (I've yet to have so much as a moment that's a 1). I've been as low as a 3, though (still don't know how I got that and have yet to duplicate it but I keep trying).  I average a 6 most days. I have been as high as a 9 (for me 9.5 was gallstone attack and 10 was having skin on my feet debrided after a bout of frostbite - nothing has beat either in intensity yet - I put childbirth at 8.5. ).
What I really hate is a 4 day followed by an 8 day! That kind of jump takes the wind out of my sails (makes me po'd big time). Certain of my friends and family know about my pain scale and some will even ask how I'm doing. Mostly not though. I don't talk about FM all that much and they tend to forget I live with it unless I bring it up. I tend not to, unless it's relevant to something I'm invited to do.
Being at home I don't bother with pain meds. If I need to get stuff done out of home and it's a 7 or higher day I take acetaminophen and ibuprofen together. Doesn't kill it but takes the edge off enough I can do what needs doing. My daily painkillers of choice are distraction, laughter and music.
Excercising that I can sometimes enjoy include walking, biking, swimming and dancing, all in brief moderation. I try to stretch often and I love to rock in a rocking chair (doubt it counts as excercise but it makes me feel like I'm not just sitting there, lol).
I was a much larger woman when I was initially diagnosed. It was suggested to me that losing weight would reduce my pain. I've lost 142 pounds so far and to my own chagrin it hasn't had any noticeable effect on my pain experience. I don't regret what I've lost and I do feel healthier in other ways so I'm choosing to continue to lose weight at a very slow, gradual pace. I'm aiming to lose another 20 pounds in the next two years.
For me, one of the most difficult things about living with FM is the stigma. I've encountered so many skeptics and such derisive/dismissive attitudes that I typically just don't bother saying what my problem is anymore. Except for on May 12th (and in this post). 
I do believe education and information are a good thing and on May 12th I do what I can . The rest of the time I pick and choose when to say something and when to just bite my tongue.
I also think talking with others who live with this can help us to not feel so alone and (at least for me) help us to not doubt ourselves. It has given me such a sense of relief to just have my experiences validated with either a "yes, me too" or even a compassionate "I believe you".
I'm wishing all those who are living with FMS/CFS/ME to have many more good days than bad ones for 2007.
Thank-you for starting this topic.
~K. | |
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| Fibromyalgia
Posted: 1/16/2007 4:21:43 AM | They're not a big deal because they usually stick a long lasting anesthetic in them as well. You may be a little sore for a few days and ibuprofen works well for that. I have had at least twenty of the cortisone shots including one directly into the shoulder joint via fluoroscopy. They help but they don't spread real far, I feel relief on an area about an inch wide. But your results may differ.
You sure it is fibromyalgia? Because pain in the wrist can easily be caused by ct or neck problems as well. They can make what is called refered pain. | |
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| Fibromyalgia
Posted: 3/4/2007 10:59:44 AM | | any one dealt with cpp application? I.E. Tribunal hearing. Thanks | |
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| Fibromyalgia
Posted: 3/17/2007 1:27:29 PM | Hey all... I have FM & ME... and have been a volunteer for the MEFM Society of BC... I see the leading doctor in all of Canada, Dr. Carruthers, who has been instrumental in writting the new consensus documents for diagnoisng FM & ME/CFS. They are available for viewing on the national site for Canada @ www.mefmaction.net Please go to this site as there is a lot of helpful information for support etc.
Dr. Carruthers is also probably one of the leading doctors in all of North America and travels the world extensively in educating Drs & the medical industry about FM & ME/CFS. Here is the link to review the consensus documents for FM & ME/CFS... please note these documents/books can also be purchsed and there is now a summarized version availabe which was written for Doctors use as well as an informational guide for people suffering from these conditions.
Link: http://mefmaction.net/Patients/ConsensusDocuments/ConsensusDocuments/tabid/118/Default.aspx
For Frequently Asked Questions about FM go to: http://www.mefmaction.net/Patients/FMSQA/tabid/108/Default.aspx
For Frequently Asked Questions about ME/CFS go to: http://www.mefmaction.net/Patients/MECFSQA/tabid/107/Default.aspx
My father also has FM... at this time "they" the doctors believe that this is not necessarily inherited however we can have a predispostion for it...given the right situations/trauma/viral infections etc to our central nervous system & spinal chord. As you all know this is a very difficult thing to diagnose in part because so many of our physicians do not believe these conditions exhist or simply are not up to date with the latest research and info.
Please feel free to pm me if you require further information etc...particularily if you have just been diagnosed and are overwhelmed initially as so many of us have been!
May al l of you learn how to live with balance and harmony
Andie Dandie | |
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| Fibromyalgia
Posted: 3/18/2007 2:58:54 AM | | Thanks for posting andiedandie. I've been reading the FM consensus document off and on since I read your post yesterday late afternoon. It's pretty detailed complicated stuff but interesting nonetheless. I'm on page 56 I think, lol. Some fascinating information in there that I'd never read before. Kept my mind off the pain anyway, lol. Distraction works for me most times. | |
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| Fibromyalgia
Posted: 3/19/2007 12:26:51 PM | 
I have a friend who has this.
Sometimes she is in a great deal of pain.
In order to get around she uses a cane, and is not able to work.
It is hard for some ppl to understand her quality of life has been affected.
Some days are better than others.
I know she also has asthma and other health issues.
Hope this helps. | |
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| Fibromyalgia
Posted: 5/12/2007 6:25:15 PM | Yes I have it. I stayed in bed for a year. At the pills the Dr's gave me. Then I decided to learn about it myself. Secret is to eat what we used to eat back in the early 80's when we weight lifted. Stop all processed foods. No flour and sugar. You will crave a sandwich after awhile. Spelt bread is quite good but expensive. But your health is worth it. Keep moving when you don't want to but also rest. We have a tendency to overdo when we feel good and therefore feel like crap for a week after. Excercise is very important. When I started I couldn't pick up a can of Campbells soup. Most people that have this condition also have Irritable Bowel Syndrone or Diverticulosis. We don't absorb minerals and nutrients like most people. Depression can be a very big problem. Small doses of anti-depressants seem to help the muscles relax.
Good luck | |
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| Fibromyalgia
Posted: 5/15/2007 12:24:27 PM | Sorry, you had to go that route with the Anti-depressants..as that was what they tried to use on me at first..wow some 12-14 yrs ago..I had to find my own routine..through imagarey(focusing), Yoga, great diet, Volunteering my time just because! And most of all staying active in some way or form..if I get complacent for too long either physically or mentally it backfires on me.
Some how I have come up with a great combo..and I won't fix what is broke now! My Doctor stays amazed at me..so it must be good..lol. Thanks for all of this! ~LD alias Optim | |
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| Fibromyalgia
Posted: 5/15/2007 1:05:22 PM | You understood that right??OK?? Take care!! LD | |
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| Fibromyalgia
Posted: 5/15/2007 5:57:09 PM | Hello
I have had been dealing with FM for about 20 years now. Self diagnosed in 1985, it took 12 years for my dr to catch up but she did. I have run the gammut from "it's in your head" to "its just you" to "nothing can be done, there is no cure". Over the years I have found that no one reacts to this disease the same way. They symptoms may be similar but dealing with it seems to be an individual thing. It's almost like finding your own balance is the only way to get going.
I currently control my FM with diet and exercise and family support. I have found that a moderately high protein diet is very helpful but please be careful. Sending you body into ketosis (Atkins works this way) can cause flares in some and if you are like me, make you feel very sick. My balance has come from a fibre rich diet, no refined carbs, good proteins like fish, poultry and soy. I try to stay away from red meat as much as possible. Fresh fruit and veggies whenever possible. All this sounds like common sense but actually takes a great deal of thought at the beginning.
The only supplements I take are a good vegetarian multi vitamin, omega 3's enteric coated and blueberry. Easy for me, I love blueberries.
Finding your balance is not an easy task, but with time you can get there. You must remember that your balance will change from time to time and not to get down about it. Most of all, remember that you are not alone and there are many people out there who will support you, you need only look for them. | |
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| Fibromyalgia
Posted: 5/16/2007 8:54:03 AM | hi i have fibro and are you sure about the sugars and flour.god if that would work it would be great.i have so mcuh pain im on a narcotic drug and i hate it..and akins diet is not a good diet.a lot of doctors are against it.becacuse you gain all the weight back.i know this because i have a few friends on it and they gained every bit of weight they lost back again .
princess1955 | |
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| Fibromyalgia
Posted: 5/16/2007 10:46:10 AM | I'd suggest that the reason anyone chooses to go on Atkins is because the typical North American way of eating made them gain weight - therefore if they stop eating the Atkins way and revert to old ways some, ( if not all - or more) of the weight returns. Atkins is a lifestyle way of eating - not a diet. I haven't heard of anyone gaining their lost weight back while remaining in the Atkins lifestyle.
I wasn't able to stay in the lifestyle myself but I formed some better eating habits while attempting to. Cutting out most white carbs was of great benefit to my overall sense of well being, not limited to but including pain perception/tolerance.
If you've tried just about everything else why not try adjusting diet? It sure gave me a renewed sense of control over my own body. The effects were not noticeable overnight for me, but looking back, I definitely see how my quality of life has drastically improved just through diet adjustment; at least that's what I attribute the changes to since I don't see how anything else is different from before.
Disclaimer! It's always recommended to consult with your doctor before making any changes that could foreseeably affect your overall health. Butt coverage is a good thing, lol. 
My doctor referred me to a nutritionist/dietician. I learned, through consultations with the dietician, more about food, how my body uses it for energy and maintenance of vital organs/functions, and metabolism.
Slowly (very slowly) over the past 6 years, I've lost a net total of 135 pounds and I intend to lose yet another 20 ( +/- ).
At my heaviest, I was "tsk tsk'd" by many who said, "Maybe you wouldn't hurt anymore if you'd just lose some weight!". So I did. They were only partially wrong - I still hurt but either not as much or else maybe I just cope differently? Not sure which I just know that I do feel better now, than I did when I was heavier. I sure don't regret losing the weight - I just wish all those "tsk tsk'ers" had been a lot more right, lol!
Whichever FM symptom is currently bothering any of you the most - I wish you less of that and way more good days than bad ones too! 
~Khrysalis | |
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| Fibromyalgia
Posted: 5/17/2007 1:43:25 AM | | This is such an interesting topic for me, because I have been dealing with CFS/FM for over 7yrs now. I too have learned to just take one day at a time and I'm very thankful that if i pace myself I can still live a relatively normal life, but my dilemma is when it comes to relationships because it feels like so many people want there partners to be dynamic and spontaneous and I just can't provide such guarantees. Please don't think I'm whinging here it's just a part of my life that I rarely get an opportunity to talk about. | |
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| Fibromyalgia
Posted: 5/21/2007 6:24:53 PM | Techniques that can often help for fibromyalgia/chronic fatigue
and sometimes remove the problem.
are JMT- Jaffe Mellor Technique
and NMT - NeuroModulation technique.
These can help for any autoimmune problems such as arthritis, m.s., lupus, etc.
It's worth a try. What's to lose?
The methods are totally non-invasive, very simple....so simple you wonder how they
can work but they so often does. No drugs.
Google for info. | |
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| Fibromyalgia
Posted: 11/11/2007 11:34:15 AM | | I found Omega 3, taken at 5000 mg a day helps. The ingredients must however contain 900 mg of EPA and 600 mg of ADH, to make it effective. | |
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| Fibromyalgia
Posted: 11/16/2007 4:48:35 PM | I was diagnosed about 5 years ago with having fibromyalgia. At the time I was a full time self employed gardener. My thoughts were... get fitter, make the muscles stronger. As my condition was diagnosed quite early I was able to, after 2 years of more aerobic excersise, be pain free.
The disaster struck and I manged to get ME! Due to the fact I just couldn't get up, my strength lessened and the fibromyalgia came back.
Due to the lack of understanding from my gp, it took 2 years to get the help I need. I am now officially disabled. Can't take meds as they make me worse. I do find a small joint can help ease the symptoms enough for me to control them and avoidance of stress as much as possible is also beneficial.
I recently started tai chi which after only 5 classes has made some difference. I find as long as I can get to a class I always come out standing up straight, not needing a stick. I even manage to go to the supermarket. I have spoken to quite a few other people who have FMS and are also doing tai chi. They say it has given them a lot of their life back. So I'm going for it. I suggest any of you find yourself a class where you live and join in. I'm hoping it will also help with my ME and osteo arthritis. You never know till you try.
Good luck to you all. and remember, do your best to keep a positive attitude and you will beat this thing. There is a cure out there, you just need to keep looking and not give up.
Lots of love and hugs xx | |
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| Fibromyalgia
Posted: 3/8/2008 6:41:53 PM | | Im a 35 year old single female and I got diagnosed with Fibromyalgia 3 years ago that resulted from a car accident I was in. I cannot begin to tell you how difficult my life has become. I struggle with pain on a daily basis 24/7 and to the average person, I look just fine. Its on the inside that I want to just burst out and scream from the daily torment. I have anxiety, depression, mood swings. When the weather is going to get cold or rainy, I feel it. I lost my job and became permanently disabled since there is no cure for fibromyalgia. I lost my fiance and when I started to date again, I lost my boyfriend because its hard for someone else to understand. Family was my salvation. My mother was the one that kept me going and I unfortunately lost her to a sudden heart attack at age 62 last year. I know somewhere, somehow Im going to get the strength to get through this. But there are days where I just cant understand why I was chosen to suffer with this God awful condition. For some, its not so bad. For me, my doctor says out of all the patients he treats, Im probably the second most severe case he has. In fact, he has run out of alternative means to treat me. This man has won awards for the work he has done on Fibromyalgia, but he cant treat me. Just my luck. For 2 years I have been on Morphine - the same meds they give someone who has surgery. Without it I can barely get up out of bed. But Im trying to wean myself off of it and take up a sugar free, low carb diet (which makes an improvement for fibro sufferers). I live in central NJ and wish there was a support group near here. Or someone to talk to that would understand. Id love to start a group for singles who have fibromyalgia so that it wouldnt have to be such a struggle in the world of dating. Be strong for the person who has been diagnosed. They will need you now more than ever!! I think Id feel much better if I just had some emotional support. When you suffer through something like this and you are all alone - its hard. .... REALLY REALLY hard!! Good luck . If you have any questions, you can message me. | |
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| Fibromyalgia
Posted: 3/10/2008 5:42:21 AM | If your drinking deit coke or sweet& low LIKE sugar sub. Quit; It's got aspartame in them; It causes symptons like Fibromyalgia, migraine headacks; Dizziness and PLUS alot more; Go to http://www.relfe.com/aspartame_92.html --- There's 92 adverse reactions; I have 46 of them; There's nothing that can be done IF you have aspartame in your system; Very FEW doctors KNOW about aspartame; ----IF you want to know more. Contact me. I'll see what else I can do;---jacel---
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| Fibromyalgia
Posted: 3/10/2008 5:54:40 AM | READ THIS; ------------------------VERY IMPORTANT-----------------------------
FDA Lists 92 Symptoms from Nutrasweet (Aspartame)
(including Death!)
Please Note: Nutrasweet is in Diet Coke and Diet Pepsi
Article courtesy of: Mark Gold mgold@tiac.net
(researcher for twenty years on such subjects)
This article originally appeared on www.dorway.com
Note: This information required a Freedom Of Information Act request to pry it from the reluctant hands of the FDA.
Nutrasweet (brand name for Aspartame) was not approved until 1981, in dry foods. For over eight years the FDA refused to approve it because of the seizures and brain tumors this drug produced in lab animals. The FDA continued to refuse to approve it until President Reagan took office (a friend of Searle) and fired the FDA Commissioner who wouldn't approve it. Dr. Arthur Hull Hayes was appointed as commissioner. Even then there was so much opposition to approval that a Board of Inquiry was set up. The Board said: "Do not approve aspartame". Dr. Hayes OVERRULED his own Board of Inquiry.
Shortly after Commissioner Arthur Hull Hayes, Jr., approved the use of aspartame in carbonated beverages, he left for a position with G.D. Searle's Public Relations firm.
Long-Term Damage. It appears to cause slow, silent damage in those unfortunate enough to not have immediate reactions and a reason to avoid it. It may take one year, five years, 10 years, or 40 years, but it seems to cause some reversible and some irreversible changes in health over long-term use.
METHANOL (AKA WOOD ALCOHOL/POISON) (10% OF ASPARTAME) Methanol/wood alcohol is a deadly poison. People may recall that methanol was the poison that has caused some "skid row" alcoholics to end up blind or dead. Methanol is gradually released in the small intestine when the methyl group of aspartame encounter the enzyme chymotrypsin.
The absorption of methanol into the body is sped up considerably when free methanol is ingested. Free methanol is created from aspartame when it is heated to above 86 Fahrenheit (30 Centigrade). This would occur when aspartame-containing product is improperly stored or when it is heated (e.g., as part of a "food" product such as Jello).
Methanol breaks down into formic acid and formaldehyde in the body. Formaldehyde is a deadly neurotoxin. An EPA assessment of methanol states that methanol "is considered a cumulative poison due to the low rate of excretion once it is absorbed. In the body, methanol is oxidized to formaldehyde and formic acid; both of these metabolites are toxic." The recommend a limit of consumption of 7.8 mg/day. A one-liter (approx. 1 quart) aspartame-sweetened beverage contains about 56 mg of methanol. Heavy users of aspartame-containing products consume as much as 250 mg of methanol daily or 32 times the EPA limit.
The most well known problems from methanol poisoning are vision problems. Formaldehyde is a known carcinogen, causes retinal damage, interferes with DNA replication, and causes birth defects. Due to the lack of a couple of key enzymes, humans are many times more sensitive to the toxic effects of methanol than animals. Therefore, tests of aspartame or methanol on animals do not accurately reflect the danger for humans. As pointed out by Dr Woodrow C. Monte, Director of the Food Science and Nutrition Laboratory at Arizona State University, "There are no human or mammalian studies to evaluate the possible mutagenic, teratogenic, or carcinogenic effects of chronic administration of methyl alcohol."
It has been pointed out that fruit juices and alcoholic beverages contain small amounts of methanol. It is important to remember, that the methanol in natural products never appears alone. In every case, ethanol is present, usually in much higher amounts. Ethanol is an antidote for methanol toxicity in humans.
The troops of Desert Storm were "treated" to large amounts of aspartame-sweetened beverages which had been heated to over 86 degrees F. in the Saudi Arabian sun. Many of them returned home with numerous disorders similar to what has been seen in persons who have been chemically poisoned by formaldehyde. The free methanol in the beverages may have been a contributing factor in these illnesses. Other breakdown products ofaspartame such as DKP, may also have been a factor.
In a 1993 act that can only be described as "unconscionable", the FDA approved aspartame as an ingredient in numerous food items that would always be heated to above 86°degrees F (30°Degrees C).
Much worse, on 27 June 1996, without public notice, the FDA removed all restrictions from aspartame allowing it to be used in everything, including all heated and baked goods.
The truth about aspartame's toxicity is far different than what the NutraSweet Company would have you readers believe. In February of 1994, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services released the listing of adverse reactions reported to the FDA (DHHS 1994). Aspartame accounted for more than 75% of all adverse reactions reported to the FDA's Adverse Reaction Monitoring System (ARMS). By the FDA's own admission fewer then ONE PERCENT of those who have problems with something they consume ever report it to the FDA. This balloons the almost 10,000 complaints they once had to around a million.
However, the FDA has a record keeping problem (they never did respond to the certified letter from the WEBMASTER of this site a major victim!) and they tend to discourage or even misdirect complaints, at least on aspartame. The fact remains, though, that MOST victims don't have a clue that aspartame may be the cause of their many problems! Many reactions to aspartame were very serious including seizures and death.
Those reactions included:
Abdominal Pain
Anxiety attacks
arthritis
asthma
Asthmatic Reactions
Bloating, Edema (Fluid Retention)
Blood Sugar Control Problems (Hypoglycemia or Hyperglycemia)
Brain Cancer (Pre-approval studies in animals)
Breathing difficulties
burning eyes or throat
Burning Urination
can't think straight
Chest Pains
chronic cough
Chronic Fatigue
Confusion
Death
Depression
Diarrhea
Dizziness
Excessive Thirst or Hunger
fatigue
feel unreal
flushing of face
Hair Loss (Baldness) or Thinning of Hair
Headaches/Migraines dizziness
Hearing Loss
Heart palpitations
Hives (Urticaria)
Hypertension (High Blood Pressure)
Impotency and Sexual Problems
inability to concentrate
Infection Susceptibility
Insomnia
Irritability
Itching
Joint Pains
laryngitis
"like thinking in a fog"
Marked Personality Changes
Memory loss
Menstrual Problems or Changes
Migraines and Severe Headaches (Trigger or Cause From Chronic Intake)
Muscle spasms
Nausea or Vomiting
Numbness or Tingling of Extremities
Other Allergic-Like Reactions
Panic Attacks
Phobias
poor memory
Rapid Heart Beat
Rashes
Seizures and Convulsions
Slurring of Speech
Swallowing Pain
Tachycardia
Tremors
Tinnitus
Vertigo
Vision Loss
Weight gain
Aspartame Disease Mimics Symptoms or Worsens the Following Diseases
Alzheimer's Disease
Arthritis
Birth Defects
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
Diabetes and Diabetic Complications
Epilepsy
Fibromyalgia
Lupus
Lyme Disease
Lymphoma
Multiple Chemical Sensitivities (MCS)
Multiple Sclerosis (MS)
Parkinson's Disease
How it happens:
Methanol, from aspartame, is released in the small intestine when the methyl group of aspartame encounters the enzyme chymotrypsin (Stegink 1984, page 143). Free methanol begins to form in liquid aspartame-containing products at temperatures above 86 degrees F. also within the human body.
The methanol is then converted to formaldehyde. The formaldehyde converts to formic acid - ant sting poison. Toxic formic acid is used as an activator to strip epoxy and urethane coatings. Imagine what it does to your tissues! (Note from Stephanie Relfe - Even the Australian Cancer Council says that there are NO safe levels of formaldehyde).
Phenylalanine and aspartic acid, 90% of aspartame, are amino acids normally used in synthesis of protoplasm when supplied by the foods we eat. But when unaccompanied by other amino acids we use [there are 20], they are neurotoxic.
That is why a warning for Phenylketonurics is found on EQUAL and other aspartame products. Phenylketenurics are 2% of the population with extreme sensitivity to this chemical unless it's present in food. It gets you too, causing brain disorders and birth defects! Finally, the phenyalanine breaks down into DKP, a brain tumor agent.
In other words: Aspartame converts to dangerous by-products that have no natural countermeasures. A dieter's empty stomach accelerates these conversions and amplifies the damage. Components of aspartame go straight to the brain, damage that causes headaches, mental confusion, seizures and faulty balance. Lab rats and other test animals died of brain tumors.
Despite the claims of Monsanto and bedfellows:
1. Methanol from alcohol and juices does not get converted to formaldehyde to any significant extent. There is very strong evidence to confirm this fact for alcoholic beverages and fairly strong evidence for juices.
2. Formaldehyde obtained from methanol is very toxic in *very small* doses as seen by recent research.
3. Aspartame causes chronic toxicity reactions/damage due to the methanol to formaldehyde and other break down products despite what is claimed otherwise by the very short, industry-funded experiments using a test substance that is chemically different and absorbed differently than what is available to the general public. "Strangely enough", almost all independent studies show that aspartame can cause health problems.
4. A common ploy from Monsanto is to claim that aspartame is "safe" yet a few select people may have "allergic" reactions to it. This is typical Monsanto nonsense, of course. Their own research shows that it does not cause "allergic" reactions. It is there way of trying to minimize and hide the huge numbers of toxicity reactions and damage that people are experiencing from the long-term use of aspartame.
Summary
Given the following points, it is definitely premature for researchers to discount the role of methanol in aspartame side effects:
1. The amount of methanol ingested from aspartame is unprecedented in human history. Methanol from fruit juice ingestion does not even approach the quantity of methanol ingested from aspartame, especially in persons who ingest one to three liters (or more) of diet beverages every day. Unlike methanol from aspartame, methanol from natural products is probably not absorbed or converted to its toxic metabolites in significant amounts as discussed earlier.
2. Lack of laboratory-detectable changes in plasma formic acid and formaldehyde levels do not preclude damage being caused by these toxic metabolites. Laboratory-detectable changes in formate levels are often not found in short exposures to methanol.
3. Aspartame-containing products often provide little or no nutrients which may protect against chronic methanol poisoning and are often consumed in between meals. Persons who ingest aspartame-containing products are often dieting and more likely to have nutritional deficiencies than persons who take the time to make fresh juices.
4. Persons with certain health conditions or on certain drugs may be much more susceptible to chronic methanol poisoning.
5. Chronic diseases and side effects from slow poisons often build silently over a long period of time. Many chronic diseases which seem to appear suddenly have actually been building in the body over many years.
6. An increasing body of research is showing that many people are highly sensitive to low doses of formaldehyde in the environment. Environmental exposure to formaldehyde and ingestion of methanol (which converts to formaldehyde) from aspartame likely has a cumulative deleterious effect.
7. Formic acid has been shown to slowly accumulate in various parts of the body. Formic acid has been shown to inhibit oxygen metabolism.
8. The are a very large and growing number of persons are experiencing chronic health problems similar to the side effects of chronic methanol poisoning when ingesting aspartame-containing products for a significant length of time. This includes many cases of eye damage similar to the type of eye damage seen in methanol poisoning cases.
Note: It often takes at least sixty days without any aspartame NutraSweet to see a significant improvement. (Note from Stephanie Relfe: Drink plenty of good water. Preferably water filtered by reverse osmosis. If not that, spring water. Not tap, distilled or mineral water).
Check all labels very carefully (including vitamins and pharmaceuticals). Look for the word "aspartame" on the label and avoid it. (Also, it is a good idea to avoid "acesulfame-k" or "sunette.") Finally, avoid getting nutrition information from junk food industry PR organizations such as IFIC or organizations that accept large sums of money from the junk and chemical food industry such as the American Dietetic Association.
If you are a user of any products with aspartame, and you have physical, visual, mental problems take the 60-day no aspartame test. If, after two months with no aspartame your symptoms are either gone, or are much less severe, please get involved to get this neurotoxin off the market. Write a letter to the FDA, with a copy to Betty Martini (for proof of how the FDA doesn't keep proper records). Write your congressmen. Return products containing aspartame to the point of purchase... for a FULL refund. Make a big stink if they WON'T give you a full refund! Tell all your friends and family... and if they stop using aspartame and also "wake up well"... get them involved in the same way.
Aspartame is an "approved sweetener" because of a few greedy and dishonest people who place profits above human life and well-being. With the FDA and our Congress culpable, only an INFORMED and ACTIVE public will affects its reclassification from "food additive" to TOXIC DRUG, and removed from the human food chain.
From Stephane Relfe: Note that Michael J. Fox, who was spokesperson for Pepsi, has an old man's disease (Parkinson's Disease) at only 30 years old!
Also Note: Aspartame has one use that I know of - it makes an EXCELLENT ant poison. Put a few tablespoons on a nest of fire ants and see how long before they disappear.
For more information:
www.dorway.com
www.aspartamekills.com
www.nexuxmagazine.com/Aspartame.html
http://www.holisticmed.com/aspartame
http://www.trufax.org/menu/chem.html#aspartame
Addresses:
Commissioner
Food and Drug Administration
5600 Fishers Lane
Rockville, Maryland 20857
Mrs. Betty Martini
Mission Possible International
9270 State Bridge Road Suite 215
Duluth, Georgia 30097
Internet E-mail: bettym19@mindspring.com
NOW... that you are aware of the 92 FDA recognized symptoms (that required a Freedom Of Information Act request to pry from their reluctant hands) and HOW aspartame does its dirty work, change to Dorway's Official Dogma page.
www.dorway.com/offasprt.html
On this page Mark Gold has taken the IFIC "Official" aspartame safety myth and shot it full of holes using all of the smoking guns that were used by the FDA to approve this poison as a food additive, along with information they either ignored or discounted. This excellent debunking of the official FDA/Monsanto/Searle/Nutrasweet/Nutrasweet Kelco/AMA/ADA/IFIC/??? chain of lies and half truths includes a long history of this "product's" sordid trail to the marketplace and the sweet tooth.
Other great Aspartame / Phenylalaine links:
/www.mercola.com/article/aspartame/phenylalanine.htm
www.heall.com/body/askthedoctor/nutrition/artificialsweeteners.html
Excitotoxins: The Taste that Kills
Russell Blaylock
Excitotoxins are substances added to foods and drinks that literally stimulate nerve cells to death, causing brain damage. They can be found in such ingredients as monosodium glutamate (MSG), aspartame (nutrasweet) and hydrolyzed vegetable protein. The dangers of these substances is so overwhelming that they can no longer be ignored.
Do a search on the web on `aspartame' and you will see that it can cause Parkinson's disease (why did Michael Fox, spokesman for Diet Pepsi, get an old man's disease at 30?), MS and cravings for carbohydate (thereby causing an INCREASE in weight).
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| Fibromyalgia
Posted: 3/10/2008 3:07:29 PM | | Try learning yoga or learn meditation it can help detoxify the body. If you're overweight you need to lose weight. Avoid trigger foods, usually most processed foods will trigger it. Eat plenty of vegetable and some fruits and drink some water. Write a food diary and figure your trigger foods. You can google on how to do that. | |
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| Fibromyalgia
Posted: 3/10/2008 3:10:51 PM | | I didn't read the entire thread but I have read that Guaifenesin, like what's in Mucinex, is helpful | |
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| Fibromyalgia
Posted: 3/18/2008 10:02:51 AM | I have Myofacia pain -- which is similiar. Mine is an inflammation of the tissue between the skin and the muscle. Mine is all over. Fibromyalgia is more localized.
Instead of just going to the dr. and getting drugs to mask the pain, try a Maximized Living Chiropractor. He, or she, will actually HELP to CURE the issues... Read "One minute Wellness" by Dr. Ben Lerner.
Try, also, an anti-inflammatory diet. The pain is caused by inflammation. We can help this by eatting more alkaline foods. (Avacados, spinach, sweet potatoes, etc.)
I started a forum today about anti-inflammatory diets. SUGAR is POISON and very inflammatory -- so STOP eatting sugar immediately.
My chiropractor has a degree in nutrition. Maximized Living chiropractors use a holistic approach. | |
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| Fibromyalgia
Posted: 3/18/2008 12:15:22 PM | fibro is a recently "accepted" syndrome which is a pattern of symptoms. if you had one symptom such as a stomach ache, i assume you would go further and want to know if it's caused by gas or cancer?!* then if it's gas, what's causing the gas???
with fibro and chronic fatigue (depending on which dr. you go to first), the syndromes are often left to rest and then all sorts of traditional to holistic remedies are applied. the results depend largely upon your immune system.
orignally many people who went complaining to their doctors, were told they were nuts or hypochondriacs and denied treatment. so when rheumatology (fibro) and immunology (chronic fatigue) took on the burden of giving it all a name--then they could give a diagnosis to the insurance company and get paid and prescribe treatments w/o getting sued for malpractice. but again, why do we have these syndromes?
for me, it was a long journey and along the way i was also told i had "gulf war syndrome". where the he-ll that came from was slowly revealed. also a lot of autoimmune stuff started happening like hashimoto thyroiditis--typically not part of routine thyroid tests.
well, after a referral from someone online in australia (!) i got sent to a dr. to treat the gulf war "mycoplasma" and she in turn was what is called a "lymes literate" physician. i had been tested for lymes with the wrong test and by hmo stat labs. if you were bitten more than 30 days ago, try years for me and probably ongoing bites, results don't show. also there is a lot of contaminiation that occurs in these tests and only a few labs do them well. so, i finally got the right tests and they SCREAMED out lymes disease. also, i had been reporting strange rashes, but they were not bulls eye and half the people with documented lymes will say the same. also, i had a lymes spec scan which revealed the thick blood mentioned above. also i have since found high levels of mercury that was not in the common blood test. mercury interferes with the antibiotic treatment of lymes.
there is a physician group called ILADS that is international and these docs are all connected on the internet and share lymes related information. there are a number of additonal tick borne illnesses and different regional strains on these crop up. for example i tested no on babesia, until a test for the west coast strain was developed. then i tested positive. also they have since found out that the tick carries gulf war syndrome.
so, it's a long and expensive journey. if you are able to treat with the herbal remedies, you are not "as" immune compromised. i do both and fortunately my local dr. is both an md and a homeopath and recognizes that some lyme patients need aggressive and long term antibiotic treatment---along with the endless array of herbs and his treatment for mercury via chelation. my lymes dr. only checked my blood for mercury. the homeopath drew it out of my organs with the same chelating agents. i'm one of the highest he's seen. so, it all gets very complicated and insurance companies do not want to pay for it as they have claimed until recently experimental.
lymes will hit your own weak areas--for some the brain and some the heart and some the muscles. the spirochetes hide in your own cells, and thus many of the auto immune responses.
just recently they "finally" published the lymes controvery in an infectious disease journal. there is a lot of money at stake here, a lot of egos involved in the diagnosis and which specialty gets to be the expert --not to mention insurance companies sure as heck don't want to pay for IV rocephin for any length of time.
ticks are also not just on deer, around here they are rampant with rats and love to live in oak trees.
so take what you want and leave the rest. i was fortunate to be a health care delivery strategist, so i was able to research and form the opinion which saved my life and kept me from the wheelchair--which i used in the beginning, but no longer. | |
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| Fibromyalgia
Posted: 6/2/2008 2:24:15 PM | Without reading every post, here's my 2 cents...
I've had fibro for at least 10 years. Have been very bad at times to the point of using a cane and wishing I were dead! Came to grips with it about 6 years ago and since that time have (slowly) gotten better. First, I FINALLY got a sufficient dose of opiates to give me a temporary relief from almost ALL the pain. After that, it didn't come back as bad as it had been. I think breaking the pain cycle helped me (mentally) to see some light at the end of the tunnel.
I also found that, for me, exercise is necessary! If I don't exercise a little the pain gets worse. Of course, I didn't try this until I had that bit of pain relief but now it's pretty much a part of my routine.
My only med now is a Fentanyl patch. I've been as high a dose as 100 micrograms but have cut it back (myself) to now only 50 MCG. At this dosage I have a bit more pain when I sleep too long on one side (45-60 minutes) but still tolerable, just have to turn over more often. | |
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