Best Health And Wellness Info

Your body weight pattern is usually the most definitive indicator of the worst problem. In reviewing Part 1, you may feel that your body weight matches the pattern of more than one of the 4 categories. Make a note which one or ones you think match you the best.

Go back through the other Parts of this series and make a note of what patterns of fatigue, sleep disturbance, and digestive tract problems fit your symptoms. Any underlying problem that shows up more than once for you is a high priority, so begin with those issues first.

The following are recommendations for Nutri-West supplements for the listed conditions. I have confidence and experience with using Nutri-West’s product line and that’s why I recommend them, but if you prefer to shop around for other supplements, you can use the NutriWest product information as a guide for what to look for.

Before I go into specific recommendations, there is one supplement that I think just about anyone can benefit from and that is a good quality omega-3 fatty acid supplement, such as NutriWest’s Complete Omega-3 Essentials. Omega-3 fatty acids help control inflammation, help with depression, and have numerous cardiovascular benefits. Because the typical diet today is largely devoid of this critically important nutrient as discussed in this post, I recommend supplementation to just about everyone, at a level of 1 to 3 capsules per day. The only exception to this is people on blood thinning medication such as coumadin, because there is a potential for dangerous interaction.

Now, on to specific recommendations…

Adrenal problems usually respond well to DSF Formula. For those with major fatigue problems, their energy usually increases dramatically within a day or two of starting on DSF. For most people, I recommend a doseage of one to two per day, but individuals under an unusual amount of stress may benefit from taking as many as four per day. It is best to take DSF with the morning and afternoon meals. I have also found that DSF seems to work better over the long run if you take a day or two off from the supplement every week or so (for example, I usually don’t take it on the weekend). I don’t know of any good reason why this would be, but that has been my personal experience taking DSF and several of my patients have reported similar experiences.

Liver and gallbladder problems will usually benefit from a product called Total Liver D-Tox. I suggest taking one three times per day, taken with meals. This product helps the liver to recover from the effects of poor diet, excess alcohol consumption, and overuse of drugs/medications, as well as helps the liver clear various toxins we are exposed to in the environment. In addition, it is important to ease up on the fatty foods, particularly fried food, as these are very irritating to the liver and can place excessive demands on the gallbladder.

Thyroid issues vary somewhat from person to person, and for anyone who is already taking thyroid medication, you probably cannot completely replace the medication with supplements, and definitely not if you have had your thyroid removed or “burned out” with radiation or chemotherapy. For less severe thyroid issues, or for those of you with classic thryoid symptoms but normal blood tests, a couple of supplements usually help quite a bit. The first is Total Thyroid, which supports overall healthy thyroid function. The second is Total Mitochondria, which supports the production and function of the “energy factories” of the cells, called the mitochondria. At its most basic, the main job of thyroid hormone is to stimulate the production of mitochondria in the cells, and the mitochondria in turn burn calories for energy for all cellular functions. Total Mitochondria supports the ability of the cells to build new mitochondria. Both Total Thyroid and Total Mitochondria can be taken at doses of one to two per day each.

Estrogen and female hormone problems usually respond well to Total Female (one to two per day), which provides overall support of female glandular function for pre and post menopausal women. For those women taking birth control pills or hormone replacement, it is often necessary to get off of those hormones. Estrogen, particularly synthetic estrogen which is used in most birth control and hormone replacement can cause a number of problems with normal body function, and in particular can interfere with normal thyroid hormone function. For those of you who are on hormone replacement or use birth control pills for the primary purpose of handling PMS symptoms, I suggest trying to find a health care practitioner who will work with you on hormone testing and natural hormone balancing.

The appropriate supplements for anemia will depend on the type of anemia. For iron-deficiency, I suggest Ferrous-Fumuro Chelate, but ONLY if you have blood test results that show you actually have iron deficiency anemia. Since it is difficult to tell the difference between folic acid deficiency and B-12 deficiency (also called pernicious anemia), I suggest using a good quality mulitvitamin such as Core Level Health Reserve to get an oral supply of both and use B-12 Lozenges (you MUST allow them to dissolve under the tongue) as a form of sublingual B-12 to be sure you get adequate absorption of the B-12. For those who have vitamin B-12 deficiency anemia, the other option is to periodically get B-12 injections from a physician. Dosing recommendations will vary depending on what other supplements you are using. For more information, contact me.

For those with generally poor digestion, I recommend Total Enzymes. Most people get good resuts with one capsule per meal, but in extreme cases, two or three per meal may be needed initially. Typically the more fresh vegetables and fruits you consume, the less enzymes you’ll need.

For those with the yeast pattern of poor digestion (bloating after eating sweets and carbohydrates, and major cravings for those same foods), I recommend Total YST Redux (usually one per meal when in the symptomatic phase and then one per day on a preventive basis).

If you have a history of recurring gastrointestinal “bugs” and/or digestive problems following a course of antibiotics, I recommend Total Probiotics (one to two capsules per meal) to help restore the normal balance of healthy bacteria in the gut.

If you have reason to suspect a parasitic infection (digestive problems, voracious appetite without major weight gain, a history of human-transmittable parasites in a pet, and/or a history of travel in Asia, South/Central America, or Mexico), I suggest starting with Total Para (one to two per meal when first starting, then decreasing to one per day for at least 2 months once symptoms subside). If you are not significantly better within 1 to 2 weeks, fecal testing for parasites is recommended so that the parasite can be identified and the most effective medication can be prescribed.

For those with difficulty falling asleep, I recommend Total 5-HTP. This supplement contains 5-HTP which supports normal seratonin levels, as well as melatonin to further assist with normalizing sleep cycles. Start with one about 30 minutes before bedtime, and go to two if needed.   It works best if taken with a small amount of carbohydrate (half a slice of bread, a small handful of cereal, fruit, etc.).

For specific recommendations on your case, especially if you have identified multiple underlying factors and want to narrow down the list of recommendations further, or if you have any other questions, please feel free to contact me.

Although this is the final part of the Supplements For Fibromyalgia series, there will be updates in the near future on this topic. I am currently in the process of development on a website that will walk you through the underlying causes for fibromyalgia and other health problems and will then formulate an overall set of treatment recommendations for each individual, including diet, exercise, supplement, and other natural remedies. So stay tuned to my natural remedies blog for more fibromyalgia updates.

Yes, I said INSUFFICIENT acid production! You see, the stomach is supposed to be acidic. In fact, you need a highly acidic environment in the stomach to properly digest your food, but it has to be the right kind of acid. The stomach produces hydrochloric acid, which is what the digestive enzymes are designed to work the best with. When you don’t have adequate levels of hydrochloric acid and/or enzymes, you cannot properly digest your food, and it begins to putrefy (rot) in the stomach, resulting in the production of gas and other types of acid. It is this gas and abnormal acid production that often produces the symptoms of indigestion and acid reflux. While it is true that antacids and acid blocking medications do ease the symptoms of reflux in most cases early on, many people experience a gradual return of symptoms and require higher and higher doses to get relief. This is because the medications further hinder normal digestion, and create an even larger problem over time. Usually by supplementing with digestive enzymes (the first step) and sometimes supplements to increase hydrochloric acid (if enzymes alone do not entirely correct the problem), digestion can be normalized. In a few cases of acid reflux, there may be mechanical interference with the valve between the stomach and esophagus (as in cases of hiatal hernia), and this can usually be addressed through visceral manipulation techniques and other methods.

The next category of GI tract problems is that in which there is any kind of bloating, indigestion, or cramping when any significant amount of fat is ingested. This symptom is indicative of liver and/or gallbladder problems, as these organs are responsible for releasing bile to break up fat and make it easier to digest and abosorb. In addition to the digestion problem, there may be discomfort in the front of the upper abdomen, under the rib cage and/or pain and tightness in the right shoulder blade area, particularly after eating a high-fat meal or when under stress.

Bloating and flatulence after eating a high-carbohydrate meal usually indicates an overgrowth of yeast in the lower GI tract. Besides going to a relatively low-carbohydrate diet, there are supplements that can be used to eliminate the “bad” yeasts and replace them with healthy bacteria and yeasts that actually aid in digestion and also produce Vitamin K.

Digestive problems following the use of antibiotics are usually due to overgrowth of either pathogenic yeasts (as just discussed) and/or infectious bacteria (sometimes called dysbiosis).  Antibiotics kill off the body’s healthy bacteria just as much as the unhealthy bacteria, and often the unhealthy ones are at least partially antibiotic resistant. Following a course of antibiotics, it is not unusual for the gastrointestinal tract to become overpopulated with unhealthy bacteria. Obviously, if this situation was created by taking antibiotics in the first place, antibiotics are probably not the best choice for handling the problem. There are natural remedies available to help restore the balance of bacteria in the GI tract back in favor of the healthy bacteria.

As discussed in the part of this series on chronic fatigue, in some cases parasites are to blame for gastrointestinal symptoms, particularly when combined with constant fatigue and constant hunger for food of any kind. This is more than just a craving for a certain food, this is a gnawing hunger that almost never goes away, no matter how much your eat. Parasites are often difficult to diagnose with certainty with most lab tests, but the symptom pattern is pretty consistent.

Intermittent bouts of bloating, diarrhea, flatulence, and other gastrointestinal symptoms are usually due to either food allergies/sensitivities and/or various autoimmune conditions. Food allergies may be revealed by formal testing, or may be determined by elimination diets of common allergic foods. The most common allergic foods are wheat/gluten, dairy, corn, soy, tomatoes, peanuts, and chocolate. By eliminating each of these foods from the diet for one to two weeks and being alert for changes in symptoms, it is often possible to figure out what the triggering foods are. Then you can simply avoid those foods, or you may try various allergy elimination methods. One natural remedy for allergies that is a bit strange, but quite effective in most cases is NAET (Nambudripad’s Allergy Elimination Technique). Critics dismiss it as being totally ridiculous, and I used to think the same thing, but I have learned that NAET and similar methods are effective for most people and I have used a variation of this method in my office with great success for the past 8 years or so.

Many people diagnosed with autoimmune disorders may actually have undiagnosed food allergies, and instead get diagnosed with Irritable Bowel Syndrome, or Colitis. These conditions may also be related to chronic infection and/or an abnormally sensitive inflamatory response. Because a definitive cause can be difficult to find, I usually recommend beginning with digestive enzymes (which improve digestion and also help reduce inflammation), and then gradually introduce things like NAG (N-acetyl glucosmine) to help heal the gastrointestinal lining and then omega-3 fatty acids to help control inflammation.

In the final part of this series, I’m going to review what we’ve covered and then put all the parts together, to help you figure out what your specific problems are and what supplements and remedies will give you the greatest benefits.

Stay tuned for the final part of the Supplements For Fibromyalgia series here on my natural remedies blog.

****To View The Other Parts Of This Series, Click On The Links Below****

Part 1     Part2     Part 3     Part 4     Part 6

Finally food allergies and sensitivities can sometimes produce intermittent fatigue. It is important here to distinguish between sleepiness that may occur with a particularly large protein meal (a large intake of the amino acid tryptophan may induce sleepiness) and fatigue, which is an overall feeling of tiredness and low energy in the whole body. Particularly large meals can also induce sleepiness because digesting a particualrly big meal diverts a considerable amount of blood to the gastrointestinal tract, and may somewhat decrease circulation and oxygenation of the brain. With food allergies and sensitivities, in addition to fatigue, there will also usually be digestive disturbances, bloating in the GI tract, and possibly other allergy symptoms such as sinus drainage or skin reactions like hives.

Make a note of what, if any of the causes of intermittent fatigue seem to apply to you and keep those in mind as we continue through the rest of the series. In the next installment, I’ll discuss the types of sleep disturbances in fibromyalgia and their potential causes.

Stay tuned to my natural remedies blog for more fibromyalgia treatment information!

****To View The Other Parts Of This Series, Click On The Links Below****

Part 1     Part 2     Part 4     Part 5     Part 6

 

Now before all you fibromyalgia sufferers send me a bunch of hate email after reading that title, stick with me for just a minute while I explain what I’m talking about…

Now, I’m not some arrogant doctor who, in an attempt to protect his ego proclaims that fibromyalgia is an imaginary illness that is all in the sufferer’s head, for the sole reason that if it was a real condition, he the “great doctor” would be able to cure it. I may be arrogant, but I’m not saying that fibromyalgia is imaginary.

What I am saying is that fibromyalgia is not one single condition with one underlying cause and therefore it is highly unlikely that any one treatment will work for even a small majority of fibromyalgia sufferers - despite all the hype for Lyrica.

I have been treating people diagnosed with fibromyalgia for over 15 years in my holistic health practice. I say “diagnosed with” because these are people who come to see me who have been diagnosed with fibromyalgia (either by themselves or by one or more doctors). I don’t use that diagnosis myself, because I don’t think it is particularly useful. I do tell people that OTHER doctors would diagnose them with fibromyalgia, and then explain what I’m about to discuss now.

The problem is that the diagnostic criteria for fibromyalgia are pretty darned vague. If we use the “11 of 18 tender point” standard, you’d get the diagnosis of fibromyalgia if you just exercised too hard the day before having a medical exam!

Getting back to what I was referring to in the title, in my experience, “fibromyalgia” is simply a set of symptoms that can be caused by any number of underlying conditions. And while fibromyalgia is still considered to be untreatable for the most part (Lyrica works well for a few people, but it is far from what it is being advertised as, and the side-effects rule it out as an option for many people who try it), the underlying conditions that are causing the symptoms are usually quite treatable. The problem is that most doctors are making the diagnosis of fibromyalgia and not looking any further. Even if they are looking further, they don’t know what to look for, and often wind up missing something very important, yet relatively easy to fix.

In my experience, the most common conditions that produce fibromyalgia symptoms include hypothyroidism, hypoglycemia, adrenal fatigue, homocysteine toxicity, allergies and food sensitivities, chronic infections, biomechanical dysfunction, depression, heavy smoking, dehydration, nutritional deficiencies, physical inactivity, and emotional reactions (by emotional reactions I am referring to very real mind-body effects, not “imaginary” symptoms). Most of these conditions are not even checked for by the majority of medical doctors who diagnose and treat fibromyalgia. Of those, such as hypothyroidism and hypoglycemia, that are typically tested for, the standard testing procedures may not be adequate to uncover problems.

So what happens is that people with any combination of symtoms that fit the fibromyalgia pattern (widespread pain, sleep problems, fatigue, digestive disorders, etc.) all get lumped together under the fibromyalgia diagnosis. Worse yet, fibromyalgia sufferers are typically told that there is nothing that can be done to cure them and the best they can do is manage the symptoms with medication. In fact, many of the people I have seen with the fibromyalgia diagnosis have told me that their doctors actively discouraged them from “wasting their time” trying to find a better way to deal with the situation. After all, if the doctor said it was incurable, you should just take his or her word for it - who are YOU to disagree with “THE DOCTOR”?

Unfortunately, there are so few healthcare practitioners who do know what to look for, how to look for it, and how to fix it when they find it, that the vast majority of fibromyalgia sufferers are being managed by doctors who really don’t know much more about it than the patients themselves!

The good news is that you don’t necessarily have to find a doctor to help you - although assistance from certain healthcare providers is usually very helpful. You can take a “shotgun” approach to the problem using a combination of natural approaches. Unlike using medication, using multiple natural treatments at once isn’t hazardous (you wouldn’t want to take medication for every possible cause of fibromyalgia because you probably wouldn’t survive the side-effects!). In fact, the “side-effect” of the approach I’m about to recommend is that other health problems usually improve at the same time as the fibromyalga symptoms! The biggest downside is that using multiple natural approaches simultaneously can be somewhat costly, but costs can be kept down the more you learn to do for yourself.

I’ll be going into detail on the various treatments I’m recommending over the course of several future posts, but let me summarize the program now. Step 1: Use diet and supplementation to provide vitamins, minerals, trace nutrients, essential fatty acids, enzymes, and fiber in order to balance blood sugar, neurotransmitters, and modulate inflammation and immune response. Also supplement with natural hormones when necessary. Step 2: Find and eliminate toxicities and allergies. Also, withdraw from any unnecessary medications. Step 3: Use exercises and body work (masage, chiropractic, etc.) to correct biomechanical function, reduce soft tissue restrictions, and improve circulation to the joints and muscles. Step 4: Manage stress and handle emotional reactions. Step 5: Correct energy flows through the body’s acupuncture meridian system through the use of acupuncture (using needles, electrical stimulation, or laser), acupressure, reflexology, and/or herbal remedies. Step 6: Enjoy life!

Stay tuned to my natural remedies blog for more information on natural fibromyalgia relief.