fibromyalgia treatment options€¦ · acquiring fibromyalgia. nutritional or emotional stress...

Fibromyalgia

Treatment Options

by Polly Hattemer

©2003 by Polly Hattemer, also known as Pauline Hattemer

All rights reserved. Purchase of this PDF file entitles you to use it for yourself and family, butnot to distribute it to others. If you want to make hard copies for a fibromyalgia support group,please contact us.

Published byHealth Reflections Book CorpPO Box 900Manhattan Beach, CA 90267-0900USA

email [email protected]

August, 2003 versionMinor updates will be done occasionally.

More books by Polly Hattemer can be found atwww.dysbiosis.com

Book 1: Candida’s Impact on your Health

Book 2: Candidiasis and Dysbiosis Abatement Techniques

Book 3: Diets for Immune Support and Gut Health

Book 4: Hormones, Dysbiosis and Candidiasis

Book 5: Hope for Autism through Nutrition

Book 6: Cleansing the Body of Mercury

Book 7: Fibromyalgia Treatment Options

www.dysbiosis.com

Foreword

There are many books on Fibromyalgia on the market. Those written by the professionals areusually complicated but not practical enough, leaving the patients wondering what to do next.Those written by lay people are usually simplistic but not scientific enough, leaving the patientswondering if the recommendations are valid.

This book by Polly Hattemer is a good combination of both worlds:

1. The research presentation is to the point, but does not overwhelm the patients.

- For example, the issue of serotonin, rarely mentioned in most books, is addressed in 4pages.

- There are 112 references in this 46 page book, including addresses of websites.

2. The recommendations are straight to the point.

- Where to get the tests- Where to get the products- How to take the products- Potential side effects to look for

This clear and concise style is typical of that of Polly Hattemer.

I very highly recommend this book to anyone, professional and lay people alike.

Huy Hoang, M.D.Natural Health Medical Center, Inc.Los Angeles, CA

Table of Contents

Fibromyalgia Treatment Options.........................................................................6Serotonin ...............................................................................................................7Serotonin Dominance? .........................................................................................8Is Serotonin Leaking from Cells? ........................................................................9LPS From Viral Infected E. Coli .......................................................................10Thyroid ................................................................................................................10Magnesium ..........................................................................................................11Whiplash..............................................................................................................13Chiropractic/Osteopathic....................................................................................14Loose Joints.........................................................................................................15Fibrin Formation And Oxygen Delivery ...........................................................15Malic Acid...........................................................................................................16Vitamin B12 ........................................................................................................17Coenzyme B1 And B6 Vitamins........................................................................17Bacterial Overgrowth In The Small Intestine ...................................................18Consequences of Small Bowel Bacterial Overgrowth......................................19Why Might The Housekeeping Wave Be Missing?..........................................20Bone Loss And Bacterial Overgrowth...............................................................21Branch Chain Amino Acids ...............................................................................22Taurine.................................................................................................................22Tryptophan ..........................................................................................................22Substance P And Pain.........................................................................................23Ammonia .............................................................................................................24Calorad and Gelatin ............................................................................................25Digesting Gelatin ................................................................................................26DPP IV Enzyme ..................................................................................................27Depression ...........................................................................................................28SAMe...................................................................................................................30Prescription Antidepressants ..............................................................................30Oxytocin ..............................................................................................................31Relaxin.................................................................................................................32Stealth Pathogens£Lyme, Chlamydia, And Mycoplasmas.............................32Exercise ...............................................................................................................34Guifenisen ...........................................................................................................34Fungal Infections ................................................................................................35Yoga Breathing Exercises ..................................................................................36Salt .......................................................................................................................36Mitochondria Health ...........................................................................................37Miscellaneous Treatments ..................................................................................38References ............................................................................................................40Index.....................................................................................................................48

Acknowledgement

This work would not have been possible without the support of my husband, DaleGoudey, PhD. Thank you for your patience and for your generosity. A specialacknowledgement is due Raymond Peat, PhD. More than anyone else, his booksand newsletters have influenced the way I think about nutrition and hormones. Ialso owe much to the Candida and Dysbiosis Information Foundation, as they weremy only link with reliable information for many years. Last, but not least, this bookis but an overview of fibromyalgia; the real credit should go to all the researcherswho have advanced the frontiers of medicine and biology.

DisclaimerThe contents of this book should in no way be considered professional advice norshould it be interpreted as prescribing treatment. If you do not understand the risksinvolved with a particular treatment or supplement discussed in the book, pleaseconsult a knowledgeable professional. Nothing is absolutely safe. Accordingly, thepublisher and the author do not assume any liability in connection with any of thesupplements or treatments mentioned in this book. Although the author made everyeffort to provide accurate information, this book is not guaranteed to be accurateor complete. Also, there can be no guarantee that the website addresses and phonenumbers mentioned in this book will remain valid or correct.

Fibromyalgia TreatmentOptions

Fibromyalgia is characterized by insomnia,fatigue and generalized joint/muscle pain. Thedisorder is diagnosed by noting the number ofpainful “tender points” on/near the neck,shoulders, back, legs, elbows, and knees.Headaches/migraines, depression, chemicalsensitivity, intestinal irritation, numbness /tingling and a heightened sensitivity to stimuliare very common. Sometimes sufferers have“fibro-fog”—an inability to concentrate andremember. Dates and names are often hard toremember. Women are affected much moreoften than men. Sometimes the problem isinitiated by a car accident. At other times, itappears to be initiated by exposure topathogens or toxins.

Early life stress increases the change ofacquiring fibromyalgia. Nutritional oremotional stress early in life, or prenatal stresscan set the stage for later acquisition ofserotonin dominance diseases. [1]Fibromyalgia has many characteristics of aserotonin dominance disease.

For a long time, people have recognized thesimilarities between fibromyalgia, and otherconditions—chronic fatigue immune deficiency

(CFIDS), environmental sensitivities, irritablebowel and the yeast syndrome. The reason forthese similarities is just now starting to becomeclear. The most recent observations show thatmost people with fibromyalgia have a bacterialovergrowth in the small intestines. They mayalso harbor an overgrowth of yeast/fungus inthe intestines. The toxins produced by thisintestinal flora interfere with the immunesystem, hormonal balance and cellular energy.However, this is just the latest in a long stringof theories that have been offered to explainfibromyalgia. Stress, stealth pathogens,magnesium deficiency, serotonin mishandling,phosphate accumulation, viral infection of E.coli, mitochondrial dysfunction and whiplashhave all been offered as causative factors. Atfirst blush, all of these causative factors seemunrelated to each other. Yet, they all affect theimmune system, hormonal balance, and cellularenergy in a similar manner. This book willexplain some of these theories about the causesof fibromyalgia.

It is nice to point to some theory that showsthat a person isn’t just imagining theirsymptoms. However, that is small comfort. The

Fibromyalgia Treatment Options 7

real comfort comes if you can use the theory tofind solutions. Theory should point us in newdirections to try. So should the experience ofothers. Once we sufficiently understand theproblem, then we have to cautiously trytreatments out in the laboratory of our ownbody.

There will be a large number of supplementsand treatments covered here. So it is importantto know where to start. Experience has shownthat the two most important things to correct area possible thyroid deficiency and a magnesiumdeficiency. Learning to get rid of stress is alsohigh on the list of priorities. A diet of easilydigestible food is quite important too. However,I don’t have enough information on the efficacyof the other treatments to say what else shouldhave priority.

Of all the treatment options, one shouldapply the most caution when trying tryptophanor 5-HTP. In contrast, the safest and easiesttreatment option would be a simple addition ofsalt to the diet. The reduction of polyunsaturatedoils in the diet would also be easy to implement.There are many treatment options to try.Something should be helpful.

Some of the following presentation is quitetechnical. This was necessary to explain whycertain unusual treatment options make sense,and why some treatments should begin beforeothers. You do not have to understand everynuance. Get the general idea, and then if youhave questions, ask your doctor about thespecifics.

SerotoninSerotonin is important for initiating sleep andadapting to stressful situations. It also gives usan ability to cope with depression. However,sometimes serotonin does just the opposite tous. It causes insomnia and/or depression. This

seems to be the case in fibromyalgia. Amishandling of serotonin plays a part increating the insomnia, fatigue, fibro-fog, painand depression of fibromyalgia.

Some of the earlier investigations intofibromyalgia indicated that the blood’s serumlevels of serotonin might be low. Morerecently, a study using a different method ofinvestigation showed that most people withfibromyalgia have very high levels of serotoninpresent in the blood’s plasma rich platelets,although there were also a few people who hadvery little serotonin. [2] So which is it? Toomuch or too little? Or is the most importantthing how the serotonin is being used?

The real problem is the misuse of serotonin.In many ways, the body of someone withfibromyalgia acts like it has too muchserotonin. There are many observations that arevery consistent with an excessive serotonin-likeinfluence.

1. Central Hypothyroidism. Chronic pain orstress elevates free serotonin in the brainand this induces central hypothyroidism.[3] (Hypothyroidism means the bodydoesn’t have enough thyroid hormone. Thiscauses fatigue, mood alterations, and poorimmunity. “ Central” hypothyroidism meansthat the brain isn’t telling the thyroid glandto create and release thyroid hormone.)Central hypothyroidism occurs in abouthalf the people who have fibromyalgia.This suggests that free serotonin might betoo high in parts of the brain.

2. Hormone Dysregulation. Serotoninpromotes the formation of corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH). An activation ofthe CRH neurons would disturb regulationof many hormones in exactly the samemanner as observed in fibromyalgia. [3]


(Other types of stressors, such as infectionand pain also increase CRH.)

3. Disrupted Non-REM Sleep. Serotoninpromotes the formation of CRH, and CRHincreases spontaneous waking and reducesNon-REM sleep. [4] Those withfibromyalgia experience poor Non-REMsleep. (REM means rapid-eye-movement.)In fact, just a lack of non-REM stage 4sleep may cause muscle pain and moodchanges similar to fibromyalgia.

4. Elevated Substance P. Substance P iselevated in the spinal fluid of those withfibromyalgia. This heightens the sensitivityto pain. Since serotonin increases substanceP, this is another indication that perhapsfree serotonin is elevated.

5. Defective Mitochondria. In fibromyalgia,defects in the cells’ mitochondria have beenobserved. When cells are exposed to freeserotonin, it poisons the cells’mitochondria. [5] This disrupts energyproduction and causes fatigue. (“ Free”serotonin means that the serotonin is notcontained within cells. It is surrounding thecells. When cells are left to soak in a bathof serotonin, it damages theirmitochondria.)

6. Elevated cytokine IL-6. An immunesystem cytokine called IL-6 is elevated infibromyalgia. IL-6 decreases REM sleep,causes fatigue, and interferes withconcentration in humans. [6, 7] Freeserotonin and substance P both mayincrease this IL-6 cytokine. [6, 8 ] This isyet another hint that free serotonin might behigh.

7. Blood Coagulation and Fibrin. Increasedblood clotting and fibrin formation has

been observed in fibromyalgia. Freeserotonin promotes this.

8. Poor Microcirculation. This interfereswith oxygen getting to the cells. Freeserotonin contributes to poormicrocirculation by increasing fibrinformation and constricting blood flow.(When you are cut, some of the cellsrelease serotonin. This constricts bloodvessels and helps form a clot. This is animportant function because the bleedingfrom a cut needs to be stopped. Thereleased serotonin helps the body do this.However, you don’ t want serotonin to bereleased when it isn’ t needed. This wouldbe a harmful misuse of serotonin.)

All of the above is consistent with a highpresence of free serotonin in the brain andpossibly elsewhere in the body.

Serotonin Dominance?Why could there be such a strong serotonin-like influence in fibromyalgia? Here are a fewpossibilities.

1. Early life stress. There is an enzyme in thebrain that converts tryptophan intoserotonin. This enzyme can be activatedunder prenatal or early life stress and notreturn to normal activity levels. [1]Activation of this enzyme means that therewould be more serotonin in the brain. eg.Blood serotonin levels could look normal oreven low, although the brain has plenty ofserotonin.

2. Excess ammonia. Ammonia increases theamount of tryptophan entering the brain.Subsequently, this increases the amount ofserotonin in the brain and enhances its use.[9]


3. Whiplash. This could set the stage for aninfection in the brain stem. The infectionwould cause an immune response, and thecytokines from this immune responsewould create a strong serotonin-likeinfluence in the brain’ s hypothalamus.(The hypothalamus regulates hormones,and affects the autonomic nervous system.)

4. Poor intestinal flora. Lipopolysaccaride(LPS) is a toxin found in the shell of gram-negative bacteria. This toxin makes aperson feel sick. It also increases therelease of serotonin in the brain’ shypothalamus and changes the way thebody regulates hormones. [3, 10]

5. The leaking of serotonin from cells. Thereis some preliminary indication thatserotonin is leaking out of cells infibromyalgia. The cells appear to bereleasing their serotonin into the blood’ splasma compartments. Testing showed thathigher plasma to serum ratios of serotoninmeant higher pain and anxiety. [11] Inother words, the more the cells leakserotonin, the more pain and anxiety that ispresent. When serotonin is outside of cells,it can be very harmful.

Is Serotonin Leaking from Cells?If the cells are leaking serotonin, what could becausing this? Are pesticides and chemicals toblame? Stress? Bacterial toxins? Here are somepossible scenarios:

1. Lipopolysaccharide (LPS). This is a toxinthat is found in the shell of gram-negativeintestinal bacteria. LPS can releaseserotonin from mast cells. LPS can alsoincrease platelet aggregation and this leadsto increased release of serotonin from the

platelets. [12] Hence LPS can increase freeserotonin levels.

2. Low Magnesium. This increases thelikelihood that platelets and mast cells willrelease their serotonin and histamine.

3. Stress Plus Polyunsaturated Oils. Stress,combined with excess polyunsaturated oilsin the diet, will cause serotonin to leakfrom cells.

This is Dr. Raymond Peat’ s explanation of therelationship between stress, fats, and serotoninleaking from cells:

Stress also liberates free fatty acids fromstorage, and these fatty acids increase theuptake of tryptophan into the brain, increasingthe formation of serotonin. … Serotoninliberates polyunsaturated fats, and these inturn liberate serotonin from cells such as theplatelets, and liberates tryptophan from serumalbumin, increasing its uptake and theformation of serotonin in the brain. Saturatedfats don’t liberate serotonin …[5]

Therefore, it seems prudent to eliminate mostof the polyunsaturated oils in the diet Corn,safflower, cottonseed, canola, soy, fish, flaxand most oils from nuts are all high inpolyunsaturated fatty acids. Notice that fish andflax oils are in this list of polyunsaturated oils.Even though there is some benefit to limiteduse of fish and flax oils, too much can be quiteharmful. In my opinion, one should limit theirfats/oils to mainly butter, olive and coconut.

Natural factors that will help keep serotoninlevels under control are thyroid, protein,magnesium, carbon dioxide, decreasedtryptophan consumption, vitamin B1,progesterone and exposure to light. [5, 13]Also, the amino acid glycine may counter someof the effects of excess serotonin. Compare this


list of harmful effects of excess serotonin withthis list of protective properties of glycine.Raymond Peat, PhD states:

“Serotonin excess produces a broad range ofharmful effects: Cancer, inflammation, fibrosis,neurological damage, shock, broncho-constriction, and hypertension, for example.Increased serotonin impairs learning, serotoninantagonists improve it. The simplest,nonessential, amino acid, glycine, has been foundto protect against carcinogenesis, inflammation,fibrosis, neurological damage, shock, asthma,and hypertension. Increased glycine improveslearning (Handlemann, et al., 1989; File, et al.,1999), glycine antagonists usually impair it.” [5]

Although the benefits of a glycine supplementare impressive, please be careful. Glycineprotects not just your cells, but it protectsbacteria like Klebsiella and possibly someyeast. If you happen to know that you have anovergrowth of Klebsiella, it may be prudent towait a while before trying glycine. If you wishto purchase some glycine, a bottle of justglycine powder will be cheaper thanencapsulated glycine. Glycine tastes sweet, soyou probably won’ t mind the taste of it.

To stop the leaking of serotonin, a personneeds to increase magnesium, eliminate foodallergies, eliminate stress, eliminate much ofthe gram-negative bacteria in the intestines, andeliminate most of the polyunsaturated oils fromthe diet.

LPS From Viral Infected E. ColiTheophil Hey, MD and colleagues found that80% or more of those with fibromyalgia areharboring a virus. It isn’ t a human virus, but itis a virus that infects the E coli bacteria that isliving in their intestines. His testing showedthat only 12% of the people without

fibromyalgia had this infection. When a groupof fibromyalgia patients were tested during aflair of symptoms, 62 out of 63, or 98% testedpositive for this problem.

When the infected E coli die, they burst andproduce fragments of the E coli shell. Gram-negative bacteria, like E. coli, have a layer intheir shell of a fatty substance calledlipopolysaccharide (LPS). LPS is highly toxicto humans.

To eliminate the E coli, avoid undercookedfood that may contain E coli and perhaps takesupplements to inhibit viruses. These are someherbs that can help rid the body of E. coli:oregano, peppermint, grapefruit seed extract,bitter melon (Momordica charantica),Ophiopogon tuber, oak gall, Pau d’ Arco, St.John’ s Wort, garlic, Cassia obtusifolia(coffeeweed) and Cinnamonum cassia (acommon source of the spice cinnamon). Caricapapaya fruits and manuka honey also inhibit E.coli. Colloidal Silver will kill E. coli. A strainof probiotic bacteria called TH10 will lower theE. coli population too. (TH10 is in the LB12probiotic made by Osumex.) Be careful withany herb or substance. Learn about it beforeusing it. For instance, bitter melon may induceinfertility in males or abortion in females.

Another consideration. When rats areexposed to LPS, they are able to survive theonslaught with much less damage to theirintestines and organs if they are on a diet thatexcludes polyunsaturated omega-3 andomega-6 oils. Much fewer deaths result. [14]This is another reason to avoid corn, soy,safflower, canola, peanut, flax and cottonseedoils.

ThyroidCorrecting the level of thyroid in the body isone of the most effective means of treating


fibromyalgia. Dr. John Lowe estimates thatabout 90% of the people with fibromyalgiahave a problem with low thyroid. About 10%of the patients have primary hypothyroidism(high TSH), about 34% have thyroid hormoneresistance (thyroid isn’ t getting into the cells)and about 45% have central hypothyroidism(poor response to thyrotropin releasinghormone, TRH).

Why do almost half of the people withfibromyalgia have central hypothyroidism?There are a few well-known possibilities.

1. Lack of Sleep. Simply not getting enoughsleep will cause central hypothyroidism.[15]

2. Chronic Pain or Stress. This elevates freeserotonin in the brain, and induces centralhypothyroidism. [3]

3. Infection. Immune system cytokines IL-1,IL-6 and TNF, when present in the brain,can cause central hypothyroidism. [6]Elevation of these cytokines could becaused by an infection in the brain. [16] Orthe infection could be elsewhere in thebody, and the cytokines could cross theblood-brain barrier.

4. Bacteria Lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Atoxin called (LPS) from gram-negativeintestinal bacteria can cause centralhypothyroidism. [10]

If your doctor relies only on the usual thyroidblood tests, he may miss your hypothyroidism.You need a doctor who will investigate thisproblem thoroughly and perhaps authorize atrial of thyroid hormone based on yoursymptoms. I suggest that you seek analternative practitioner who is familiar withfibromyalgia.

What type of thyroid treatment is needed?People with fibromyalgia often (not always)need a special type of throid replacementtherapy. Dr. Lowe’ s patients are sometimesplaced on a lot of T3 thyroid combined with anominal amount of T4 thyroid or a nominalamount of desiccated thyroid. The patients areslowly worked up to relatively high doses of T3thyroid. Effective dosages of T3 range from 75µg to 150 µg, whereas normal replacementdosages are from 25 to 75 µg. This muchthyroid can be TSH-suppressive. Yet theamount of thyroid is kept below that whichwould cause thyrotoxicity and muscleweakness. (Both too much and too little thyroidwill cause muscle weakness.) This is Dr.Lowe’ s website: www.DrLowe.com Dr. Loweis the author of the book Speeding Up toNormal: Metabolic Solutions to Fibromyalgia.Besides using thyroid to improve metabolism,he advocates nutrients, diet modification,exercise and the elimination of narcotic painmedications. These also affect metabolism.

Please be aware that everyone will not needthe same thyroid treatment. The ratio of T4 toT3 thyroid must be adjusted for each patient.Also, don’ t forget to ask your doctor abouttrying a desiccated thyroid supplement likeArmour, Westhroid or Bio-throid. I read whereone lady and her sister were both sufferingfrom fibromyalgia. They didn’ t recover untilthey tried a combination of desiccated thyroidand T3. A combination of just T4 and T3didn’ t work for either of them.

MagnesiumMagnesium very often proves helpful infibromyalgia. Its method of action wouldinclude a reduction in the release of serotoninfrom mast cells and a reduction of calciumaccumulation in cells. It is very important to

www.DrLowe.com


correct a magnesium deficiency if it exits.Magnesium deficiency increases histamine,substance P and inflammatory cytokines Il-1,Il-6 and TNF. [18] Magnesium deficiency canalso increase nitric oxide and lower theglutathione in red blood cells. [19] All of thisis particularly detrimental to a person withfibromyalgia.

Magnesium might be low, in part, becausethe various carrier proteins that are needed totransport minerals from the intestines aredamaged by inflammation. [20] Anotherpossible contributor to low magnesium levelsmay be low thyroid. The thyroid hormone isneeded to retain magnesium. Adequate taurineis also needed to retain magnesium.

Most people have no problem absorbing thecheapest form of magnesium, which is thecarbonate form. However, some people withfibromyalgia have trouble retaining or absorbingmagnesium. They need so much magnesium thatgetting it orally is nigh impossible. Such largeamounts taken orally would cause diarrhea.However, there are several types of magnesiumthat are well absorbed and are less likely tocause diarrhea. These are the citrate, chloride,aspartate, and glycinate forms. Magnesiumglycinate is the form that I hear the most aboutlately. (Metagenics, Tyler, and KAL make it.)

However, I like the idea of using ionicmagnesium. There are only a few companiesthat make it. I know of the ENIVA and WaterOZ brands. ENIVA is a multi-level marketingproduct. www.eniva.com (toll free phone 1-866-999-9191) The ENIVA product contains 6,000parts per million of magnesium. That isn’ t verymuch magnesium in a tablespoon, but it isabsorbed well. Another brand of ionicmagnesium is called WaterOz. WaterOz is not amulti-level marketing company. They have twomagnesium products. One has 2,000 ppm andthe other has 8,000 ppm of ionic magnesium.

There are a dozen places on the net that sellWaterOz. Here is one of these places,www.kornax.com, phone (877) 328-1744.

An inexpensive magnesium sulfate skincream can be easily made using Epsom salts andcoconut oil. (Try about a teaspoon of Epsomsalts dissolved in a teaspoon of warm water, andthen make a skin cream by adding about 4teaspoons of coconut oil.) I don’ t know if thisskin cream will work better than the other formsof magnesium or not. However, it seems like agood way to get some magnesium withoutinducing diarrhea. The sulfate in it wouldprobably be very helpful too. However, toomuch too fast has been a problem for somepeople. So even this has to be started slowly sothat the body has a chance to adjust.

Sometimes people must resort to shots ofmagnesium sulfate. If this helps, the person withfibromyalgia can learn to give the shotsthemselves, 2 to 3 times per week. However,they are painful unless a little anesthetic(lidocaine) and bicarbonate is included in theshot. (If panic attacks are a problem, make surethat the lidocaine does not include epinephrine.)Magnesium can cause hypotension, so it isimportant to lie down after the shot. You canalso get IV infusions of magnesium sulfate ormagnesium chloride at your doctor’ s office.

However, shots or infusions of magnesiumshould not be given if you already have enoughmagnesium. It is dangerous. Too muchmagnesium can result in pseudocoma, heartproblems, respiratory arrest, hyporeflexia,muscle weakness, ataxia, confusion, nausea andvomiting. [21] Acute overload might also causeloss of deep tendon reflexes, mental statusdepression, and cardiac dysrhythmias. [22]Therefore it is important to get at least your redblood cell magnesium levels tested if you aregoing to use these shots. Although oralmagnesium overdose is rare, obviously you

www.eniva.com

www.kornax.com


should not take lots of oral magnesium over along period on your own without having yourmagnesium levels measured. Those withimpaired kidney function will excrete lessmagnesium and are at risk when using high dosemagnesium.

Unfortunately, the standard blood test formagnesium isn’ t very good. Alternative methodsof magnesium determination includeerythrocyte, mononuclear, ionized magnesium,and the sulingual buccal cell test. The sublingualepithelial buccal cell test is available fromIntraCellular Diagnostics, phone (800) 874-4804. This is the only lab doing this test atpresent. This buccal cell test gives you the statusof minerals in the tissue. This is perhaps themost important measure of these minerals. Thetest includes magnesium, calcium, potassium,sodium, and chloride. Cost is currently $175.

In Andy Cutler’ s book, Amalgam Illness, healso mentions that a lack of taurine orglutamine can interfere with the absorption ofmagnesium from the intestines. Since theseparticular aminos can be depleted by yeast, it iswise to measure these amino acid levels if youhave a problem absorbing magnesium. [23]

Magnesium given intravenously has beenshown to stop a migraine in those who aremagnesium deficient. However, caution shouldbe the word during the painful stage of amigraine. The painful stage of a migrainecorresponds to the dilation of blood vessels.Magnesium relaxes blood vessels and wouldthus increase the dilation.

In Sherry Rodger’ s book, Wellness AgainstAll Odds, she mentions that manganese isrequired to retain magnesium. Therefore, yourdoctor should also check your manganeselevels. The body needs some, but not a lot ofmanganese. In fact, elevated manganese isassociated with learning disabilities. [24] Ifmanganese is quite high, chelation can be used

to lower it. Cobalt can substitute for manganesein some enzymes. [25] Perhaps additional B12,which contains cobalt, could be useful if thereare problems with high manganese. Also checkyour water supply for manganese if you havehigh levels of manganese in your body.

WhiplashFibromyalgia sometimes starts after anautomobile accident. It is fairly well knownthat automobile accidents can lead to thyroidand pituitary insufficiency. Thyroid andpituitary insufficiency could certainly initiateconditions in the body conducive tofibromyalgia. In particular, if somehow theaccident harmed the brain’ s hypothalamus, thiswould not only affect the brain’ s regulation ofhormones, it would also affect the autonomicnervous system (eg blood pressure and flow,and intestinal contractions). All of these arecommon conditions associated withfibromyalgia. However, how could whiplash oran injury to the brain stem cause a problemwith the brain’ s hypothalamus and pituitary?

We know that the type of hormonedysregulation observed in fibromyalgia couldbe due to serotonin’ s influence in the brain’ shypothalamus. But what in the world does thathave to do with a brain stem injury? Here is aclue. Dr. John A. Allocca states that

“Serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine) (5-HT) is animportant neurotransmitter secreted by themedian raphe of the brain stem and project tomany areas of the brain, especially to the spinalcord and the hypothalamus.”[fromwww.allocca.com ]

Is whiplash or brain stem compressionchanging the serotonin secretion by the brainstem? Or is it a different mechanism?

www.allocca.com


There is a theory that whiplash can cause atemporary breakdown of the blood-brain-barrier, and that this may allow microscopicparasites like trypanosome or some other agentto get into the brain stem. The resultingimmune response (cytokines) can activate thebrain’ s hypothalamus. This could interfere withhormone regulation. [26] This is a quote froman edited transcript of a talk by ProfessorBehan. Referring to the work of ProfessorChristiansen, he explained

“The trypanosome does not get into thehypothalamus, but it does get into the brainstem where the blood-brain-barrier is brokendown. Having got into parts of the brain stem,an immune reaction is elicited. The activatedT-cells produce cytokines (chemicalmessengers) and once these cytokines areproduced, an enormous turn-on of thehypothalamus occurs; this is a selective turn-on of the paraventricular nuclei… [Serotonin]sends fibres directly to the paraventricularnucleus and from there to the median eminancecontrolling the release of steroids” [26]

However, there doesn’ t necessarily have to bean infection for the immune system to becomeactivated. A neurological insult like a blow tothe head or even a neurotransmitterdysregulation are able to activate the immunesystem. [27]

How does one heal a brain stem injury? Ifthe compression is still present after theaccident, one option is surgery. If a neurologistfinds abnormalities, he can order a MRI to seeif you have this compression problem. Surgeryto relieve the pressure on the brain stem andspinal cord helps some people, but noteveryone. Those who have the operationshortly after the accident have the best chanceof getting long-term relief. Unfortunately, thereis a serious risk of paralysis with this

procedure. I hear that at least one hospital isshutting the program down because of this.

However, this dangerous operation is notthe only option. Cranial / sacral osteopathy andhomeopathy and biofeedback are other options.Oddly, it isn’ t just the neck that needs help.The proper alignment of the tailbone is veryimportant. Acupuncture and acupressure mightbe of some benefit too. I spoke with a personwho had made exceptional progress usingacupressure to recover from brain stemswelling caused by an accident. The patient hadlost much of her memory and functioning fromthis injury. (She was a patient of DeborahBanker, MD. Dr. Deborah Banker has awebsite at www.drbanker.com, or phone (310)317-2119.)

Chiropractic/OsteopathicThere is a book that teaches people to do theirown soft tissue work using tennis balls. Thebook is Fibromyalgia & Chronic MyofascialPain Syndrome: A survival Manual, by DevinStarlanyl, MD and Mary Ellen Copeland, MS,MN.

You may also want to call around and find achiropractor familiar with the techniques ofRaymond N Perrin DO, MRO. Dr. Perrin haswritten a book about the osteopathic treatment offibromyalgia: The Osteopathic Treatment ofMyalgic Encephalomyelitis, A Step by Step Guidefor the Practitioner. The address for RaymondPerrin is:

FORME(Fund for Osteopathic Research into M.E.)83 Whittaker LanePrestwichManchester M25 1ETEngland

www.drbanker.com


The protocol is very extensive in its entirety.

“Treatment included general advice, contrastbathing, soft tissue massage, high and lowmanipulation of the thoracic and upper lumbarspinal segments using supine and side-lyingcombined leverage and thrust techniques, gentlearticulation of thoracic and upper lumbar spineplus the ribs, stimulation of the cranio-sacralrhythm by functional-cranial techniques, andexercises to improve the mobility of the thoracicspine and to improve physical co-ordination.”[28]

Loose JointsFairly often, people are diagnosed withfibromyalgia, but according to strictdefinitions, what they really have is pain fromthe joints moving too freely. [29] Curiously,people with chronic fatigue are more likelythan the general population to have this jointhypermobility. [30] They don’ t know thereason for the loose joints. However, here aretwo things to look for.

1. Hypothyroidism. A possible manifestationof low thyroid is loose joints.

2. Pyrroluria. The low levels of pyridoxal-5-phosphate (P5P or coenzyme B6) and zincin pyrrolurics may lead to jointhypermobility. Pyrroluria is sometimescaused by bacteria in the intestines. It isalso associated with mercury poisoning.Primary treatment of pyrroluria consists ofsupporting the body with minerals andvitamins, removing the toxins, supportingthe hormonal system, and improving theintestinal flora. You can get a urinaryscreen for elevated pyrroles for about $32from BioCenter Laboratory in Wichita.(800) 494-7785. Do not use zinc and B6

supplements for two days prior tocollection of urine.

Fibrin Formation And OxygenDeliveryThe dictionary says that fibrin is:

“An insoluble protein which forms an interlacingnetwork of fibers in clotting blood, with resultingcoagulation of the plasma and separation of theserum.”

In fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue, the bloodclots too easily. David Berg, a director ofHEMEX Laboratories, studied the problem andfound that those with fibromyalgia hadincreased Soluble Fibrin Monomer. This stickysubstance increases blood viscosity and cancoat blood vessels and capilaries with fibrin orfibrinoid material. This coating of fibrininterferes with microcirculation. Thus itinterferes with oxygen and nutrient delivery tothe tissue. Without oxygen and nutrients, thereis less energy, more lactic acid formation andmore pain.

What causes the body to put down layers offibrin? It can be genetic or it can be due toactivation of the body’ s immune system byinfections. Other factors predispose one to thisproblem. Increased homocysteine adds to theproblem. Also, fibrin formation can be causedby estrogen, irradiation, oxygen deprivation,vitamin E deficiency, free fatty acids, lacticacid, and various stress mediators, such ashistamine and serotonin. [31] When the humanbody is exposed to LPS from gram-negativebacteria, the body increases its production ofIL-1, IL-6, IL-8, TNF and platelet-activatingfactor. This can lead to reduced circulation andan increase in clotting factors. [32]

Anticoagulants may help by inhibiting theconversion of fibrinogen to fibrin. Heparin has


helped people, but one must be careful. If aperson has a fungal infection, the heparin mayinduce toxic shock. [33] (This caution mightapply to other anticoagulants too. It seemsprudent to first reduce the yeast / fungus in thebody before trying these.)

So how do you stop the reasons for thefibrin formation? Get rid of much of the gram-negative bacteria in the intestines, especiallythe E. coli. Also, Dr. Raymond Peat suggeststhat magnesium, niacinamide, taurine, glycine,saturated fats, thyroid hormone, antihistamines,antioxidants and other anti-inflammatoryagents can help to reduce or reverse fibrogenicprocesses. [31]

The silkworm enzyme called serrapeptaseor Serratia peptidase breaks down fibrin. It isalso an anticoagulant. Serrapeptase is presentlypopular for those who have fibromyalgia.Carotec and Cardiovascular Research /Ecological Formulas make supplements ofserrapeptase. The phone number for Carotec is(800) 522-4279 and the phone number forEcological Formulas is (800) 351-9429.

Vitalzym is a combination of pancreaticenzymes and serrapeptase. It is the presentproduct of choice of Dr. William Wong. Hebelieves the product is superior due to thesynergy of all the different types of enzymes.

Some precautions should be mentioned.When you first start to remove the fibrinaccumulation, some sequestered pathogens maybe uncovered. This may make you ill for awhile. Since fibrin is used for blood clotting, itprobably is best to not take more than therecommended amount of serrapeptase. Also, ifyou are already on a blood thinning medicationsuch as Coumadin, then get your protimemonitored by your doctor.

There is only one other precaution that I’ mfamiliar with. Serrapeptase is known to removeplaque from arteries. A cardiologist told me

that if my mom had an angioplasty without astent put in, that removing too much of theplaque could weaken the walls of the bloodvessel. Other than that, I know of no reason notto take the serrapeptase.

Another agent that will break down fibrin isnattokinase. Nattokinase is an enzyme thatslowly breaks down blood clots and fibrin.Allergy Research / Nutricology sells thisenzyme. It might be worth trying, but I don’ tknow which is best, the serrapeptase or thenattokinase. The nattokinase is also ananticoagulant, so again, take only therecommended amount, and get your protimechecked if you are on anticoagulantmedications. They recommend starting withone pill per day and slowly working up to fourpills per day. Results have been seen within aslittle as two weeks if the fibromyalgia is ofrecent origin.

The Shutes (father and son) found thatvitamin E facilitates clot removal. Thereforevitamin E may be a particularly helpfulantioxidant in fibromyalgia. Emu oil is knownfor helping to remove scars, especially whencombined with vitamin E, so rubbing the tenderpoints with a quality emu oil and vitamin E isanother thought to consider. (Heat ruins theproperties of emu oil. Get a brand likeHazelwood that hasn’ t been subjected to highheat.)

Malic AcidMalic acid has helped a significant number ofpeople with their fibromyalgia. However, itdoesn’ t prove useful for all fibromyalgiasufferers. The reason for this difference inresponse may depend on the amount of tartaricacid in the body. Tartaric acid interferes withthe formation of malic acid.


Results from the Great Plains Laboratoryshow that many people with fibromyalgia haveelevated levels of tartaric acid in their urine.Tartaric acid causes muscle damage. Oneindication of elevated tartaric acid may be anaccumulation of tartar on the teeth near thegum line.

Dr. Paul St. Amand mentions that tartaricacid is composed largely of calcium phosphate.The drug he gives fibromyalgia patients,Guifenisen, removes calcium and phosphatefrom the soft tissue. Perhaps Guifenisen is alsohelping with the removal of tartaric acid.

Dr. Shaw of the Great Plains Laboratorypoints out that certain bacteria and yeastproduce tartaric acid (cream of tartar) andothers produce citramalic. Both tartaric acidand citramalic interfere with the production ofmalic acid in the body. (The yeast speciesSacharaomyces and the Propion bacteriumproduce citramalic.) If a person has some ofthese yeast or bacteria present, then perhaps asupplement of malic acid may be of somebenefit. If a person doesn’ t have these present,then there is less chance that malic acid wouldbe helpful.

Many of the fibromyalgia products don’ thave enough malic acid in them relative to themagnesium content. In order to take enoughmalic acid, you end up with diarrhea from themagnesium. Look for products that have at least300 mg of malic acid in each pill.

Vitamin B12Shots of hydroxycobalamin, a special form ofB12, has proven helpful for both fibromyalgiaand chronic fatigue patients. The reason mightbe due in part to B12’ s ability to mop up excessnitric oxide. Dr. Martin L. Pall hypothesizesthat elevated nitric oxide and peroxynitrite maybe the common etiology of posttraumatic stress

disorder, fibromyalgia, chronic fatiguesyndrome and multiple chemical sensitivity.Hypoxia (lack of oxygen) or any traumaticstress can set in motion a vicious cycle thatperpetuates the elevated levels of the nitricoxide and peroxynitrite in the body. Largeamounts of B12 will help break that viciouscycle.

Coenzyme B1 And B6 VitaminsIf you look at the fibromyalgia products on themarket, you will often notice that B1 and B6 areincluded in the formula. (B1 is particularlyimportant for countering the excess serotonin.)I’ m not thrilled about some of these products,because I think the coenzyme form of the Bvitamins would be a better choice. Dr. Teitelbaumhas stated that sometimes the coenzyme form ofB6 (called P5P) and the coenzyme form of B1(called TTFD and Benfotiamine) must be used forfibromyalgia patients.

Coenzyme B6 is fairly well known and easyto find. Solgar makes it and calls it P5P.Country Life also makes it and calls it “ ActiveCoenzyme B6.” (Country Life adds in anothercofactor. That is why they call it “ active” )

Befotiamine is a type of coenzyme B1 thatis readily available from many different placeson the Internet. Here is one place:www.benfotiamine.net or phone 888-493-8014In contrast, the form of coenzyme B1 calledTTFD is hard to find as a separate supplement.Yet, it can be found in coenzyme B complexproducts made by Country Life and DEWS.(DEWS website www.DEWSnatural.com andphone (940) 243-2178.) Another option is aproduct made by Allergy Research /Nutricology. This fibromyalgia product hasboth coenzyme B1 (TTFD) and 500 mg ofmagnesium malate. www.nutricology.com orphone (800) 782-4274 or (510) 639–4572.

www.benfotiamine.net

www.DEWSnatural.com

www.nutricology.com


Bacterial Overgrowth In TheSmall IntestineFor many, fibromyalgia appears to beassociated with bacterial overgrowth in thesmall intestine. Dr. Mark Pimentel, agastroenterologist at Cedars Sinai in LosAngeles, has been conducting studies of peoplewith irritable bowel syndrome. In one of Dr.Pimentel’ s studies of irritable bowel syndrome,he found that almost 80% of the participantshad small intestine bacterial overgrowth(SIBO). Of those with fibromyalgia, 42 of outof 46 or 91% had SIBO. People with chronicfatigue usually had this overgrowth too, but theamount of overgrowth was much higher forthose with fibromyalgia. The more overgrowthpresent, the more pain that was present.

Many people with fibromyalgia havesymptoms indicative of SIBO. The mostsignificant symptoms of SIBO are bloating andabdominal pain. Bloating, diarrhea, and gas arepresent in 80% or more of the patients withfibromyalgia. The bacterial overgrowth can beof a type of bacteria that is normally found inthe colon. Since there may be nothing unusualabout the bacteria, a problem might not bepicked up by a urine or stool test.

To find out if a person has SIBO, Dr.Pimentel measures the amount of bacteria intheir small intestines using a hydrogen-lactulosebreath test. The patients are given lactulose (acomplex sugar derived from lactose) to drink,and then Dr. Pimentel measures the amount ofhydrogen produced by the bacteria as thelactulose travels down the intestines. He doesnot use the hydrogen-glucose test. Since glucoseis absorbed rapidly, this other test can miss theovergrowth in the lower small bowel wheremost of the overgrowth usually occurs.(However, be aware, that certain bacteria canuse lactulose, and just this test may alter the mix

of bacteria present in the small bowel and thuschange some symptoms.)

A poor immune system will contribute to theovergrowth. Another cause for the overgrowthcan be a non-functioning ileocecal valve, whichwould allow bacteria from the colon to back upinto the small intestine. Overgrowth can alsooccur near the beginning of the small bowel.When it occurs here, it can be caused by a lackof stomach acid, pancreatic enzymes and bile.Mucosal IgA also helps keep the small bowelclean. However, a primary contributor to thebacterial overgrowth appears to be a missinghousekeeper wave, which clears the smallintestine of debris. Of the 12 people Dr.Pimentel had funds to test, 9 of them had nohousekeeper wave. The other 3 patients had aweak wave.The housekeeper wave is a strong contraction ofthe bowel that occurs inbetween meals. It lasts 5to 15 minutes, and it cleans the small intestine.This cleaning action is why this wave is calledthe housekeeper of the small bowel. Moreformally it is called “ phase three of the migratingmotor complex” or “ phase three of the migratingmyoelectric complex.” The wave is thought to beinitiated by the central nervous system, but maybe implemented in part by a burst of the hormonemotilin. Some antibiotics like Erythromycin arethought to improve this wave motion by theirability to elicit the production of more motilin.[34]

Colostrum is very high in motilin.Unfortunately, I don’ t know if there is enoughmolilin in colostrum to make a difference withthe housekeeper wave or not. At the very least,colostrum should be helpful for the immunesystem. If you try the colostrum, it is best to openup the capsules of colostrum, and rub them on theinside of the mouth. If you want to makes surethe colostrum is casein-free, go towww.kirkmanlabs.com. phone 1-800-245-8282.

www.kirkmanlabs.com


In Dr. Pimentel’ s study, the patients withSBIO were given antibiotics (usuallyNeomycin) until the bacteria overgrowthcleared. (When the measured hydrogen level inthe breath test goes to zero, this indicates thatthe overgrowth is gone.) The patients would besick for about 5 days with die-off symptoms,then they would gradually get better over thenext two weeks.

Using antibiotics to eliminate small bowelintestinal overgrowth (SBIO) had been triedbefore in a 1970 study. The antibiotics worked,but the results only lasted for one or twomonths. Therefore this line of research wasabandoned. However, in Dr. Pimentel’ s study,the improvement lasted for 6 to 8 months. Thedifference was that after the bacteria had beencleared with antibiotics, Dr. Pimentel gave thepatients something to enhance the functioning ofthe housekeeper wave. Usually he was able toget the wave functioning by giving the patientsa very low dose Erythromycin tablet of 50 mgtaken at night on an empty stomach. 25 of the 47who returned for follow-up in his study hadcomplete normalization. (Dr. Pimentel’ s studywas published in the December 2000 issue ofThe American Journal of Gastroenterology.)

Dr. Pimentel has done another study. Thistime, the study is on the best way to get rid ofthe bacterial overgrowth. [35] He compared theability of diet to the ability of the antibioticNeomycin to rid the body of the small bowelbacterial overgrowth. The diet worked muchbetter. The diet food that he chose was a highlyabsorbable liquid. Since this liquid food wasabsorbed so well, little was left over to feed thebacteria in the latter part of the small bowel.

The liquid diet he employed is calledVivonex Plus. Vivonex Plus is one of manydifferent feeding liquids used by doctors.Vivonex Plus mainly consists of maltodextrin(sugar), amino acids, modified corn starch,

vitamins, minerals, and a little soy oil. Onecannot do well on a liquid diet like this forever.So it is not a long-term solution. Yet, his studycertainly suggests that easily digestible foodsmay be one of the keys to recovery. TheSpecific Carbohydrate Diet (SCD), with itseasily assimilated carbohydrates, might beparticularly useful to keep the growth down.Also, a diet that substitutes fat for some of theusual carbohydrates might help lower D-lacticacid production by the bacteria. Just don’ t gotoo low on the carbohydrates. Your liver andkidneys needs some to function properly.

This information isn’ t just for those withfibromyalgia. It seems that all of us withirritable bowel syndrome should take notebecause:

“ Eighty-three percent of IBS patients testedpositive for high levels of bacteria, comparedwith just 20% of people without IBS.” [35]

Consequences of Small BowelBacterial OvergrowthThe increased presence of bacteria in the smallbowel will increase the rate at which the bile isbroken down. Less bile will be reabsorbed andavailable for reuse by the body. If there is ashortage of bile, then fats will not be brokendown and fat soluble vitamins may becomedepleted.

The increased presence of bacteria can alsoincrease the rate of deconjugation of toxins —meaning that more toxins dumped into theintestine for disposal by the liver will bealtered by the bacteria and allowed back intothe bloodstream. Hence the liver’ sdetoxification work will be increased. It wouldbe like trying to bail out a waterlogged boatwhile using a leaky bucket. (A supplement ofcalcium-d-glucarate can prevent some of the


deconjugation activity, and therefore may be ofsome help.)

Merely the presence of the bacterialovergrowth interferes with its removal. Theovergrowth can hinder the functioning of thehousekeeper wave that is needed to remove thebacterial overgrowth.

Depending on the location of the bacterialovergrowth and the extent of the overgrowth, itmay lead to D-lactic acidosis. The bacteria turnthe carbohydrates into D-lactic acid, which thebody may have trouble removing. [36] Theadditional acid in the blood interferes withoxygen getting to the cells.

Why Might The HousekeepingWave Be Missing?There are quite a few things that can interferewith the housekeeping wave and/or withintestinal motility and contraction strength.

1. Histamine. Excessive histamine caused byallergies or caused by an immune attackagainst parasites will arrest the housekeeperwave. [37] Be aware that high histaminecan be caused by a lack of magnesium, andthat low magnesium is a commonoccurrence in fibromyalgia. Also, histaminetends to be high when there ishypothyroidism, which is another commonproblem in fibromyalgia. High histaminecan also interfere with sleep.

2. Opiates. Opiates would interfere with thehousekeeper wave. (eg endogenous opiatesfrom a reaction to inflammation, or dietaryopiates from things like undigested wheatgluten or milk casein) [37] Or opiate painkillers. Ironically, these could keep youfrom getting better.

3. High or Low Serotonin. Low serotonin inthe gut will stop the housekeeper wave.

[37] Yet, excess or continuous exposure toserotonin leaking from cells can alsointerfere with the housekeeper wave. Thereis no obvious answer as to what ishappening here.

4. Poor Circulation. Lack of circulation tothe bowel, as in scleroderma, will interferewith the housekeeper wave. (Tryptophansupplements, by increasing plasmaserotonin levels, have been known tocontribute to the development ofscleroderma. [38] This is another reason tobe very wary of tryptophan use. )

5. Antidepressants. SSRI anti-depressantsdesensitize the nerves in the intestines andcan stop the housekeeper wave.

6. Bacteria. Bacterial contamination of thesmall bowel will stop the housekeeperwave. [39] (This presents a vicious cycle—the contamination affects the motility andthe poor motility affects the contaminationlevel.) Antibiotics can help get thehousekeeper wave functioning again.

7. Low Oxytocin. The hormone oxytocinmight have a role in the support of thehousekeeper wave. In dogs, oxytocinincreases the velocity of the intestinal slowwaves that keep the small bowel clean. [40]Oxytocin has been proposed as a treatmentfor fibromyalgia in general.

8. Lack of Bicarbonates. Some studiessuggest that an alkaline pH in the first partof the small intestine stimulates the releaseof motilin which starts the housekeeperwave. Therefore, if the pancreas and smallbowel is not secreting enough bicarbonates,this might interfere with the housekeeperwave.


9. Lack of Pancreatic Peptide. There is alsoa polypeptide secreted by the pancreas thatstimulates the housekeeper wave. Toomuch free serotonin can interfere with therelease of bicarbonates and fluids from thepancreas. [41] Therefore, reducing the freeserotonin in the body may be beneficial.

Although I don’ t know if there is a direct linkbetween the housekeeper wave and thefollowing agents, they should be taken intoconsideration.

1. Pesticides. Organo-phosphate pesticidescould interfere with the nervous system inthe intestines by interfering with certainenzyme systems and by deforming variousnerve proteins. (These pesticides kill bycausing paralysis.)

2. Acetylcholine. Low acetylcholine levelsmay weaken intestinal movement.

3. Inflammation. This impairs motility.(Things like good bacteria, emu oil, fish oiland coconut oil help bring inflammationdown.)

4. Thyroid. Enough thyroid hormone isrequired for proper intestinal movement.

5. Norepinephrine (noradrenaline). This isalso a contraction agent. (Tyrosine fromDEWS would increase norepinephrine.www.DEWSnatural.com Don’ t use this ifyou have problems with high bloodpressure.)

There are several approaches that might helprestore the housekeeper wave.

1. Diet and/or Antibiotics. Eliminate or atleast reduce the bacterial population in thesmall intestine— diet and antibiotics may behelpful.

2. Restore General Health. Address theunderlying problems— parasites, foodallergies, yeast, inflammation, mercury,poor immunity, pesticides, low thyroid,lack of magnesium, low malic acid, excessor low serotonin, excess unsaturated oils,Lyme disease, etc.

3. Encourage Initiation of Wave. On anempty stomach, employ agents that mayencourage the housekeeper wave such asErythromycin, acetylcholine precursors andcolostrum. (An empty stomach is requiredbecause the housekeeper wave does notoccur if there is food in the stomach.)

4. Bicarbonates. Perhaps even trybicarbonates inbetween meals. Thepancreas dumps bicarbonates in the firstpart of the small intestine to alkalinize thepH. At least theoretically, an improper pHwould interfere with the release of motilinand the initiation of the housekeeper wave.Hence, something as simple as takingbicarbonates on an empty stomach beforebedtime might help initiate the housekeeperwave and keep the small intestine clear ofbacteria.

Bone Loss And BacterialOvergrowthHere’ s a quote from the Great SmokiesDiagnostic Laboratories’ newsletter ofNovember 14, 2001.

According to a new study by gastroenterologistsat the University of Pavia in Italy, bacterialovergrowth of the small bowel may significantlyincrease the risk of progressive bone thinning.… Although underlying mechanisms are stillunclear, researchers postulated that bacterialovergrowth in the small bowel could trigger boneloss by promoting calcium malabsorption as well

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as the loss of key enzymes in the intestinal brushborder. … Find out more at:www.gsdl.com/assessments/bacterial_overgrowth

There are lots of other things that might becontributing to the bone loss as well. It mightalso be that the body is using the availablecalcium to buffer all the excess acidity createdby the fermentation. Of course, low thyroid ora lack of collagen building amino acids couldcontribute to the bone loss too.

Branch Chain Amino AcidsThe branch chain amino acids are oftendepleted in those who have fibromyalgia.Supplementation has proven helpful for somepeople. [43] These amino acids use the sametransport system as tryptophan. When thepresence of branch chain amino acids areincreased, less tryptophan should enter thebrain.

TaurineMake sure you have enough taurine beforeexperimenting with the branch chain aminoacids. This is because branch chain amino acidsmay cause the loss of taurine. (Branch chainamino acids are converted into alanine by themuscles; alanine inhibits taurine metabolismand causes the loss of taurine.)

Taurine is important. Correcting a taurinedeficit would help prevent migraines bystabilizing the platelets against aggregation.[44] At 400 mg per day, taurine reducedplatelet aggregation by 30%, and at 1600 mgper day, taurine reduced platelet aggregation by70%. Taurine may also be useful in thetreatment of migraines because it may helpcalm the nervous system and reduce high bloodpressure. Taurine is also needed to retainmagnesium. [45] Unfortunately, blood levels of

taurine aren’ t necessarily indicative of brainlevels of taurine. Blood levels of taurine maybe high even though the brain levels may below. This can sometimes occur if zinc is low.

If you decide to try taurine, it shouldprobably be taken with a meal because itincreases stomach acid secretion. Also, taurinemay make some yeast and bacteria healthy, soperhaps it is best that a person first experimentwith a small amount of taurine taken under thetongue.

TryptophanTryptophan blood levels are often low infibromyalgia. Here are a few possible reasons.

1. Increased Conversion to Serotonin.Tryptophan is quickly converted toserotonin under conditions of stress. Undernormal circumstances, only a smallpercentage of the available tryptophan isused to create serotonin.

2. Immune Reaction. Some of the immunesystem’ s inflammatory cytokines (IL-1beta, IFN-gamma, INF-alpha and TNF)stimulate an enzyme that increases the lossof tryptophan via the kynurenine pathway.This may lead to a depletion of tryptophanin the blood. [46]

3. Conversion to IAG. Some of thetryptophan may be lost via anotherpathway, by its conversion into Indolyl-Acryloyl-Glycine (IAG). IAG is often highin the urine of those with fibromyalgia,chronic fatigue, or autism. (IAG mayincrease the permeability of both the gutand the blood-brain barrier, making this aparticularly nasty metabolite oftryptophan.)

Possible reasons for the creation of IAG are:

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1. Bacterial Action. Certain bacteria in thegut, particularly anaerobic coliforms like E.coli, will degrade tryptophan, and use it toproduce the precursor to IAG. [47]

2. Pesticides. Organo-phosphate pesticidesmay promote the conversion of tryptophaninto IAG. [48]

Therefore, the best way to normalizetryptophan levels is to reduce the stress,improve the intestinal flora, avoid pesticides,and improve the ability of the body to detoxifypesticides and other chemicals.

If you decide to try tryptophan, the formthat has been used in recent studies is called 5-HTP. Bacteria do not degrade this form oftryptophan. It will turn into serotonin, but itcannot perform many of the other functions oftryptophan. The 5-HTP is readily available inmost health food stores and vitamin shops. Iwould guess that the best time to try it wouldbe before bed on an empty stomach. (Althoughsome sources suggest that 5-HTP’ s absorptionis not hindered by foods, there is reason tobelieve that this may not be accurate. [49])Don’ t take 5-HTP if you have a weak liver.And check with your doctor if you are on anydrugs, especially antidepressants, migraine orweight loss medications. Combinations of 5-HTP and these drugs can be deadly.

You will probably be able to tell ifsupplementing 5-HTP is going to help youwithin a couple of weeks. However, even if 5-HTP is helpful, don’ t use it longer thanabsolutely necessary. Monitor your responseto 5-HTP very carefully. Treat thissupplement with respect. You don’ t want tocreate a condition with excess serotonin ortryptophan. Tryptophan interferes with thyroidand it increases serotonin production.Tryptophan may even allow the increasedgrowth of some pathogens. In other words,

excessive tryptophan intake could makefibromyalgia much much worse.

In a study of 50 fibromyalgia patients, theywere given 100 mg of 5-HTP three times dailyfor 30 days. Improvements were seen with onlymild side effects. In another study of 50fibromyalgia patients they were given 100 mgof 5-HTP for 90 days— triple the length oftime. The 5-HTP gave good to fair help to 25of the patients, but it had undesirable effects on15 patients, with one patient dropping out ofthe study because she could not tolerate the 5-HTP. [50]

Because of the substantial drawbacks ofthis supplement, I think it would be best toimplement all of the other interventions beforeeven considering 5-HTP or tryptophan. Inparticular, the magnesium and thyroid hormonelevels should be corrected before trying thissupplement. Hopefully, the use of 5-HTP canbe avoided.

Substance P And PainElevated substance P causes the whole body tobecome more sensitive to pain. It can alsoproduce anxiety and make a person moresensitive to noises or light. It is elevated up tothreefold in the spinal fluid of those withfibromyalgia. [51]

Besides increasing pain, substance Pinterferes with hormonal regulation. Also, itinterferes with your immunity by inhibiting thebinding of bacteria to T-cells. [52] Anotherproblem with substance P is that it stimulatesthe immune system’ s production of theinflammatory cytokines called tumor necrosisfactor (TNF) and interleukin-6 (IL-6).

There are several strategies that can helpyou lower substance P. These are

1. reduce free serotonin by natural means2. use drugs to inhibit release of substance P


3. get rid of the bacterial overgrowth

Serotonin and Substance P. Getting rid ofexcessive serotonin may help get rid ofsubstance P. The Bradford Research Institute inChula Vista, California explained this in anexcellent Townsend Letter article. [53] Theysaid that serotonin increases the production ofsubstance P and that substance P activates acascade of reactions. This ends up with therelease of calcium from a calcium storagechamber in the cell. This increases the pain.

Therefore, to reduce substance P, you needto keep free serotonin levels to a minimum.According to Dr. Raymond Peat, to controlserotonin levels, you could try thyroid, protein,magnesium, vitamin B1, natural progesteroneand increased light exposure. Also, asmentioned previously, you will want to limityour exposure to polyunsaturated oils.However, there are always caveats. One doesnot do well if serotonin levels are too low. Eg.Low levels of serotonin correspond to morepain when the intestines are distended with air.[54]

Drugs and Substance P. Dr. Bradford isreducing the pain of fibromyalgia byadministrating drugs that interfere with theserotonin-3 receptor, which controls the releaseof substance P. These drugs are Ondasetron,Granisetron, Tropisetron, and Hydrodolasetron.Giving an iv injection of 2 mg Tropisetronworked much better than using 5 mg orally.(Careful. These drugs may have unwantedeffects on the gastrointestinal system.)

Bacteria And Substance P. Simply getting ridof any bacterial overgrowth in the smallintestine will help get rid of this substance P.Bacterial toxins from the intestines, orinfection can cause substance P to increase.

Such infections raise IL-1 and this increasessubstance P. [55] IL-1 may intensify pain byincreasing the substance P in the body and byreducing the pain killing ability of opiates likemorphine. [56] An expensive Rheumatoidarthritis drug called Kineret will lower IL-1 andthis will lower the pain of fibromyalgia. [57]However, a person would have to be carefulnot to get too much of this drug, because thiscould interfere with the body’ s ability to fightan infection.

AmmoniaFor some people, ammonia may add to theproblem of fibromyalgia. Ammonia can causesleep disturbances. The most likely mechanismis by increasing the turnover of serotonin in thebrain. Ammonia also interferes with the cell’ smitochondrial energy production. This wouldcause fatigue and it would make it difficult tothink. (Your brain needs a lot of energy tofunction well.) The ammonia will also alter theuse of neurohormones by the brain. [58]

Certain intestinal bacteria produce a lot ofammonia when they degrade protein. If aperson were unfortunate enough to harbor theseparticular bacteria, she would be exposed tomore ammonia than normal. Also, when thereis poor intestinal flora, the pH inside thedigestive tract can be thrown off. If the pH istoo alkaline, then more ammonia is absorbedfrom the intestinal tract.

Bifidus and other good intestinal bacteriahelp prevent the absorption of ammonia bykeeping the colon acidic. Prebiotics likelactulose and FOS will help promote thegrowth of Bifidus and will help reduceammonia production. However, you must becareful with these prebiotics. They will alsoincrease the growth of various yeast and otherbacteria that might be harmful.


Yeast make very little ammonia, so theydon’ t directly add to the ammonia burden.However, yeast produce a toxin that lowers theamino acids that are required to removeammonia. (The body may also be havingtrouble removing ammonia if the liver isunhealthy.)

If you eat the wrong balance of aminoacids, this will increase the ammonia burden onthe body. Amino acids are components ofprotein. Different protein has differentproportions of amino acids. For instance, theskin and joints contains a lot of the amino acidcalled glycine, but little or no tryptophan.

If the dietary amino acids are not balanced,the liver will have to burn or get rid of some ofthe amino acids that are disproportionately highin the diet. When the liver burns these aminoacids, it produces ammonia. Eating the wrongbalance of amino acids would be analogous tosomeone delivering a truckload of nails to aconstruction site for every truckload of lumberdelivered. It would be a big waste and disposalproblem. For the body, this disposal problemcreates too much ammonia.

What the body needs to be healthy is all ofthe dietary amino acids in the correctproportion. If all we eat from the animal ismuscle meat, we are eating the wrong balanceof amino acids. For better health, we should begetting protein from the whole animal— all theorgans, skin, muscles, cartilage and bones.One way to help balance the dietary proteinintake would be to eat some gelatin anytimemeat is consumed. Gelatin is made from bones,skin, and cartilage. Most people are notconsuming this on a regular basis. We used toget gelatin in the soups and broths that we ate.Few people bother to save the animal’ s carcass,boil it for hours, and create these foods today.

Calorad and GelatinOne person with fibromyalgia found that sheimproved dramatically by using a productcalled Calorad. So a doctor did a study usingthe Calorad product on people who hadsuffered with fibromyalgia for many years.Twenty long-term fibromyalgia patients weretold to take a tablespoon of Calorad at night onan empty stomach for 90 days. Four of theparticipants reported very significantimprovements in all their fibromyalgiasymptoms. Many of the others improved in atleast a few respects and experienced lessfatigue, less pain, more sleep, less irritablebowel and fewer headaches. One person gotworse in most respects. [59]

Calorad is collagen hydrolysate— collagenthat has been broken down by acid or enzymes.(They don’ t state what their exact process is.the product also contains some aloe.) There areseveral other products on the market like this.(Collagen Nite Loss, Colvera.) Yet, all of theseproducts will not be exactly the same becausethe particular collagen employed might bedifferent and the manner in which it is brokendown might be different. These products arepromoted as helping people to tone up and losefat. If you have trouble tolerating theseproducts, they suggest starting with a smallamount and gradually working your way up tothe recommended amount.

Gelatin is mainly collagen. These collagenproducts are very similar to gelatin that hasbeen partially digested by enzymes. If a personhad the ability to easily digest the collagen,then it seems logical that a person could getsimilar results by eating plain Knox gelatin.(Dissolve some in a hot drink or add some tofood before cooking.) Knox gelatin isinexpensive if you purchase it in the one pound


can from stores like Smart and Final. Thecurrent price is about $8.

Gelatin contains a significant amount of anamino acid called proline. Those withfibromyalgia are often low in proline. [60]Also, animals that have had trauma to the gutare in need of more proline for repair. Gelatinalso contains a lot of glycine. Besides thealready mentioned benefits of glycine, theglycine may help by providing material tocreate DPP IV and PEP enzymes. PEP is low inthe blood of those with fibromyalgia.

However, can a modest amount of Calorador gelatin be detrimental? Yes, there are peoplewho cannot tolerate this. Here are somepossible reasons.

1. Lack of Enzymes. To digest gelatin, youneed certain enzymes, like DPP IV andPEP. Some people are deficient in theseenzymes. DPP IV and PEP not only helpdigest gelatin, but these enzymes affectmood and the immune system. If youoverload the requirement for theseenzymes, a person may feel depressed orill. With the partially digested gelatinproducts, there should be less of a problemwith overloading the requirement for theseenzymes. However, it is still possible thatthey could be a problem for some people.

2. Mold Spores. Enzymes created by moldsmay be used to make some of thesepartially digested gelatin products. A fewpeople might be sensitive to any moldspores left in the product.

3. Glycine and Proline. Gelatin and collagencontain a lot of the amino acids calledglycine and proline. Theoretically, these areexcellent for anyone suffering fromfibromyalgia. However, glycine and prolinecan make some bacteria healthier. They

protect some bacteria, like E. coli, fromosmotic stress. (It is more difficult to killthem with salt.) [61]

4. Lack of Coenzyme B6. The large amountof proline in gelatin could be a problem foryet another reason. Too much proline candeactivate coenzyme B6. [62] (Manypeople with intestinal yeast / fungusovergrowth are already low on coenzymeB6.)

5. Yeast Overgrowth. Proline can cause yeastto revert into their defensive fungal form,making them more invasive. [63]

So, even something as seemingly benign aseating gelatin or some partially digested gelatincould be a problem for a few people. It wouldprobably be best to first attempt to lower theyeast and bacteria growth before adding anysubstantial quantities of gelatin or Calorad.Also, it may be prudent to first find out ifglycine is tolerated. There is much to be gainedby trying glycine, Calorad or gelatin at somepoint in the treatment protocol. The onlyquestion left is when and how it should beused.

Digesting GelatinOne way to partially digest the gelatin is topurchase DPP IV Enzyme and add it to amixture of gelatin and water. One capsule ofthis will fully liquefy a couple of teaspoons ofgelatin in about an hour. Add about a quartercup of water to the gelatin and enzyme andleave at room temperature. If you areconcerned about any remaining DPP IV in thismixture, you could heat it after the enzyme hasdone its job. If you don’ t bother to deactivatethe DPP IV enzyme with heat, then the DPP IVenzyme it will be free to help break down othersubstances in the body. Depending on the


individual, this may or may not be a goodthing. This will be explained in the next sectionabout the DPP IV enzyme. (Personally, mybody reacts better to this mixture than it does toplain gelatin, even if I deactivate the DPP IVenzyme with heat.)

DPP IV EnzymeThe DPP IV enzyme has many intriguingproperties that suggest it might be important infibromyalgia.

1. The DPP IV enzyme breaks down substanceP, TNF, IL-1, IL-6, and ACTH— all ofwhich are more likely to be elevated infibromyalgia. [64]

2. Administration of IL-2 or interferon-alphalowers DPP IV. Administration of IL-2 orinterferon-alpha also causes fibromyalgia-like symptoms of fatigue, depression,anxiety, cognitive impairment and aching.[65]

3. Better sleep, less sensitivity to sound, lessanxiety, less pain, fewer headaches, moreenergy, and better cognition are among themany benefits reported by parents of theautistic when employing DPP IV. (Theparents did their own study using Peptizydeand HN-Zyme Prime by HoustonNutraceuticals. 87% benefited, which ismuch more than could ever be expected bya placebo effect. [66]) Some of the parentswho happen to have fibromyalgia sent inreports of less pain when they tried theseenzymes on themselves.

At first glance, it seems like additional DPP IVmight be helpful to someone with fibromyalgia.Unfortunately, in practice, we don’ t know. Wedon’ t have a study. There are only a fewanecdotal reports of it being helpful.

DPP IV activity can be reduced bypesticides, fungicides, herbicides, lead,mercury, cadmium, copper, zinc or certainpeptides from abnormal intestinal flora. Sopossibly, for some individuals, increasing thisenzyme activity might be helpful. Yet, as withall things, you don’ t want too much or too littleof DPP IV. Here are some possible problemswith increasing DPP IV.

1. Peptide Formation. DPP IV breaks downsubstance P into another peptide. (Peptidemeans a few amino acids strung together.)This peptide is even more potent thansubstance P with regard to the perception ofpain. So unless this other peptide is alsobroken down, there could be a problemwith increasing DPP IV activity. At thevery least, one should approach the use ofDPP IV cautiously and gradually.

2. Immune Suppression. Too much DPP IVcould lower cytokines too far and make aperson susceptible to infections. So nomore than the recommended amount on thelabel should be tried.

3. Pregnancy. Pregnancy isn’ t the time toexperiment with DPP IV. DPP IV is presentin the placenta and amniotic fluid, so thereis a possibility that additional DPP IVwould have an effect on a pregnancy.

4. Initial Reaction. This DPP IV enzyme isthe same enzyme that breaks down thegluten in grains and the casein in milk. Italso breaks down casomophin, an opiate-like substance derived from casein. Peopletreating their autistic children have had tofirst eliminate the gluten and casein fromthe diet before introducing the DPP IV.Even then, they get some reactions to theDPP IV for a while.


5. Celiac. Several people with celiac havenoticed that they have more trouble withDPP IV and gluten than just gluten alone.They speculate that the DPP IV createspeptides from the gluten products and it isthese peptides that cannot be tolerated inceliac.

As with most anything, it is preferable to give thebody the support it needs to do its own creationand regulation of DPP IV. Healing the gut is thebest strategy, because a healthy gut could beexpected to create more DPP IV as well as otherpeptidases that may work in conjunction withDPP IV. (Most of the DPP IV in the body isformed in the intestines and kidneys.) DPP IVcontains glycine, so this amino acid might be ofsome minor help in increasing the availability ofDPP IV. Another way to increase intestinal DPPIV is with a sugar called galactose. [67]Galactose is a six-carbon sugar that is a part oflactose, the milk sugar. However, many peopleare lactose intolerant — they lack the enzymethat splits lactose into glucose and galactose.

Galactose is also a prominent component ofAloe vera products like Mannatech’ s Ambroseand Dr. Wheeler’ s MPS-Gold. There are reportsof some amazing healings with these products.However, don’ t expect miracles with a coupleof pills per day. Many people need to take twoor more teaspoons of these products each dayin order to notice a change in their immunesystem.

Another method for healing the gut andincreasing intestinal DPP IV would be to eatgelatin. Feeding gelatin to a healthy animal willincrease the amount and activity of DPP IV inthe intestines. [68] However, a person has to beable to digest the gelatin to get its benefits.This is a paradox. In order to digest the gelatin,you need enzymes like DPP IV. However, inorder to increase DPP IV, you eat more gelatin.

So this is why some predigestion of the gelatinmight be worthwhile.

There are at least three products on themarket that contain DPP IV. One is called DPPIV Forte and is available from Kirkman Labs,website www.kirkman.com, or phone 800-245-8282. Another one is called Serenaid, and ismade by Klaire Labs. See www.serenaid.com,phone (509) 946-1695 or www.klaire.comphone 800-533-7255 or (208) 665-1882. Theinventor of Serenaid has a new product calledPeptizyde. Peptizyde is available from HoustonNutraceuticals, website www.houstonni.comand phone (866) 757-8627 or (510) 549-4548.

DepressionBesides prescription antidepressants, there areseveral other options to consider whendepression strikes.

1. thyroid2. SAMe3. taurine4. peppermint, oregano and other anti-

bacterial herbs.5. tyrosine and 5-HTP6. support PEP activity

Thyroid and Depression. T3 thyroid(Cytomel) can be very helpful to peoplesuffering from depression. In fact, if thetraditional antidepressant drugs do not work,doctors have noticed that an addition of T3thyroid can often produce success. [69] Peoplewith depression often have a lowered responseto the TRH thyroid test. This indicates centralhypothyroidism. [70] People with fibromyalgiaoften have this same response to TRH thyroidtest. Yet, doctors usually only perform thestandard thyroid tests. The standard tests won’ tfind central hypothyroidism. Unfortunately,doctors can’ t even rely completely on the TRH

www.kirkman.com

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test to detect central hypothyroidism. Indepression, the suppression of TSH seems tooccur at night, not during the day when a TRHtest is usually administered. [71] Hence, centralhypothyroidism is often present but notdiagnosed. If both depression and fibromyalgiaare present, it makes sense to strongly considera trial supplementation of thyroid hormone,especially a trail of a thyroid supplement thatcontains some T3 thyroid.

SAMe and Depression. Many of the peoplewith fibromyalgia find SAMe helpful. Anappropriate dose for treating mild depression is400 mg daily. Many of the supplements on themarket contain less than this. SAMe should betaken on an empty stomach in the morning ornoon time, else it may disturb sleep. Richard P.Brown, MD, associate professor of clinicalpsychiatry at Columbia University, suggests theSAMe should be started gradually in theelderly and that some caution should beexercised in using SAMe in anyone with ahistory of cardiac arrhythmia.

SAMe enhances methylation. DPP IV, folicacid, B12, B6 and TMG improve methylationor the body’ s use of methyl groups. They costmuch less than SAMe. Some people find theTMG helps relieve their depression just as wellas the more expensive SAMe. It may be worthtrying. There are a few precautions with thesethough. (See sections on SAMe and DPP IV.)

Taurine and Depression. Taurine is often lowin those who are depressed and it is often lowin people with dysbiosis. (Dysbiosis meanspoor intestinal flora.) However, I’ ve not heardof a study showing that taurine will help withdepression. Low taurine could be just a markerof the situation, rather than a directpredisposing factor. However, taurine hasmany other healing properties that suggest itwould be worth trying.

Tyrosine, 5-HTP and Depression. Studiesindicate that 5-HTP helps in about half thecases of depression. (5-HTP is a form oftryptophan that is readily available to thepublic.) If the 5-HTP is going to help, it willusually do so within two weeks. [72] However,I’ ve not seen a study of depression andfibromyalgia where 5-HTP was used. Also,researchers really haven’ t studied the long-termeffects of treatment with 5-HTP. So one mustbe very careful with the amount and theduration of treatment with 5-HTP. Too much 5-HTP has the potential to make depressionworse. [73] In particular, 5-HTP might not beappropriate for most people with fibromyalgiagiven the strong serotonin-like influence that isalready present.

There is some indication that addingtyrosine to the 5-HTP treatment can be helpful.A classic protocol is to take 5-HTP at night andtyrosine in the morning. Tyrosine, 5-HTP ortryptophan should not be used with prescriptionanti-depressants. It is dangerous to do so.Tryptophan should not be used by anyone witha weak liver. Tryptophan can suppress thyroid.So energy levels and thyroid should bemonitored when using this supplement.

Peppermint and Depression. Enteric coatedpeppermint, and other herbs can kill E. coli.Most all of the people with fibromyalgia havea viral infection of E. coli. This viral infectionincreases exposure to LPS. Exposure to LPSfrom gram-negative bacteria like E. coli cancause depression, anxiety and cognitionimpairment in humans. [74] So one way to helprelieve depression would be to graduallyeliminate the E. coli and some of the othergram-negative bacteria.

PEP activity. An enzyme called prolylendopeptidase (PEP) has lower activity in theserum of fibromyalgia patients. A lack of the


PEP enzyme was directly correlated todepressive symptoms and pain in fibromyalgia.[75] PEP degrades substance P.

PEP belongs to the same family ofpeptidases as DPP IV. Similar to the problemwith inactivation of DPP IV, various fluorideand mercury compounds can inactivate PEP.[76] Therefore eliminating exposure to heavymetals and pesticides might help bring backactivity of this enzyme. Good intestinalbacteria can create PEP and other relatedpeptidases. [77] So improving the intestinalflora may help too. Hormones affect PEPactivity, so correcting a thyroid problem mayhelp bring back the activity of PEP. Avoidinggluten and casein containing food might sparePEP because PEP helps to degrade casein andgluten. (Butter contains very little casein, andso could probably still be used in such a diet.)

SAMeThere are quite a few anecdotal reports ofSAMe helping people who have fibromyalgia.It is probably more than just a lift in mood.SAMe may be replenishing glutathione andimproving mitochondria health. [78] However,like so many things, there are caveats. Themost important caveat is for those with classicbipolar depression. The SAMe may push sucha person manic. Another caveat: since SAMecan break down into homocysteine, it would beprudent to include some of the nutrients knownto lower homocysteine (folic acid, B12, B6,and TMG). [79]

There is a product on the market thatprovides both the building blocks for SAMeand provides the nutrients known to lowerhomocysteine. It is called Me-Cofactors fromDEWS. The product is fairly stable (does notdegrade easily). It is also better priced thanother products that I’ ve seen on the market. It

can be ordered by phone (940) 243-2178 or attheir website www.DEWSnatural.com Theyalso have a trail size of this product available.It is only a handful of pills, but this allows thecustomer to see if the product helps withouthaving to spend so much money.

One must be careful when choosing a brandof SAMe. SAMe supplements are expensive andyou don’ t want to waste your money on a badchoice. Most SAMe products degrade easily onexposure to heat or moisture. If it smells likesulfur (rotten eggs), suspect a problem. TheNature Made product that you find at Costco hasa fast turn-around, and may be a good brand totry for that reason. There is a group of peoplewho do independent testing of supplements andreport their findings to the public. It would be agood place to find which brands of SAMe areworth your money. www.consumerlab.com

Tri-methyl-glycine (TMG) helps the bodymake SAMe. For some people it helps them asmuch as the SAMe. Since TMG is muchcheaper than SAMe, you might be able saveyourself some money. The TMG would alsohelp replenish the glycine that is often lost inthe urine of those with fibromyalgia.

Prescription AntidepressantsThere are certain antidepressants that usuallywork better than others in fibromyalgiapatients. Also, low doses of prescriptionantidepressants are usually tolerated better thannormal doses.

The prescription SSRI (selective serotoninreuptake inhibitors like Paxil, Prozac, andZoloft) are probably a poor choice for anyonewith fibromyalgia. These drugs aren’ t thateffective for fibromyalgia patients, and theyinterfere with the housekeeper wave. Afterprolonged exposure to these drugs, thehousekeeper wave will completely disappear

www.DEWSnatural.com

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unless there is sufficient stimulation from otheragents like acetylcholine. [80] In other words,these SSRI drugs could keep the bacterialovergrowth in place or make it worse. Also,there should be some concern about the SSRIdrugs and their effect on sleep. The SSRI drugsdecrease REM sleep. [81] A lack of REM sleepis a problem is fibromyalgia. (REM stands forrapid eye movement.)

Dr. Robert Bradford suggests that theseSSRI drugs don’ t work that well on depressionin fibromyalgia patients. However, he suggeststhat a combination of the SSRI drug Prozac andamitriptyline work better than either separately.Amitryptyline has the advantage of havingrelatively mild effects on the gastrointestinalsystem. Unfortunately, if used by itself,amitrypyline only helps in about a third of thecases of depression found in fibromyalgiapatients. [53]

There is some evidence that venlafaxine(Effexor) is an effective treatment ofdepression in fibromyalgia. [53] As a bonus,the drug reduces pain through opioid andadrenergic mechanisms. [82] Unfortunately, theEffexor also has unwanted effects on thegastrointestinal system.

Eventually, there will be an antidepressant/ anti-anxiety drug that interferes with thesubstance P receptor. Since those withfibromyalgia have high substance P, thisnewest drug (Merck MK-869), may turn out tobe particularly effective in depressive states.Unfortunately, this drug doesn’ t seem to helpwith pain and inflammation. [83] Like many ofthe other prescription antidepressants, thisnewest drug will probably also affect thegastrointestinal tract adversely.

OxytocinOxytocin is a neurohormone produced by theovaries, the brain and the intestine. Oxytocinhas shown some promise in the treatment offibromyalgia. Among other effects, oxytocincould be expected to help with the restorationof the housekeeper wave. [40] However,oxytocin can be somewhat harsh on the body.Instead of employing oxytocin, one might firsttry supplements of MSM, sulfates, and/or T3thyroid.

Sulfates may increase the use of oxytocin inthe gut. The body’ s store of sulfates is likelylow in a fibromyalgia patient because sulfatesare lost when there is intestinal irritation. Alack of sulfation in the gut interferes with thecholecystokinin-A (CCKA) receptor. TheCCKA receptor regulates the release ofoxytocin in the gut. [84] (CCK is also availableas a prescription.) Therefore, restoring thebody’ s supply of sulfates could be expected toincrease the oxytocin use in the intestines.

Examples of sulfate supplements areglucosamine sulfate, chondroitan sulfate, zincsulfate, magnesium sulfate (Epsom salts) andother mineral sulfates. Gelatin containschondroitan sulfate. MSM may be useful too.MSM is a form of sulfur that could be expectedto increase the body’ s supply of sulfates.However, MSM is to be introduced slowly togive the body a chance to get used to it. Largeamounts of MSM or sulfates need to bebalanced with other minerals, likemolybdenum, zinc and copper. A lot of MSMis not recommended for those who are mercurypoisoned because theoretically, it would movethe mercury around much more than wouldsulfates.

What bothers me the most about employingoxytocin is that oxytocin may inhibit therelease of TSH by the pituitary. [85] TSH is


already suppressed in many fibromyalgiapatients. The addition of oxytocin maycompound this problem and reduce theproduction of thyroid even further. Before everconsidering a supplement of the hormoneoxytocin, I would first look to restoring thyroidlevels. The T3 form of thyroid would have aprofound effect on the production of oxytocin.Adan et al write:

“Thyroid hormone(T3) stimulated the activity ofthe rat and human OT [oyxytocin] promotersabout10-fold… . It was shown in an invivoexperiment that treatment of rats with thyroidhormone increased hypothalamic OT mRNAlevels, the pituitary OT content, as well as OTlevels in blood.” [86]

Another problem with oxytocin is that it hasthe potential to reduce progesteroneproduction. (It does so in pregnant animals.[87]) In contrast, thyroid supplements willgenerally increase the production ofprogesterone.

RelaxinDr. Samuel K. Yue’ s company sells a relaxinhormone product called Vitalaxin. Dr. Yuepostulates that

“the genesis of fibromyalgia is related tosystemic deficit of relaxin hormone, or inabilityof the body to utilize the existing hormone… thatthe replacement (of relaxin) is not of a curativenature but in control of the disease.” [88]

This is his website. www.fyh.com, Phone 800-456-4325.

I don’ t doubt that relaxin may have somebenefits in the treatment of fibromyalgia. Forone thing, relaxin may increase the productionof the hormone oxytocin. [89] However, I wouldtry a supplement of T3 thyroid or even

progesterone before experimenting with relaxin.Thyroid and progesterone should naturallyincrease the production of relaxin by theovaries. [90] Plus, there are too many potentialproblems with using relaxin by itself. Relaxinwill lower progesterone and increase estrogenlevels in pregnant animals. [91] Some of theside effects of relaxin indicate that relaxin mightbe doing this same thing in humans even whenthey aren’ t pregnant. Dr. Yue lists these sideeffects of relaxin administration: morningsickness, diarrhea, anxiety, nose bleeding, breasttenderness, increased menstrual flow, and acne.Yet he states that the side effects usually onlylast 7 to 10 days.

There are numerous effects of both relaxinand oxytocin, so it makes it hard to say underwhat circumstances these are best employed. Itcould be that they will become part of thestandard treatment for fibromyalgia, but until Ihear more about them, I’ m wary of their use.Since these hormones can be somewhat harsh, Iwould suggest that their use be delayed until atleast thyroid and progesterone were tried.Thyroid and progesterone will probably bemuch gentler on the body than the relaxin oroxytocin.

Stealth Pathogens£Lyme,Chlamydia, And MycoplasmasLyme, Chlamydia, and mycoplasmas are stealthpathogens. These microorganisms are oftenfound in fibromyalgia patients. These stealthpathogens are difficult to detect because theyhide inside the host’ s cells. Thereforespecialized labs are used, and sometimes aperson must be tested more than once.

A Michigan lab has noticed that 40% of thefibromyalgia patients that they tested had theLyme spirochete Borrelia burdorferi. [92] But isthis coincidence, or can Lyme cause

www.fyh.com


fibromyalgia? In the book Lyme Disease byDenise Lang, she states,

“In one study of one hundred consecutive newpatients seen at a Lyme disease referral center,25 percent had fibromyalgia rather thanchronic Lyme, but in approximately 70 percentof the cases, the fibromyalgia followedapparent Lyme disease, thus supporting thetheory that fibromyalgia is caused by Lyme.”

Dr. Joseph Burrascano, Jr., MD writes thatLyme can lead to low magnesium, B12 andthyroid. (See his paper at www.Lymenet.org.)These are often low in fibromyalgia too.

The scientists at the ImmunoSciences Lab inBeverly Hills have noticed that 20% of thefibromyalgia patients they tested had Chlamydiain their blood. [93] Chlamydia saps cellularenergy. Low cellular energy is a large part of theproblem with fibromyalgia. Is this the culpritthat causes fibromyalgia? Or is it just showingup because the immune system is compromised?(The activated HPA axis, as typically found infibromyalgia, suppresses the immune system.)

Chlamydia is very difficult to eradicate withantibiotics. When attacked, Chlamydia revertsinto an elementary body, which is difficult todestroy. [94] However, there are someantibiotics that work better than others. Theseare Lymecycline and possibly the quinolonefamily of antibiotics like Ciprofloxacin. (Seewww.roadback.org and www.rheumatic.org )Unfortunately, some feel that long-termantibiotics might be required to eradicateChlamydia.

A failure to eradicate Chlamydia may be duein part to excess mercury or lead in the body.[95] (Lead and mercury also interfere with theeradication of Herpes viruses. It is suspectedthat herpes virus infections can also lead tofibromyalgia.) Hence mercury, lead, or otherproblems need to be addressed as well.

Another possible treatment is undenaturedwhey. Dr. Cheney did a study on patients whohas tested positive for mycoplasmas and/orChlamydia. These patients tested negative forthese infections after they were on at least onepacket of undenatured whey per day for 6months. The undenatured whey also neutralizedHHV-6, but only when two packets ofundenatured whey were used each day.

The same Los Angeles lab that noticed theChlamydia, found that another 40% of thefibromyalgia patients had mycoplasmas. Yetonly one out of the 20 controls had eitherChlamydia or mycoplasmas in the blood. [96]Other studies have shown that 50% to 70% ofchronic fatigue and fibromyalgia patients havemycoplasmas in the blood. [97] Yet note thatmycoplasmas may only be a secondaryinfection, or an indication that something else iswrong.

Lyme, Chlamydia, and mycoplasmas are allcommonly treated with various antibiotics.Sometimes long-term antibiotics are required.However, there are a few more things that mayhelp get rid of them.

When these stealth pathogens hide insideyour cells, your humoral (Th2 or antibody) armof the immune system cannot detect them.Therefore your cellular immunity is your primedefense against these pathogens. Coincidentally,your cellular immunity is also your primaryimmune defense against yeast. Therefore thingsthat support your cellular immunity should becarefully considered. Thyroid supports yourcellular immunity. Avoiding transfatty acidsand excess unsaturated oils in your diet alsosupports your cellular immunity. Higherglutathione levels will probably help too. [98]Reducing stress will help. See the Keep-Hope-Alive newsletters for more ideas on how toimprove cellular immunity at their websitewww.keephope.net.

www.Lymenet.org

www.roadback.org

www.rheumatic.org

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A more recent treatment method ishyperbaric oxygen. (See www.immed.org,phone (714) 903-2900.) However, Dr. RitchyShoemaker in his book Desparation Medicinewarns not to use hyperbaric oxygen treatmentsif your tumor necrosis factor (TNF) readings arehigh. (TNF is often high when there is intestinalirritation.) Perhaps high TNF is the reason thatLyme patients also have problems withhydrogen peroxide treatments. In the bookCoping with Lyme Disease by Denise Lang, shesuggests not to try hydrogen peroxide therapybecause patients claim that it is not worth thepain and suffering that it causes, and thetreatment didn’ t result in a cure.

Ritchie C. Shoemaker, MD, employs a drugcalled cholestyramine (Questran) to remove thetoxins produced by pathogens like Lyme andPfiesteria. This does not eliminate the culpritthat started the problem, but it can go a longway towards giving a person their health back.He first treats Lyme patients with antibiotics tokill the infection, then he uses pioglitazone, andthen cholestyramine. The pioglitazone reducesthe Lyme patient’ s sensitivity to the TNF (tumornecrosis factor). Without this pioglitazonepretreatment, Lyme patients can get very ill onthe next step of the treatment, the drugcholestyramine. Other types of poisoningusually do not require the pretreatment withpioglitazone. More information can be found athis website, www.chronicneurotoxins.com andin Dr. Ritchie Shoemaker’ s book DesperationMedicine.

Here are some laboratories that will test forthe presence of stealth pathogens:

Immunosciences Lab, phone (310)-657-1077 or(800) 950-4686 www.immuno-sci-lab.com,

International Molecular Diagnostics Lab, websitewww.imd-lab.com, phone (714) 799-7177 or(888) 882-8838)

Nelson Medical Research Institute in Warren,Michigan, phone 810-755-6430.

The Bowen Research & Training Institute inFlorida, phone (727) 937-9077, and their websiteis www.bowen.org. They are finding that a veryhigh percentage of patients with fibromyalgia orchronic fatigue have Lyme.

ExerciseExercise needs to be consistent and mild. Yogaand small indoor trampolines / rebounders aregood considerations. Here is a quoteconcerning exercise and fibromyalgia fromWilliam Wong, ND, PhD. (The PhD is inExercise Physiology. Plus he has numerousawards and honors in related endeavors.)

“…Progressive Resistance Exercise (PRE) buildslarge numbers of mitochondria and nuclei as anormal response to the work. PRE can be done inshort bouts (sets) with relatively large restsegments in-between (2-5 min.), and therefore notdrain the patient of their energy reserves.… limitation of work to 3 PRE exercises donetwice a week does not excessively drain patients’energy reserves.” [99]

GuifenisenDr. Paul St. Amand’ s has helped manyfibromyalgia patients with an over-the-thecounter drug called Guifenisen. Guifenisen is acommon ingredient in cough syrups. PlainGuifenisen is also available at drugstores.Guifenisen will help remove calcium andphosphates from soft tissue, and this seems tohelp with many people’ s fibromyalgia.

Unfortunately, Guifenisen might not workunless you go on a diet that eliminatessalicylates, which are found in many differentplants. Also, you must watch which brands of

www.immed.org

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www.immuno

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toothpaste and mouthwash, deodorants, etc thatyou use. If any of these have salicylates inthem, it blocks the action of the Guifenisen. Dr.St. Amand’ s book What your doctor may NOTtell you about Fibromyalgia lists all the foodsthat should be avoided. [100]

There is an Internet email list where laypeople will help you implement the Guifenisenprotocol. It is very important that it is donecorrectly. To subscribe to the list, send an e-mail to:

[email protected]

In the body of the email type:

SUB GUAI-SUPPORT YourRealFirstNameYourRealLastName

Also take a look at www.Guaidoc.com andwww.sover.net/~devstar/guai.htm.

In Dr. Paul St. Amand’ s book, he states thatthere is an accumulation of hydrogen, calciumand phosphates in the cells of fibromyalgiapatients. The calcium and phosphates interferewith the energy of the cell. In turn, the lack ofcellular energy can give the fibromyalgia patientirritable bowel, brain-fog and/or hypoglycemia.He feels that the low sugar diet helps those withfibromyalgia because it controls insulin levels.Excess insulin increases the kidney’ sreabsorption of phosphates, and thus exacerbatesthe fibromyalgia.

Dr. Paul St. Amand hypothesizes that themain cause of fibromyalgia is a genetic inabilityof the kidneys to eliminate phosphates. Theexcess phosphates in turn cause the cells to takeup more calcium. However, he states that manydifferent kinds of traumas/insults could deprivethe body of energy and jumpstart theaccumulation of calcium in cells.

There are many injuries that will causecalcium to enter cells. For example, toxinsproduced by certain species of fungus will cause

calcium to enter the cells. A lack of magnesiumor even a lack of calcium will also causecalcium to enter the cells. (Insufficient calciumor magnesium raises the parathyroid hormone,and elevated levels of this hormone causescalcium to enter the cell. [101]) Prolongedoxygen deprivation also increases intracellularcalcium. [102] Therefore, there are manypossible contributing factors to the accumulationof calcium in the cells of those withfibromyalgia. It doesn’ t necessarily have to bean accumulation of phosphates from a kidneyproblem or phosphates from tartaric acidgenerated by certain yeast and bacteria.

For some people, the Guifenisen therapy isnot helpful. For others it is very helpful. Wedon’ t know who it is most likely to help.However, I suggest that perhaps you are morelikely to be helped by Guifenisen if you havebeen poisoned by tartaric acid. (Tartaric acid isgenerated by certain bacteria and yeast.) TheGuifenisen would help remove the phosphatesof the tartaric acid. Tartaric acid interferes withthe formation of malic acid. So if malic acidhelps you, then perhaps Guifenisen would bemore likely to help you too.

Thankfully, the success of St. Amand’ sprotocol doesn’ t depend on knowing all thereasons it works. The protocol has been agodsend for some people, and they areextremely grateful to Dr. St. Amand.

Fungal InfectionsThe Great Plains Laboratory has found elevatedtartaric acid levels in many fibromyalgiapatients. The presence of tartaric acid suggeststhat yeast could be a major problem infibromyalgia.

In an article printed in the Townsend Letter,Robert W. Bradford, MD, and Henry Allen, PhDof the Bradford Research Institute, presented

www.Guaidoc.com

www.sover.net/~devstar/guai.htm


evidence of fugal infections in many people withfibromyalgia. [103] (The institute’ s website iswww.BradfordResearchInst.org) Fungal toxinscan increase retention of calcium in the cells,which would subsequently damage themitochondria. In particular, the fungal toxincalled cyclopiazonic acid is known to increasethe retention of calcium. This toxin is producedby Aspergilus, Penicillium, Fusarium andAlternaria species. They also mentioned that15% of those with hepatitis C havefibromyalgia. [104]

Yoga Breathing ExercisesYoga breathing exercises will increase carbondioxide levels in the blood. Increasing carbondioxide (CO2) levels have several benefits thatspecifically benefit those people who havefibromyalgia.

1. Lower Intracellular Calcium. Carbondioxide tends to decrease intracellularcalcium. [105] This improves energyproduction.

2. Less Lactic Acid. Carbon dioxide inhibitsthe formation of lactic acid. [106] Theproduction of lactic acid is suspected ofcontributing to the pain of fibromyalgia.

3. Relaxes Muscles. Acidifying the cells withcarbon dioxide tends to allow the musclesand nerves to relax. (The blood can be tooacid even though the cells are too alkaline.In the process of creating lactic acid,protons from NADH are consumed, and thecells tend to become too alkaline. [107])

4. Improves Oxygenation. Carbon dioxide isnecessary for the delivery of oxygen to thetissue. More carbon dioxide is especiallyimportant if there is too much lactic acid.Lactic acid displaces the carbon dioxide in

the blood and hence interferes with oxygengetting to the cells. [108] D-lactic acid fromthe bacterial overgrowth in the smallintestine could add to this excess lactic acidand low carbon dioxide problem.

5. Salt Retention. Carbon dioxide helps thebody retain salt. Salt is helpful.

There are several ways to increase CO2.

1. Thyroid. Thyroid encourages the cells’mitochondria to produce more CO2.

2. Yoga Breathing. Deep, slow, full waverelaxed breathing with a pause inbetweenbreaths will promote the retention of CO2.

3. Rebreather Mask. Dr. Paul Cheney hasused a rebreather mask with oxygentreatments to increase CO2 levels in hischronic fatigue patients. The patientrebreathes a portion of the expelled breath,which is high in CO2.

4. Bicarbonates. Bicarbonate mineral saltstaken inbetween meals will increase CO2,and could be of use. (Eg, baking soda issodium bicarbonate. Other minerals can bepurchased in the bicarbonate form too.)However, if someone uses a lot of these saltson a regular basis, they need to balance thealkaline minerals with adequate inorganicacids from the protein in their diet.

SaltA reasonable amount of salt in the diet may behelpful in the treatment of fibromyalgia. I’ vechosen a few bits of information from one ofRaymond Peat’ s newsletters on the benefits ofsalt and have shown here how it relates tofibromyalgia. [109]

1. Energy. Salt helps remove excess calciumfrom cells. This improves the cells’ ability

www.BradfordResearchInst.org


to produce energy. Salt also helps produceATP, the energy molecule.

2. Osteoporosis. Salt is a good bufferingagent. This spares calcium. Without salt,more calcium may be taken from bones tobuffer the acids in the blood.

3. Sleep. Sleep is often a problem infibromyalgia. Salt taken at bedtime canreduce adrenaline levels and thus help aperson get to sleep.

4. Magnesium. Magnesium is often deficientin fibromyalgia. Adequate sodium preventsurinary magnesium loss.

5. Hypothyroidism. Many fibromyalgiapatients are hypothyroid. Hypothyroidismmakes it difficult to retain salt.

6. Serotonin Release. When sodium isrestricted, there is a sharp increase inserotonin secretion.

Many people avoid table salt in their dietbecause they think it will lower their bloodpressure. This is a questionable practice. Arecent study showed that changing from a highsalt diet to a low salt diet lowers the averagesystolic pressure by 6.7mm. [109] That is arather extreme change in dietary salt for solittle improvement. Another study showed thatsalt restriction lowered mean arterial pressureonly in untreated hypothyroid patients, not inhyperthyroid or control patients. [110] In otherwords, if a person finds that salt restrictionlowers their blood pressure, then perhaps thereal problem is that they are hypothyroid.

Restricting salt is not going to prevent heartdisease. Michael H. Alderman of the AlbertEinstein College of Medicine in New Yorkpoints out that previous studies show that saltrestriction can trigger changes in insulin,nerve activity, and other factors that may

lead to the vascular damage that underliesheart attacks. [109] However, if you alreadyhave a heart condition, and are restricting yoursalt intake, please be careful. When a personfirst starts increasing salt intake, it increaseswater retention and this make things harder onthe heart. Time is needed for the body to adjustto any change in salt intake. Also, if one haspoor kidney function, any increase in salt mustbe done carefully. If you have insulinresistance, your body may have been able tocompensate by producing more insulin. Highinsulin levels increase salt retention. [111]

Mitochondria HealthThe cells have energy producing componentscalled mitochondria. One possible cause offibromyalgia is damaged mitochondria. Whenthe mitochondria are damaged, they producelactic acid. Excessive lactic acid can causemuscle pain. Damaged mitochondria and thesubsequent lack of cellular energy wouldencourage intestinal yeast and bacteriaovergrowth. Conversely, toxins from yeast orharmful bacteria could damage themitochondria. Either way, in order to get well,it is important to support the health of themitochondria.

To support mitochondrial health, there arecertain supplements that can be tried: NADH,lipoic acid, thyroid, carnitine, coenzyme Q10,and the correct oils. What follows are a fewcomments on each of these substances.

NADH and NAD are forms of niacin. LowNADH levels could perhaps amplify a problemwith the low malic acid levels that are oftenfound in fibromyalgia. This is because NADHand NAD are transported across the cell by themalic acid/aspartic acid shuttle. The salt ofNADH patented by Menuco is the best form ofNADH on the market. The Menuco product is


not destroyed by stomach acid like the otherNADH products. However, niacin, no-flushniacin and niacinamide are much much cheaperthan NADH. So you may want to start with asupplement of one of these and later try theNADH.

NADH and coenzyme Q10 are an integralpart of the electron transport chain in themitochondria. Hence it shouldn’ t be toosurprising to hear that besides NADH, largedoses of coenzyme Q10 can be helpful infibromyalgia. [112] Glutathione and lipoic acidrecycle antioxidants that are also very importantto this electron chain. (Be careful whenintroducing these last two substances if you aremercury or copper poisoned.)

If you want to protect your mitochondria,watch out for the amount of unsaturated fats inyour diet. According to Raymond Peat, PhD,

“Unsaturated fats damage the mitochondria,partly by suppressing the respiratory enzyme,and partly by causing generalized oxidativedamage. … shorter chain saturated fats havepriority for oxidation, because they don’trequire carnitine transport into themitochondrion, and that this will tend to inhibitoxidation of the unstable, peroxidizableunsaturated fatty acids.”

In other words, if you are concerned about yourmitochondria health, change the ratio of thefats you eat to include more short chainsaturated fats (coconut oil) and lessunsaturates. This will protect yourmitochondria from the damaging effects ofoxidation. Also be careful of excess iron,because this increases the damage from theunsaturated oils.

Carnitine and lipoic acid are sometimesrecommended because these help get fats andenergy producing materials into the cells for themitochondria to burn. In fact a combination of

carnitine and lipoic acid has been patented bythe University of California for its rejuvenationability. However, before considering carnitinesupplementation, you might want to get yourthyroid corrected and try some SAMe or TMG.Sometimes thyroid will correct the carnitinelevels. SAMe is needed to create carnitine. Isuspect this is a safer way to increase carnitinelevels than taking carnitine. Too much carnitineis harmful.

Lipoic acid should be used with caution ifyou are mercury or copper poisoned. However,a very small amount of it (1 or 2 mg per day)might be tolerated in even these tough cases.Please be aware that there are two isomers oflipoic acid. The R(+) isomer from Jarrow Labsor Advanced Orthomolecular Research ofCanada is probably the best product on themarket. Most of the lipoic acid supplements onthe market are a mixture of both R(+) and S(-)isomers. Unfortunately, sometimes, the S(-)isomer can actually counter the good effects ofthe R(+) form. Eg, a pure S(-) isomer of lipoicacid will increase insulin resistance, whereas thepure R(+) isomer lowers it. The S(-) form caneven interfere with the mitochondria’ s ability touse R(+) lipoic acid.

Miscellaneous TreatmentsLily G. Casura wrote a nice summary in theTownsend Letter of the many possiblefibromyalgia treatments people are trying.[113] Here are some of the treatments shecovered that haven’ t been mentioned yet.Getting rid of the mercury fillings andsubsequent detoxification of mercury hashelped many. Glucosamine sulfate and certainspices like tumeric that contain curcumin, areknown to help with the pain. Mudpacks,acupuncture, and bright light therapy arehelpful. An antihistimine, like Benedryl, before


bed can help with sleep. Keep warm, eat warmfood, and get yourself into a bedtime routine,and get in touch with your spiritual andemotional needs.

Sota Omoigui, MD has some practicalsuggestions for the fibromyalgia patient. Avoidstraining of muscles, take up swimming, reduceweight on joints, take Tylenol regularly, try arelaxation audiotape, biofeedback, etc. He alsosuggests things like pycnogenols, vitamin C,pantethenic acid, and an ointment that will helpwith the pain called Zostrix (Capsaicin).However, be careful with the amount ofpycnogenols employed. Pycnogenols andbioflavonoids are good antioxidants, but theysuppress the detoxification capabilities of thebody. (Dr. Sota Omoigui has a pain clinic inLos Angeles. This is his clinic’ s website:www.medicinehouse.com/fibromyalgia.htm )

A fair portion of people with chronicfatigue and fibromyalgia have found thatundenatured whey has some benefits. Thishelps increase glutathione levels and helps getrid of anemia. Sometimes people can’ t toleratethis though. It seems particularly problematic ifa person has mercury poisoning. It may also bewise to first support the thyroid before startingundenatured whey. There is a lot of cysteine in

undenatured whey. Cysteine can suppressthyroid.

Please note that there is a huge differencein the way the body reacts to undenaturedwhey products compared to most ordinarywhey products. The undenatured wheyproducts increase glutathione much more sothan the inexpensive designer whey products.Unfortunately, the undenatured whey productscost a lot more too. Expect to pay between$100 and $200 for a month’ s supply.

There are many places on the Internet tolearn about fibromyalgia. Here are some.

www.fmnetnews.com

http://myalgia.com

http://groups.yahoo.comwww.ImmuneSupport.com

www.fmpartnership.org./FMPartnership.htmwww.mwilliamson.com/www.paintracking.com/www.sover.net/~devstar/

These sites list doctors familiar withfibromyalgia:

www.sover.net/~devstar/provider.htmwww.co-cure.org/Good-Doc.htm

www.medicinehouse.com/fibromyalgia.htm

www.fmnetnews.com

http://myalgia.com

http://groups.yahoo.com

www.ImmuneSupport.com

www.fmpartnership.org./FMPartnership.htm

www.mwilliamson.com/

www.paintracking.com/

www.sover.net/~devstar/

www.sover.net/~devstar/provider.htm

www.co

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Hernandez J, “ Nutritional recovery does not reversethe activation of brain serotonin synthesis in theontogenectically malnourished rat” Int J Dev Neurosci1996 Aug; 14(5):641-8 as referenced in Ray Peat’ sJanuary 2002 newsletter.

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4. Mark R Opp M, “ Coticotropin-releasing hormone(CRH) as a regulator/modulator of waking.” Actas deFisiología 7, 2001 93http://www.rau.edu.uy/universidad/medicina/actas7/focus_groups.pdf and this is another interesting fact.People deprived of non-REM stage 4 sleep experience

muscle pain and mood symptoms comparable to thesymptoms found in fibromyalgia. Moldofsky H,Scarisbrick P. “ Induction of neurasthenicmusculoskeletal pain syndrome by selective sleepstage deprivation.” Psychosom Med. 1976 Jan-Feb;38(1):35-44. and this is also interesting. PortasCM, Bjorvatn B, Ursin R., “ Serotonin and thesleep/wake cycle: special emphasis on microdialysisstudies.” Prog Neurobiol 2000 Jan;60(1):13-35 and(Highest levels of free serotonin correspond towakefulness. The lowest levels of free serotonincorrespond to REM sleep. Fibromyalgia patients havedecreased REM sleep and increased wakefullness.)

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Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) or bacterial endotoxin canbe used as a form of immune challenge similar to thatencountered in human infectious diseases. LPS isknown to activate the brain serotonergic system, andin these experiments it induced an increase inserotonin release in hippocampus and hypothalamusas measured by in vivo microdialysis. Administrationof the tricyclic antidepressant drug clomipramineabolished the LPS effect in the hypothalamus,suggesting a role for the immune system in the actionof antidepressant drugs.

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49. Fowkes S, “ Tryptophan, 5-HTP and Serotonin” SmartDrug News, August 20th, 1998 issue [v6n8]www.ceri.com/rev-sero.htm -- Contrary to much of thepresently circulating literature, there is reason tobelieve that high protein foods could interfere with 5-HTP absorption.

50. Caruso I, Puttini SP, Cazzola M, Azzolini V. “ Doubleblind study of 5-hydroxytryptophan versus placebo inthe treatment of primary fibromyalgia syndrome. J IntMed Res 1990;18:201-209 and Puttini PS, Caruso I,“ Primary fibromyalgia syndrome and 5-hydroxy-L-tryptophan: a 90-day open study. J Int Med Res 1992Apr;20(2):182-9

51. Russell I, Orr M, Littman B, Vipraio G. “ Elevatedcerebrospinal fluid levels of substance P in patientswith the fibromyalgia syndrome.” Arthritis Rheum.1994; 37:1593-601

52. De Simone C, Misefari A, Covelli V et al., “ Effects ofsubstance P, on the spontaneous binding of Salmonellaminnesota R345 (Rb) to human peripheral bloodlymphocytes,” J Clin Lab Anal 1989;3:345-9, Asreferenced in Dr. Bradford’ s article on fibromyalgia inthe Townsend Letter of November 2001, December2001, and January 2002.

53. Bradford, Robert, MD, Allen, Henry, PhD, “ RecentProgress in Clinical Applications and Research inFibromyalgia— Part 1” Townsend Letter For Doctors,

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November 2001, part 2, December 2001.and part 3,January 2002

54. Hallegua, D, MD Rheumatologist at Cedars-SinaiHospital, “ The relationship between bacteria andFibromyalgia” lecture Nov. 03, 2002

55. Wu ZX, Satterfield BE, Fedan JS, Day RD“ Interleukin-1 beta-induced airway hyper-reponsiveness enhances substance P in intrinsicneurons of the ferret air-way. AM J Physiol Lung CellMol Physiol 283:L909-917 as mentioned in an articleby Jay Goldstein, MD about Kineret and Strattera

56. Gul H, Yildiz O, Dogrol A Yesilyort O, Isimer A “ Theinteraction between IL-1 beta and morphine: possiblemechanism of the deficiency of morphine-inducedanalgesia in diabetic mice.” Pain 89:39-45 asmentioned in an article by Jay Goldstein, MD aboutKineret and Strattera

57. Goldstein J, MD, “ Kineret and Strattera” The NationalForum vol. 6, No. 4, Spring 2003 www.NCF-NET.org

58. Cohen BI, “ The significance of ammonia/gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) ratio for normality andliver disorders.” Med Hypotheses 2002Nov;59(6):757-8 Ammonia will raise GABA in theblood. GABA can act as an inhibitor in the brain.Also, ammonia interferes with mitochondrial energyproduction. Felipo V, Butterworth RF. “ Mitochondrialdysfunction in acute hyperammonemia.” NeurochemInt. 2002 May;40(6):487-91. Review

59. Olson G, Savage S, Olson J, “ The effects of CollagenHydrolysat on Symptoms of Chronic Fibromyalgiaand Temporomadibular Joint Pain” The Journal ofCraniomandibular Practice, April 2000, volume 18,no. 2

60. Russell IJ, Michalek JE, Vipraio GA, Fletcher EM,Wall K. “ Serum amino acids in fibrositis/fibromyalgiasyndrome.” J Rheumatol Suppl 1989 Nov;19:158-63

61. Kunin CM et al, “ Effect of novel compound, 1-methyl-1-piperidino methane sulfonate (MPMS), on theospoprotectant activity of glycine betaine, choline andproline in Escherichia coli. Arch. Microbial. 160:81-86

62. Farrant RD, Walker V, Mills GA, Mellor JM, LangleyGJ. “ Pyridoxal phosphate de-activation by pyrroline-5-carboxylic acid. Increased risk of vitamin B6

deficiency and seizures in hyperprolinemia type II. JBiol Chem. 2001 May 4;276(18):15107-16.

63. Hornby JM, Jensen EC, Lisec AD, Tasto JJ, Jahnke B,Shoemaker R, Dussault P, Nickerson KW, “ Quorumsensing in the dimorphic fungus Candida albicans ismediated by farnesol.” Appl Environ Microbiol 2001Jul;67(7):2982-92

64. Salemi S, Rethage J, Wollina U, Michel BA, Gay RE,Gay S, Sprott H. “ Detection of interleukin 1beta (IL-1beta), IL-6, and tumor necrosis factor-alpha in skin ofpatients with fibromyalgia.” J Rheumatol 2003Jan;30(1):146-50 (About 30% of the patients hadelevated IL-1, IL-6 and TNF in the skin. None of thecontrols did.) Ansorge, S., Buhling, F., Hoffmann, T.,Kahne, T., Neubert, K. and Reinhold, D. (1995) DPIV} CD26 on human lymphocytes: functional roles incell growth and cytokine regulation. In DipeptidylPeptidase IV (CD26) in Metabolism and the ImmuneResponse (Fleischer, B., ed.), pp. 163±184, SpringerVerlag, Berlin as cited by Hildebrandt, ClinicalScience 2000 and Bauvois B, Sanceau J, Wietzerbin J.“ Human U937 cell surface peptidase activities:characterization and degradative effect on tumornecrosis factor-alpha.” Eur J Immunol 1992Apr;22(4):923-30

65. Wallace D, “ The Fibromyalgia Syndrome” Annals ofMedicine 29:9-21, 1997, referring to Wallace CJ,Margolin K, Waller P. “ Fibromyalgia and interleukin-2 therapy for malignacy.” Ann Intern Med 1988;108:909 Maes M, Capuron L, Ravaud A, Gualde N,Bosmans E, Egyed B, Dantzer R, Neveu PJ. “ Loweredserum dipeptidyl peptidase IV activity is associatedwith depressive symptoms and cytokine production incancer patients receiving interleukin-2-basedimmunotherapy.” Neuropsychopharmacology 2001Feb;24(2):130-40 Maes M, Bonaccorso S, Marino V,Puzella A, Pasquini M, Biondi M, Artini M, AlmerighiC, Meltzer H. “ Treatment with interferon-alpha (IFNalpha) of hepatitis C patients induces lower serumdipeptidyl peptidase IV activity, which is related toIFN alpha-induced depressive and anxiety symptomsand immune activation.” Mol Psychiatry. 2001Jul;6(4):475-80. (With time, the interferon-alphalowers DPP IV.)

66. Defelice K, “ Peptizyme and HN-Zyme Prime 4-MonthSummary from the Enzymes and Autism Board”August 2001 http://a2mstrad.free.fr/enzymes.html

www.NCF

http://a2mstrad.free.fr/enzymes.html


67. Brudnak M, “ Application of Genomeceuticals to theMolecular & Immunological Aspects of Autism”American Naturopathic Medical Association, volume5, No 4, referring to the work of Smith.

68. Suzuki Y, Erickson R, Sedlmayer A, Chang S, IkeharaY Kim Y, “ Dietary regulation of rat intestinalangiotensin-converting enzyme and dipeptidylpeptidase IV” Am J Physiol 1993 June; 264(6 Pt1):G1153-91993, as referenced in Hildebrandt M,Reutter W, Arck P, Rose M, Klapp B, “ A guardianangel: the involvement of dipeptidyl peptidase IV inpsychoneuroendocrine function, nutrition and immunedefence. Clinical Science 2000, 99, 93-104

69. Cooke RG, Joffe RT, Levitt AJ., “ T3 augmentation ofantidepressant treatment in T4-replaced thyroidpatients.” J Clin Psychiatry, 1992 Jan;53(1):16-8, andJoffe RT, Singer W, “ Antidepressants and thyroidhormone levels.” Acta Med Austriaca. 1992;19 Suppl1:96-7., and Sokolov ST, Levitt AJ, Joffe RT.“ Thyroid hormone levels before unsuccessfulantidepressant therapy are associated with laterresponse to T3 augmentation.” Psychiatry Res. 1997Mar 24;69(2-3):203-6 and substituting some T3thyroid for T4 improves mood and cognition evenwithout anti-depressants from Robertas Bunevicius,MD, PhD, Gintautas Kazanavicius, MD, PhD, Rimasalinkevicius, MD, and Arthur J. Prange, MD. “ Effectsof Thyroxine as Compared with Thyroxine plusTriiodothyronine in Patients with Hypothyroidism.”New England Journal of Medicine Volume 340:424-429 Feb 11, 1999, No. 6

70. Extein I, Pottash AL, Gold MS “ The thyrotropin-releasing hormone test in the diagnosis of unipolardepression.” Psychiatry Res 1981 Dec;5(3):311-6

71. Bartalena L, Placidi GF, Martino E, Falcone M,Pellegrini L, Dell'Osso L, Pacchiarotti A, Pinchera A.“ Nocturnal serum thyrotropin (TSH) surge and theTSH response to TSH-releasing hormone: dissociatedbehavior in untreated depressives.” J Clin EndocrinolMetab 1990 Sep;71(3):650-5 (a lack of nocturnal TSHsurge supports the case for some degree of centralhypothyroidism in depression.)

72. Meyers, S, “ Use of Neurotransmitter Precursors forTreatment of Depression” Altern Med Rev2000;5(1):64-71www.thorne.com/altmedrev/.fulltext/5/1/64.html

73. Lopez JF, Vazquez DM, Chalmers DT, Watson SJ“ Regulation of 5-HT receptors and the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis. Implications for theneurobiology of suicide” , Ann N Y Acad Sci 1997 Dec29; 836:106-34 (Increase activity of the HPA axis isassociated with suicide.)

74. Reichenberg A, Yirmiya R, Schuld A, et al: Cytokine-associated emotional and cognitive disturbances inhumans. Arch Gen Psychiatry 2001, 58:445-452. (Lowdose Salmonella toxin induced anxiety, depression,and cognition impairment. Psychological changeswere correlated with the increase in IL-1, IL-6, andTNF.).

75. Maes M, Libbrecht I, Van Hunsel F, Lin AH,Bonaccorso S, Goossens F, De Meester I, De ClerckL, Biondi M, Scharpe S, Janca A. “ Lower serumactivity of prolyl endopeptidase in fibromyalgia isrelated to severity of depressive symptoms andpressure hyperalgesia.” Psychol Med 1998Jul;28(4):957-65

76. Hersh LB “ Immunological, physical, and chemicalevidence for the identity of brain and kidney post-proline cleaving-enzyme. J Neurochem. 1981Jul;37(1):172-8. and Kusuhara M et al. “ Purificationand characterization of prolyl endopeptidase from ratskin.” J Dermatol Sci. 1993 Oct;6(2):138-45

77. Saski M, et al. “ Comparison of proteolytic activities invarious lactobacilli.” J Dairy Res. 1995Nov;62(4):601-10

78. Lieber CS, Alcoholic liver disease: new insights inpathogenesis lead to new treatments. J Hepatol2000;32(1 Suppl):113-28 “ Indeed, SAMe was foundto attenuate mitochondrial lesions in baboons,replenish glutathione, and significantly reducemortality in patients with Child A or B cirrhosis.”

79. This property of SAMe has been mentioned in severaldifferent natural supplement brochures. One suchbrochure is put out by Allergy Research/Nutricology.www.nutricology.com In their year 2000 to 2001product catalog, they state “ For optimal metabolismand utilization of SAMe, it should be taken with B6,B12 and folic acid. Therefore we suggest item no.72580, Homocysteine Metabolite Formula or item no.73230, TMG (trimethylglycine).”

80. Gershon, Michael, MD, The Second Brain, HarperPerennial, 1998, page 228 synopsis. At first, these

www.thorne.com/altmedrev/.fulltext/5/1/64.html

www.nutricology.com


SSRI drugs increase contractions by keeping moreserotonin in contact with the nerve cells of theintestines, but later, they desensitize the nerve cells toserotonin and immobilize the gut. These drugsinterfere with the absorption of serotonin by the cellsthat surround the enteric sensory nerve cells in theintestines. In order for the intestinal waves to workproperly, the surrounding cells must absorb theserotonin after the wave has passed. This gives thesenerve cells a rest from the stimulation of serotonin. Ifthis is not done, eventually the nerve cells becomedesensitized. When these nerve cells becomedesensitized it inhibits the housekeeper wave. Thehousekeeper wave will completely disappear unlessthere is sufficient stimulation from other agents likeacetylcholine.

81. Wilson SJ, Bailey JE, Alford C, Weinstein A, Nutt DJ“ Effects of 5 weeks of administration of fluoxetine anddothiepin in normal volunteers on sleep, daytimesedation, psychomotor performance and mood. JPsychopharmacol 2002 Dec;16(4):321-31

82. Schreiber S, Backer MM, Pick CG “ Theantinociceptive effect of venlafaxine in mice ismediated through opioid and adrenergic mechanisms.”Neurosci Lett 1999 Oct 1;273(2):85-8

83. Zoler, M, “ Substance P Antagonist: A PromisingAntidepressant” Clinical Psychiatry News 26(11):8,1998.www.medscape.com/IMNG/ClinPsychNews/1998/v26.n11/cpn2611.08.01.html

84. Mehl-Madrona L, M.D., Ph.D. “ Autism, an overview”Beth Israel Medical Center, New York, NY,http://www.healing-arts.org/children/autism-overview.htm

85. Frawley LS, Leong DA, Neill JD, “ Oxytocinattenuates TRH-induced TSH release from rat pituitarycells.” Neuroendocrinology. 1985 Mar;40(3):201-4.

86. Adan RA, Cox JJ, van Kats JP, Burbach JP. “ Thyroidhormone regulates the oxytocin gene” J Biol Chem1992 Feb 25;267(6):3771-7

87. Sernia C, Gemmell RT, Thomas WG, “ Effect of intra-ovarian infusion of oxytocin on plasma progesteroneconcentrations in pregnant ewes” J Reprod Fertil 1991Jul;92(2):453-60

88. Yue, Samuel K., MD., “ Relaxin - Its Role in thePathogenesis of Fibromyalgia” , Townsend Letter forDoctors and Patients, January, 2000

89. Summerlee AJ, O’ Byrne KT, Poterski RS, “ Relaxininhibits the pulsatile release of oxytocin but increasesbasal concentrations of hormone in lactating rats.” BiolReprod 1998 Apr;58(4):977-81. (In lactating rats,treatment with relaxin causes a significant increase inplasma oxytocin.)

90. Peat R, Nutrition for Women, page 43, it says thatprogesterone improves the production of relaxin.(Raymond Peat’ s book, available by writing to theauthor and enclosing $12.50. Address: Raymond Peat,PhD, P.O. Box 5764, Eugene, OR 97405.)

91. Musah AI, Schwabe C, Anderson LL, “ Acute decreasein progesterone and increase in estrogen secretioncaused by relaxin during late pregnancy in beefheifers.” Endocrinology 1987 Jan;120(1):317-24

92. Mattman, Linda H. Cell Wall Deficient Forms: StealthPathogens 2nd edition. CRC Press 1993 pp 222-224,Dr. Mattman is associated with the Nelson MedicalResearch Institute, phone 810-755-6430

93. Candida and Dysbiosis Newsletter, February, 1998, pg8

94. Kaminski, Mitchell V., Jr. MD, “ Systemic ChlamydiaPneumoniae Could Be Factor-X in Many ChronicDiseases of Unknown Etiology,” Townsend Letter forDoctors and Patients, #203, page 50-56 June 2000

95. Omura Y, Beckman SL, “ Role of mercury (Hg) inresistant infections & effective treatment of Chlamydiatrachomatis and Herpes family viral infections (andpotential treatment for cancer) by removing localizedHg deposits with Chinese parsley and deliveringeffective antibiotics using various drug uptakeenhancement methods,” Acupunct Electrother Res1995 Aug-Dec;20(3-4):195-229

96. Candida and Dysbiosis Information Foundationnewsletter, page 15, February 1998

97. “ Chronic Idiopathic -- (or Infectious? -- or Iatrogenic?)Immune Dysfunction Syndrome(s) and StealthPathogens,” Candida and Dysbiosis InformationFoundation Newsletter, February, 1998

98. Jeffrey D. Peterson, Leonore A. Herzenberg, KristineVasquez, and Carl Waltenbaugh, “ Glutathione levelsin antigen-presenting cells modulate Th1 versus Th2

www.medscape.com/IMNG/ClinPsychNews/1998/v26

http://www.healing


response patterns” Immunology Vol. 95, Issue 6, 3071-3076, March 17, 1998

99. Wong, William, ND, PhD, “ Creating Happy Pain-Freeand Functional Fibromyalgia Patients” TownsendLetter For Doctors and Patients, November 2001.Email [email protected]

100. St. Amand, R. Paul, MD, and Marek, Claudia Craig,Fibromyalgia, the Revolutionary Treatment that canReverse the Disease, 1999, Warner Books, Inc. 1271Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020

101. Fujita t., “ Calcium paradox: consequences of calciumdeficiency manifested by a wide variety of diseases, JBone Miner Metab 2000;18(4):234-6, also Montante,J, MD, “ The Kelley Metabolic Therapy” , Lecture atthe 30th Annual Cancer Convention of the CancerControl Society, September 2, 2002

102. Peat, Raymond, “ Progesterone, thyroid, cancer,” RayPeat’s Newsletter, November 2002, referring to Smith,et al., 2001

103. Bradford, R, MD, Allen, H, PhD, “ Recent Progress inClinical Applications and Research in Fibromyalgia—Part 2” Townsend Letter for Doctors and Patients,December 2001, page 104-110

104. Buskila D, Shnaider A, Neumann L et al.“ Fibromyalgia in hepatitis C virus infection. Anotherinfectious disease relationship.” Arch Intern Med,1997;157:2497-500. As referenced in Dr. Bradford’ spaper on fibromyalgia in the December 2001Townsend Letter.

105. Peat, Raymond, PhD, “ Homeostasis and Aging,Thyroid mysteries and minerals: Cramps,excitotoxicity, dementia, and CO2” , Ray Peat’sNewsletter, December 1999

106. Peat, Raymond, PhD, “ Altitude and Mortality” RayPeat’s Newsletter, June 2000.

107. Peat, Raymond, PhD, “ Bioelectric Fields,Regeneration, and the Lactic Acid Myth,” Ray Peat’sNewsletter, 1998, and a personal communication notefrom Raymond Peat to help clarify this for me.

108. Peat, Raymond, PhD, “ Recharging the System” RayPeat’s Newsletter, 1998 and Peat R, “ Tryptophan,serotonin, and aging” Ray Peat’s Newsletter, 2002

109. J. Raloff, “ Salt trial provokes DASH of skepticism,”Science News, volume 157, May 27, 2000

110. Marcisz, C. Am J Hypertens 2001;14:995-1002 asreferenced in this articlehttp://diabetes.medscape.com/44892.rhtml%3Fsrcmp=endo%2D110901

111. Ezrin C, Your Fat Can Make You Thin,Contemporary Books, 2001.

112. Teitelbaum, Jacob, MD, “ Mitochondrial Dysfunction” ,Fatigued to Fantastic Newsletter, Volume 1, issue 2,July 1997 phone (800) 333-5287 This is his website.www.endfatigue.com

113. Casura, Lily G., “ (Don’ t) Touch Me in the Morning” :Fibromyalgia Sufferers Want Natural Relief,Townsend Letter for Doctors and Patients, January,2000

114. Bounous G, Molson J, “ Competition for glutathioneprecursors between the immune system and theskeletal muscle: pathogenesis of chronic fatiguesyndrome,” Med Hypotheses 1999 Oct;53(4):347-9Which is also at www.2000success.com/research/

115. Somersall, Allan, PhD, MD, with Bounous, Gustavo,MD, FRCS(C), Breakthrough in Cell-Defense,GoldenNeight Publishers, Atlanta * Toronto, 1999

.

http://diabetes.medscape.com/44892.rhtml%3Fsrcmp

www.endfatigue.com

www.2000success.com/research/


Index

5

5-HTP · See tryptophan

A

acetylcholine · 21acid, alkaline and pH · 36adrenaline · 37alanine · 22allergies · 20Allergy

Research/Nutricology ·18, 45

antibiotics · 18, 19, 33, 46autism · 42, 46

B

bacteria overgrowth · 19,37

Balch, Phyllis · 41Banker, Deborah, MD · 14bile · 18blood pressure · 9, 13, 22,

37branch chain amino acids ·

22, 43

C

calcium · 34, 35Candida and Dysbiosis

Information Foundation ·46

carbohydrates · 19carbon dioxide · 36

casein · 19, 20, 27, 28CFIDS (Chronic Fatigue

Immune DysfunctionSyndrome) · 6, 17, 18,33, 36, 47

Cheney · 36Chlamydia · 32, 33, 46cholestyramine · 34coenzyme Q10 · 38

D

depression · 6, 7, 12, 27,28, 29, 30, 31, 43, 45

diarrhea · 12, 17, 18, 32DPP IV · 27, 28DPP IV enzyme · 27, 28

E

E. coli · 6, 10, 16, 23, 26,29

ENIVA · 12estrogen · 32, 46

G

glucosaminoglycans · 42glutamine · 13, 41glutathione · 12, 30, 33, 39,

41, 45, 47glutathione, · 45gluten · 20, 27, 28Guifenisen · 17, 34, 35

H

HHV-6 · 33

housekeeper wave · 18, 20hydrogen-lactulose breath

test · 18hyperbaric oxygen · 34hypothalamus · 9, 13, 14hypothyroid · 37

I

IL-1 (interleukin-1) · 11,16, 27

IL-6 (interleukin-6) · 11,16, 27

ileocecal valve · 18immune system · 6, 14, 15,

18, 33, 47inflammation · 20

L

lipoic · 38liver · 45LPS or lipopolysaccaride ·

9, 10, 11, 16, 29, 41, 42Lyme · 21, 32, 33, 34

M

magnesium · 6, 7, 9, 10,11, 12, 13, 16, 17, 18,20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 31,33, 35, 37, 41

mercury · 33, 38, 46milk · 20, 27MSM (Methyl-Sulfonyl-

Methane) · 31mycoplasmas · 32, 33


N

Nelson Medical ResearchInstitute · 34, 46

O

oxytocin · 20, 31, 32, 43,46

P

pancreas and pancreaticenzymes · 18

Peat, Raymond, PhD · 5, 9,10, 16, 24, 36, 38, 40,41, 42, 46, 47

pesticides · 23phosphate · 15, 17, 23, 35phosphates · 34, 35progesterone · 9, 24, 32, 46

R

relaxin · 32, 46

S

salt · 36, 37

serotonin · 6, 8, 9, 10, 11,13, 14, 15, 17, 20, 21,22, 23, 24, 30, 37, 40,41, 43, 45, 47

Shaw, William, PhD · 17,43

Specific CarbohydrateDiet · 19

St. Amand, Paul, MD · 17,34, 35, 46

stomach acid · 18, 38stool tests · 18substance P · 8, 12, 23, 24,

27, 30, 31, 41, 43

T

taurine · 12, 13, 16, 22, 28,41

Teitelbaum, J., MD · 47Th1 and Th2 · 33, 46thyroid · 7, 9, 11, 12, 13,

15, 16, 21, 22, 23, 24,28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33,37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 44, 46

TMG · 30, 45TNF (tumor necrosis

factor · 11, 12, 16, 23,27, 34

TRH (thyrotropinreleaseing hormone) ·11, 28, 29, 40, 46

tri-methyl-glycine · SeeTMG

Truss, O., MD · 41tryptophan · 7, 8, 9, 20, 22,

23, 25, 29, 43Tumor Necrosis Factor

(TNF) · 34

U

urinary · 15, 37, 43

V

vitamin B12 · 17

W

WaterOz · 12whey · 33

Z

zinc · 15


More books by Polly Hattemer can be found at www.dysbiosis.com

Book 1: Candida’ s Impact on your Health

Book 2: Candidiasis and Dysbiosis Abatement Techniques

Book 3: Diets for Immune Support and Gut Health

Book 4: Hormones, Dysbiosis and Candidiasis

Book 5: Hope for Autism through Nutrition

Book 6: Cleansing the Body of Mercury

Book 7: Fibromyalgia Treatment Options

About Polly Hattemer, PhDPolly Hattemer’ s formal education is a doctorate in System Science Engineering fromUCLA. She has spent over 20 years working in the aerospace industry. Specifically, sheanalyzed and helped to design missile guidance systems, satellite sensors, and radarwaveforms. This background perhaps explains the way she looks at health. Because ofher systems engineering background, she is always looking for the interactions betweendifferent “ systems” in the body.

Polly Hattemer used to have intestinal yeast overgrowth with the accompanyingsymptoms of migraines, food sensitivities, fatigue, brain-fog, and of course, intestinalupsets. Over many years, she accumulated information on how to get rid of theseailments and how to heal the damage left in its wake. Several years ago, she startedchatting with others on the Internet about this problem. She discovered that the Internetwas a vast resource of technical information and an interesting source of personalexperiences. With the permission of her Internet friends, she recorded their personalexperiences and organized them into the Health Forum books. She also addedreferences to tutorial and technical articles. Except for this last book on fibromyalgia,all the Health Forum books contain many personal experiences and anecdotes of otherpeople. This last book on fibromyalgia is the most technical of the books, and it seemedclearer when presented as a standard text, devoid of other voices.

www.dysbiosis.com

fibromyalgia treatment options€¦ · acquiring fibromyalgia. nutritional or emotional stress...

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