From: ImmuneSupport.com
What is guaifenesin? It is a substance that helps loosen and liquefy mucous, and as such is a common component of many nonprescription cold and cough remedies. It is derived from a tree bark extract called guaiacum, first used in the 16th century, and was approved for use as an expectorant by the Food and Drug Administration in 1952. Twenty years ago, the extract was synthesized, pressed into tablets, and named guaifenesin.
Guaifenesin works by drawing water into the bronchi – the air passages branching into our lungs. The released water both thins the mucous and lubricates the airway, facilitating the removal of mucous by coughing. Guaifenesin should be taken exactly as directed on the container or by a prescribing doctor or pharmacist.
What is the Guifenesin Protocol for Fibromyalgia patients? Guaifenesin is also used in the very popular Guaifenesin Protocol for symptoms of Fibromyalgia, conceived by R. Paul St. Amand, MD, Assistant Clinical Professor of Medicine in Endocrinology at UCLA. Though highly demanding and still considered experimental, the Protocol has been adopted by many FM patients, owing to widespread anecdotal descriptions of quality-of-life benefits. Nevertheless, note that Guaifenesin has not been approved by the FDA for this application and should be used as such only with the approval and supervision of a medical doctor familiar with the patient and Protocol.
What is the Protocol’s underlying theory? Dr. St. Amand explains this in detail at FibromyalgiaTreatment.com and in his book written with Claudia Marek, What Doctors May Not Tell You About Fibromyalgia. The theory is that...
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The Guaifenesin Story: A centuries-old bark extract used for clearing the airways – now key to a popular Fibromyalgia symptom-reversal protocol
Friday, April 20, 2007
Research: Benefit of Ribose in a Patient With Fibromyalgia
From: ImmuneSupport.com
Abstract
Ribose was added to the existing treatment regimen of a woman with fibromyalgia, resulting in a decrease in symptoms. It has been postulated that patients with fibromyalgia may have an alteration in muscle adenine nucleotide metabolism, leading to depleted energy reserves and an imbalance in cellular adenosine-triphosphate:adenosine 5'-diphosphate:adenosine 5'-monophosphate (ATP:ADP:AMP) ratios with an abnormal energy charge. As a key component in adenine nucleotide synthesis, ribose supplementation may be useful in such patients.
Introduction
Fibromyalgia is a syndrome that is manifested by generalized muscle pain and additional systemic symptoms of fatigue, tenderness and stiffness in multiple joints, sleep disturbance, and alterations in bowel activity.
The specific etiology is unknown; however, changes in muscle histology, energy metabolism, oxygen utilization, and the neuroendocrine stress-response system have been postulated to play a role in the development and persistence of this disorder.[1] Low levels of muscle adenine nucleotides, reflected in depleted energy reserves and an imbalance in cellular adenosine 5'-triphosphate:adenosine 5'-diphosphate:adenosine 5'-monophosphate (ATP:ADP:AMP) ratios with an abnormal energy charge, have been reported.[2-4] The unknown cause and varying presenting symptoms make fibromyalgia a therapeutic challenge for practitioners.[5-7]
Read Entire Article:
Research: Benefit of Ribose in a Patient With Fibromyalgia
Abstract
Ribose was added to the existing treatment regimen of a woman with fibromyalgia, resulting in a decrease in symptoms. It has been postulated that patients with fibromyalgia may have an alteration in muscle adenine nucleotide metabolism, leading to depleted energy reserves and an imbalance in cellular adenosine-triphosphate:adenosine 5'-diphosphate:adenosine 5'-monophosphate (ATP:ADP:AMP) ratios with an abnormal energy charge. As a key component in adenine nucleotide synthesis, ribose supplementation may be useful in such patients.
Introduction
Fibromyalgia is a syndrome that is manifested by generalized muscle pain and additional systemic symptoms of fatigue, tenderness and stiffness in multiple joints, sleep disturbance, and alterations in bowel activity.
The specific etiology is unknown; however, changes in muscle histology, energy metabolism, oxygen utilization, and the neuroendocrine stress-response system have been postulated to play a role in the development and persistence of this disorder.[1] Low levels of muscle adenine nucleotides, reflected in depleted energy reserves and an imbalance in cellular adenosine 5'-triphosphate:adenosine 5'-diphosphate:adenosine 5'-monophosphate (ATP:ADP:AMP) ratios with an abnormal energy charge, have been reported.[2-4] The unknown cause and varying presenting symptoms make fibromyalgia a therapeutic challenge for practitioners.[5-7]
Read Entire Article:
Research: Benefit of Ribose in a Patient With Fibromyalgia
Diet & Nutritional Supplement Recommendations from Leading Fibromyalgia & Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Physicians
From: ImmuneSupport.com
We’ve all heard the expression "you are what you eat." While there is no question that diet and nutrition have a significant impact on overall good health, the extent to which this is true in people suffering from disease is a subject of much debate and has been the topic of many research studies. When you’re struggling with a chronic illness such as fibromyalgia (FM) or Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS), this expression takes on a whole new meaning and weight.
While there is no diet or nutritional regimen that has been proven to eliminate all of the symptoms of FM or CFS, there are nutritional strategies that involve changing what you eat – and the way you eat, that help a great many patients feel better, resolve some symptoms, and function at a much higher level.
The dietary and nutritional supplementation advice that follows is provided by respected CFS and FM physicians and experts. While dietary and nutritional changes must be experimented with and tailored to each individual patient according to particular symptoms and deficiencies, the recommendations that follow broadly address the spectrum of nutritional issues that CFS and FM experts regularly encounter with patients, and describe the best solutions they have found.
Charles W. Lapp, M.D.
Charles Lapp, M.D., is nationally recognized and sought after as a medical consultant regarding CFS and FM. He is Co-Chairman of the Clinical Affairs Committee for the American Association for CFS, medical advisor to the CFIDS Association of America, and a board member of the American FM Syndrome Association. Dr. Lapp is currently Director of the Hunter-Hopkins Center, P.A., Medical Consultations, in Charlotte, North Carolina, where he is a practicing physician, and is also Assistant Consulting Professor at Duke University Medical Center in Durham, North Carolina. For more information about Dr. Lapp, visit his Web site at www.drlapp.net.
Diet (foods to eliminate, excitotoxins, etc.): There is very little study of this aspect, but empirically my patients do best on a low fat diet with lots of fresh fruits and vegetables, complex carbs (like rice and potato), and light meats (chicken, turkey, scaly fishes).
We have also found that PWCs do not tolerate several items: sugar, caffeine, alcohol, tobacco, and excitotoxins like MSG and aspartame (Nutrasweet, Equal). Saccharin (Sweet N’ Low) is satisfactory, however. These are remembered by the mnemonic SCATE. Many patients with loose stools may find that reducing dairy and gluten (wheat, barley, oats and rye) intake may help.
Supplementation (how to address any nutritional deficiencies): The literature confirms several deficiencies in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and fibromyalgia, including intracellular magnesium and vitamin B-12, whole body potassium, intracellular ATP, glutathione, taurine, serine, and the short-chain fatty acids such as valine, leucine, and isoleucine. While patients may not feel any better by supplementing these, health can at least be optimized. I frequently recommend supplementation with a multivitamin (like Super Multiple II or Cellular Support), magnesium, potassium, NADH (for ATP), glutathione, and an amino acid capsule.
Read Entire Article:
Diet & Nutritional Supplement Recommendations from Leading Fibromyalgia & Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Physicians
We’ve all heard the expression "you are what you eat." While there is no question that diet and nutrition have a significant impact on overall good health, the extent to which this is true in people suffering from disease is a subject of much debate and has been the topic of many research studies. When you’re struggling with a chronic illness such as fibromyalgia (FM) or Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS), this expression takes on a whole new meaning and weight.
While there is no diet or nutritional regimen that has been proven to eliminate all of the symptoms of FM or CFS, there are nutritional strategies that involve changing what you eat – and the way you eat, that help a great many patients feel better, resolve some symptoms, and function at a much higher level.
The dietary and nutritional supplementation advice that follows is provided by respected CFS and FM physicians and experts. While dietary and nutritional changes must be experimented with and tailored to each individual patient according to particular symptoms and deficiencies, the recommendations that follow broadly address the spectrum of nutritional issues that CFS and FM experts regularly encounter with patients, and describe the best solutions they have found.
Charles W. Lapp, M.D.
Charles Lapp, M.D., is nationally recognized and sought after as a medical consultant regarding CFS and FM. He is Co-Chairman of the Clinical Affairs Committee for the American Association for CFS, medical advisor to the CFIDS Association of America, and a board member of the American FM Syndrome Association. Dr. Lapp is currently Director of the Hunter-Hopkins Center, P.A., Medical Consultations, in Charlotte, North Carolina, where he is a practicing physician, and is also Assistant Consulting Professor at Duke University Medical Center in Durham, North Carolina. For more information about Dr. Lapp, visit his Web site at www.drlapp.net.
Diet (foods to eliminate, excitotoxins, etc.): There is very little study of this aspect, but empirically my patients do best on a low fat diet with lots of fresh fruits and vegetables, complex carbs (like rice and potato), and light meats (chicken, turkey, scaly fishes).
We have also found that PWCs do not tolerate several items: sugar, caffeine, alcohol, tobacco, and excitotoxins like MSG and aspartame (Nutrasweet, Equal). Saccharin (Sweet N’ Low) is satisfactory, however. These are remembered by the mnemonic SCATE. Many patients with loose stools may find that reducing dairy and gluten (wheat, barley, oats and rye) intake may help.
Supplementation (how to address any nutritional deficiencies): The literature confirms several deficiencies in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and fibromyalgia, including intracellular magnesium and vitamin B-12, whole body potassium, intracellular ATP, glutathione, taurine, serine, and the short-chain fatty acids such as valine, leucine, and isoleucine. While patients may not feel any better by supplementing these, health can at least be optimized. I frequently recommend supplementation with a multivitamin (like Super Multiple II or Cellular Support), magnesium, potassium, NADH (for ATP), glutathione, and an amino acid capsule.
Read Entire Article:
Diet & Nutritional Supplement Recommendations from Leading Fibromyalgia & Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Physicians
Kent Holtorf, MD, on Treating Chronic Fatigue Syndrome & Fibromyalgia
From: ImmuneSupport.com
Dr. Kent Holtorf, MD, is Medical Director of the Holtorf Medical Group Center for Hormone Imbalance, Hypothyroidism and Fatigue in Torrance, California.* He specializes in treatment of CFS and FM patients.
Question: Dr. Holtorf, in a past article on the effective treatment of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Fibromyalgia** you stated that “individuals with these syndromes have measurable hypothalamic, pituitary, immune and coagulation dysfunction. These abnormalities then result in a cascade of further abnormalities, in which stress plays a role.” Could you discuss in detail how you approach testing for and treating these problems in CFS and FM patients?
Dr. Holtorf: There is a mixture of underlying causes of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) and Fibromyalgia (FM), and each underlying abnormality can trigger further problems. This results in a cascade of multiple physiologic abnormalities and a perpetuating vicious cycle. Successful treatment requires that this vicious cycle be addressed on multiple levels.
Read Entire Article:
Kent Holtorf, MD, on Treating Chronic Fatigue Syndrome & Fibromyalgia
Dr. Kent Holtorf, MD, is Medical Director of the Holtorf Medical Group Center for Hormone Imbalance, Hypothyroidism and Fatigue in Torrance, California.* He specializes in treatment of CFS and FM patients.
Question: Dr. Holtorf, in a past article on the effective treatment of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Fibromyalgia** you stated that “individuals with these syndromes have measurable hypothalamic, pituitary, immune and coagulation dysfunction. These abnormalities then result in a cascade of further abnormalities, in which stress plays a role.” Could you discuss in detail how you approach testing for and treating these problems in CFS and FM patients?
Dr. Holtorf: There is a mixture of underlying causes of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) and Fibromyalgia (FM), and each underlying abnormality can trigger further problems. This results in a cascade of multiple physiologic abnormalities and a perpetuating vicious cycle. Successful treatment requires that this vicious cycle be addressed on multiple levels.
Read Entire Article:
Kent Holtorf, MD, on Treating Chronic Fatigue Syndrome & Fibromyalgia
Friday, April 13, 2007
Devin Starlanyl On Medications For Fibromyalgia
From: ImmuneSupport.com
Often, you may have to try many medications before you find the optimum ones for you. We react differently to each medication, and there is no "cookbook recipe" for FMS (fibromyalgia syndrome) or MPS (myofascial pain syndrome). What works well for one of us can be ineffective for another. A medication which puts one person to sleep may keep another awake. Each of us has our unique combination of neurotransmitter disruption and connective tissue disturbance. We need doctors who are willing to stick with us until an acceptable symptom relief level is reached.
These are not the only medications in use for FMS & MPS, but are simply a selection to show what is available. It may be necessary to address each perpetuating factor, such as pain, lack of restorative sleep, and muscle rigidity, separately.
Medications should be used along with a program of proper diet, life style changes, mind work and bodywork. Medications which affect the central nervous system are appropriate for FMS&MPS Complex. They target symptoms of sleep lack, muscle rigidity, pain and fatigue. Pain sensations are amplified by FMS, and so the pain of MPS pain is multiplied. FMS&MPS Complex patients often react oddly to medications.
It is the rule rather than the exception that a FMS&MPS Complex patient will save strong pain meds from surgery or injury for when they REALLY need it -- for an FMS&MPS Complex "flare". This is a sign that your needs aren't being met. I give you the following quotes. I hope you will pass them on to your doctor. They are from "PAIN A Clinical Manual for Nursing Practice", by McCaffrey and Beebe.
Read Entire Article:
Devin Starlanyl On Medications For Fibromyalgia
Often, you may have to try many medications before you find the optimum ones for you. We react differently to each medication, and there is no "cookbook recipe" for FMS (fibromyalgia syndrome) or MPS (myofascial pain syndrome). What works well for one of us can be ineffective for another. A medication which puts one person to sleep may keep another awake. Each of us has our unique combination of neurotransmitter disruption and connective tissue disturbance. We need doctors who are willing to stick with us until an acceptable symptom relief level is reached.
These are not the only medications in use for FMS & MPS, but are simply a selection to show what is available. It may be necessary to address each perpetuating factor, such as pain, lack of restorative sleep, and muscle rigidity, separately.
Medications should be used along with a program of proper diet, life style changes, mind work and bodywork. Medications which affect the central nervous system are appropriate for FMS&MPS Complex. They target symptoms of sleep lack, muscle rigidity, pain and fatigue. Pain sensations are amplified by FMS, and so the pain of MPS pain is multiplied. FMS&MPS Complex patients often react oddly to medications.
It is the rule rather than the exception that a FMS&MPS Complex patient will save strong pain meds from surgery or injury for when they REALLY need it -- for an FMS&MPS Complex "flare". This is a sign that your needs aren't being met. I give you the following quotes. I hope you will pass them on to your doctor. They are from "PAIN A Clinical Manual for Nursing Practice", by McCaffrey and Beebe.
Read Entire Article:
Devin Starlanyl On Medications For Fibromyalgia
Charles Lapp, M.D., on the Effective Treatment of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Fibromyalgia
From: ImmuneSupport.com
Charles Lapp, M.D., is nationally recognized and sought after as a medical consultant regarding CFS and FM. He is Co-Chairman of the Clinical Affairs Committee for the American Association for CFS, medical advisor to the CFIDS Association of America, and a board member of the American FM Syndrome Association. Dr. Lapp is currently Director of the Hunter-Hopkins Center, P.A., Medical Consultations, in Charlotte, North Carolina, where he is a practicing physician, and is also Assistant Consulting Professor at Duke University Medical Center in Durham, North Carolina.
ImmuneSupport.com: When did you first become aware of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) and fibromyalgia (FM) as valid illnesses with real symptoms (what were the circumstances)?
Dr. Lapp: I had never heard of CFS or FM until 1984, when the VP of a Fortune 500 company came to me and described a debilitating illness that was triggered by the flu, and prevented him for working more than 1-2 days per week. Soon after I began researching his case, a similar case presented to my office, then another, and another. Before long it became clear that many of these cases were related, so I called the CDC to report a possible epidemic. The CDC put me in touch with two other groups (Dan Peterson and Paul Cheney in Lake Tahoe, and David Bell in Lyndonville, NY) who were experiencing similar epidemics in their towns, and thus began my new career and ambition! As you probably know, Paul, David and I collaborated together in Charlotte, North Carolina, for several years, during which time we pretty much set the foundation of our clinical knowledge today.
Most doctors who study both CFS and FM find the two disorders so similar that we consider them “identical” for all intents and purposes. There are some subtle differences, however. CFS is most likely triggered by an infectious or flu-like illness, whereas a number of FM cases are triggered by minor injury or trauma. CFS is characterized biochemically by elevated levels of RNaseL (an anti-viral enzyme), whereas FM is unique in having excess Substance P (which triggers pain in nerves) in the bodily fluids. Profound exertional fatigue, post-exertional malaise, deep myalgias, sleep disruption, cognitive dysfunction, and autonomic abnormalities are common to both. FM tends to be a more persistent ailment, whereas studies have shown more spontaneous improvement in PWCs (Persons with CFS). Persons with “pure FM” (that is, minimal cognitive dysfunction) tend to improve with low level, slowly progressive exercise, whereas persons with CFS are more likely to flare or relapse with even minimal activity.
Read Entire Article:
Charles Lapp, M.D., on the Effective Treatment of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Fibromyalgia
Charles Lapp, M.D., is nationally recognized and sought after as a medical consultant regarding CFS and FM. He is Co-Chairman of the Clinical Affairs Committee for the American Association for CFS, medical advisor to the CFIDS Association of America, and a board member of the American FM Syndrome Association. Dr. Lapp is currently Director of the Hunter-Hopkins Center, P.A., Medical Consultations, in Charlotte, North Carolina, where he is a practicing physician, and is also Assistant Consulting Professor at Duke University Medical Center in Durham, North Carolina.
ImmuneSupport.com: When did you first become aware of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) and fibromyalgia (FM) as valid illnesses with real symptoms (what were the circumstances)?
Dr. Lapp: I had never heard of CFS or FM until 1984, when the VP of a Fortune 500 company came to me and described a debilitating illness that was triggered by the flu, and prevented him for working more than 1-2 days per week. Soon after I began researching his case, a similar case presented to my office, then another, and another. Before long it became clear that many of these cases were related, so I called the CDC to report a possible epidemic. The CDC put me in touch with two other groups (Dan Peterson and Paul Cheney in Lake Tahoe, and David Bell in Lyndonville, NY) who were experiencing similar epidemics in their towns, and thus began my new career and ambition! As you probably know, Paul, David and I collaborated together in Charlotte, North Carolina, for several years, during which time we pretty much set the foundation of our clinical knowledge today.
Most doctors who study both CFS and FM find the two disorders so similar that we consider them “identical” for all intents and purposes. There are some subtle differences, however. CFS is most likely triggered by an infectious or flu-like illness, whereas a number of FM cases are triggered by minor injury or trauma. CFS is characterized biochemically by elevated levels of RNaseL (an anti-viral enzyme), whereas FM is unique in having excess Substance P (which triggers pain in nerves) in the bodily fluids. Profound exertional fatigue, post-exertional malaise, deep myalgias, sleep disruption, cognitive dysfunction, and autonomic abnormalities are common to both. FM tends to be a more persistent ailment, whereas studies have shown more spontaneous improvement in PWCs (Persons with CFS). Persons with “pure FM” (that is, minimal cognitive dysfunction) tend to improve with low level, slowly progressive exercise, whereas persons with CFS are more likely to flare or relapse with even minimal activity.
Read Entire Article:
Charles Lapp, M.D., on the Effective Treatment of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Fibromyalgia
Fibromyalgia: New Insights Into a Misunderstood Ailment
From: ImmuneSupport.com
Health experts recommend sleep, nutrition goals for sufferers
By Holly VanScoy SATURDAY, Jan. 1 (HealthDay News) -- Fibromyalgia was once dismissed by many traditional medical practitioners as a phantom illness.
But that view is changing rapidly. Not only is fibromyalgia accepted as a diagnosable illness, it is also a syndrome that researchers are finding more complicated as new information emerges.
As recently as a year ago, many physicians still associated some of fibromyalgia's symptoms with emotional problems, but that's no longer the case.
Health experts recommend sleep, nutrition goals for sufferers
By Holly VanScoy SATURDAY, Jan. 1 (HealthDay News) -- Fibromyalgia was once dismissed by many traditional medical practitioners as a phantom illness.
But that view is changing rapidly. Not only is fibromyalgia accepted as a diagnosable illness, it is also a syndrome that researchers are finding more complicated as new information emerges.
As recently as a year ago, many physicians still associated some of fibromyalgia's symptoms with emotional problems, but that's no longer the case.
A simple description of fibromyalgia is that it is a chronic syndrome characterized by widespread muscle pain and fatigue.
For still unknown reasons, people with fibromyalgia have increased sensitivity to pain that occurs in areas called their "tender points." Common ones are the front of the knees, the elbows, the hip joints, the neck and spine. People may also experience sleep disturbances, morning stiffness, irritable bowel syndrome, anxiety and other symptoms.
According to the American College of Rheumatology, fibromyalgia affects 3 million to 6 million Americans, 80 percent to 90 percent of whom are women. The condition is most often diagnosed during middle age, but at least one of its symptoms appears earlier in life.
But is there a psychological tie-in strong enough to differentiate fibromyalgia from other similar diseases and conditions? Apparently not.
"Fibromyalgia patients are such a diverse group of patients, they cannot all be the same," said Dr. Thorsten Giesecke, a University of Michigan research fellow.
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Fibromyalgia: New Insights Into a Misunderstood Ailment
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