This week, after flipping through older posts and recently talking to one of my friends (I had a great night out Thursday without the boyfriend,) I realized that I mention fibromyalgia often without explaining what it is. I also remembered that most people probably have no idea what fibro is or isn’t considering most people’s interaction with the syndrome is drug commercials. So since fibromyalgia is a very complex syndrome with more theories than answers, I will slowly be doing a series of posts as crash course on the overall syndrome and my first hand experience with it. I also think that one of the things that’s hurting people with fibromyalgia the most (from limited research to not being diagnosed) is a lack of awareness and understanding in the medical community, people who have or have loved ones that have the syndrome, and by the general population. For this post, I’ll start with a brief overview, diagnosis and problems that face diagnosis.
Quite simply in medical Greek “fibromyalgia” means “muscle pain” and that is the only symptom that all fibromyalgia patients have in common. More specifically, fibromyalgia is chronic pain that is widespread throughout the body (has to be in all four quadrants.) However, most people with fibro exhibit at least one (if not many) of other symptoms from an extensive list of potential symptoms or related conditions (i.e. for me, chronic fatigue, gluten sensitivity, headaches, reactive hypoglycemia, nerve pain, mental fog also called fibro-brain, and muscle spasms.)
Fibromyalgia is a difficult condition to truly diagnose (no blood test, no x-rays, nothing conclusive,) and is thus a popular syndrome for hypochondriacs to mimic, which also hurts the overall credibility of the syndrome to many people. Another problem facing the diagnosis of fibromyalgia is that many people can go to many different doctors without being diagnosed. I remember having symptoms of fibromyalgia as early as 10, but was not diagnosed (despite going to many doctors) until I was almost 21. The reason for this is that fibromyalgia symptoms can overlap with other conditions that a doctor is more familiar with, and thus a patient can go for years misdiagnosed, or because there are no conclusive laboratory tests for fibromyalgia, many doctors assume that the patient’s pain is not real. I spent many years dealing with both kinds of doctors. My general doctor that my parents always dragged me to would test me for hypothyroidism, and when that came back negative, he would tell me I was just depressed and that all my symptoms were caused by depression, never mind that I clearly explained that I was starting to feel depressed from feeling like crap all the time and being unable to function properly. Many Orthopedists I went to assumed I was a hypochondriac or quite simply “didn’t know what to tell me,” instead of looking more closely at my chart, realizing I had been there more often than most people end up in their lives, and had me sent to a doctor that could have checked me for conditions that cause chronic (mostly phantom) pain.
Another huge problem with fibromyalgia diagnosis is the everyday treatment of the people who have it by their loved ones. Two of the biggest problems I had growing up was having symptoms that most people associate with illness, like headaches or feeling achy like the flu, but never coming down with anything and having very minor injuries feel like major injuries from anywhere between an hour and a few days. My parents assumed I was a hypochondriac that wanted attention or didn’t want to go to school, or that I was quite simply “a wimp.” As much hurt and pain their assumptions have caused me mentally and emotionally, the logical part of me does understand that they didn’t know better since no doctors had suggested it, the internet was in its infancy, and information about the syndrome was hard to come by. But it is because of this history of being called “a wimp” that caused me to assume that my pain was normal, that everyone always felt achy and slightly twisted ankles always hurt so bad. So I admit there was a period between the ages 16-20, I didn’t bother to mention pain since I assumed it was normal. It wasn’t until I started getting intense nerve pain and muscle spasm problems that I started to re-evaluate my pain.
The only criteria for a diagnosis of fibromyalgia (which according to the American College of Rheumatology the doctor should be familiar with fibromyalgia) are a history of widespread pain for three months and the presence of pain at 11 out of 18 recognized “tender points” from 4kg of pressure. Even then these criteria are interpreted differently by different doctors. The last doctor I had before my current one, which was the first to even suggest fibromyalgia, simply poked my tender spots to see if there was any pain versus doing the actual “test,” and then told me that despite my history with chronic pain, I could not be diagnosed unless I had the pain for three more months. If you have exhibited symptoms of fibromyalgia for years if not a large portion of your life, and a doctor tells you this, tell him he should learn to listen to his patients and find another doctor. My current doctor accepted my personal history of pain as history, was horrified that another doctor told me I couldn’t be diagnosed for three months, and proceeded to do the “tender points” test properly. My doctor told me he was going to put 4kg of pressure on points on my body. He started by applying 4kg of pressure to the middle of my thigh so I could get an idea of how it felt; 4kg is almost 9 lbs, and really isn’t a lot of pressure, and did not feel like anything on my thigh. But when he applied pressure to the “tender points,” I was in so much pain I was uncontrollably crying; I’m not even sure if he did the full 18 or stopped at 11 because I was in so much pain.
If you think that you or a loved one might have fibromyalgia, instead of immediately going to your general practitioner do some research online (searching google, web forums, etc.) and find a doctor that has experience with fibromyalgia (they are probably the best people to diagnose you.) Also do extensive research on fibromyalgia (there are other chronic pain disorders.) And if you plan to get the “tender point” test done, expect that you could continue being sore from the test for at least a couple of hours (I think I was sore for 6 hours.)
I have to admit, this is not what I expected from life. When asked “what do you want to be when you grow up?” never in a million years would my answer be sick. The warped perceptions people have of chronic illnesses doesn’t settle well with me and it causes me daily anxiety. I feel like I lead this double life. On one hand I’m educated and appear to be put together, on the other hand I feel as though it’s all just pretend. I suppose some days it’s not pretend and I actually do beleive that I’m super-woman….yet there are so many days where the frustration takes me over that I can’t really be “normal” and never will be “normal”.
I had hoped that this last surgery would be the end to my pain, but also knew that my problems would be ongoing. what I didn’t realize is that within a year of this surgery I would trade my ovary for more diseases. Sure, I’ve suspected PCOS and some sort of autoimmune disease for a long time, but now it’s becoming a reality. And you know what scares me the most? Not what these things will do to me…but what OTHERS will think of me. How family, friends, co-workers will perceive me if or when they find out I’m still sick after all these health problems and that my last surgery just helped a bit but didn’t cure anything. I feel weird admitting that it’s about what others think of me, but it really is. To me a diagnosis is just putting a name to something I’ve felt for the last ten years. To others it lables me, and not in a positive way either. Yet because all of my problems aren’t apparent to everyone I feel like everyone thinks I’m full of shit or just pretending to be “sick”. That I’m a hypocondriac or that I’m overreactitng. Of course I have thought through all of these possiblities quite often and know they aren’t the case. Yet I know people think that about me. Or that I’m just lazy and that’s why I sleep so much. I could go on and on about what people think.
The question is…why do I care? and truly I don’t know how to answer that. I feel that I have lost a lot from being sick, but I also feel that there has been insight that I have gained. So there have been some positive benefits to what I’ve gone through even though I sense a loss of what USED to be my life. It seems like looking at someone elses life now. I am a completely different person than I was before. There is good and bad aspects to this so I try to focus on the good. I do end up greiving the loss of things that once were…friendships that are no longer, energy I used to have, optimism and so on. I greive these things like a death. Some days I’m angry, some days I’m sad, some days I’m ok.
I’m walking foreward and trying to be a little easier on myself. I keep trying to remember what I have gained by being sick not what I have lost. This is one of my biggest battles. I often focus on what I’ve lost, what people think of me and get sucked in and think those things of myself. I’ve always been hard on myself, so now imagine how it is to be hard on yourself when you can’t actually meet your own standards? physically I can’t do the things I want to, I run out of energy, I get sore, I get sick…..then I get frustrated because I have let myself down. For the longest time I thought things weren’t going well because I wasn’t trying hard enough, because I wasn’t working hard enough, because I just was being lazy or overreacting to situations. I had “friends” telling me that everyones life was hard, mine was no different, I just had to try harder and not be so depressed or anxious. Even though I was trying my hardest. I now know that advice was well meant, but came from someone who couldn’t comprehend what it was like to have a chronic illness AND deal with life at the same time.
Since then I have learned of the Spoon Theory, which explains what I go through in the most basic terms possible. I wish I had known it a long time ago and been able to show it to people who might have cared to read it.
Perhaps I will always care what others think about me being sick all the time. I hope that someday I won’t care, or the people that I fear view me as lazy or a hypocondiac will just not be in my life anymore. I would rather surround myself with support. I have enough skeptisism on my own to go around.
Fibromyalgia is a very harsh disease to suffer from. Pain racks the bones and muscles. The ailments cause is not even completely understood. Even worse, relief can feel like a pipe dream at times. This is why so many sufferers try anything to relieve themselves from this unrelenting pain. New techniques are tried and tested on a routine basis. One of the technologies, has gained success in the whole body vibration. This is a very passive treatment, it is easy to do, and seems to help. Patients only need to stand on a platform, income or body shook shaken up. A recent participants were examined the effects of Whole Body Vibration. The aim was to determine whether it had any effect in pain relief. To ascertain this, the medical team reviewed three sets of participants. One group participated in the traditional exercises such as stretching and aerobics. The second group did this, plus Whole Body Vibration. The last group did not participate either in the form of exercise. The results showed that the group the biggest advantage of traditional exercises, followed by Whole Body Vibration that saw. The proof is the fact that exercise alone is not sufficient to produce pain relief for those affected. These patients have also noticed less fatigue as well. There is enough evidence to support patients to Whole Body Vibration as an option for fatigue and pain to see. Whole Body Vibration is a low impact way to work from the body. In fact, in some cases, the movement of the patient is not required. The patient must simply on a plate. Each position is acceptable. Sit, stand, it does not matter. Once on the plate, start the engine vibrations caused by the patient's body. You always enter from 30 to 50 times per second. The frequency setting is up to the doctor. The when is also behind this therapy, that the vibrations make the muscles or to work. The contraction guest machine, it is very difficult to replicate with other methods. The vibrations of the muscles to work in a very creative way. As they shoot through the patient, the body begins to feel how it is unstable. To correct this, he begins to contract. Their natural instinct is to compensate for the vibrations. This reflex is a counterweight, which produces the results. Whole Body Vibration is good for anyone. Users range from professional athletes, patients must be helped where due to physical limitations. Since this therapy is low impact Whole body vibration vibration also easily lead to brain waves. Researchers are studying this program is difficult. It is important to determine this treatment are also committed to the real health benefits. So far, the evidence is facing in the affirmative. It helps the pain, fatigue, stiffness and stress. Some patients have the additional benefit of a happy mood, the state of peace and calm.
Never mind searching for who you were. Search for the person you aspire to be. – Robert Brault
Before pain, my aspirations for MYSELF were much different. I always knew that I wanted to be a Mother and a Wife. I knew that I wanted stability and success, but HOW that was to happen and WHO I aspired to be inside somehow changed when the pain seeped in. I prided myself on certain attributes that were robbed from me when I lost my health. And I think like many people who suffer from chronic pain, all of my personal wishes and dreams fell apart.
I have had to battle chronic illness for most of my life. I do not just have one affliction, I have many. In late 2006 when my life completely fell apart, I was set upon a journey to find a “diagnosis”, and because of my previous health complications, it was almost impossible for the medical world to differentiate where one “pain” ended and another one “began”…. It was like putting together a 5000 piece jigsaw puzzle, when ALL the pieces were the same color….. black…. It wasn’t like we could find the color of the “border” of the puzzle and start from there, working out way into the middle…. there were thousands of pieces looking exactly the same…. and with one arm tied behind my back, I set out to put the puzzle together.
or masking pain….
Emdometriosis….. Chronic Pelvic Pain Syndrome…… Severe Myofascial Disorder, Myofasciatis….. Severe Fibromyalgia….. Unclassified Nerve Pain….. Congenital Heart Disease……. TMJD…….. CFS……. Chronic Migraines……. SI Joint Disfunction……. the list went on and on and on an on….. One diagnosis bled into the other….. One Doctor’s appointment a week turned into three or four appointments a week…… One specialist turned into a multitude of white coats that completely overwhelmed me……
I now know who I AM…. And now I only have to search for who I WILL BE.
Pain…..
or fighting pain….
or explaining pain…..
or hiding from pain…..
This all became my life……
And I lost myself.
I completely lost ME.
I spent the first 3 years of this journey looking BEHIND me…. I was trying to figure out how all this happened?!? If I could ONLY just find that one missing piece to the puzzle, then maybe… JUST MAYBE I could figure out how I got here, and HOW to get back to where I was!! I needed to make SENSE of all of this, and the further the journey led me from where I was, the more I would panic, because all I really wanted was my life BACK… I wanted my life to be the way it was the DAY before my life fell apart. I didn’t want to move forward…. by doing so I thought that I would forget the person I knew I once was.
4 years later, I am in a much different place than I used to be. My body holds NO memory of what it was like not to feel pain. I honestly don’t remember. I held on to those memories of pain-free days for as long as I could, but it prevented me from accepting that I might never experience that again in my life. For as much as anyone can accept that they will live their life in pain, I accept that this is my journey. Don’t get me wrong, I still have my bad days…. I still pound my fists and say “Why me!”…. and I still sometimes go searching for that missing puzzle piece. But all in all, I have learned that I am no LESS… I simply different.
I grieved hard over what “once was”, and with that I wiped the slate clean, aspirations and all. And now I no longer have to search for what once WAS….. I now only have to look towards what WILL BE.
I lost ME…. and in doing so, I believe I found a BETTER ME.
Townsend Letter- The Examiner of Alternative Medicine, April 2007
The Effectiveness of Samento, Cumanda, Burbur and
Dr. Lee Cowden’s Protocol
in the Treatment of Chronic Lyme Disease
by
Suzanne Arthur, Lyme Disease Research Database
The annual number of new cases of Lyme Borreliosis disease occurring in the United States is
unknown due to many factors, mainly under-diagnoses and misdiagnoses. Harvard researchers and
Lyme-literate physicians believe that as many as 200,000 new cases of Lyme occur in the U.S.
annually, and that the number of people infected grows each year. As reported in the Townsend Letter
article from July 2004, What Makes Lyme Disease Tick and How Samento Eliminates It,1 Samento was
the only herbal antimicrobial recommended for treatment of Lyme Borreliosis. Nutramedix now offers
many additional products, some of which are currently undergoing clinical evaluation for effectiveness
in the treatment of Lyme disease. Dr. Lee Cowden considers the use of Samento, Cumanda, Burbur,
Quina and other products to be a fine-tuned antimicrobial approach that addresses fungus and other
problems that accompany Lyme disease.2
Dr. Lee Cowden suspects Lyme Borreliosis to be root cause of many chronic illnesses;
recommends detox program and herbal antimicrobial protocol
Although many Lyme patients have had success with long-term antibiotics, Lee Cowden, M.D.,
integrative medical researcher and physician, believes many patients being treated with antibiotics have
recovered hundred percent for months or years only to suffer a recurrence.
“Lyme disease is an epidemic in this country,” says Dr. Cowden. He believes most of the diseases “that
are considered incurable by conventional medicine have some kind of Lyme component.” Many
chronically ill people have Lyme as a factor. Dr. Cowden not only suspects Lyme bacteria as a root
cause for autoimmune diseases, he also lists neuro-degenerative diseases, cardiovascular diseases,
cardiac-arrhythmias, gastrointestinal diseases, MS, ALS, Parkinson’s, ADDHD, and autism. “I’ve found
that if you can start working on the Lyme and the toxins, then a lot of these labels go away,” he says.
Dr. Cowden says that through the studies he has discovered that “antibiotics do seem to work fairly
well in a lot of patients. But, if they’ve had the illness for longer than six weeks, the chance of
antibiotics getting rid of the infection, in my experience, is pretty unlikely, pretty remote. So, they’re
basically just guaranteeing that they’ll stay on antibiotics for the rest of their life.
“The problem with staying on the standard pharmaceutical antibiotics longterm is that you kill off the
friendly bacteria in your gut, and you cause an overgrowth of fungus in your gut, so then you trade one
problem for another.
In the pilot study in 2003, we used Samento quite a bit, and still use it. But we’ve found that there are
some other herbal therapies that have been brought from Peru by Nutramedix that work just as well or
better than Samento.
Townsend Letter- The Examiner of Alternative Medicine, April 2007
Cumanda is an extremely powerful anti-Lyme treatment, as well as an excellent anti-fungal. And also
is a pretty good anti-viral, and anti-parasitic. So you eliminate a lot of different bugs with one therapy.
It’s a different philosophy than the philosophy used by conventional medicine, which is one bug, one
drug. So if you have six bugs, you have six drugs.
Now, besides Cumanda we have Banderol, which is a very powerful herbal antimicrobial from Peru
also through Nutramedix, and Quina, which has been used in Peru for many centuries for treatment for
malaria, but is also an excellent anti-Lyme treatment as well as a pretty good anti-fungal and antiparisitic.
I guess the most important thing we’ve learned since the pilot study is that if you don’t continue to work
on getting the physical toxins out of the body, the few remaining microbes that can survive the
aggressive therapy with herbals or pharmaceuticals, or whatever is used, those surviving microbes will
usually regrow and form a completely new population of Lyme-related microbes in the body because
of the toxins stimulating their regrowth.
So, it’s so critically important, in my opinion, to work as hard on getting the toxins out of the body as
on working on getting the microbes out of the body.”
“The worst culprits usually are the heavy metals,” says Dr. Cowden. “The most common source for
heavy metals that I see usually is mercury from the silver mercury amalgam fillings in people’s teeth.”
The simple act of chewing releases mercury back into the body, where it stimulates the growth of
Borrelia and other microbes, and where, additionally, it “blocks the release of other toxins, including
other metals, pesticides, solvents, herbicides and so on,” says Dr. Cowden.
Dr. Cowden urges Lyme patients to have amalgam fillings removed “in a very cautious and methodical
way. Then, once the mercury is removed from the teeth, the patient must gear up the detoxification for
mercury, so that the mercury can be removed from the body over time.”
Mercury is just one issue that predisposes patients to microbial growth and poisons their systems. Other
metals such as aluminum, boxite, and copper are also found in high levels in Lyme patients. Pesticides
from household use and from conventionally-produced meats, and petroleum by-products from skin
care products and cosmetics represent further challenges.
“Once you get a lot of that toxic load out, then it becomes easy to get rid of the microbes,” says Dr.
Cowden.
“The other thing we’ve learned since the study is that enzymes are critically important in breaking up
the fibrin that covers over the bugs and hides them from the immune system. The fibrin is a protein
produced by the body in response to infectious illnesses. And those bugs can hide very well if the fibrin
is coating them over, but if you give a proteolytic enzyme about thirty minutes before food with water
only, a couple of times a day, enough of that enzyme gets absorbed and breaks down the fibrin coating
on the surface of the bug so that the immune system can find them and get rid of them.
In addition to that, the fibrin that is being produced gets plastered up against the capillary walls, the
blood vessel walls and restricts the movement of oxygen into the tissues. So the tissues become oxygen
starved, and start producing lactic acid and go into anaerobic metabolism and create all kinds of other
trouble from that. So the proteolytic enzymes have been very helpful to resolve that.
I use bromelain as a proteolytic enzyme. Bromelain is derived from pineapple. And also I use
Carnivora, which is derived from Venus Flytrap. These two seem to be fairly well-tolerated and not
likely contaminated and not very allergenic. A lot of the other enzymes that are on the market are either
contaminated or allergenic. But those two work really well.
We’ve found that if you rotate remedies, that you’re less likely for the microbes to develop a sensitivity
or resistance to the treatment, and less likely for the patient to develop an allergy or sensitivity to it.”
In 2001, Dr. Cowden co-developed a technique to remove toxins using the principle of complex
homeopathy and laser, called cold laser therapy. “That’s been a great advent in getting the toxins out of
the body, and the doctors I’ve taught how to do that are very impressed with their results,” he says.
“Unfortunately, there are so few doctors in the country that are trained in that technique, that there are
more people wanting it than doctors who can deliver it.”
Dr. Cowden currently leads seminars for physicians who want to learn how to use cold laser therapy for
faster detoxification.
Dr. Andrew Wright treating CFS and Lyme disease with Samento and Cumanda3
Dr. Andrew Wright sees patients in his private clinic in Bolton, near Manchester, UK. For the past
fifteen years he has specialized in the treatment of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. He believes that CFS is
mainly a chronic bacterial infection, and that Borrelia is one of the bacterias that can cause CFS.
“Clinically, CFS is identical to chronic Lyme disease in many ways,” says Dr. Wright. “I think there
are several reasons for why we should think that bacterias are the main causes of these illnesses. The
symptoms are similar to bacterial illnesses. The gene expression, in very carefully selected CFS
patients, appears to be identical to that found in Lyme disease. Many patients are positive for Borrelia. I
do microscopy and I find spirochetes in many people.”
Dr. Wright has treated five hundred or more patients with Samento, which he says is safe, and welltolerated
by most people. He believes that for treatment of CFS and Lyme Borreliosis, the best choice
is an integrated program if the patient can afford it.
“Often it comes down to what patients can afford,” he says. “Many of my patients are on pensions and
Social Security and can’t afford to pay for lots of herbs and supplements. They go for cheap antibiotics.
Some of them get better.”
Dr. Wright says that because Samento works very well in at least two thirds of his patients who choose
alternative therapies over antibiotics, it remains his first choice in treatment with Lyme Borreliosis.
Eighty percent of his patients who are on the antimicrobial treatments respond positively, with about
sixty percent of the patients declared clinically cured after a period of one or two years. He now uses
other Nutramedix products as well, particularly Cumanda, Quina, Burbur and also Amantilla.
Townsend Letter- The Examiner of Alternative Medicine, April 2007
In general, Dr. Wright says, he tries Samento first. If patients don’t respond he puts them on Dr.
Cowden’s protocol. He finds that about half the patients who don’t respond to Samento will respond to
the protocol. Some people simply do not respond, which, as he points out, is typical for any type of
treatment including conventional antibiotics.
The results of Samento treatment are varied due to patients’ spectrum of tolerance, in Dr. Wright’s
experience. “In general,” he says, “it is very well-tolerated. It’s very rare for someone to have to stop
treatment.” Some people are very sensitive and can only begin with one quarter of a drop. Others have
a greater tolerance and can build up their dosage more quickly, thus achieving quicker results. “The
fastest I’ve seen it work is in six weeks,” he says.
Dr. Wright typically recommends a dosage of five to ten drops, three times per day, working up to that
dosage over a period of a few weeks. Occasionally, he has put patients on sixty drops a day. In his
experience, if Samento is going to work, the patient sees a reduction in symptoms within three months.
“Certainly, Samento causes fewer side effects than antibiotics, such as gastritis, rush or irritable bowel
syndrome, and so forth,” says Dr. Wright. The only side effect from Samento that his patients have
experienced with any frequency is diarrhea, which subsides after about one week.
Dr. Cowden comments on why patients have fewer problems with herbal antimicrobial treatments than
with conventional antibiotics. “Fungal overgrowth can be just as bad a problem as Lyme disease,” he
says. “The herbal treatments we’ve been using don’t tend to cause that problem, because they kill the
funguses as much as they kill the Lyme-related bacteria and protozoa, without, in many cases, killing
the friendly bacteria in the gut.”
In treating CFS and Lyme, Dr. Wright would ideally employ a “combination of therapies,” he says,
“including Samento, nutritional supplements, dietary change, stress management, the whole thing,
because this is a holistic illness. I think we need to do more research, because long-term effectiveness
of these therapies is yet to be determined.”
Clinical Study currently evaluating effectiveness of Samento, Cumanda, and Burbur
In Fall 2006, pharmacist Philip Kielman of the Netherlands, began a year-long, random double-blind
placebo controlled study to evaluate the effectiveness of Samento, Cumanda and Burbur in the
treatment of Chronic Lyme disease.4This is a follow-up to the pilot study conducted with Samento in
2003. The twelve week preliminary report shows a sixty five percent reduction in symptoms in the
treatment group, and a twenty percent reduction in symptoms in the placebo group. EMPHASIS ADDED
Kielman says, “When we check with the Western Blot or ELISA and we get a negative result for the
disease, and there are no symptoms remaining, we conclude that it works. Of course, some people are
skeptics. They will say, yes, but you can’t cure one hundred percent of the people.”
“But I’m a pharmacist,” he continues. “And I know that I can’t cure anyone with any disease, one
hundred percent with ‘normal’ medication. When you have a thirty percent success rate with
pharmaceutical medication, everyone shouts ‘wow, that’s great, we have a new drug.’ But when there is
a natural product and people who have been given no hope with conventional therapy succeed at a rate
of fifty or sixty percent, well, I think that’s great.
Townsend Letter- The Examiner of Alternative Medicine, April 2007
Jean Reist, R.N., treats Lyme patients with help
from detox formulas Burbur and Parsley5
Jean Reist, RN, has treated over a thousand people diagnosed with Lyme disease in her Pennsylvania
clinic, Journey to Wellness. Nutramedix products Burbur and Parsley are in her arsenal of herbal
therapies for treatment because of their effectiveness in lymph drainage, which she considers critical in
healing Lyme. Reist believes that the most essential ingredient in her patients’ therapy is diet and
lifestyle changes.
“Lyme Borrelia will thrive in the presence of fungal elevation. Therefore, sugars, grains, can definitely
make the inflammatory situation a lot worse. Sugars will suppress the immune system. But what’s more
damaging, in our experience, is that Nutrasweet and Splenda are like poison and you want to avoid that
like the plague. Splenda will actually dry up the thymus and effect your T-cells in a way that you
cannot afford if you have Lyme disease. So, stay away from those artificial sweeteners. Just don’t do
it.” For her patients, Reist recommends Stevia as an alternative sweetener.
Bea Mistich6, success with herbal antimicrobial therapy
Bea Mistich of Colorado Springs, Colorado, spent nearly a decade dealing with serious health
challenges and was hospitalized and treated for pain, but not tested for Lyme disease until years later.
She now believes that many, if not all, the health problems that plagued her over the course of nine
years were caused by Lyme. During that time Bea underwent neck surgery for herniated discs, she
suffered back issues, cellulitis, depression, as well as severe flu symptoms. She also believed that she
was experiencing strokes.
For pain relief, Bea tried many types of therapies including acupuncture, with little success. Eventually
she received a positive diagnosis for Lyme from IGeneX in Palo Alto, California. She began a course
of Doxycyline prescribed by her Colorado Springs physician. In spite of an entire year of treatment, she
remained symptomatic. As her health declined, a friend who had heard about Dr. Cowden and
Nutramedix products urged her to look into it. Initially reluctant to try yet another purported remedy,
Bea eventually considered her friend’s advice, went to see Dr. Cowden and began his protocol. Since
then, Bea has become progressively healthier.
Dr. Cowden and his associates told Bea that she would start to feel better in about two months. She
reports that she had to increase the protocol slowly, at the rate of one drop per every five to seven days.
Although she had doubts and feared disappointment in the herbal therapy, she was impressed with the
results.
“Within three weeks, I was one hundred percent better. It was incredible. It was wonderful,” she says.
As most Lyme patients are, Bea was well aware of the magnitude of effect that her illness was having
on her loved ones. “My husband threw a party on my birthday recently, and announced to our friends
the party ‘wasn’t necessarily just to celebrate Bea’s birthday,’ as he said, ‘it’s to celebrate getting my wife
back, and getting her healthy again.’ It was great.”
Townsend Letter- The Examiner of Alternative Medicine, April 2007
Johnny Asia7 speeds his recovery from long-term illness after switching to natural protocol
Johnny Asia is healing from Lyme disease after a long struggle, made more challenging by the fact that
he is a professional musician. For a time, memory loss and rheumatoid arthritis, profound muscle
twitching and crippling fatigue robbed him of his ability to perform and earn a living. Johnny says his
healing progress intensified when he started using herbal alternatives Samento, Cumanda, and Quina,
In 1995, Johnny knew he was very ill but was informed by a doctor who was not Lyme literate that he
did not have Lyme disease. Eventually, Johnny did receive a positive diagnosis and was treated with a
two week course of antibiotics. In spite of his doctor’s pronouncement that he was then Lyme-free, his
symptoms did not resolve, but plagued him for many years.
Because he believed was Lyme-free, Johnny could not understand the persistent symptoms.
Discovering that he was experiencing many symptoms of Lyme, he realized that he may have chronic
Lyme disease.
In his research he came across positive reports about Samento from people whose symptoms were
similar to his. After beginning treatment with Samento and other nutritional supplements, he
experienced the Herxheimer reactions created by the die-off of toxins. After a few months, his
headaches subsided. The eyelid twitching stopped completely.
Beginning in mid-2006, Johnny began Dr. Cowden’s protocol and is now taking Samento, Cumanda,
and Quina. He expects to be symptom-free within a year.
How is Lyme disease contracted and spread?
The question only seems to invite more controversy to a growing population of Lyme sufferers seeking
answers. However, one thing is becoming clear. “Only a very small percentage of those have
contracted Lyme disease through a tick bite, the way conventional medicine thinks,” warns Dr.
Cowden.
Dr. Wright agrees. “It’s not necessarily transmitted solely by ticks,” he says. “There is evidence for
other means of transmission in the research literature.” He lists congenital and sexual transmission. “I
think the incidence of Borrelia is much higher than just Lyme disease,” he adds.
Master Herbalist and author Stephen Harrod Buhner author of Healing Lyme: Natural Healing and
Prevention of Lyme Borreliosis and Its Coinfections8, reports that although transmission through a tick
bite is still believed to be the most common way of contracting the disease, he notes, “little research has
been conducted on other routes of transmission.” As he states it, “spirochetes are passed not only
through tick bites but also through other mechanisms. Once they infect people they can be found in
breast milk, in tears, in semen, and in urine. Babies have been infected in the womb.”
Buhner says that while gathering research for his book he expected to find that nonpharmaceutical
alternatives were not included in any mainstream medical discussion about treatment of Lyme disease.
But he was surprised by something else he discovered, which is “that a significant amount of reputable
research is being ignored by the mainstream medical community.”
Townsend Letter- The Examiner of Alternative Medicine, April 2007
COWDEN LYME DISEASE PROTOCOL
Causes: Borrelia burgdorferi bacterial infection and usually one or more of the following
microbial infections; Erlichia, Babesia, Bartonella, Mycoplasma, Coxiella, etc. Heavy metal
toxicity (usually mercury) plus pesticides, herbicides, petroleum byproducts and plastics make
the patient more susceptible to these toxins.
For the first 3 days do only the following:
Mix the following 4 products together in at least a ½ cup (4 oz./120ml) of water and take 3
times daily immediately before mealtimes (whether eating a meal or not): BURBUR- 10
drops, AMANTILLA- 10 drops, PINELLA- 10 drops and TRACE MINERALS- 15 drops.
Continue this for the entire protocol unless the patient feels fairly well. If so, then the noontime
dose can be eliminated.
Then add the following……
Mix the following 3 products together in at least a ½ cup (4 oz./120ml) of water and take twice
daily 30 min before breakfast and supper: PARSLEY DETOX- 10 drops, TRACE MINERALS-
15 drops and CUMANDA – start with one drop adding a drop with every dose until reaching
30 drops. It should take approximately 15 days to reach the full dose of 30 drops. At the same
time take CARNIVORA- 4 capsules. If a dose of Carnivora is missed it can be taken at
bedtime when the other products are taken.
Mix the following 2 products together in at least a ½ cup (4 oz./120ml) and take twice daily
after mealtimes (whether eating a meal or not): ADRENAL SUPPORT- 20 drops and
BURBUR DETOX- 10 drops. If feeling toxic (headache, muscle ache, nausea, joint ache,
etc) take 10 drops of Burbur or Parsley in water or under the tongue every 10 min. until
feeling better and then resume the protocol.
Take 2-6 capsules twice daily of MAGNESIUM MALATE (only if kidney failure is not present)
with the liquid products before or after meals. Start with 2 capsules twice daily increasing the
dose until bowels move at least 2 times a day.
On day 18 of the protocol add the following products mixed together in at least a ½ cup (4
oz./120ml) and take once daily at bedtime: SAMENTO- 20 drops, PARSLEY DETOX- 10
drops, AMANTILLA- 15 drops and TRACE MINERALS- 15 drops. Every 3rd night take
ALGAS- 10 drops mixed with the Samento, Parsley-Detox, Amantilla and Trace Minerals.
After two months on full dose of Cumanda, start taking QUINA in place of Cumanda. Then,
alternate between Cumanda and Quina every two weeks for 4 months (some patients require
only 2 months of rotating therapy, but it may be more prudent to rotate for 4 months). Take
Cumanda for 12 ½ days stopping for 36 hours then, continue with the Quina for 12 ½ days,
stopping for 36 hours. Then, restart with Cumanda for 12 ½ days, etc. Most patients with
Townsend Letter- The Examiner of Alternative Medicine, April 2007
chronic, third stage Lyme Disease require four to six months of alternating treatment but
never less than two months.
If the patients suspects that a sensitivity or apparent resistance develops to either Cumanda,
Quina or Samento, BANDEROL can be substituted for any of these products.
For pain: CONDURA- 20 drops as needed placed under tongue and held for at least 2
minutes before swalllowing and apply topically on the site of pain using the number of drops
necessary to cover affected area. May be repeated every 10-15 min. as needed.
For Depression: AVEA- 15 drops three times daily 15 min. after mealtimes. If the patient
becomes suicidal, take Avea-15 drops and Pinella-10 drops every hour.
For Insomnia: AMANTILLA- 15-30 drops 15 min. before bedtime, can be repeated every 30
min. until patient falls asleep and if the patient wakes up at night. Amantilla can also be taken
every 15 min. for extreme anxiety or panic attacks.
Also recommended: Drink 3-4 liters (quarts) of water daily (clean mineralized, not
distilled or reverse osmosis), Avoid common food allergens- all cow milk and cow cheese
products, all corn products (corn oil, corn starch & corn syrup), peanuts and peanut oil (most
oriental foods), soy products (it is a common filler in fast food restaurants), black pepper,
white pepper, sugar (may substitute Nutramedix STEVIA) Take Proteolytic enzymes (such
as Carnivora)- 4 capsules two times daily- 30 minutes before food with water. Proteolytic
enzymes can be taken at the same time as Cumanda, Quina, Samento, Banderol. Consider
having silver (mercury) dental amalgams replaced with composites by a biological
dentist. Chlorella (if sensitive to Chlorella substitute with Spirulina)- build up to 1500 mg
daily before the mercury amalgams are removed and continue for 3-4 months after the
amalgams are removed. After all dental amalgams are removed, DMSA- 100-300 mg
depending on kidney function, age and body weight can be added every 3rd night for 2-3
months with 10 drops of Algas and 1500 mg of Chlorella or Spirulina.
IMPORTANT INFORMATION
The dosages recommended in this protocol are for an average size adult that weighs
between 120-170 pounds (55-77 kilos). Adjust the dosage according to weight; ie. a
patient that weighs 30 pounds would take one-fourth of the recommended dose.
Unless the protocol specifies that products can be taken exactly at the same moment,
it is best to separate the products by at least 10-15 minutes so that one does not clash
with another.
Unless otherwise specified mix all Nutramedix remedies with at least ½ cup (4oz. /
120ml) of water and wait at least 1-2 minutes before drinking. The products are most
effective when taken in water. The products can be taken directly in the mouth without
water, but this should only be done when water is not available.
Townsend Letter- The Examiner of Alternative Medicine, April 2007
13 PRODUCTS USED IN PROTOCOL WITH PRIMARY FUNCTION
Adrenal Support- replenishes the adrenal glands restoring normal function
Amantilla Relax- relieves stress and anxiety
Algas Metal Detox- mobilizes heavy metals out of the interior of the cells
Burbur Detox- aids detoxification of the liver, kidneys, lymphatic system and the ground
matrix
Carnivora- proteolytic enzyme that dissolves the fibrin coating around harmful microbes
helping the immune system to identify and eradicate them
Chlorella- binds heavy metals and boosts the immune system
Cumanda- anti-inflammatory, broad spectrum antiviral, antiparasitic, antibacterial and
antifungal- effective against Borrelia burgdorferi and the co-infections
Magnesium Malate- helps maintain normal cardiovascular, muscle, nerve, bone and cellular
function
Parsley Detox- aids detoxification of the liver, kidneys, lymphatic system and the ground
matrix
Pinella Brain/Nerve Cleanse- eliminates neurotoxins
Quina- anti-inflammatory, broad spectrum antibacterial and antiprotozoal- effective against
Borrelia burgdorferi and the co-infections
Samento- immune system modulator, anti-inflammatory, broad spectrum antibacterialeffective
against Borrelia burgdorferi and the co-infections
Trace Minerals Relax- restores depleted mineral stores in the body, helps correct tissue
acidity, aids in relaxation, aids in hydration, enhances the effect of the antimicrobials
Townsend Letter- The Examiner of Alternative Medicine, April 2007
Resources
Health care professionals can request product samples from Nutramedix, LLC, Suite 301, 900 East
Indiantown Road, Jupiter, Florida USA 33477; Tel. (800) 730-3130 or (561) 745-2917; FAX (561)
745-3017; Email: info@nutramedix.com ; Website: www.nutramedix.com.
For comprehensive scientific information about Nutramedix products and Lyme disease visit the
following two websites hosted by Bionatus Laboratories in Ecuador, www.nutramedix.cc and
www.samento.com.ec
For information about the author of this article and for access to audio interviews with Lyme literate
physicians on the Lyme Disease Research Database, please go to
http://www.lyme-disease-research-database.com
1 . Morton Walker, D.P.M. with Randall S. Walker. What Makes Lyme Disease Tick and How
Samento Eliminates It. Townsend Letter, July 2004.
2 . Cowden, W. Lee. Phone interview, August 2006.
3 . Wright, Andrew. Phone interview, January 2007.
4 . Kielman, Philip. Phone interview, January 2007.
5 . Riest, Jean. Phone interview, December, 2006.
6 . Mistich, Bea. Phone interview, October 2006.
7 . Asia, Johnny. Phone interview, November 2006.
8 . Buhner, Stephen Harrod. Healing Lyme: Natural Healing and Prevention of Lyme Borreliosis
and Its Coinfections. (White River Junction, Vermont: Chelsea Green Publishing, 2005).
Townsend Letter- The Examiner of Alternative Medicine, April 2007
There are times when to have fibromyalgia seems worse than others. If you are feeling a sore spot it is just that. A place that is tender to the touch that there is no reason for the ache other than it was touched. Most people with fibromyalgia share the same tender spots in common. It is not clear what causes the tender points but they occur at anytime in the diagnosis of fibromyalgia. There is no understanding as to whether the tender spots diagnose fibromyalgia or the reverse. However if you visit a doctor for the first time with the pain from these painful areas it is important to ask about how they may relate or again the reverse if already diagnosed. There are many other symptoms of fibromyalgia. Your doctor will look for 11 of 18 points of diagnosis before making a legitimate diagnosis. In all the symptoms, primarily pain throughout the body must stay for a period of over three months. A dolorimeter or a doximeter regulates the true pressure or exertion of the tender points. Your doctor is trained to give this assessment for you . So how can you continue to care for yourself if you have fibromyalgia? There are several issues to discuss with fibromyalgia. First we have fatigue, muscle pain, ongoing depression and also periods of IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome). What may work; pain medication to relieve the muscle pain and antidepressants help both the depression and potentially the fatigue. Stress is often high so meditation or other relaxation techniques are important to learn in order to cut the stress of daily life and the on going pressures of the diagnosis. These techniques vary in how they help each person so it is important to know what works for you.
A fellow fibromite has a new blog that she could use some help with. She’s looking for guest bloggers, stories from other fibromites and chronic pain patients. Please take a peek at her blog : http://thefibrolife.wordpress.com/
She’s been ordered by the doctors to start looking for alternatives to income due to her illness taking it’s toll and she has two beautiful daughters to think about. Any suggestions, help or stories you have please send them on over to her to help her out. Good luck to you my fellow fibromite, I hope this post helps you out!
I’ve been in a cycle of doing too much then crashing into a heap of pain and fatigue. Apparently there is another way, which is to pace oneself. As a chaotic and impulsive person this should prove to be an interesting approach. I’m going to try and live within my limits and not keep expecting to be able to do things just because I used to be able to.
I need to learn to enjoy the things that I do have and can do. If I can manage to take it easier and not push beyond my limits I should in the long run, feel better and be able to do a bit more.
Here is a classic puppy conundrum: he don’t like bathtubs, but he wants his soda pop carton. (The bathtub won btw).
It’s been so cold here, 5-20 below zero, that there hasn’t been outside run time in several days. The boy funky’s been storing up, and they’re getting frustrated. Kenai actually tried to bull elephant smush me the day before. Twice. Big time trouble, bud!
We’ve let them play tugs and nippy over the expen more than usual, for an energy drain. There’s no hearing the tv during that, but they have fun with it. Unfortunately the expen is still needed–the brothers grin get way too carried off in heavy duty horsing around without it.
Kenai is so vigorous, with a preference for smash and smush, and BB is every inch the sore loser. Things get out of hand very fast. I know, something I need to work on. Just don’t have the stamina for it right now.
Add to that the weak, depressive, cranky energy from Mom…BB’s actually returned to the old possessive/protective behavior about her. He nipped me the other day when I went to wake her up. Hum…that didn’t go without response, lemme tell ya. It’s all anxiety, and it won’t stop totally until Mom gets herself together. I can manage the behavior, but she has to end it.
Dogs as sensitive as Danes go a bit loopy when a member of their “pack” is that emotionally unstable, almost without exception. All variety of not so good reactions come out of them. I hope Mom decides to pull herself outta the blue, but after so long, I’ll believe it when I see it.
The thing about depression is medicine alone doesn’t really “fix” the problem. It takes the edge off, but it’s underlying beliefs and innate tendencies that keep us in a depressed state. Stuff like believing “that shouldn’t happen”, or the habit of withdrawing is what has to be taken on and dealt with to really end depression.
I love her but Mom’s never been willing to deal with her internal self. Sometimes I get really frustrated with the, well bluntly put, cowardice. If something makes her uncomfortable, she throws up her hands and says I can’t, won’t even try. It’s always been there, just gotten much worse lately.
That helpless game’s a deeply ingrained mechanism in Mom. It won’t change until she determines to change it. She has to be miserable enough to want to, and her misery threshold is absurdly high. She regresses to whining, demanding this or that, and generally acting like a baby.
It wears thin. I blow off here, though, thanks to your tolerance of my own bit of whining. What’s the point of going off at her? Won’t do any good. Even pointing out the thoughts and habits that keep her depressed is pointless until she screws up the courage to make the changes she needs to.
The boys are additionally stressed by Mom’s state, and no way to burn it off when the bitter temps keeping us inside. So I decided to let them take their frustrations out in a controlled way: soda pop carton shredding. They get to absolutely wreck something, without getting in trouble, AND they get some fun doing it. Add the chase me chase yous and you’ve got doggie exercise. Voila!
Kenai was up first, in the master bath since his “messin with sasquatch time” in there has been boring him lately. (Brat?) Teasing and outright theft is encouraged–more the fun–as is keep away games. Snitchy snot!
Anything to keep him moving, which slows down the shred. A run to the bed and back is also boy fun, especially if you goose the bottoms on the way by…
When he gets a chunk ripped off I grab another peice and “paddle” him with it until he decides it’s too annoying to ignore.
Oh the flusterations! I toss his carton in the walk in shower, trying to convince him the tight space won’t melt his parts or something, which occasionally works. He’s no dummy: he’s seen me get all wet in there!
When the once intact carton is in a thousand peices, Brown loses interest. If he’s got more destrucion in him, I’ll let him have a go with a plastic soda bottle. Yesterday, though, he was satisfied. It was time for a cuddle and baby massage on grammy’s bed before BB had his turn.
Kenai likes his front feet and legs rubbed, neck scratched, and long strokes down the back. He’s not much on tummy rubs, though. He also loves the cheek to check leans and hugs. Okay, who’s trained who? I seem to have lost track of that somewhere…
Next was BB’s turn. Mr enthusiasm. He couldn’t wait to get his slobber on his very own soda pop carton. He knew what time it was–ran along all the way to the kitchen and pointed out where HIS carton was. Just to make the wait “worse” I carried it on my head all the way to the master bath. On the head!! Oh, no like!! Make a boy SILLY!
The bathroom was on purpose too–he’s been shy of going in there for some reason, getting all anxious and puppy jumpy. That meant playtime in there to develop some good associations. The moment we hit the doorway he hesitated, and I threw down his carton. Play won.
Playing with BB is a bit different than Kenai. Beebs will invent his own games if he’s bored with the usual routine. And to really get him playing requires very little increased excitement from you. He’s usually all over place happy.
This time, he retained some skittishness of the bathroom, so we had to tone down the excitement to keep him out of that heightened state of nerves.
We had gentle play times. Not like I haven’t had practice encouraging a nervous Kenai…
I got on the floor with him, stroked his sides while he stomped his carton to mush, and generally kept it low key. No goosing for him. I also went into the shower with his carton, and gave him soft kisses when he came in to get his shredded cardboard.
He’s not a big hugger, rarely still enough to want it, but he’ll let me do it some. Guess it was reassuring to him, and little bent bottoms hugged and ripped at the same time! A little chase me made things more fun, but chase yous made him too jumpy. He was even subdued about tug, which never happens.
(platypus puppy with elephant ears…)
Little lumps also discovered the joys of playing whack a mole, a game long ago adopted by big brother. I’d swish the carton around with my hand or foot and boy soon learned a foot on the carton didn’t win him the prize.
Paw on the slipper did though! He he he, fun!
Since being in the bathroom was stressful, even playing, I kept the playtime short. And to burn off the stress we got him running back and forth between Mom and I in a fun game of “find me” all over the rest of the house. He loves his find me games, and the running is a good outlet.
That was it for my legs, though I let one or the other pup follow me when I’d get off the couch to scavange lunch etc. We’d do a little peek a boo or something, just for fun. The idea is to keep the brain entertained. It only sounds easy…THE DOGS ARE SMARTER THAN I AM!! At least during a fibro fog.
Next week we’ll finally get above freezing, which means mud from stem to stern as the snow melts. Hence, play time will be in the morning when the ground is still frozen. But at least they’ll get out in the sunshine, right? And the furnace will be able to keep up at night, too. Love the little luxuries like warmth, don’t you?
Until next week, it’s knitting weather and that’s what’s in the plans. Stay warm ya’ll.
A friend of mine, a registered nurse, recommends the Gerson Diet for a potential Breast Cancer Cure. She states, “It is a raw food/juice diet that CURES cancer.” She also states, “It definitely involves dedication but is about completely detoxifying the body to its pristine, healthy state.”
Her mother-in-law apparently suffers from fibromyalgia. My friend ordered the book and DVD for her as “it is proven curative for all kinds of degenerative disease as well.”
She shared the following two links:
1. The Gerson Therapy: The Proven Nutritional Program for Cancer and Other Illnesses (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 978-1575666280)
Amazon.com has the following product description:
“Cancer. Hepatitis. Migraines. Arthritis. Heart Disease. Emphysema. For years, the medical establishment has called these chronic or life- threatening diseases “incurable.” But now, the Gerson Therapy offers hope for those seeking relief from hundreds of different diseases. Juice your way to wellness. One of the first alternative cancer therapies, the Gerson Therapy has successfully treated thousands of patients for over 60 years. Now, in this authoritative revised and updated edition, alternative medicine therapist Charlotte Gerson and medical journalist Morton Walker reveal even more on the powerful healing effects of organic fruits and vegetables. Not only can juicing reverse the effects of many degenerative illnesses-it can save lives. “The Gerson Therapy” shows you: How to beat cancer by changing your body chemistry; Special juicing techniques for maximum healing power; and, How to combat allergies, obesity, high blood pressure, AIDS, lupus, and other diseases. This unique resource will help and inspire anyone who has ever said, “I want to get well. Just show me how.” “The Gerson Therapy” offers a powerful, time-tested healing option that has worked for others – and can work for you!”
2. DVD – The Beautiful Truth (2008) starring Garrett Kroschel and Charlotte Gerson. Director: Steve Kroschel (ASIN: B001J66JQ8)
Amazon.com has the following product description:
“Raised on a wildlife reserve in Alaska, 15-year old Garrett was interested in the dietary habits of their animals. After the tragic death of his mother, Garrett s father decided to home-school his son and assigned a book written by Dr. Max Gerson that proposes a direct link between diet and a cure for cancer. Fascinated, Garrett embarks on a cross-country road trip to investigate The Gerson Therapy. He meets with scientists, doctors and cancer survivors who reveal how it is in the best interest of the multi-billion dollar medical industry to dismiss the notion of alternative and natural cures.”
I am rather curious to view this movie. As for going on a raw food and juice diet, I do not currently think I would want to go to that extreme. However, I also perceived myself as ever being given a malignant cancer diagnosis. Therefore, I will not rule this out. I am still so much in the initial exploratory stages.
I am putting everything that I am learning out there as even if I don’t choose to use everything I learn about, it might be a great resource and the perfect fit for somebody else.
A final thought, I could potentially see that it might be something I decide to incorporate into my diet as a weekly tradition. As the old expression goes, I will take it under advisement.
The best of wishes to you all on your own journey through life, Healing Seeker aka Debbie
If you have followed my blog, or read my other posts on fibromyalgia, you know I believe that a disturbance in normal communication between the HPA axis (hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal gland axis) plays a very significant role in the symptoms of fibromyalgia. I’ve referenced several other studies that demonstrate the disruption in the HPA axis, and how it wreaks havoc on the body. Research in 2005, shows a direct relationship in widespread pain and HPA axis function, in people with fibromyalgia.1 If you are being treated for fibromyalgia, and your doctor does not recognize the importance of the HPA axis in your symptoms, you should asking more questions to make sure you are in an office that understands fibromyalgia. Everything on this site is evidence based, and comes directly from research and clinical experience.
In our clinic we recognize the role of the HPA axis on the symptoms of fibromyalgia, and your treatment is designed accordingly. If you have fibromyalgia, or know someone who does, please contact our office for a complimentary phone consultation, or to schedule an appointment with Dr. Shook (828) 324-0800. We can also be reached by email at drshook@alliancechiropracticcenter.com.
McBeth J, Chiu YH, Silman AJ, Ray D, Morriss R, Dickens C, Gupta A, Macfarlane GJ. Hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal stress axis function and the relationship with chronic widespread pain and its antecedents. Arthritis Res Ther. 2005;7(5):R992-R1000.
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Snitchy snot!
Anything to keep him moving, which slows down the shred. A run to the bed and back is also boy fun, especially if you goose the bottoms on the way by…
When he gets a chunk ripped off I grab another peice and “paddle” him with it until he decides it’s too annoying to ignore.
Oh the flusterations! I toss his carton in the walk in shower, trying to convince him the tight space won’t melt his parts or something, which occasionally works. He’s no dummy: he’s seen me get all wet in there!
When the once intact carton is in a thousand peices, Brown loses interest. If he’s got more destrucion in him, I’ll let him have a go with a plastic soda bottle. Yesterday, though, he was satisfied. It was time for a cuddle and baby massage on grammy’s bed before BB had his turn.
Kenai likes his front feet and legs rubbed, neck scratched, and long strokes down the back. He’s not much on tummy rubs, though. He also loves the cheek to check leans and hugs. Okay, who’s trained who? I seem to have lost track of that somewhere…
Next was BB’s turn. Mr enthusiasm. He couldn’t wait to get his slobber on his very own soda pop carton. He knew what time it was–ran along all the way to the kitchen and pointed out where HIS carton was. Just to make the wait “worse” I carried it on my head all the way to the master bath. On the head!! Oh, no like!! Make a boy SILLY!
The bathroom was on purpose too–he’s been shy of going in there for some reason, getting all anxious and puppy jumpy. That meant playtime in there to develop some good associations. The 
moment we hit the doorway he hesitated, and I threw down his carton. Play won.
Playing with BB is a bit different than Kenai. Beebs will invent his own games if he’s bored with the usual routine. And to really get him playing requires very little increased excitement from you. He’s usually all over place happy.
This time, he retained some skittishness of the bathroom, so we had to tone down the excitement to keep him out of that heightened state of nerves.
We had gentle play times. Not like I haven’t had practice encouraging a nervous Kenai…
I got on the floor with him, stroked his sides while he stomped his carton to mush, and generally kept it low key. No goosing for him. I also went into the shower with his carton, and gave him soft kisses when he came in to get his shredded cardboard.
He’s not a big hugger, rarely still enough to want it, but he’ll let me do it some. Guess it was reassuring to him, and little bent bottoms hugged and ripped at the same time! A little chase me 
made things more fun, but chase yous made him too jumpy. He was even subdued about tug, which never happens.
(platypus puppy with elephant ears…)
Little lumps also discovered the joys of playing whack a mole, a game long ago adopted by big brother. I’d swish the carton around with my hand or foot and boy soon learned a foot on the carton didn’t win him the prize.
Paw on the slipper did though! He he he, fun!
Since being in the bathroom was stressful, even playing, I kept the playtime short. And to burn off the stress we got him running back and forth between Mom and I in a fun game of “find me” all over the rest of the house. He loves his find me games, and the running is a good outlet.
That was it for my legs, though I let one or the other pup follow me when I’d get off the couch to scavange lunch etc. We’d do a little peek a boo or something, just for fun. The idea is to keep the brain entertained. It only sounds easy…THE DOGS ARE SMARTER THAN I AM!! At least during a fibro fog.
Next week we’ll finally get above freezing, which means mud from stem to stern as the snow melts. Hence, play time will be in the morning when the ground is still frozen. But at least they’ll get out in the sunshine, right? And the furnace will be able to keep up at night, too. Love the little luxuries like warmth, don’t you?
Until next week, it’s knitting weather and that’s what’s in the plans. Stay warm ya’ll.