FMS (fibromyalgia syndrome) is a widespread musculoskeletal pain and fatigue disorder for which the cause is still unknown. Fibromyalgia means pain in the muscles, ligaments, and tendons - the soft fibrous tissues in the body.

Most patients with FMS say that they ache all over. Their muscles may feel like they have been pulled or overworked. Sometimes the muscles twitch and at other times they burn. More women than men are afflicted with FMS, and it shows up in people of all ages.

To help your family and friends relate to your condition, have them think back to the last time they had a bad flu. Every muscle in their body shouted out in pain. In addition, they felt devoid of energy as though someone had unplugged their power supply. While the severity of symptoms fluctuate from person to person, FMS may resemble a post-viral state. This similarity is the reason experts in the field of FMS and chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) believe that these two syndromes may be one and the same. Gulf War syndrome also overlaps with FMS/CFS.

Symptoms And Associated Syndromes

Pain - The pain of FMS has no boundaries. People describe the pain as deep muscular aching, throbbing, shooting, and stabbing. Quite often, the pain and stiffness are worse in the morning and you may hurt more in muscle groups that are used repetitively.

Fatigue - This symptom can be mild in some patients and yet incapacitating in others. The fatigue has been described as "brain fatigue" in which patients feel totally drained of energy.

Sleep disorder - Most FMS patients have an associated sleep disorder called the alpha-EEG anomaly. Patients appeared to spend the night with one foot in sleep and the other one out of it.

Irritable Bowel Syndrome - Constipation, diarrhea, frequent abdominal pain, abdominal gas, and nausea represent symptoms frequently found in roughly 40 to 70% of FMS patients.

Chronic headaches - Recurrent migraine or tension-type headaches are seen in about 50% of FMS patients and can pose a major problem in coping for this patient group.

Temporomandibular Joint Dysfunction Syndrome - This syndrome, sometimes referred to as TMJ or TMD, causes tremendous jaw-related face and head pain in one quarter of FMS patients. Typically, the problems are related to the muscles and ligaments surrounding the jaw joint and not necessarily the joint itself.

Other common symptoms - Premenstrual syndrome and painful periods, chest pain, morning stiffness, cognitive or memory impairment, numbness and tingling sensations, muscle twitching, irritable bladder, the feeling of swollen extremities, skin sensitivities, dry eyes and mouth, dizziness, and impaired coordination can occur. Patients are often sensitive to odors, loud noises, bright lights, and sometimes even the medications that they are prescribed.

Aggravating factors - Changes in weather, cold or drafty environments, infections, allergies, hormonal fluctuations (premenstrual and menopausal states), stress, depression, anxiety and over-exertion may all contribute to symptom flare-ups.

Possible Causes

The cause of FMS remains elusive, but there are many triggering events thought to precipitate its onset. A few examples would be an infection (viral or bacterial), an automobile accident or the development of another disorder, such as rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, or hypothyroidism. These triggering events probably don't cause FMS, but rather, they may awaken an underlying physiological abnormality that is already present.

What Is The Prognosis?

Long term follow-up studies on FMS have shown that it is chronic, but the symptoms may wax and wane. The impact that FMS has on daily living activities, including the ability to work a full-time job, differs among patients. Overall, studies show that FMS may be equally as disabling as rheumatoid arthritis.

How Is It Diagnosed?

Currently there are no laboratory tests available for diagnosing Fibromyalgia. Doctors must rely on patient histories, self-reported symptoms, a physical examination and an accurate manual tender point examination. Proper implementation of the exam determines the presence of multiple tender points at characteristic locations.

Hope for fibromyalgia.

Over the past several years I have had the opportunity to help several patients with fibromyalgia. It has been my experience that there is not one cause for this condition so individualizing a patient's treatment program is essential. The immune system appears to be the most common weakness with the patients that I have worked with. Through the use of diagnostic testing like Vega testing we have been able to unravel the underlying cause and develop a treatment program on an individual basis. Not all patients respond as quickly to therapy because not all patients have the same underlying cause. From detoxification to specialized nutrients to rebalance the immune system as well as treating individual nutritional deficiencies, patients have responded extremely well to care. Though not all patients show a complete recovery, many do. Our program consists of developing an individual diet that matches a patients genetic makeup, targeting therapy to balance the immune system through chiropractic adjustments and specialized nutritional formulas. Enhancing a patients neurotransmitters with nutritional products that help enhance sleep and educating patients on the importance of following the five laws of natural health (see our pamphlets on the natural laws of health).

Diet, Exercise, Attitude, Rest And A Pressure Free Nervous System

Have you ever thought much about your nervous system? Millions and millions of tiny electrical fibers sending chemical and electrical information throughout your body. Making muscles move, causing glands to secrete, creating the miracle of sight and sound. Most people don't think much about how the body works but if we were going to decide upon the most important system it would have to be the nervous system. Not that you can do without your cardiovascular system or your digestive system but these systems and all the rest are controlled and coordinated by the nervous system.

Gray's anatomy, one of the most widely used anatomy books, indicates that the nervous system controls and coordinates every organ, part and system of the body and relate the individual to his or her environment. To put that in plain english your stomach won't digest, your lungs won't take in air, your joints won't lubricate themselves and your brain won't interpret what your eyes see without the function of the nervous system.

Who Are You?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In the physical sense you are your nervous system. You're not your liver, though your liver is a part of what makes up your body. If you get a liver transplant you're still you. If you get a heart transplant you're still you but if science could transplant your nervous system then you would not be there anymore. Not only are you expressed through the nervous system so is your health.

Your nervous system was the first recognizable organ, a little gray streak, within a mass of identical looking cells. It was your nervous system's job to take those cells and make a complete human being. And now it's your nervous systems job to maintain the normal function of your body. It controls the growth of cells, the function of organs as well as coordinates the massive job of navigating your body's movements. The miracle of balance and movement of our human bodies is pulled off masterful by the control of the nervous system.

How Do You Work?

How fast should your heart beat right now? How much insulin should your pancreas produce right now? What is your cholesterol level right now? The answer to these questions are programmed within your nervous system. The ability to regulate these functions and thousands upon thousands of others is the ability your nervous system has to maintain you health. When your nervous system is in full control it can express your genetic potentials as far as health is concerned. It keeps your cholesterol level normal, your blood sugar normal, your hormone levels normal, your blood pressure normal etc.

If you have a digestive problem what's wrong with your nervous system? Your nervous system controls and coordinates the growth, repair and function of your digestive system. Why is your digestive system acting up? Has your nervous system forgot want to do? Of course not, but you can be assured something is interfering with its function. Your nervous system knows how to keep your digestive system functioning normally. Then why do you have digestive problems. Is it due to some lack of a drug? Some antacids? What is the daily recommended requirement for Alka-Seltzer?

No, your nervous system has not forgot want to do. But the information can get blocked and never reach your digestive system. When the information that tells your stomach how much acid to secrete becomes garbled what is your stomach to do? The organs need direction in order to function properly. It's your nervous systems job to give it that direction. When you get sick this direction is lost, chiropractic can restore it.

How Do You Get Sick?

There are different causes for nerve interference but the number one causes is subluxation. The subluxation is a slight misalignment of a vertebra which causes distortion within the spine. This misalignment with the accompanying changes in the spine can cause a considerable amount of stress on the nervous system. Unfortunately this stress is not always felt as pain. In fact a considerable amount of stress can develop along key nerves without any back pain whatsoever. As this stress is maintained, organs, parts and systems start to malfunction. Again this malfunction can take place slowly over time without a lot of warning. Our body slowly loses the vitality and energy that is part of normal function. Slowly over months and years disease develops.

THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN POSTURE AND HEALTH Roger Sperry,Ph.D. (Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 1981) discovered that 90% of the brain’s activity is used to balance your body within the gravitational field of earth. If your body is mechanically distorted, it will affect the other 10% of the brain's activity, which controls all the other body functions such as breathing, digestion and cognition. If the body framework (bone structure and spine) is misaligned it can impede or block the electrical and chemical transmissions of the nervous system, which controls all of your body's functions. This interference to the nervous system can cause or contribute to all kinds of symptoms and illnesses (in other words, the feeling that "I am hurting or I am sick"). Published research studies indicate that when body balance is restored, the body enters a healing cycle that alleviates pain and symptoms, elevates the immune system, increases blood and oxygen circulation, normalizes nervous system communication and creates more optimum body performance ("I feel good again").

Science

Nerves from the spinal cord (Pre-ganglionic fibers) communicate (synapse) with the nerves controlling organs (up to 20 post-ganglionic fibers - autonomic chain).

Vertebra become subluxated (misaligned) and compress the nerves (pinched nerves).

• 10 millimeters of pressure decrease the nerve function 40%
• 20 millimeters of pressure decrease function by 60%.
• (Spinal Research University Colorado)

This nerve pressure causes the underlying weakness that allows disease to develop. Healthy bodies don't get sick.

Studies show chiropractic is twice as effective as medical care, at half the cost. (Trial records WlIks vs. AMA)

How Do You Get Well?

A Chiropractic physician is trained in detection and correction of spinal subluxation complex. A Chiropractic physician is trained in diagnosis as other physicians are but when it comes to treatment we specialize in a natural approach. The Chiropractic adjustment to reposition the spinal bones also rebalances the spinal distortion that results from the subluxation. This releases the spark of life that allows the body the miracle of healing.

How Do You Stay Well?

The Chiropractic physician includes diet, exercise and other lifestyle techniques to restore the body to good health. Because the Chiropractic physician works with the spine many people mistakenly believe that chiropractors just work with spinal problems. A Chiropractic physician works with most health problems with treatments that are designed to fix and not cover up. The Chiropractic approach is a natural health care approach. We offer health care for the whole family.

Long Term Chiropractic Patients Have Higher Blood Levels of DNA Repair Chemicals  Published by drkita on November 16, 2012

The February 18, 2005 issue of the Journal of Vertebral Subluxation Research finds that patients under long-term chiropractic care have higher levels of the blood chemicals associated with effective DNA repair and overall wellness.

The test was a retrospective analysis of 46 patients, all over the age of 40 who had been under short- term chiropractic care for 8-52 weeks or long term wellness care for 52-312 weeks. Researchers assessed the levels of serum thiols, blood factors that have been found to help the body repair the damaging effects stress has on the structure of DNA. Serum thiols are measured in terms of nM cysteine.

The authors found that non-chiropractic treated patients in the control group had serum thiol levels of 124 nM cysteine. Patients with active disease processes going on generally had levels below 90 compared to patients under long-term chiropractic care who had values of 146.

If you know someone with a chronic health problem please pass along this post. Please see our other posts in the natural law series.

Kidney stones, one of the most painful of the urologic disorders, are not a product of modern life. Scientists have found evidence of kidney stones in a 7,000-year-old Egyptian mummy. Unfortunately, kidney stones are one of the most common disorders of the urinary tract. In 2000, patients made 2.7 million visits to health care providers and more than 600,000 patients went to emergency rooms for kidney stone problems. Men tend to be affected more frequently than women.

Bryan N. Becker, MD, head of nephrology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, says the "profound degree of pain" can radiate down the side and belly and can be accompanied by nausea and vomiting. "It cycles," he tells WebMD. "It lets up, starts again."

What Is A Kidney Stone?

A kidney stone is a hard mass developed from crystals that separate from the urine and build up on the inner surfaces of the kidney. Normally, urine contains chemicals that prevent or inhibit the crystals from forming, such as citrate and magnesium. Crystals also may form if your urine becomes too concentrated or is too acidic or too alkaline.. These inhibitors do not seem to work for everyone, however, so some people form stones. If the crystals remain tiny enough, they will travel through the urinary tract and pass out of the body in the urine without being noticed.

Kidney stones may contain various combinations of chemicals. The most common type of stone contains calcium in combination with either oxalate or phosphate. These chemicals are part of a person's normal diet and make up important parts of the body, such as bones and muscles.

A less common type of stone is caused by infection in the urinary tract. This type of stone is called a struvite or infection stone. A bit less common is the uric acid stone. Cystine stones are rare.

Dehydration through reduced fluid intake or strenuous exercise without adequate fluid replacement increases the risk of kidney stones. Obstruction to the flow of urine can also lead to stone formation.

Medical Treatment Of Kidney Stones

Often the pain of a kidney stone will land a person in the nearest ER, where narcotic painkillers may be required, Becker says.

The key is fluids. The patient will get IV fluids in an effort to flush the stone out. Small ones will pass on their own, although it is not comfortable.

If the stone is retrieved, Brown says, the lab can tell what it's made of and some dietary instructions for preventing a second episode can be issued.

If the stone is too big to pass and is blocking urine (a situation which can cause damage to the kidney), it may be broken up by sound waves. Or the doctor can insert a device into the urinary tract and grab the stone in a little unfolding basket and remove it. Surgery may also be necessary for some stones.

Natural Home Remedies For Kidney Stones

Bran flakes. Fiber helps get rid of calcium and oxalate in your urine, which cuts the risk of kidney stones. A bowl of bran flakes can give you 8 mg of fiber. Nettle leaf. Drinking plenty of water is the undisputed champion of kidney stone prevention. Some herbal teas, such as those made from the leaves of stinging nettles, may enhance the benefits of water by acting as natural diuretics. Vitamin A is an essential ingredient for healthy kidneys. One carrot can give you twice your daily requirements for this kidney-friendly nutrient. Foods rich in vitamin A include sweet potatoes, pumpkin, winter squash, broccoli, and carrots. The B vitamins, specifically vitamin B6, are well-known stone fighters. Vitamin B6 keeps the body from building up excess oxalate. Too much oxalate is a major factor in kidney stone formation. Three ounces of chicken provide more than one-third of your daily needs of B-6. Magnesium, too, seems to be helpful in preventing stones. Your doctor may suggest a daily supplement of B6 and/or magnesium.

Dr. Keefe's Approach

As someone who has experienced a kidney stone years ago, I know how painful it can be. Luckily, I was aware of the mechanism of their development and was able to resolve mine in short order. The two most important factors that I have found with kidney stones is pH and magnesium.

We carry sensitive pH paper that will quickly let you know if your urine is too acidic or too alkaline. We carry acid-alkaline food lists for your convenience.

For acid urine (the most common) two lemons or three limes in a quart of water is your drink of choice, or a gold label Alka-Seltzer which is just a bicarbonate will change your pH quickly. For alkaline urine cranberry juice and high doses of vitamin C as well as eating acid producing foods will be helpful. I recommend taking your pH to the opposite extreme for 24 hours. In most cases as soon as your pH is shifted the stone will dissolve enough to pass without much pain. Then try to maintain a 6.4 pH for saliva and urine. Watch out for too much calcium and not enough magnesium. Magnesium is the key. Magnesium citrate would be very helpful. Divide your body weight in half and consider that ounces. For instance 100 pound person should drink 50 ounces a day of fluids if they have kidney stones. Again if your urine is acid make that lemon water you drink at half your body weight.

High Oxalate Foods

Avoid the following high oxalate foods. Or, limit the amount you eat or drink to a total of 1/2 cup or less per day from this list. This can increase your risk of getting kidney stones

BEVERAGES: Beer, Chocolate milk and drink mixes,Hot cocoa, Tea.
FATS: Nuts,Peanuts and peanut butter,Pecans, Sesame and sesame butter or tahini, Soy nut butter.
FRUITS: Berries of all kinds, including strawberries, Fruit cocktail,Lemon, lime, and orange peels,Purple or Concord grapes, Red currants, Rhubarb, Tangerines.
MEATS & MEAT SUBSTITUTES: Baked beans in tomato sauce, Soy products like tofu and tempeh.
STARCHES: Amaranth, Corn grits, Fruit cake, Sweet potatoes, Wheat germ and bran.
VEGETABLES: Beans: green, wax, dried, Beets and beet greens, Celery, Chives, Cucumbers, Eggplant, Green peppers.
GREENS: collards , dandelion, escarole, kale, parsley, pokeweed, Swiss chard, watercress, or spinach, Leeks, Okra, Rutabagas, Summer squash.
OTHER: Carob powder, Chocolate in any form, Cocoa powder.

Despite persistent skepticism, the most common childhood psychiatric disorder is increasingly understood to be a brain malfunction. Different forms of the disorder may have different biological roots.

Discoveries in neuroscience are reinforcing a growing consensus that attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), as it is officially known, is not just a set of behavior problems but a biologically based disorder of brain function. The symptoms of impulsiveness, inattentiveness, and hyperactivity arise, this research suggests, because misfiring of the brain's executive function - its management system - make it difficult to stay still, concentrate, and exercise forethought and self-control.

ADHD is known to have a strong genetic component - one of the highest among psychiatric disorders - and several genetic markers are known. Similar symptoms have also been found in children with autism and fetal alcohol syndrome and even those exposed to nicotine in the womb. In two studies, ADHD-like symptoms appeared in 15 of 29 children who had strokes, and in 16% of children admitted to trauma centers after a head injury. In most children diagnosed with ADHD, signs and symptoms appear before the age of 7, although they sometimes may occur even earlier.

Inattention

Signs and symptoms of inattention may include:
"    Often fails to pay close attention to details or makes careless mistakes in schoolwork or other activities
"    Often has trouble sustaining attention during tasks or play
"    Seems not to listen even when spoken to directly
"    Has difficulty following through on instructions and often fails to finish schoolwork, chores or other tasks
"    Often has problems organizing tasks or activities
"    Avoids or dislikes tasks that require sustained mental effort, such as schoolwork or homework
"    Frequently loses needed items, such as books, pencils, toys or tools
"    Can be easily distracted
"    Forgetful often

Hyperactivity-impulsiveness
Signs and symptoms of hyperactivity-impulsive behavior may include:
"    Fidgets or squirms frequently
"    Often leaves his or her seat in the classroom or in other situations when remaining seated is expected
"    Often runs or climbs excessively when it's not appropriate or, if an adolescent, might constantly feel restless
"    Frequently has difficulty playing quietly
"    Always seems on the go
"    Talks excessively
"    Blurts out the answers before questions have been completely asked
"    Frequently has difficulty waiting for his or her turn
"    Often interrupts or intrudes on others' conversations or games

Most healthy children exhibit many of these behaviors at one time or another. For instance, parents may worry that a 3-year-old who can't listen to a story from beginning to end or finish a drawing may have ADHD. But preschoolers normally have a short attention span and aren't able to stick with one activity for long. This doesn't mean they're inattentive - it simply means they're normal preschoolers.

Symptoms of ADHD in adults

ADHD always begins in childhood, but it may persist into adult life. The core signs and symptoms of distractibility, hyperactivity and impulsive behavior are the same for adults as for children, but they often manifest themselves differently and far more subtly in adults. Hyperactivity, in particular, is generally less overt in adults. Children may race around madly; adults are more likely to be restless and to have trouble relaxing.
On the other hand, problems with organization and concentration often increase as people get older when their lives become more complicated and demanding. Adults diagnosed with ADHD often say that their biggest frustration is their inability to focus and to prioritize, leading not only to missed deadlines but also to forgotten meetings and social engagements.

We have seen many patients helped over the years with a combination of chiropractic adjustments to improve neurological function, neurological exercise and Eyelights when indicated and diet and nutritional therapy including detoxification and food avoidance as necessary.  Also the lack of proper sleep habits can be a big factor sometimes. Each patient is evaluated and treated individually.  Patience and persistence are the key to treatment success.  Below is the suggested first two weeks dietary changes to help identify offending foods.

First, what NOT to eat for TWO WEEKS:

1) NO DAIRY PRODUCTS, especially cow's milk. This is the single most important restriction. Instead try Almond milk, Rice milk, or Better Than Milk. Drink water instead of milk. In fact, drink lots of water. The brain is about 80% water, and increasing your water intake to 7 to 10 glasses per day might be helpful all by itself. Sodas, Gatorade, teas, icees, etc., do not count as water. Water counts as water.
2) NO YELLOW FOODS. Especially Corn or Squash. Bananas are white. Don't eat the peel.
3) NO JUNK FOODS. If it comes in a cellophane wrapper, don't eat it.
4) NO FRUIT JUICES. Too much sugar content. One small glass of apple juice has the sugar content of eight apples. Later on you can have juice, but dilute it with water 50/50.
5) CUT SUGAR INTAKE BY 90%. If you can, cut it down to zero. Sugar is in just about everything, but give it a try. Do your best without going crazy. Ask about Steva.
6) CUT CHOCOLATE BY 90%. No more than a single piece, once a week.
7) NO NUTRASWEET. None. Period.
8) NO PROCESSED MEATS and NO MSG. Only get meats with labels that say, "Turkey and Water," etc. If the meat has chemicals listed that you can't pronounce, don't buy it.
9) CUT FRIED FOODS BY 90%.
10) AVOID FOOD COLORINGS WHENEVER POSSIBLE. See if your child is sensitive to any particular colors, such as Reds, Yellows, etc. For now, though, avoid all if possible.

SUMMARY: Just eat foods that God made for a while. Eat like people did in the 1940's. Go to a used book store and get a Betty Crocker's Cook Book for recipe ideas. There really are about 10,000 meals that you CAN eat. Just not much in the way of "fast foods" or "convenience" foods.

AFTER TWO WEEKS begin adding these foods back into your diet, one food every other day. Eat A LOT of that food every day for four days. If you have a problem with one of the foods, you will see some kind of a "reaction" within four days. The reaction can vary from big red splotches on the body to ears turning bright red to explosive temper outbursts. If there's a problem, you'll know. If there's no problem, enjoy the food.