Just an observation --- how recent research into Fibro, CFS, Irritable Bowel, Migraines, etc.... all are showing related neuromuscular chemical imbalances, or a dysregulation somehow of how these substances work in the body ... especially serotonin and dopamine (there are others) -- and it's known that these chemicals are influenced by diet, in particular consumption of sugars/carbs.


Fibromyalgia

Nov 14 2000 by Joanne Kabak (drkoop.com Health News)

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Dr. Muhammad Yunus, a professor of medicine at the University of Illinois College of Medicine at Peoria ..... defines fibromyalgia as a rheumatic condition characterized by widespread pain in multiple areas of the body. Further, a sufferer has sore spots, or tender points, that are also widespread. According to the criteria established in 1990, he said there are 18 specific tender point sites and a patient needs to have at least 11 of those 18 sore spots in order to be diagnosed with fibromyalgia.

Those symptoms include: fatigue, sleep disturbance, headaches, bowel problems, numbness and tingling in the body -- mostly in the hands and feet, and a sensation of having swollen muscles and joints, even if they are not actually swollen.

"Fibromyalgia is not a psychological condition. There is a very real bio-physiological basis to the disorder," Yunus said. "We did a study a number of years ago in which we found there was no correlation between any of the symptoms and the psychological status of the patient."

As in any physical problem, depression, anxiety and stress play a role, he says. But fibromyalgia has far more to do with the body's particular chemistry. For example, fibromyalgia patients are hypersensitive to a lot of different types of stimuli, including more soreness when pressure is applied, and more sensitivity to smell, noise and other disturbances in the environment. This hypersensitivity is caused by a chemical imbalance, such as high levels of substance P or low levels of serotonin.

The cutting edge of the research, Yunus says, is based on the belief that fibromyalgia is a problem of the central nervous system, namely the spinal cord and the brain. Two of the latest studies also show a genetic link and Yunus says he is currently working on a gene mapping study along with Case Western University, under a National Institutes of Health grant.

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Yunus said based on his various studies over the years, he has found that "irritable bowel, headache, myofascial pain, chronic fatigue syndrome, restless leg syndrome, chemical sensitivities -- all those syndromes hang together and overlap." Yunus says he refers to them as "central sensitivity syndromes -- CSS."

It's a very important concept, he says, because until recently it was thought that such problems were very separate from each other. "But we've put forward that they are part of the same spectrum. It becomes more and more clear that what is common to all of these syndromes is a central sensitivity to a multiple form of stimuli," Yunus said. One important element of the CSS concept is the fact that finding a cause or a satisfactory treatment in one of these diseases may apply to the others, Yunus says.

Fibromyalgia Treatments

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One of the important parts of treating fibromyalgia is through managing pain and developing coping skills. Approaches include cognitive behavioral therapy and physical therapy. What can help a great deal is for the patient to slowly build up the ability to do regular physical exercise, to create habits that regularize sleep, and to maintain a positive attitude.

The pharmacological approach through medications includes various types of antidepressants, sometimes in combination and usually in smaller doses than used for depression, in order to treat pain. Other medications being used that are not antidepressants include cyclobenzaprine (Flexeril) and tramadol (Ultram.) Further, Yunus says a new study will be published shortly showing that the injection of zylocaine into trigger or tender points can give immediate relief from pain, with further relief continuing for several weeks.

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For the full article, click here.

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Nov 14 2000 by Joanne Kabak (drkoop.com Health News)

For people who suffer from chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), also known as chronic fatigue and immune dysfunction syndrome (CFIDS) and myalgic encephalitis (ME), there are many challenges to deal with, including feeling exhausted, having impaired short-term memory or concentration, pain in the muscles and joints, and disrupted sleep.

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The symptoms associated with CFIDS often lend themselves to treatment both with drugs and lifestyle changes, Kenney says. For example, a patient may use a combination of prescription drugs and techniques such as physical therapy and massage.

In the search for a cause and a cure, people have gravitated to different theories -- from bacterial, viral and environmental causes to neurological ones. "It really is a very confusing picture," Kenney said. "One day you're told you should take this antibiotic. Then you're told no, massage is the best thing. And the next day you're told to have an MRI and consider neurosurgery."

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Getting to the point where you can have good sleep "sometimes helps the pain and the cognitive problems. It may even help some of the flu-like symptoms," she said.

Another symptom that is dealt with early on is pain. "A lot of people have pain in the joints and muscles, and headache pain that can be pretty debilitating. Using a combination of some of the new medicines and techniques like massage, physical therapy and applying hot and cold packs can sometimes help manage pain in a way that helps a person become as active and functional as possible," Kenney said. Not all CFS patients can exercise or be active, however, due to the severity of their condition. A problem with becoming deconditioned and not moving around much is that "you become less and less active and that in and of itself creates problems." Also, she says, if depression is present in a patient in addition to chronic fatigue syndrome, then treating it becomes an important part of the process.

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Focusing Research

Initially, the focus in research had been on finding the cause, Kenney says. Now the research is increasingly viewing the illness "as sort of an end state, a clinical entity that can exist for any variety of reasons," she said. There may be a genetic component to it. Sometimes the syndrome begins after a car accident, a flu that never fully went away, or after the death of a family member. However, CFS that occurs after emotional or physical trauma is much more rare than sudden or gradual onset for no apparent reason. "When a particular set of circumstances exists and the body is compromised by coming in contact with a virus or bacteria, a blow, or life change, the cascade can begin and then the body can't shut itself off," Kenney said.

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Looking for Energy

Dr. Georg D. Birkmayer, a biochemical researcher and the medical director of the Birkmayer Institute for Parkinson's Therapy in Vienna, Austria, has explored the issue of treating chronic fatigue syndrome through increasing energy at the cellular level.

In a double-blind, placebo-controlled study at Georgetown University, he says a substance called NADH was found to help some patients with chronic fatigue. The study was published in the February 1999 Journal of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology. Its conclusion was that "the results of this preliminary study indicate that NADH (Enada) may be an effective therapy in the management of the chronic fatigue syndrome and suggest that further clinical trials be performed to establish its efficacy in this clinically perplexing disorder." The study was done on 26 patients who fulfilled the Centers for Disease Control criteria for chronic fatigue syndrome, and it was reported that the results showed that among that group, four times more patients responded to NADH than to the placebo.

Birkmayer describes NADH as a biological form of hydrogen that reacts with oxygen in cells to produce a form of energy. "Every cell has to have sufficient forms of energy to stay alive," Birkmayer said. "We succeeded in stabilizing NADH and making it in an absorbable form." Simply put, "chronic fatigue is a lack of energy. And NADH increases energy." He says it is sold over the counter as a nutritional supplement under the brand name Enada.

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For the full article, click here.

I haven't been here yet, but thought I'd add my two cents in.LOL I followed the low carb for almost a year and I lost a great deal of weight and the I learned I had FM and just sort of stopped. And focused on the Fm and not my diet until the newnest of having FM wore off and decided that I need to get back to low carb because I had learned it also helpped people with my symptoms. I had regained all my weight back by then, and following the LCD, it helps me concentrate on me more. I am back down to 133 lbs and would like to lose more. I use to weigh 120lbs but don't think I'll eve get there. I try to watch what I eat and it does help me. I still have aches and pains and all the goodies that come with the FM. No sleep is also included. Excercise is something I have to enforce on myself more.I hope anyone else that has FM learns that this LCD really helps. It helpped me to stay in focus of my life instead of whats wrong with me.