Fibromyalgia, a disease whose symptoms include chronic fatigue (regardless of the amount of sleep attained), muscle and joint pain, has no known cause. It affects up to 5% of the population, mostly women.
With so many people afflicted with this disorder, I am amazed at the number of my clients who have told me that they had to see several doctors before one would actually acknowledge that fibromyalgia is even a health condition.
Not only did they often times not have the support of friends and family, they were then subjected to “experts” who, at best, summed the condition up to depression. They were then prescribed various antidepressants, all with serious side effects.
There’s nothing worse than knowing something is wrong with you and being told that it’s “all in your head.”
The correspondence I have received has been heart breaking, with the exception of the gratitude expressed by my clients over the fact that my Fibromyalgia program has helped them significantly.
Many have asked if there is something in their diet or environment that could be causing this condition. Emerging evidence indicates that diet can, in fact play a very large role.
While diet is not thought to cause or even trigger fibromyalgia like say, migraine headaches, the growing belief is that fibromyalgia symptoms are exacerbated by other conditions which can be caused or triggered by certain foods. Once these conditions subside, the result is that fibromyalgia symptoms dissipate.
The thing to keep in mind is that fibromyalgia loves diversity. Just as not everyone is affected to the same extremes, there is no all-inclusive list of foods to avoid. The key is to take note of certain known foods that affect many with fibromyalgia and test to see if your condition is eased over time as you test removing these foods from your diet.
Some foods experts now say to avoid are Aspartame and MSG. They are known to excite certain pain receptors which for fibromyalgia sufferers are already heightened.
Removing caffeine from one’s diet has also proven to be effective. While many are tempted to drink caffeine drinks for the “pep,” it can actually make fatigue worse.
Dairy foods also make the list, although this is controversial. Some believe strengthened bones can actually ease joint pain.
Also included are yeast, mold, gluten and vinegar. This is thought to be because TMJ (temporomandibular joint disorder), IBS (irritable bowel syndrome) and migraines, all known to affect fibromyalgia symptoms, are triggered by these foods.
A macrobiotic diet (whole foods) has shown promise for some fibromyalgia patients, as well as Omega 3 fatty acids (found in fish, flax see, certain nuts and also added to certain foods such as cereal).
I also encourage you to try my Fibromyalgia program. Its results have been amazing!
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