Your Health Detective: January 2015

I write this investigative report not only as a recovered victim of fibromyalgia, but also as a practitioner because of the clinical experiences after guiding thousands worldwide I consult with who experience a variety of pain and inflammatory conditions, fibromyalgia the most profound. Therefore, finding adjunct natural non-toxic therapy is a must.

As four-term President of a non-profit fibromyalgia organization, and numbers of those afflicted rising to epidemic proportions – now estimated to be one in fifty people – my job of finding causes, effects and non-drug solutions is one I take very seriously both in my virtual global practice and my commitment of identifying and reporting natural solutions.

Fibro Pain Matters…

The syndrome of Fibromyalgia includes widespread pain in muscles, soft and connective tissues, and for those not afflicted or newly diagnosed, there is a lot of confusion. Fibro pain is generally relentless severe aching and/or throbbing, stabbing and shooting that feels like deep bruises. One thing that cannot be disputed, the pain is REAL and erodes quality of life for those affected. In addition, newer research shows that those affected with fibro experience associated changes in their brain chemistry that causes overstimulation of nerves or hypersensitivity to pain stimuli. Research has now led to acceptance of fibro as a legitimate condition with precise identifiable symptoms, which in prior years was considered “questionable” and possibly related to strictly emotional and/or hormonal imbalances and stresses.

Fibro pain is very different than that of arthritis – it is widespread like arthritis but occurs in the muscles, tendons and ligaments as opposed to joint pain as in arthritis. Another distinction in the two disorders is that arthritis damages tissues and bone whereas fibromyalgia does not.

In fibro, most lab tests usually come back with results reporting “you’re within ‘normal’ range”. All the exams and tests available will never completely pinpoint the exact syndrome of fibromyalgia because its causes are varied yet have many common denominators such as:

Overall flu-like muscle tenderness that doesn’t go away;
Restorative sleep eludes you and often you wake up stiff and achy;
Fatigue that is not resolved even if you do get restorative sleep occasionally;
Your brain feels like it’s in a fog;
Digestive disorders, never before experienced, are now daily occurrences (heartburn, acid reflux, constipation/incomplete or infrequent elimination, abdominal pain and/or bloating;
Frequent headaches and migraines;
Challenges with equilibrium;
Blurred vision and/or extreme dry eyes;
Tender points in areas where muscles and tendons come together;
Muscle knots (called fibro knots), muscle cramping;
Stiffness, especially in the morning or after periods of inactivity;
New or accelerated food and environmental allergic responses;
Chest pain unrelated to a heart condition yet concerning;
Shortness of breath with no other medical reason or condition;
Nasal congestion not related to allergies;
Irritable bowel/interstitial cystitis/leaky gut/Crohn’s, etc.
Sweating without warning or other underlying conditions such as menopause;
Multiple chemical sensitivities also known as multiple allergic responses;
Vulvodynia (vulvar pain);
Extremities feel, and often are, swollen;
Extreme dry and/or burning eyes and mouth;
Sensations of tingling and numbness not related to diabetes;
Irregular heart beat and/or palpitations not related to other conditions;

Fibro Accelerators…

Weather – particularly cold, damp climates with sudden changes in barometric pressure;
Hormonal fluctuations;
UnRestorative sleep;
Chronic stress and flare-ups when experiencing acute stresses, verbal abuse or lack of support and validation of your condition;
Sensory overload, including:
- Loud noises
- Bright lights, especially in the bedroom – sleeping spaces need to be as dark as possible
- Multiple conversations simultaneously like in a noisy restaurant or in public places
- Prescription medications as well as over-the counter medications taken regularly;
- Odors, especially synthetic fragrances, but also essential oils when the body is extremely toxic and detoxification protocols have not been implemented;
- Electro-magnetic energy fields like those from:
  - cell or cordless phones
  - computers,
  - electric cars
  - close proximity to power wires and/or transformers, cell towers/transmitters, digital clocks and devices, electrical and security system panels, etc.;

Fibro Facts…

Current statistics report that approximately up to 8 percent of the general population (about 15 million) are diagnosed with fibromyalgia in the U.S. alone – that doesn’t count the ones who are not medically-diagnosed, estimated to be another 10-15 million (American College of Rheumatology, 2004, JAMA 311 (15), 16 April 2014,).
Fibro affects people of all ages and genders although more women are diagnosed with the syndrome than men.
Approximately one-quarter of fibro affected people are work-disabled.
Fibro is the 2^nd most common ailment affecting the musculoskeletal system after osteoarthritis (American College of Rheumatology, 2004)
90% of fibro patients experience jaw and/or facial tenderness that can develop into a disorder called TMJ (Fibromyalgia Network, 1999) Fibromyalgia (FM or FMS) is derived from the New Latin, fibro – meaning “fibrous tissues” and Greek, myo – meaning “muscle” and the Greek word algos, “pain”. Therefore the term fibromyalgia literally means “muscle and connective tissue pain”.

Safe Pain Alternatives to Toxic Drugs

Most people have not heard the terms Kinase or Kinase Modulators.

Kinases play a critical role in pain syndromes because they are the signals that influence transmission of the pain cascade and the signal pathways from the affected areas to the brain. The use of kinase modulating ingredients help to interrupt pain signals and I’ve found it to be extremely effective for most pain syndromes particularly those from fibromyalgia, arthritis, Lupus, etc. Interrupting pain signals not only provides soft tissue relief but also join relief. In other words, if pain signals are not getting through to the portion of the brain that sends up “red flags” that then accelerate existing pain, pain is lessened. Keep in mind this is NOT a drug so allow at least 4 weeks of taking it daily before rendering a verdict on its effectiveness – pain relief can be sooner but not as dramatic as after four to six weeks. Its effectiveness is maximized when taken with food and spread out to at least twice a day.

In addition, you MUST eliminate all foods and ingredients known to accelerate inflammation like the nightshades, msg, nitrates and sulfites. For more detailed information read my book, Pain / Inflammation Matters – the updated version is available NOW FREE to all Health Detective subscribers in the electronic form, click here to download.

Nature to the Rescue, AGAIN

A proprietary blend of selected plant components known to influence kinase signaling – interrupting the pain experienced – is now available!

This blend, Kinase Modulator, includes iso-alpha acids derived from hop plants (Humulus lupulus L.), Oleanolic Acid from olive leaf extract (Olea europaea), Rosemary leaf extract (Rosmarinus officinalis) – all these plant derivatives are known to influence kinase signaling – disrupting pain. The blend comes in soft gels and only available from the Health Matters Store at www.healthmatterstore.com – the exclusive distributor of all products used and recommended by Dr. Gloria.

Interrupting the Communication = Ending/Reducing the Pain…Naturally.