This is a response to an email for Dr. Symes

Hi D.,

 It was great to have you join my Email group. I have been having to cut back on Emails but I wanted to write to you personally. I wanted to make sure that you know that you can get better from understanding and applying the information on my Website.

 The things you listed are a few of the things from which I had been suffering for much of my life. I had always been on the ADHD side, even a touch bipolar. Then came the depression, followed later by the fibromyalgia. This is a very typical progression, as depression will always follow pathological over-activity to some degree. It is the way the brain copes with over-stimulation. The fibromyalgia is simply a reflection of the brain’s and body’s state of ill health, which is so often accompanied by a major drop in our pain threshold. Our pain threshold goes up and down like a barometer, depending on our health and well-being. The flu is a good example, during which we sore and achy all over due to the effects of the virus on our brain’s pain centers. Fibromyalgia is a perpetual state in which the pain center is unusually sensitive, brought on by overall ill health, malnutrition, lack of proper sleep (during which the brain heals), and even the presence of certain chronic viruses (e.g. Epstein Barr). These latent viruses (often of the Herpes group) become active due to the drop in our immune system’s health and competence. Shingles is another good example.

So, the treatment plan is very clear: We need to stop doing the things that are harming us and take dead aim at the health of the brain and immune system as well as the rest of our body. For example, part of any chronic pain syndrome is the exhaustion of our normal production of anti-inflammatory agents (cortisone, progesterone, and serotonin). I write about all of theses on the site. The drop in these critical hormones is very explainable as is the timing of their decline, with menopause being a classic example. Our adrenal glands produce cortisone and progesterone but food intolerance from the “big 4”-gluten, dairy, soy or corn intolerance- ultimately compromises this gland’s crucial functions. Many individuals are cruising along on the standard American diet (SAD) and suffering from malabsorption of nutrients by their small intestine due to the damage being done by the “big 4”.  This malnutrition reduces the health and integrity of every tissue in the body, including the adrenal glands and pituitary gland. The drop in brain and bodily serotonin also accompanies this process, as we leak this critical hormone into our damaged gut and fail to absorb the nutrients needed to make more. But then comes menopause and the accompanying drop in hormones produced by the ovaries- the main source of progesterone, which is the most powerful anti-inflammatory in the body. This leads to a very serious rise in inflammation. At the same time, the brain’s ability to handle pain drops precipitously as previously mentioned.

Therefore, you can see that chronic pain syndromes such as fibromyalgia, arthritis, back pain, and the like are really a combination of rising inflammation and a decline in our ability to handle that pain. I hear from people all of the time who suffer from this syndrome just as you and I have experienced. But now you know why this occurs…and it can be reversed. We can’t necessarily bring a woman out of menopause and restore her ovarian production of progesterone but I do not doubt that this actually occurs in some women, especially those who go into this state prematurely. There is no way that it is natural for a 39 year old woman to enter menopause. This may be (and probably is) more a matter of pituitary and adrenal dysfunction that one of the expected “change” of natural menopause.

 How do we reverse this? The paper linked below my signature (How to Start Treating Just About Anything) is a good guideline. The basic steps are:

1)   Stop the nutrient malabsorption taking place in the intestine by eliminating the “big 4”- gluten (wheat, barley, rye), dairy, soy and corn

2)   Understand the rationale behind the G.A.R.D. (the glutamate/aspartate restricted diet). We need to drastically reduce the amount of “excitotoxins” consumed- those neurostimulating amino acids, glutamic acid and aspartic acid, which are the parent proteins in MSG and Nutrasweet, respectively. The richest sources of these amino acids are the gluten grains, dairy (especially cheese), soy and other legumes, and nuts/seeds, as well as prepared foods with MSG (monosodium glutamate) and diet foods with aspartame (Nutrasweet). This alone will raise the pain threshold dramatically as the pain center of the brain is being bombarded by these proteins making it more sensitive to pain stimuli from all areas of the body.

3)   Eat plenty of fruits, vegetables, and healthy proteins which provide the body with what it needs to heal. Eggs are a great source of protein as well as vitamin D3, B12, omega three fatty acids, trace minerals, and lecithin (an important phospholipid for the brain). Rotating fish, poultry and lean beef can then provide the protein needed to maintain and repair the body. Note: Too much poultry consumption can actually supply gluten, as chickens and turkeys are fed high grain diets. I have found that I was becoming “glutenized” from eating chicken and recently reduced my consumption of poultry dramatically. Too much fish may actually put us at risk to mercury toxicity. Organic beef, lamb and bison are really some of the best sources.  

4)   Consider the value of taking some supplements, the most important of which are vitamin D3 (crucial), C, B complex, omega threes, and magnesium. Read about D3 and magnesium deficiencies and you will see something very important. Iodine (e.g. kelp) and selenium are important for normal thyroid function, with hypothyroidism being a big cause of lowered pain thresholds.

5)   Read about antioxidants and their positive effects against air pollution in particular. Environmental pollution is a major player in neurological conditions (e.g. fibromyalgia, epilepsy, MS and other neurodegenerative diseases) and the antidote is the antioxidant. The main ones are vitamin C, E, and grape seed extract. The latter has now been shown to be one of the most powerful on the planet. (And yet man invented the seedless grape. Go figure. L)  

6)   Drink filtered water. One of the best investments I ever made was the water filter I have a link to on my Website in my products section. It gets rid of everything and is relatively cheap and easy to install.

7)   Look up the term “xenoestrogen” and familiarize yourself with the sources of these damaging estrogens. They are inflammatory and leading contributors in all of the main female issues (breast cancer, POS, endometriosis, and premature menopause). You may be surprised as some of the common sources.

8)   Try to get as much full-spectrum light as possible. Light drives our brain’s serotonin levels up and the rapid decline in sunlight this time of year plays and big role in the dropping of our pain threshold. Light therapy (light boxes) can help pain and epilepsy just like it does seasonal affected disorder.

9)   Try to get good quality sleep and some regular exercise. The preferred time for us to go to bed is 8 hours before sunrise. We need 7-8 hours and we should wake with the sun. That is our normal rhythm. Anything else is a compromise. We need proper sleep to heal, especially our brain, which is what fibromyalgia is mostly about. We normally dream between 4 and 6 AM and this is crucial to our mental health. Those who typically awaken at 1-2 and struggle to go back to sleep (like I did for years and years) are in a very bad pattern and will eventually suffer the consequences (fibromyalgia, migraines, memory loss, and more). Late night television and computer work will alter the normal sleep-wake pattern, contributing greatly to the decline in our overall health, but especially that of the central nervous system. Too much caffeine (especially after 3 PM) will also disrupt the normal sleep-wake pattern.

10)  Consider some lab testing if doing the above does not help you dramatically. Low thyroid function can dramatically lower the pain threshold (just as it does the seizure threshold). I have seen this many times in dogs and people. If the thyroid needs to be tested, make sure they do a complete thyroid profile, not just a TSH test.

The paper below my signature goes into more detail as does the rest of my site but these are the high points.

I do hope this helps. It’s a lot to take in but these are all crucial elements in regaining our health. The diet is clearly the single-most important aspect of fibromyalgia just as it is in most major medical conditions. The diet affects everything! But the more we get right, the more rapidly and completely we recover. My ill health is like a bad dream now. It’s hard to believe that I was as sick as I was. You can recover just as I did and I do look forward to hearing about your recovery. J

 Have a great holiday season,  

 John

 John B. Symes, D.V.M.  (aka “Dogtor J“)

Website: www.dogtorj.com

Email: dogtorj@dogtorj.com

Consults: consults@dogtorj.com 

Media: Contact Dogtor J

Moxxor Omega-3: www.mymoxxor.com/dogtorj

Life’s Abundance Pet Foods: www.manna4pets.com

Now on facebook (DogtorJ)