Fibromyalgia: A female reader has recently been diagnosed with fibromyalgia and would welcome any suggestions on how to deal with the condition naturally.  She eats a healthy diet, does a moderate amount of exercise and takes no medication.  Her doctor believes the condition is brought on by lack of sleep/disturbed sleeping patterns and has advised her to take sleeping tablets for six weeks.  Do readers have any other ideas?

“Fibromyalgia is an autoimmune disorder of soft tissues,” says one reader.  “The pain, ubiquitous and continuous, interrupts sleep patterns so that the fourth stage of sleep is never attained, and thus the body cannot rejuvenate and heal.”  He also points out that “fibromyalgia is an acid condition in which the liver is toxic.”  He therefore suggests you start with a liver cleanse and then adjust your diet to accommodate more alkaline foods and less acidic foods.  Acid-causing foods include milk, cheese, white bread, white sugar, butter, chicken, eggs, tomato ketchup, mayonnaise, mustard, papaya and peanuts.  Alkaline foods include alfalfa, almonds, artichokes, asparagus, avocado, green beans, lima beans, beetroot, red cabbage, carrots, cayenne pepper, celery, cucumber, garlic, onions and spinach.  Supplementing the diet with vitamin C, omega-3 oils, MSM (methylsulfonylmethane) and proteolytic enzymes such as bromelain and pancreatin will also help, he says.  For more advice on following an alkaline diet, he recommends the book Sick and Tired by Robert and Shelley Young (Woodland Publishing, 1999).

Other readers agree that diet is crucial in treating this condition.  John reckons cutting out wheat might help (it worked for him), while Chris suggests trying the Paleolithic, or Stone Age, diet.  There’s plenty of information about this diet on the Web.  In addition, Chris recommends supplementing with pharmaceutical-grade fish oils and probiotics (non-dairy), as well as starting some deep breathing exercises. 

According to Andrea, however, fibromyalgia could be brought on by exposure to electromagnetic fields (EMFs) – from a mobile or DECT cordless phone, for example. 

“EMFs are known to interrupt healthy sleep patterns and cause a variety of symptoms, often similar to fibromyalgia,” she says.  “If the symptoms have been brought on by exposure to EMFs, they may be reversible by switching off the sources of exposure.” 
Other suggestions this week include homeopathy, osteopathy and the products Fibralgia and Zambroza from www.rosiehealth.co.uk.