Fibromyalgia

Established Fibromyalgia Treatments Focus On Masking Symptoms Rather Than Healing

August 11, 2015 By Debbie Baumgarten Leave a Comment

If you or someone you know is diagnosed with Fibromyalgia, their doctor will likely prescribe one or more of the established drugs for the treatment of Fibromyalgia. Lyrica®, Cymbalta® and Savella are some of the most common ones.

Lyrica® and Cymbalta® have been proven to decrease pain and some of the symptoms of Fibromyalgia. This type of treatment, to ease the pain, may certainly be needed. However, before you consider one or more of these medications as your sole treatment plan, there is more you really should know about it.

FIRST: The Side Effects

While these medications do relieve some of the symptoms, it does come at a cost in other side effects. These side effects vary from person to person, but pretty much everyone has some.

There is a much longer list of all side effects, including those that are “rare”, “very rare” or “occasional”. But just those listed as the “more common” side-effects include: “accidental injury, bloating or swelling of the face, arms, hands, lower legs, or feet, blurred vision, burning, tingling, numbness or pain in the hands, arms, feet, or legs, change in walking and balance, clumsiness, confusion, delusions, dementia, difficulty having a bowel movement, difficulty with speaking, double vision, dry mouth, fever, headache, hoarseness, increased appetite, lack of coordination, loss of memory, lower back or side pain, painful or difficult urination, problems with memory, rapid weight gain, seeing double, sensation of pins and needles, shakiness and unsteady walk, sleepiness or unusual drowsiness, stabbing pain, swelling, tingling of the hands or feet, trembling, or other problems with muscle control or coordination, unusual weight gain”.

On top of that fairly hefty list of side effects, a study was recently published in the International Journal of Rheumatic Diseases, which stated that the majority of drug trials, specifically for the treatment of Fibromyalgia, were funded by those who stood to benefit financially from their sales. This means that these drugs aren’t being tested by an independent, unbiased, 3rd party that would provide honest test results. Instead, they are being tested by those with conflicts of interest who stand to profit financially. So the safety of these drugs may very well be compromised.

SECOND: Length Of Time You’ll Take These Medications

Short answer: For the rest of your life, with likely increasing dosages as efficacy wanes over time, common for many drugs.

Several years ago a study conducted by the Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research found that there was a definite need to limit the use of prescription medications for treating Fibromyalgia and that these medications, as a sole form of “treatment”, were not making people well.

In this study, thirty-nine patients with Fibromyalgia Syndrome (FMS) were interviewed about their symptoms at the very beginning of the study. Twenty-nine of those same patients were interviewed again 10 years later. Of these 29 (median age of 55 at second interview), all had persistence of the same FMS symptoms. The percentages of patients with pain or stiffness, sleep difficulty and/or moderate to severe fatigue were pretty much the same as on the initial testing 10 years prior. And 79% of these patients were still taking medications to control their symptoms 10 years later. You can read more about this study here: https://thefibrodoctor.com/traditional-medicine-offers-little-for-fibromyalgia/

However we can conclude that these drugs don’t fix anything, they only mask. And masking the symptoms may be needed for a while, but masking as the only treatment simply means that you are sentenced to a lifetime of pain and trauma with the added side effects of long-term use of these drugs.

THIRD: How Many People Does This Affect?

Current estimates of those suffering from Fibromyalgia range from over 5 million to upwards of 15 million people in the U.S. alone.

Fibromyalgia is big business with revenue from Fibromyalgia drugs now ranking in the billions.

According to a new market research report released by Global Data, “Driven by sales of Lyrica, Cymbalta/Xeristar and Savella, the Fibromyalgia drug market will experience 4.2 percent annual growth through 2018.” Currently a 1.4 billion dollar per year market, it is estimated to increase to 1.8 billion dollars by 2018.

That’s a LOT of people who are suffering that are following a “treatment” that is riddled with serious side effects and which will have to be taken for their entire lifetime in ever increasing quantities.

FOURTH: Is It True That Fibromyalgia Comes From Overactive Nerves?

The ads for Lyrica® now say, “Fibromyalgia is thought to be the result of overactive nerves.”

First of all, just look at how this is carefully worded – “thought to be the result of”. Well, “thought to be” means exactly what it says – thought, not fact, not scientifically proven. It actually means that someone or several someones think that this is so.

It also begs the question what causes these “overactive nerves”? No one knows that either.

The truth is that Fibromyalgia is still referred to as a syndrome because there is no known cause and this is still the case. (An illness is referred to as a syndrome [rather than a disease] if there is no known cause).

FIFTH: What About Further Research To Find A Cure?

Within a few years cheaper generic versions of Lyrica and Cymbalta will become available. So the current focus of research is to introduce more “new and improved” drugs. As stated in this same market report, “These new products will help to drive market growth and offset some of the patent expiries of the leading brands during the forecast period.”

But what about investing some of those profits into real research to discover what is actually causing these illnesses and syndromes? And how about a cure rather than drugs that solely mask the symptoms?

If even a fraction of the marketing budgets for these drugs was diverted to research into the cause and cure for this debilitating syndrome, we might make some progress in actually making people well again.

But then again, if people got well, the market for the drugs might decrease rather than rank in the billions. So instead, the research work that is done is directed at formulating more cocktails of pain meds with antidepressants and other “goodies” so that those suffering from Fibromyalgia have to keep buying their temporary fix in ever increasing quantities.

TO SUM THINGS UP:

There are millions of people in the U.S. alone suffering from Fibromyalgia (est. between 5 and 15 million).
These sufferers are currently paying 1.4 billion dollars a year for drugs to “treat” their condition.
These drugs do not treat the underlying causes of FMS but rather simply mask some of the symptoms.
These drugs list a wide array of side effects, some quite serious.
Those who are on such a drug regimen as their only form of treatment will have to be taking these medications for the rest of their lives in increasing dosages.

Because of the pain and other debilitating symptoms of Fibromyalgia, one may need medications to ease the symptoms to be able to function at all. The only warning here is to not be fooled into thinking you are doing something that will cure or even improve your condition. It is a temporary fix and will only last as long as you keep taking these meds.

If while you are taking these medications you also followed other protocols that addressed underlying causes of Fibromyalgia symptoms, you could gradually phase-out the use of the drugs as you healed your body. There are valid Fibromyalgia treatments that will improve your condition.

BEWARE OF OTHER PROMOTED TREATMENTS THAT ARE JUST VERSIONS OF SNAKE OILS

There are also many other promoted “treatments”, alternative or otherwise, that are out there that are not going to cure you either. Many people suffering from Fibromyalgia have tried numerous alternative treatment options – all with great hope – and more often than not these did little or nothing to improve their Fibromyalgia symptoms.

Such treatments include everything from special chiropractic techniques to hyperbaric oxygen therapy and many in between, not to mention all manner of vitamins, herbs, other supplements and combinations of such.

The truth is that people who are suffering are highly likely to dole out money for these supposed “solutions” that are going to “fix the problem”, usually because they are desperate, which makes them more vulnerable to marketing gimmicks and scams.

SO WHAT IS THE SOLUTION?

One of the smartest things you can do is to have an advocate who has battled Fibromyalgia, Chronic Fatigue or other applicable chronic illnesses and has been through it all already. This will likely be someone who has suffered their own pain and fatigue and who has done extensive research and their own trials.

They would have traveled thousands of miles to seek out top-of-the-line clinics to see highly reviewed top doctors and specialists that have worked with these chronic illnesses for years. They would have followed numerous treatment protocols, read pretty much every book on the subject and tried every imaginable supplement as well as many different drugs that were purported to help.

Well, there is a such an advocate who has done exactly that. ME. However, that the vast majority of all of my work accomplished little or no improvement and only served to suck available time and funds dry. But on the positive side, I can now help you to navigate through all of the false promotions, misconceptions, deceptions and lies to find those things that are going to truly aid in your own recovery.

Among the vast amounts of over-hyped treatments and protocols, I have been able to find little gems and pearls of wisdom that actually were incredibly helpful. As a result, I have been able to regain my health and get my life back.

Diagnosed with Fibromyalgia over 15 years ago at the Mayo Clinic, I have been been carefully documenting everything I’ve found to be most helpful in actually recovering my health throughout vast tomes of research and multitudes of trials.

It just shouldn’t have taken such a monumental effort to find a truly workable treatment for Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue. Hopefully, if I can make this information known, it won’t be as hard for others. To that end I have put all of this information into a simple and straightforward book that has just now been made available on Amazon as a Kindle e-book.

My New Book!

The book is entitled: Fibromyalgia, Chronic Fatigue and Chronic Illness; Navigating through the confusion and deception, isolating the truly effective, science-based treatments to get the real solutions to recover your health and take back your life!, by Debbie Baumgarten. Here’s a link to it: https://www.amazon.com/Fibromyalgia-Navigating-confusion-science-based-treatments-ebook/dp/B012Z79IIU/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8

There is also information available on the Fibro-Free website along with a blog to continue to warn, alert and advise on new information as it becomes available. The website is: www.FibromyalgiaFree.org

For those suffering from Fibromyalgia, Chronic Fatigue or other chronic illnesses, when you’re sick and you feel horrible, your time and money become even more precious to you. You can’t afford to be wasting your valuable resources on those who are simply trying to profit from your pain.

If someone is experiencing unexplained pain and/or fatigue, by all means they should see their doctor. But before spending thousands of dollars on specialists, more and more tests, costly treatment plans and lots of drugs, at least now there is a comprehensive guide available that can be consulted by those who are suffering, to help direct them toward the most beneficial treatments and protocols.

Although well disguised, we have seen far too many circumstances of others capitalizing and profiting on the fact that millions of people with Fibromyalgia, ME/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and other Chronic Illnesses are in pain or experiencing other debilitating symptoms. Often, out of sheer desperation, they will do almost anything to feel well again! They have jobs, families to support and responsibilities and have to do something to keep going.

There are solutions out there. While there might not be one magic pill or a one-shot cure yet, there are a lot of simple and inexpensive things that can help and treatments that can make things better. With enough “things making it better”, these can add up to feeling a LOT better.

This new book, Fibromyalgia, Chronic Fatigue and Chronic Illness; Navigating through the confusion and deception, isolating the truly effective, science-based treatments to get the real solutions to recover your health and take back your life, may hold the keys to a treatment plan that doesn’t just mask, but actually heals.

New Fibromyalgia Book

March 23, 2015 By Debbie Baumgarten Leave a Comment

For several years I have been working on writing a book about recovering from Fibromyalgia. Based on 15 years of research and study about what might be causing it and how to recover my health. After reading a ton of books, visiting numerous clinics, following many different treatment protocols with different drugs, diets, supplements and exercises, I have composed a summary of findings of what improved my health and eased the symptoms.

Unfortunately the drug companies, with their big budgets and huge profits, spend much more on advertising than on research to find the cause and cure. Most of the promoted drugs to treat Fibromyalgia have side-effects that I just couldn’t tolerate. And at best they only serve to mask the problem rather than fix it.

There are however solutions that do improve symptoms and ways you can recover your health. There isn’t a one shot cure, at least not that I have found. It takes some real determination and persistence. It also takes an intelligent assessment of what’s important and the best sequence with which to address the complexities of this illness.

My hope is that I can help ease the suffering that so many people with Fibromyalgia go through. If I can help ease the pain for my fibro-friends by providing helpful information, then I will have accomplished something truly worthwhile.

The book will be coming soon, a few weeks from now and will be pushing on Kindle. I am doing a final editing to make sure it is streamlined, easy to read and full of pearls of wisdom gleaned over my 15 year battle with this chronic illness.

Meanwhile, some information is available on my website: https://fibro-free.com/

Easy ways to eat more raw veggies

February 27, 2015 By Debbie Baumgarten Leave a Comment

Here are some ways I have worked more raw veggies into my daily routine that made it easy to eat them more often:

Veggie smoothies – I make these in my blender so as to still get all of the fiber (as opposed to juicing). I use spinach, kale, avocado and 4-5 cups of water as a base. Then I add different fruit combinations such as strawberries or a berry medley, mango, pineapple/coconut, kiwi fruit and green apples, etc. I add some stevia and blend really well. They taste great and I love them. My husband slurps them down too and that’s saying a lot. The fruit and stevia sweeten the drink up and you would be surprised how good it tastes. There are literally tons of recipes for these if you do a Google search, not to mention books on Amazon.

Veggie snack plates – There are easy. Just get a bag of those baby carrots, some celery, cucumbers and some broccoli. Chop up the celery, cucumbers and broccoli. Arrange them on a plate and put some reduced fat cream cheese in the center. Have them in the fridge or put them out on the counter at snack time. Chomp on these when you get those mid afternoon and evening hunger pangs.

Salads – if you make a great tasting salad (that is creative and tasty), make enough to last you (and anyone else that you are feeding) for 2 days of lunch and dinner. Then you can eat salad as part of lunch and dinner as the first course. You get your raw veggies in and you help curb your appetite to be able to eat smaller portions of the rest of the meal.

Snack packs to take to work or on the go – baby carrots and other chopped veggies (celery, cucumber, etc.) and fruits – make a bunch of packs at once in ziplock bags so they are easy to grab and take with you when you are rushing to get to work or whatever. Or you can use a jar and put some humus or dip in the bottom of the jar and put some chopped veggies in.

Juicing – once a week I will usually do a big batch of juice. It is so rich in nutrients and very alkalizing for the body. The mean green juice recipe is usually what I use.

I found the more veggies I work into my diet, the less I eat other not-so-heathy things and the better I feel.

The Horrible Trap

February 13, 2015 By Debbie Baumgarten Leave a Comment

There is a trap that I fell into numerous times and that I see many others afflicted with illnesses (such as Fibromyalgia, Chronic Fatigue, Lupus, Lyme Disease and other similar illnesses) fall prey to because it is so easy to do.

What I am talking about here when I say horrible trap is the vicious cycle where you feel bad, you are in pain, you are tired, you have to go to work or you have children that need to be cared for or you are just trying to get yourself going and so you do something to get yourself enough pick-me-up to be able to get through the day – coffee, a coke, a souped-up Starbucks latte, some sweets, a Red Bull, some carbs, maybe even a cigarette or some combination of the above. This might buck you up for a bit and help you to get through some short term period, but in the longer run you have made matters worse. With all of the extra insulin your body just pumped in response to what you put in it, you will worsen the fatigue and pain and get poor sleep to boot.

Now you are even more desperate for some form of pick-me up because now you feel even worse.

Of course you don’t feel like exercising, as you just don’t have the energy and/or you are in a lot of pain already.

Continuing on in this vein will cause more and more despair and depression as you feel terrible, you are desperate to get some energy and the quick energy sources are making matters worse and worse. Or you are so depressed about the situation or the continuous pain that you comfort yourself with things that you think will make you feel good – comfort food or alcohol or cigarettes or some form of drugs (OTC or otherwise).

This is a vicious cycle, what I call the horrible trap, that you can get into when you have chronic pain or chronic illness. It’s bad, and quick and available fixes just make it worse. If you are in such a situation, there IS a way out. It isn’t instant. It takes some time. It isn’t horrifically slow either. But it will take some dedication and discipline. First is understanding of what is happening and what you need to do to escape the hell and get yourself improving and getting better.

I have a new book that is available on Amazon called, “Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndromes: The hard road to recovery made easier“. It contains all of the answers that I have found over the last 15 years of research and trials of numerous treatments and protocols. This is available on Kindle and paperback.

And please utilize all of the information in this website which is all here to help you recover from illness and body problems through easy healthy living habits.

The Damaging Effects of Stress

February 11, 2015 By Debbie Baumgarten 1 Comment

Stress can come from many things. One doesn’t have to be the VP Sales for some huge corporation to be stressed out. You might work for a small company and simply have a mean, grumpy boss, or worse a somewhat sadistic boss or co-worker and be under a lot of pressure as a result of repeated antagonism toward you.

Maybe your commute to and from work is treacherous or stressful due to traffic or other conditions. Or maybe you have some relationship at home that is stressful.

It could be that home is fine and you love work but you aren’t making enough financially to cover your expenses and so you are stressed about your own or your business finances.

These and countless other scenarios can be causing you extra stress.

Also, one’s reaction to stress varies from person to person. For example, some people don’t mind speaking in front of an audience, whereas some people find it incredibly stressful. So your attitude or reaction to potentially stressful situations plays a part in it as well.

It can also be that you aren’t fully aware of how much pressure you are experiencing. Some people consider it part of life or “normal” to be under stress. But the truth is that it isn’t healthy to be living stressfully for any length of time.

Stress, particularly when it is prolonged for weeks, months or even years, can be very taxing on your body and can cause quite some damage.

When you are stressed your adrenal glands are forced to produce more cortisol and adrenaline (the main stress hormones) than usual. These hormones rouse the body for emergency action.

Your heart pounds faster, muscles tighten, blood pressure rises, breath quickens, and your senses become sharper. These physical changes increase your strength and stamina, speed your reaction time, and enhance your focus—preparing you to either fight or flee from the danger at hand.

Stress that continues over long periods of time and is left unchecked can contribute to health problems, such as high blood pressure, heart disease, obesity and diabetes. Stress can also trigger FMS or CFS or re-trigger it.

Because of the widespread damage stress can cause, it’s important to know your own limit.

And it is vital that you work to reduce stress in your life in every way you can. There are several approaches to this that can help.

Part of reducing stress can come from your attitude toward the stressful situations. Talking about it with someone can often help. Meditation and other self-help techniques can also go a long way in reducing stress.

Sometimes it is a matter of certain people in your environment that cause you stress. This can be a rough relationship with your spouse or another family member, a neighbor, a co-worker or boss, someone from a group that you frequent, etc. If it is a neighbor or co-worker and you can somehow reduce or even cut off contact with that person, then this might help in relieving that tension.

If it’s your boss or spouse or other family member, talking about the situation with someone else can sometimes help. Talking about it with the person directly, where this is possible, can also often help. Or one can get professional help to address the matter. Or maybe it’s time to get a new job or lay down some new ground rules in the house.

Sometimes particular situations can cause stress, such as debt load resulting from not making enough money to adequately cover expenses. This might require confronting the details of the situation and coming up with a real handling such as budgeting your expenditures to fit within available funds and then honestly enforcing this budget be followed by all concerned. In other words, maybe there is a real situation that you are facing that needs confronting and real solutions worked out.

Just isolating where your stress is coming from can be very enlightening and relieving in itself. Once you really nail down where your stress is coming from, it isn’t hard to work out immediate, medium and long range handlings for it.

Overcoming Addictions

January 31, 2015 By Debbie Baumgarten Leave a Comment

Nicotine, alcohol, various OTC pain and sleep meds (that are not for long term use and can have serious side effects if used long term), caffeine and sugar addictions are all ones that I have battled with. At one time there was a more serious pain meds addiction after some extreme damage to my spine.

They say that nicotine is more addictive than heroine (even though the withdrawals aren’t as dramatic) and I believe it. I quit smoking for 8 years and it was very tough, but I was completely free of it. Then during a period of extreme stress I made the huge mistake of having “a few cigarettes” and ended up a smoker once again. I’ve tried numerous times to quit and have for varying lengths of time, only to slip and get right back into it again.

I finally realized that each time I slipped, it was because I was drinking alcohol. Alcohol was a very definite trigger for smoking. It also triggered the sweets cravings. I’m not an alcoholic but I am a cheap date. 2 glasses of anything and I am losing all control – smoking, desserts, etc.

The smoking, alcohol, caffeine and sweets created effects in my body that then seemed to require the use of OTC meds for pain and sleep.

So now I am doing it all – no smoking, no drinking, no meds, no sugar or simple carbs. I am going through some tense, hair-pulling, nail-biting moments, but it’s not like coming off heroin! I’m getting out and doing some short hikes, and some yoga stretches/poses, I’m drinking some green drinks and eating good. I’m keeping my attention on other things – writing, reading, posting, a little housework, cooking and some good movies. And I’m drinking a lot of water and taking some vitamins and minerals.

I’m feeling better! And I am really happy that I am slaying my own monsters – rising above my addictions and conquering them.

I knew so strongly that smoking and being overweight were very very unhealthy. I hated it!!! Every time I smoked I felt bad. I knew this was bad. Every time I had a dessert or went sugar crazy I felt horrible and guilty afterwards. But when I was smoking or eating my piece of cheesecake, I sold myself on why it was okay for now, why it was justified. I had plenty of good reasons that I was placating myself with – I won’t belabor you by listing them, but I am sure you know what I mean.

Realizing that these addictions were feeding each other, helped me to see a way out, that it was possible.

I just finally got to the point where I made myself decide – I couldn’t stand it anymore – justifying why I needed to continue my addictions and feeling horrible about what I was doing to myself. So, I finally just confronted it and made a real decision. You know the kind of decision that you make every once in a while that has a very strong, real honest determinism behind it.

That’s it on all the BSing myself. I knew could get myself through the initial withdrawal effects one goes through.

So I made the decision first. Then I set the date of when I would stop – a time that allowed me to go through a week of tough withdrawals without having to deal with stressful work/life stuff.

If you have addictions that are hurting you, come to grips with how you really feel about it. You can be free of them. And I am happy to help you in any way I can.

It feels good to get the upper hand again. To take total control.

Battling Depression

January 17, 2015 By Debbie Baumgarten Leave a Comment

A common symptom that goes along with Fibromyalgia is depression. Of course you don’t have to have Fibromyalgia to get depressed. Anyone can experience depression. Sometimes it comes and goes and sometimes it is chronic and unrelenting.

Here are the things that I have found that help to pull me out of it when I am battling depression:

1. B vitamins help tremendously. You can get B Complex 100 or you can get B vitamins from natural sources such as nutritional yeast, brewers yeast, molasses, turkey, tuna, liver, legumes, whole grains, bananas and chili peppers. Or maybe some of both. But we are talking fairly high doses. In addition to consuming foods that are rich in B vitamins, I also take 3 or 4 B-complex capsules spread out throughout the day. And not on an empty stomach – take with food or yogurt.

2. Get out into the environment – take a walk, sit on your patio, do something to get your attention out of your head and out into the environment. Make a point to look around at the trees, the sky, the birds. Find beauty in your environment.

3. Do physical work – yard work, house cleaning, other household chores. Again, something that gets you out of your head and puts your attention out. Don’t over-exert yourself.

4. De-clutter something – your office, stacked up papers, your pantry, anything that is cluttered. De-cluttering can be very therapeutic.

5. Do something to help another. There is no better way to improve your mood than doing something kind or helpful for another.

I hope this helps if you find yourself battling depression. None of them are easy to do when you are feeling down. But if you can get yourself to do at least one of these, then maybe you will feel up to doing another one and another. Sooner or later I think you will find some relief.

Fibromyalgia being capitalized on by Drug Companies

January 11, 2015 By Debbie Baumgarten Leave a Comment

Every one that I have seen so far is a continuation of exactly the same treatment that was being done when the condition was not even acknowledged by the medical community, let alone diagnosed. And what did they do back then? Well, they prescribed pain killers for the pain, anti depressants for the mood swings, sleeping pills so you can get to sleep at night (and you may even have to take uppers to wake up in the morning). So far I have not found any deviation from that pattern as regards drugs being offered.

By all means I am not telling you not to follow something your doctor prescribes. But the problem is that this is a degenerative condition. If this is the only route you chose to take, be prepared to be washing down ever increasing amounts of life-numbing drugs. I have focused on is how to lessen the symptoms and reduce dependency on drugs.

You should always take what your doctor prescribes. But that said, there are doctors that don’t prescribe meds for any illness they don’t understand. Lyrica, Cymbalta, and now Savella are not available in many parts of Europe, simply because their benefits did not outweigh their side effects. Reading the small print is a sobering experience.

When I first started having problems there was no such thing as fibromyalgia in any of the big medical dictionaries, and because it wasn’t there, it obviously didn’t exist, and so therefore whatever condition I had was all in my mind. The solution I was offered? Psychiatric drugs. Obviously the best thing for a hysterical women, right? But it really wasn’t all in my head. It was real.

Years later Fibromyalgia is now acknowledged and the big pharmaceuticals have put their best people on it and OMG, they are offering us what? More psychiatric drugs to handle our bi-polar delusions. Now if the FMS women of America were to get really mad and start publicly throwing hot lattes and frying pans at the CEOs of these big pharmaceuticals, probably we would start to get some serious big-money research being done. Not a suggestion, just a thought.

In the meantime, I would rather put my well-being in the hands of independent doctors who want to make a living making people well and not in the hands of monster drug corporations making billions. And I have found it much more beneficial to implement remedies that improve my physical condition steadily.