Fibromyalgia Diet

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My Fibromyalgia Story

I've probably had fibromyalgia to some degree my whole life, though for most of my life I didn't know it. The problem is that when you are born with a condition like that, you don't know anything different. You don't know what it is like to be "normal". I knew I was always going to see different doctors. I was very easily injured. I liked to exercise and enjoyed sports, but I seemed to get sore or injured from everything I tried. After I was married, I noticed over time that my husband's medical file was paper thin, while mine would always be a couple of inches thick with records from doctor's visits and insurance claims.

When I was in my late thirties, after having two children, my pain and injury problems increased dramatically. This was the first time I was technically diagnosed with fibromyalgia. I'd never heard of the condition before. I also had problems with:

• insomnia
• Temporomandibular joint disorder (TMJ)
• mitral valve prolapse
• nosebleeds
• thoracic outlet syndrome
• patella femoral syndrome (sore knees)
• kyphosis
• lateral spinal curvature (scoliosis)
• flat feet
• a pronated foot (it turned outward)
• back pain
• chronic neck pain
• menorrhagia (heavy menstrual bleeding)
• frequent sinus infections
• frequent strep throat, bronchitis, ear infections and pneumonia
• hypermobile joints
• frozen shoulder
• chronic sinusitis

There was a time when I felt like my body was falling apart. I was in so much pain I had trouble sleeping. I could not work. I could not go to school. I never knew what condition I was going to get diagnosed with next. I always knew when Thanksgiving was coming--not by looking at the calendar--but because I would start to develop signs of pneumonia at that time every year.

It was then that I finally decided to make a full time job out of researching what was wrong with me. Logically, it seemed like there had to be a common denominator to all of my health problems. In the end it turned out there was. In part they were due to genetics, but the major reason I had these problems was my diet.

Thanks to the Internet and local rheumatologist , I eventually found out I had Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, a genetic disorder that explained all of my diverse symptoms. A little further research helped me to link most of the EDS symptoms to not just genetic factors, but also to nutritional deficiencies. I may have a genetic predisposition to have EDS and fibromyalgia, but genes were not the only cause. My diet also played a big role. Since I changed my diet, I've been much better. I am working again and I can even do aerobic videos these days. I've come along way since it hurt to just chop vegetables or turn my head around when backing my car out of my driveway.

Fibromyalgia seems to be a common condition to people with EDS and other connective tissue disorders, but many people with fibromyalgia do not have EDS. The diet tips below are focused on the things I did that helped my fibromyalgia and general pain problems. If you have EDS, or common symptoms related to EDS such as bleeding problems or stretch marks, you may also want to check out my page on Ehlers-Danlos Diet.

Recommended Books:

Super Nutrition for Women: A Food-Wise Guide for Health, Beauty, Energy, and Immunity. I realized after reading this book that I had a lot of the nutritional deficiency symptoms described by the author that were causing my fibromyalgia pain.

My Fibromyalgia Diet Changes

The diet changes that helped my fibromyalgia were:

1. Daily doses of homemade, low salt soup made with magnesium rich vegetables, a little meat and broth made from whole parts of the chicken including bones, tendons, and ligaments. I call this my anti-fibromyalgia soup.
   
   

   The nearer the bone, the sweeter the meat. English Proverb

   
   
2. Eating more red meat.
3. Reducing the amount of fiber in my diet.
4. Cutting back on wheat and dairy, especially fortified wheat products.
5. Correcting biotin and B12 deficiencies.
6. Improving my digestion by eating organ meats occasionally and taking supplements of helpful bacteria. (Liver has a very high vitamin A content so experts are divided on how healthy it really is to eat.)
7. Eating more fat, especially some saturated fat. (Fat helps with nutrient absorption). While too much saturated fat is not healthy, I had been eating a very low fat diet which, in hindsight, I realize now contributed to many of my health issues.
8. Increasing the amount of magnesium in my diet.
9. Reducing the amount of magnesium antagonists in my diet.
10. Avoiding foods with whole wheat. The phytic acid prevents mineral absorption.
11. Avoiding multivitamin pills.
12. Avoiding fortified cereals.
13. Reducing the amount of sweets in my diet. A little honey seems okay, but any kind of regular sugar or fructose seems to make my symptoms worse.
14. Avoiding foods with yeast.
15. Eating a wide variety of homemade, whole foods without preservatives.
    
    

    No one has ever come into my office with disorders caused by eating too many fruits and vegetables. Bernard Jensen, You Can Master Disease

    
    
16. Limiting the amount of salicylates in my diet.
17. Occasionally using the herb echinacea. Echinacea has been traditionally used to build connective tissue. There are some bacteria that breakdown connective tissue, and I do think this may be a factor in fibromyalgia. One of my sons always gets sore muscles right before he gets sick, but his muscles return to normal and his colds and infections are very short lived when we give him echinacea tablets. See my section on mitral valve prolapse for more on bacteria and connective tissue, especially if you have fibromyalgia and are prone to strep throats.
18. Avoiding water that has been filtered or distilled. These processes can remove magnesium and other minerals.
19. Avoiding foods supplemented with vitamin C. One of my sons gets severe leg pains if he drinks a lot of juice that has been fortified with vitamin C.
20. Avoiding foods with caffeine - sodas, chocolate, tea, coffee, etc.

Initially I tried switching out refined grains for whole grains, My fibromyalgia did get better with this change, but then I developed insulin resistance. So I ended up having to go on a low glycemic diet. I still eat some grains, but I have to limit how much I eat.

I don't know if this diet will help everyone with fibromyalgia, but it has helped both of my sons and me. This type of diet seems to work pretty well for all of us.

There are two books by Louise Ann Gittelman that I highly recommend for diet changes to help fibromyalgia. They are Super Nutrition for Women: A Food-Wise Guide for Health, Beauty, Energy, and Immunity and Your Body Knows Best. If you've found the information in my site interesting, then you'll like these books. I read a lot of health and nutrition books, but Ms. Gittelman's books are the only ones I've read where I agree with almost everything she says. She is one of the few nutrition authors around who understands that there is no one universal diet that is optimal for everybody. Your Body Knows Best is one of the few books I've read that that helps people to determine if a higher fat, higher protein diet might be best for their unique individual needs.

I changed my whole family's diet to eat more fat and red meat after reading the Super Nutrition for Women book. After we changed our diets, we had a lot less colds and much less fibromyalgia aches and pains.

Continued at:

Fibromyalgia Diet - Part II

Recommended Links:

The Role of Magnesium in Fibromyalgia - if you like the information in my web site, you'll like this page, too. Lots of good references and lots of logic on the role magnesium deficiencies play in fibromyalgia.

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME, CFIDS) and Fibromyalgia - some possible helps by Charles Weber, MS. Includes information on the role of potassium.

The Truths and Myths of the use of Guaifenesin for Fibromyalgia - An interesting article by Mark London.

Visit my connective tissue disorder home page to use my search feature, and site map for more information on connective tissue disorders and related features.