| |
| |
|
Alternative Information |
|
|
|
New Hope for Chronic Fatigue and Fibromyalgia Sufferers
There are numerous theories with regard to the causes of chronic fatigue and fibromyalgia, many of which may be indeed touching on the truth or at least touching on an aggravator or contributor to these afflictions. Diseases in general have been growing in epidemic proportion over at least the past 20 years, especially in the United States, where our increasingly toxic environment and lifestyles have drifted further and further away from what is natural in the name of progress, technology, and profit. Chronic fatigue and fibromyalgia are no exception, the two often being experienced together, and possibly symptoms of the same disease. Many agree that having one or both of these conditions reflects a compromised immune system, but whether this has resulted from viruses or chemicals or heredity or DNA mutations or other causes is much debated. As in the question of the chicken or the egg, I think the answer lies in what came first, at least in terms of triggering the disease. We all have unique genetic weaknesses and tendencies, but usually a disease that we may be predisposed to will not surface unless an external environmental factor triggers it. Viruses lay dormant in all of us, as do many bacteria. The body's immune system keeps them in check unless the body is damaged and becomes weak and imbalanced to the point that viruses and bacteria grow out of control and flourish, causing disease. But what external "triggering" factors came first to weaken the immune system to allow such a systemic breakdown to occur? The answer most likely lies in how increasingly toxic and contaminated our bodies are becoming. This cumulative toxic overload is the result of the growing number of harmful chemicals we're exposed to in our everyday life -- over 10,000 in food processing and preservation alone. We eat chemically-processed foods that contain preservatives, pesticides, dyes, hormones, bleaching agents, neurotoxic artificial sweeteners, steroids, and antibiotics, drink hundreds of chemicals in our tap water, breathe in fumes from factories, are bombarded with radiation from numerous and growing sources, and chemicals are outgassed in our homes from our Teflon-coated pans to our stain-resistant carpets. We are surrounded with plastics, paints, solvents, cleaners, medications, and many other toxic chemicals, and when you mix them all together in our bodies with our own natural chemistry, as in a chemistry lab, the results can be unpredictable and potentially explosive. In addition, antibiotics that destroy good bacteria along with the bad have been dangerously overprescribed, contributing to weakened immune systems, and expensive unnatural synthetic drugs are being dispensed in record numbers that do not cure but only suppress symptoms, while causing a plethora of harmful side effects to the tune of billions of dollars for the pharmaceutical industry. Recent studies have shown that antibiotics and chemicals can permeate cell walls and destroy, damage, or mutate mitochondria, which most claim cannot be regenerated. What are mitochondria? In short, they are the powerhouses of our bodies. They assimilate food and produce critical nutrients, but their primary function is to manufacture adenosine triphosphate (ATP), a vital component of life. ATP is believed to provide 90-95% of all cellular energy and has been found to act as a neurotransmitter extracellularly. Also, an enormous amount of ATP is required by our energy-hungry muscles. Unfortunately, the brain does not store ATP, ATP cannot be shared between organ systems, its supply is very limited, and the demand for it by the body is very high. Therefore, ATP must be constantly synthesized to provide a continuous supply of energy or an ATP-imbalance occurs, which may lead to neuronal cell deaths, chronic fatigue from lack of energy, nutritional deficiencies, and muscle weakness and pain as in fibromyalgia, among many other symptoms. ATP imbalance or poor regulation can be very dangerous - too much ATP in a few areas of the body can actually be just as damaging as too little, such as in spinal cord injuries. Scientists have theorized that mutations in mitochondrial DNA also contribute to aging, and when the production of ATP is interrupted or stopped for any number of reasons, a cascade of free-radical damage begins. The key to chronic fatigue and fibromyalgia, and many other diseases, may lie in cellular damage by chemicals, while the road to recovery may lie in eliminating toxins that cause cellular damage and pursuing natural courses of treatment that help the body heal itself. Although most doctors and researchers do not believe mitochondria can be repaired or regenerated, they used to say the same thing about brain cells, and that has since been disproved. The body is a miraculous creation, and if it is not abused, it has many self-healing and regenerative abilities. I came across one University of California-Berkeley research project recently where mitochondria in rats were able to be rejuvenated with large doses of acetyl-L-carnitine and alpha-lipoic acid, common natural dietary supplements, which also appeared to make the old rats more youthful. Also, Cordyceps given to mice caused an increased supply of ATP in the liver, has substantially benefitted chronic fatigue sufferers, and when given in human clinical trials, demonstrated overall improved liver health. And to relieve pain, guaifenesin has been used successfully by individuals with fibromyalgia. It is believed that guaifenesin works both by causing urinary excretion of excess uric acid, phosphate, and other substances that should have been excreted by the kidneys that have built up in the cells and tissue to the point that they depress ATP formation, and by actually reinforcing cell walls to minimize entry by toxins and further damage to the cells. (There seem to be very few all-natural products that contain guaifenesin without ephedrine or chemicals. I found one product made by Naturade called Herbal Expec that I would recommend) After "Yuppie Flu" first surfaced in the 1980's, a few progressive doctors tried giving patients injections of adenosine monophosphate (AMP), a chemical precursor of ATP, but this was expensive, inconvenient, difficult to tolerate, and the results were very slow and gradual. Next, in the 1990's, oral ATP supplements were tried, and are still available today, but they had side effects and did not allow the body to naturally assimilate the ATP itself which makes it less targeted and effective. But more recently, there has been significant success with another precursor to ATP - D-Ribose. D-Ribose is a complex sugar with no side effects. It goes to work quickly in the body, effectively fueling the mitochondria so that additional needed ATP can be produced for many hours at a time. In particular, it increases ATP production in muscles, including the heart, therefore besides improving muscle strength and helping alleviate pain, it additionally benefits individuals with heart problems, and increases blood circulation, oxygen levels, and energy levels. Ribose formulas often include creatine, as the two are believed to work synergistically together to increase overall ATP production. With cellular damage, and the accompanying gut damage from ingesting chemicals, there are also often multiple nutritional deficiencies that result from poor absorption and assimilation, regardless if you think you have been eating well, therefore a potent vitamin and mineral supplement and an immune system builder are also recommended, preferably liquid sublinguals (under the tongue) to enhance absorption. Since our soil has been damaged from chemicals, and thus much of our food is lacking in vitamins and minerals, the vitamin/mineral nutritional supplement should be the one thing you take for life to maintain health even if you feel fine. For those who can afford it, a new spectroscopic test is available from Spectracell that examines white blood cells, which help protect the body and combat disease, and can pinpoint your specific and unique cellular deficiencies. Although the natural supplements mentioned above may be extremely helpful in repairing cell damage over time, increasing energy, and may potentially help alleviate symptoms in the short-term, in order to foster long-term healing and maintenance of health, it is critical that toxins that store in fatty tissue be removed from the body, such as with binding whole grains, natural detoxifiers, and chelation therapy, and further toxic exposure that contributes to cellular damage and other health problems be avoided. Since your body is likely chemically addicted to many substances, a natural course of treatment that involves the elimination of chemicals often results in short-term withdrawal symptoms or temporary exacerbation of symptoms where you feel worse before you feel better, but this stage passes quickly. The more you understand what you're fighting and your options, the better armed you will be to battle it. And half the battle is knowing and eliminating what caused the disease in the first place. Although there are supplements that may help, natural steps to better health do not have to cost a fortune. There are many inexpensive dietary measures that can be taken. To learn more about the thousands of harmful toxins in our food and everyday environment and how to avoid them, how to bind toxins and remove them from your body, how to treat symptoms of disease naturally, and how to adopt a non-toxic chemical-free diet and natural lifestyle that will help your body heal itself, please visit the NatureGem website at http://www.naturegem.com. From the home page, you can also link to a copy of this article with active links to helpful resources. About the Author: Deb Bromley is a science and technology researcher and the President of NatureGem Nontoxic Living, an organization devoted to promoting awareness of toxins in our food and environment that can cause disease, and providing access to nutrition information, natural remedies, and alternative health resources.
MORE RESOURCES:
Alternative - Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Static Magnetic Therapy: Does It Really Work? Recently, a number of articles have been published on static magnetic therapy. Static magnetic therapy is the placement of a magnet field on or near the body to enhance healing, relieve pain and improve body function. Health in the Self What is health?Is health the absence of disease? Is health a birth right or simply luck? According to Ayuveda, India's ancient art of healing, the meaning of health is a single word: Swastha. Swa = self + Stha = established. Classical Music Therapy Music, more than entertainment, has played an instrumental role in healing and harmonizing the mind, body and spirit. For thousands of years, the Vedic culture has used sound and music for body and mind balancing, health enhancement, healing promotion and encouragement of heightened awareness. Benefits of Wheatgrass Juice - What, How, and Why! Since the late 1960's, wheatgrass has become frequently discussed in health and medical circles as one of natures greatest gifts. Classified as one of the most abundant superfoods known to man, wheat (and more recently barley) grass has been celebrated for its nutritional content, cleansing and cell regeneration capabilities as well as being in a form that is easily and effortlessly assimilated and digested by our bodies. You Can Stop Biting Your Nails, Heres How! Are you tired of being self-conscious about your hands and nails? I know exactly what you're going through because I've been there. Did you notice I said, "I've been there". Anxiety Warning Signs How do you know when you are suffering from background anxiety? It's important to be aware of the warning signs, because excessive levels of anxiety can disrupt your performance, stifle joy and lead to depression and illness.A good test of a person's physical fitness lies in their ability to do the things our ancestors did, routinely. Shamanic Healing & Soul Retrieval Shamanic healing is one of the vast numbers of healing modalities available for us to experience today. Like acupuncture its roots are in the mists of time and like acupuncture it works with unseen energy. Gallbladder Disorders And How To Treat Them Using Natural Remedies The gallbladder is a 3 to 4 inch-long pear-shaped organ located on the right side of the body, directly under the liver. One of the functions of the liver is to remove poisonous substance from blood so that they can be excreted from the body. Medical Alert Jewelry: A Life Saving Fashion Statement No one really wants to be labeled as "different." And certainly, no one wants to create that label and apply it to him or herself. How To Improve Your Mood And Health With Deep Breathing Exercises It is relatively well known now that exercise releases endorphins that can help to pull you out of a bad mood and to aid in alleviating depression. However, mental fatigue and depression are hard moods to simply overcome. Hypnosis HYPNOSIS is a state of induced but conscious sleep through the process of suggestion. Hypnosis must be readily accepted by the subject in order for the hypnosis to be achieved. Becoming A Certified Reflexologist Reflexology is something I've used and loved since I was 8 years old. I began learning about Reflexology when my aunt bought me a book by Mildred Carter - whom I consider to be the mother of American Reflexology. Love, Appreciation, and the Heart As I started to write this article a few words from a song kept running through my head "all you need is love.. Different Detox-cleansing Regimes Your body should clean itself naturally, but today's diets make that process difficult. Many turn to internal body cleansing to rid the body of waste products and toxins. A Natural Remedy for Gingivitis, Toothaches, and Mouth Sores Everyone has a variety of bacteria in their mouth. Some have more than others. Can I Be Hypnotised? If you are conscious, have an IQ higher than about 80 (average is 100), have the ability to concentrate, and also have the ability to dream - then you can be hypnotised.You see, hypnosis is a perfectly normal state of consciousness that you will enter into maybe several times a day. Evolution of Aromatherapy The Origin of AromatherapySince the beginning - from the time of the ancient civilisations, the knowledge of the effectiveness and use of aromatic essential oils has handed down from generation to generation, and across different communities. Aromatherapy is a manifestation of humanity's profound wisdom. The Making of Essential Oils - Steam Distillation, Absolutes, and CO2s Explained Aromatherapy Goes 'High Tech'New methods of essential oil extraction are entering the mainstream of aromatherapy, offering new choices in oils never before available. With the new labels of 'CO2' and 'SCO2', along with the traditional 'steam' and 'hydro' distillations, 'absolutes', and 'cold pressing', a little education for the aromatherapy enthusiast can go a long way in essential oil selection. Alternative Health Practitioner, How to Pick the Perfect Help for You Therapists, physicians, acupuncturists, massage therapists, body workers and energy workers need to be interviewed and checked out just like your roofer!I don't know about you but finding a good roofer is might-near-impossible.Psychological outcome research has shown that half of the therapists make us better and the other half makes us worse. Herbal and Home Remedies that Prevent Memory Loss Even a single family member who is senile or afflicted with Alzheimer's is enough to make anyone dread the possibility. Since women have always lived longer than men, the Ancient Grandmothers have a thing or two to tell us about how to keep our memory sharp until the day we die (at 100+).
|
| home | site map |
| © 2008 |
