Fibromyalgia & Diet

drvvork

:flowerforyou: I am a Fibromyalgia sufferer and thought I would share this article as I have attempted to work these concepts into my diet with some positive results and wanted to share.:flowerforyou:

Fibromyalgia and Diet
by nibbledish

"Fibromyalgia is a debilitating disease that causes extreme joint and muscle pain, as well as chronic fatigue. There is no cure for fibromyalgia, and often regular treatment only reduces the amount of pain temporarily. Scientists have been researching the effects of diet on patients with fibromyalgia, but to date no definitive results have been discovered.

Some patients have experimented with their diet, and through trial and error discovered that incorporating healthy foods into their diet has improved the quality of their life, and in some cases even reduced their fibromyalgia symptoms. Some medical experts believe the reason different diet alterations work for different patients is because of the variety of secondary conditions that often occur in patients with fibromyalgia. For example, many fibromyalgia sufferers also suffer from arthritis, restless leg syndrome and even gluten intolerance.

Taking your diet into consideration when seeking relief from the many symptoms that accompany fibromyalgia could improve the quality of your life. There are several different types of food that may agitate symptoms, and avoiding them could improve and even prevent some symptoms.

Aspartame, an artificial sweetener often found in diet soft drinks, is at the top of the list because it opens the pain receptors in the nervous system. Because fibromyalgia patients already have a high pain sensitivity, aspartame could agitate pre-existing symptoms. Foods containing MSG (monosodium glutamine) affects the same pain receptors, and should also be avoided. This would include cutting out fried, fatty foods containing salt, as salt may result in water retention and painful swelling.

Since many patients with fibromyalgia suffer from chronic fatigue, they often turn to caffeine to help them stay alert and awake. Unfortunately, caffeine tends to have the adverse affect. You may experience a quick boost of energy, but the crash after the stimulant wears off is often more severe. It is also recommended that you cut out carbonated soft drinks, which interfere with your metabolism and can often contribute to unwanted weight gain.

Patients who experience a gluten intolerance can benefit from cutting gluten-based foods from their diet. Not only do fibromyalgia patients with gluten intolerance tend to suffer severe digestive problems, eating gluten-based food may result in fatigue. Gluten is often found in baked goods like cookies, cakes, pies and breads. That doesn’t mean you have to give up all your favorite baked goods, thought cutting down on your sugar intake will lower your daily carbohydrate consumption. You can buy gluten-free flour and substitute it when baking to continue enjoying the baked goods you love.

When you take a look at your diet, and compare it to the list of “don’t eats” above, you may be asking, “What can I eat?”

Along with drinking at least eight glasses of water daily, your should incorporate a variety of raw, unprocessed foods into your diet. Regular servings of fresh fruit and vegetables help your body produce necessary enzymes to aid in proper digestion. They also boost the immune system, and since many fibromyalgia patients tend to suffer from low immunity, raw foods may contribute to a healthier you. Lean meats and poultry are more likely to contribute to heart health, and a healthy heart means a healthier body overall.

Omega-3 fatty acids, which can be found in fish like salmon, herring and sardines, eggs from range-fed chickens and flax or linseed oil, are known to reduce inflammation, which is important for patients suffering from muscle and joint pain.

Combined with regular exercise and stretching, the aforementioned diet changes could have a positive impact on your fibromyalgia symptoms. Though there is no definitive proof that altering your diet will improve your fibromyalgia, a healthier body will withstand the ravages of disease better."

Nibbledish Originals:
http://blog.nibbledish.com/2009/05/18/fibromyalgia-and-diet/?keywords=fibromyalgia+diet&referrer=adwords-content&adnum=3&camp=Google-Content-Nibbledish2-6&group=fibromyalgia+diet&keyword=diet+for+fibromyalgia&creativeid=4332863732&traffictype=content

anvy0530

What a great article. I have suffered from fibromyalgia for a few years and can attest that when I cleaned up my diet and ate more fresh foods, my symptoms have decreased to the point where I don't have to medicate at all. This is a VAST improvement from 2 years ago when I actually had a handicapped placard for my car and NOW I jog every day with my dog.

Ge0rgiana

Thank you for this. It makes me feel even better about the way I eat. :happy: I limit myself to ONE cup of coffee per day now. That's a vast improvement over the multiple cups I was drinking over the course of a day. I also have soda rarely. Day in and day out, I drink water, most of the time with lemon juice, so if I go out somewhere, particularly to a movie, I will splurge and have a Diet Coke if the mood hits. This happens maybe once a month. I have noticed a clean diet also really helps. I must add, though, nothing really gave me significant relief until I started taking dessicated thyroid. That, in conjunction with the tips in this article, has relieved about 90% of my symptoms. I still have some inexplicable pain, especially in my legs (I still can't climb stairs), and I still suffer from some fatigue, but I work out like a fiend and I'm functional.

I would say the exercise part of the article is very significant, and it may get overlooked. Exercising to tolerance is so important. Part of the misery of fibromyalgia is poor circulation. Cardio and stretching exercises get the blood flowing. Yoga is fantastic. It's hard to do when you're tired and you hurt so bad, which is why it's important to start small and build up.

Good article. :flowerforyou:

mcbeth

I' was diagnosed with fibro in 2007. Now that I have rad the article I realize that I don't take my Aleve like I used to. Since I have been eating better and exercising 3 times a week I'm not in the pain I was. but I'm still dog tired.

thanks for sharing the information.

wilkypoo

I can't thank you enough for posting this article! I have been suffering with fibromyalgia for 7 years now and have been at my lowest. I am taking 600mg daily of Lyrica and also Cymbalta to treat my fibro and peripheal neuropathy. I am also a diabetic so as difficult as it may be for me to avoid aspartame, I will definitely give it a shot! I have recently turned my diet towards the right direction and will attempt to only have iced water to drink.... maybe with lemon juice also.

It is also good to know the caffeine can be harmful... that will be a bigger challenge but I will also work on cutting that out of my daily routine. Coffee in the mornings is just a habit for me.

Again, thanks so very much for posting -it's just good to know there is SOMETHING that I can try to reduce this daily pain!

Have a wonderful day!!

hollyj77

Thank you for posting. My mom has suffered from Fibromyalgia for 10 years and is tired of the pain and not being able to do the simple things in life, like walking up stairs or around the block.....

I sent her this article and comments so she can do some further research and hopefully improve her overall life.

Blessings!

Holly

angelwings2000

This is indeed wonderful information to share. My quality of life has improved greatly since I choose my foods mroe carefully and try to stay active. It is also vital to my health to stay on track with getting a good night's sleep.
I'm afraid sleep is my biggest struggle right now with all of the celebrations that have been going on in my life. Time for me to start working on that.
Thanks for sharing.:flowerforyou:

peggy60

Thanks for the article....I have tried cutting out caffeine and and aspartame and was taking Omega 3.....this did not change my symptoms unfortunelty...buuut....I do not eat enough fresh veggies and do not exercise....so afraid of a major flare up...which right now I am chronic...Dr. took me off for 3 months!! And No change...I HAVE to go back to work 7/5...and very worried about it!...I got batteries for my Wii today...lol..been a while ......and thought I would try some of the stretching and I also have a yoga DVD.....So maybe this will help me more along with the fresh veggies.....And I am sure that ALL the sweets I was eating is not good for me either.

I appreciate you taking the time to send this....ya know sometimes you feel alone with this disease....nice to hear some positive results.

Good luck to ALL of you!
Peggy

jennylynn84

Good article. This would explain why no one I know that drinks a lot of coffee seems to crash like I do. It's why I limit myself to one cup.

I've never really noticed a difference as far as aspartame goes.

On a separate note -

My biggest flare-starter has always been (and probably always WILL be) stress. So exercising has really helped with that. It also helps prevent problems sleeping.

And I can definitely promise that my fibro has improved some with the loss of weight.

mehapp

Thank you so much for the post.

I was having chronic joint pain / fatigue - and believe me, I feel your pain.

Although all my blood work came back negative, I knew something was seriously wrong with me.

I'm now gluten and coffee free (working on sugar free) and I have to say I feel a million times better!

Best of luck, All!

drvvork

Thanks for the article....I have tried cutting out caffeine and and aspartame and was taking Omega 3.....this did not change my symptoms unfortunelty...buuut....I do not eat enough fresh veggies and do not exercise....so afraid of a major flare up...which right now I am chronic...Dr. took me off for 3 months!! And No change...I HAVE to go back to work 7/5...and very worried about it!...I got batteries for my Wii today...lol..been a while ......and thought I would try some of the stretching and I also have a yoga DVD.....So maybe this will help me more along with the fresh veggies.....And I am sure that ALL the sweets I was eating is not good for me either.

I appreciate you taking the time to send this....ya know sometimes you feel alone with this disease....nice to hear some positive results.

Good luck to ALL of you!
Peggy

I just felt that I needed to post this article - short and to the point.

I definitely feel misunderstood (catagorized simply as a crotchety old woman and a few other adjectives) but pain and lack of sleep is rough on a person's mental state. I'm not sure how long you've been working this site or fighting with fibro but it does take time. 10 years ago I walked with a 4 legged cane along with dealing with my obesity issue and the other health issues... losing weight helped but finding MFP and being able to get on track nutritionally I feel has helped tremendously. I also like using a website to check out my fresh veggies or meat's anti-flamatory rating. (http://www.nutritiondata.com/facts/vegetables-and-vegetable-products/2726/2). So I incorporate this site's information along with MFP and other information I've found to attempt to keep inflamation down. I'm far from ready for the dance studio but I love dancing, so that is 'my' exercise.