Diet Helps Fibromyalgia

[jenny54]

Diet Helps Fibromyalgia

People with fibromyalgia may experience reductions in their symptoms if they eliminate one or more foods from their diet.

Fibromyalgia is a chronic condition, often accompanied by depression and fatigue, in which a person feels pain in the muscles and tissues surrounding the joints.

Nine in 10 fibromyalgia patients are female.

While the cause of fibromyalgia is unknown, researchers have found pain-processing abnormalities in the spines and brain stems of some people with fibromyalgia.

In the study, investigators reviewed medical charts of 17 fibromyalgia patients who agreed to eliminate common foods from their diet such as corn, wheat, dairy, citrus, soy and nuts.

After 2 weeks without eating any of the potential food allergens, nearly half of the patients reported "significant reduction of pain," and 76% reported a reduction in other symptoms such as headache, fatigue, bloating, heartburn, and breathing difficulties.

After the food elimination phase of the study, the patients were then instructed to reintroduce a particular food every 2 or 3 days and monitor their reaction to the food.

Some of the reactions to foods were pain, headache, and gastrointestinal distress. The most common problem-causing foods or ingredients for the patients in this study were corn, wheat, dairy, citrus and sugar.

Annual Meeting of the American College of Nutrition in Orlando, Florida October 2001

[sarka]

Can I know more about the specific diet for treatment of fibromyalgia?

[gabbo]

I don't know about a specific diet myself, but I have read that you should avoid certain foods that contain msg and aspartame. According to Dr. Perricone of the "Perricone prescription", these substances cause a release of a pain neurotransmitter called substance p. Here's a couple good links:

http://www.disabilitysecrets.com/fibro/fibro-what-fibromyalgia-substance-p.html

http://www.vitaminstuff.com/articles/alternativemedicine/articles-alternative-medicine-fibromyalgia-1.html

[Shari]

Right now I'm trying a cleansing diet to get my system back on track. I'm eating raw fruits and veggies for 2 days then going on a juice fast for 3-8 days (depending on how I'm feeling). Then I go back to raw fruits and veggies for 2 days again then on to gradually adding back other foods.

I'll let everyone know how I'm doing on this. I've gained about 85 pounds in 3 years and I'm desperate to get this weight off and start feeling better!!
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I've had fibro. for 3 years now. It was triggered by a childhood virus called 5th disease (aka: slapcheek disease). I'm now trying a cleansing diet to see if it can help with the fatigue and pain.