Guest blog by Michael Fuhrman, D. C.
For reasons that elude me (perhaps it’s because calcium is the most common mineral in the human body), calcium has historically been the primary dietary mineral that has received the most attention in both medical research and the mainstream media. Over the last couple of years however, the mineral magnesium has quickly been the focus of intense scientific study, recently culminating with the latest report that suggests that magnesium may be just as important, if not more so, to children’s bone health than calcium.
While magnesium is the fourth most abundant mineral in the body, it is needed for more than 300 biochemical reactions. It is involved in supporting proper nerve function and a healthy immune system. It helps keep heart rhythm steady and bones strong. Magnesium also helps regulate blood sugar levels, promotes normal blood pressure, and is involved in energy metabolism and protein synthesis. The metabolism of carbohydrates and fats to produce energy (which includes ATP production) requires numerous magnesium-dependent chemical reactions. Magnesium is also required for a number of steps during DNA and RNA synthesis. Glutathione, an important antioxidant, requires magnesium for its production.
Only 1% of magnesium is found in the blood, the rest being bound in the tissues and bones. Therefore the mineral is hard to test for and as a result, magnesium deficiency can be difficult to detect. Symptoms of magnesium deficiency can be varied and potentially fool even the best clinician. Insomnia, irritability, nervousness, fatigue, anorexia, muscle twitching, abnormal heart beat and poor memory are some of the signs. When you take into consideration the myriad functions magnesium performs and the multiple systems the mineral affects, a magnesium deficiency can affect virtually every system of the body. Magnesium deficiency has even been associated with epilepsy and M.S. Additionally, if you look closely at the symptoms of magnesium deficiency and apply some of them to a child, would this not describe symptoms of ADHD? Magnesium deficiency has also been shown to be a predictor of both diabetes and heart disease, providing some direct evidence that greater intake of dietary magnesium may have a long-term protective effect on lowering risk in both conditions or, in the case of its long term, chronic depletion/deficiency, directly participate in the development of both conditions.
In the case of diabetes, it is suggested that insulin resistance can be directly related to long-term magnesium exhaustion while in cardiovascular heath, hypertension and endothelial dysfunction appear to be associated with chronic decline as well.
Finally, several studies have shown an increased cancer rate in regions with low magnesium levels in soil and drinking water (the same for selenium). In Egypt, the cancer rate was only about 10% of that in Europe and America. The main difference was an extremely high magnesium intake of 2.5 to 3g in these cancer-free populations, ten times more than in most western countries.
In the face of magnesium’s incredible importance in human health, it goes without saying that the possible deficiency of this mineral in the clinical setting may need to be more closely scrutinized, as the consequences could be quite impactful.
1. Eliminate all trans-fats and other “man-made” fats such as margarine and shortening.
2. Eat healthy fats, favoring a blend of healthy fats: Cook with coconut oil and butter, use olive oil in salad dressings, and top salads with avocado, nuts, and olives.
3. Eliminate all processed foods from your diet. Just. Eat. Real. Food.
4. Don’t avoid fat. Research shows that people with diets with 30 to 50 percent coming from smart fats have higher androgens and lower body fat.
5. Balance your omega-3 to omega-6 fat intake. Eat fish and pastured meat but limit omega-6 fats by avoiding over-processed vegetable oils (corn, soy, canola, and peanut, etc.).
6. Eat a diet with high-quality protein—organic meat, eggs, and fish will provide the largest nutrient and protein content per calorie.
7. If you find you’re often hungry or suffering from carb cravings when trying to lose fat, stop restricting calories and eat more. Eat plenty of veggies and focus on high-protein, lower carb foods that contain healthy fats to promote satisfaction and fullness.
8. Favor plants over grains. Grains are calorie-dense, low in nutrients, and tend to be harder to digest than vegetables and fruit.
9. Raise resting metabolic rate (the amount of calories the body burns at rest) by eating a higher protein diet with 15 to 35 percent of the diet coming from high-quality protein.
10. Manage your blood sugar by lowering the glycemic load (GL) of high glycemic foods by combining foods. Flavor foods with butter, olive oil, vinegar, lemon, lime, or pair ‘em with pickled foods.
11. Eat an antioxidant-rich diet to reduce inflammation. Inflammation can inhibit fat loss. Try kale, broccoli, cauliflower, bok choy, berries, pomegranates, and cherries.
12. Non-green veggies that are low-carb and nutrient-rich are colored peppers, cauliflower, garlic, onions, mushrooms, hearts of palm, spaghetti squash, and water chestnuts.
13. Avoid alcohol, juice, soda, and sports drinks. Stick to water, tea, and coffee.
14. For a radical approach, eliminate all alcohol. If alcohol can’t be eliminated, Sardinian and Spanish red wines are a good, delicious choice.
15. Make sure your vitamin D level is over 40 ng/ml. If it’s not, take vitamin D or get daily full-body sun exposure.
16. Eat probiotic foods such as kefir, sauerkraut, kim chi, and resistant starch to improve gut health.
17. Make sure your magnesium level is up to par. Magnesium supports insulin health, muscle strength, and sleep. Scientists suggest 500 mg of magnesium a day.
18. Assess your zinc status because it is critical for metabolism and fat loss. Take zinc, but carefully monitor your level because it can be toxic.
19. Don’t buy cheap, poor quality supplements because they will do more harm than good if they are tainted with heavy metals or pollutants.
20. Take a B-vitamin complex, because the Bs are involved in protein metabolism, the use of muscle glycogen, and the elimination of excess hormones such as estrogen that limit fat loss.
21. Drink organic green tea to elevate fat burning and aid in detoxifying the body.
22. Take the amino acid taurine because it lowers the stress hormone cortisol and helps the body digest fat.
23. Optimize your meal frequency based on your age, gender, and lifestyle. Young men tend to lose more fat with fasting, while young women tend to lose fat with frequent meals and steady blood sugar.
24. Fix your gut. Low stomach acid, chronic inflammation in the gut, or bad bacteria all inhibit fat loss. Troubleshoot gut health by eliminating food intolerances, getting probiotics, and optimizing fiber intake.
25. Know that you have complete control over what you put in your mouth. No one ever ate anything by accident.
A vegetable-rich diet can help protect you from arthritis, heart disease, stroke, dementia, cancer, and even slow down your body’s aging process. I almost hesitated to write a top five list as there are so many wonderful vegetables.
Vegetables benefit all of your body’s cells and tissues by infusing them with highly bioavailable nutrients that work synergistically for optimal health. Some of those nutrients even help you adapt to stress, such as the B vitamins and folate, omega-3 fats, magnesium, potassium, and glutathione.
A recent study1 found that people who consume seven or more portions of vegetables and fruit per day have a 42 percent lower risk of dying from all causes, compared to those who eat less than one portion—and vegetables pack the greatest punch.
Not all vegetables are nutritionally equal, however. If you want your vegetables to have the highest nutritional density, take a look at my list of powerhouse fruits and vegetables. Bear in mind that consuming a wide variety of different fruits and vegetables is one of the best ways to maximize your nutritional benefit.
In the July 2014 issue of Forbes2 is an article entitled “7 Best Anti-Aging Anti-Cancer Superfoods for Summer.” Now let’s take a look at my own top five—and why I think they deserve that honor.
1. Tomatoes
The beautifully sweet but brightly acidic flavor of a tomato picked fresh from the garden makes for a tasty treat. But in addition to their vibrancy and flavor, tomatoes—especially organic tomatoes—are packed with nutrition, including a variety of phytochemicals that boast a long list of health benefits.
Tomatoes are an excellent source of lutein, zeaxanthin, and vitamin C (which is most concentrated in the jelly-like substance that surrounds the seeds), as well as vitamins A, E, and the B vitamins, potassium, manganese, and phosphorus. Some lesser-known phytonutrients in tomatoes include:
Flavonols: rutin, kaempferol, and quercetin
Flavonones: naringenin and chalconaringenin
Hydroxycinnamic acids: caffeic acid, ferulic acid, and coumaric acid
Tomatoes are also a particularly concentrated source of lycopene — a carotenoid antioxidant that gives fruits and vegetables like tomatoes and watermelon a pink or red color.
Lycopene’s antioxidant activity has long been suggested to be more powerful than other carotenoids such as beta-carotene, and research suggests it may significantly lower your risk for stroke and cancer.
It’s estimated that 85 percent of dietary lycopene in North Americans comes from tomato products such as tomato juice or tomato paste.3 In addition to lowering your risk for stroke, lycopene from tomatoes (including unsweetened organic tomato sauce) has also been deemed helpful in treating prostate cancer.
If you consume ketchup, choose organic ketchup as it’s been found to contain 57 percent more lycopene than conventional national brands.4 You should always store your tomatoes at room temperature; ideally, only store them in glass to reduce your BPA and phthalate exposure.
It would also be wise to cook any canned or bottled tomatoes as they tend to accumulate methanol very similar to aspartame. However, if you heat the tomatoes, the methanol is highly volatile and will boil away.
2. Avocados
Avocados are nutritional gems, including being rich sources of monounsaturated fat that your body can easily burn for energy. Because they are so rich in healthy fats, avocados help your body absorb fat-soluble nutrients from other foods.
They also provide close to 20 essential health-boosting nutrients, including potassium, vitamin E, B vitamins, and folic acid.
A recent study published in The Journal of Nutrition5 found that consuming a whole fresh avocado with either an orange-colored tomato sauce or raw carrots significantly enhanced your body’s absorption of the carotenoids and conversion of them into an active form of vitamin A.6
The greatest concentration of beneficial carotenoids is in the dark green flesh of the avocado, closest to the peel, so you’re best off peeling your avocado with your hands, like a banana. Avocados have the following additional health benefits:
Reducing excess cholesterol
Reducing inflammation
Combating cancer cells
Protecting your liver
Helping with weight management: According to a recent study, if you are overweight, eating just one-half of a fresh avocado with lunch may satiate you and tamp down excessive snacking
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3. Berries
Berries contain concentrated amounts of the disease-fighting phytochemicals found to boost your immunity, prevent cancer, protect your heart, and prevent seasonal allergies. Berries are lower in sugar than many fruits, so they are less likely to destabilize your insulin levels.
Women who eat more than three servings of blueberries and strawberries per week have been found to enjoy a 32 percent lower risk of heart attack, due to the fruits’ high anthocyanin content.
In particular, blueberries have several known health benefits. They exert positive effects upon your lipid profile, reducing your risk for type 2 diabetes. And because of their bountiful antioxidants, blueberries are one of the best fruits to protect you from premature aging. Blueberries have also been shown to alleviate inflammatory intestinal conditions, such as ulcerative colitis.
Two recent studies reveal even more about how berries can protect you against illness. One study published in the June 2014 issue of Cancer Immunology and Immunotherapy7 identified a compound in black raspberries that suppresses the growth of tumor cells. Another recent study found that strawberries contain a compound called fisetin that may help prevent Alzheimer’s disease and memory loss.8
4. Cucumbers
In spite of their mild favor and high water content (95 percent), cucumbers contain a number of necessary vitamins and minerals, as well as exerting anti-inflammatory properties. They are rich in vitamin B5 (pantothenic acid), fisetin, vitamin C, vitamin K, potassium, magnesium, manganese, silica, and fiber, and can help your body eliminate toxins. Recent studies show that cucumbers also contain powerful lignans that bind with estrogen-related bacteria in the digestive tract to potentially reduce your risk of several cancers, including breast, uterine, ovarian, and prostate.
Other phytonutrients in cucumbers called cucurbitacins—part of a larger group known as triterpenes—strongly inhibit cancer cell development.9 Cucumbers’ anti-inflammatory properties make them useful when applied topically for skin irritations and puffiness, for conditions such as sunburn and puffy eyes. Traditionally, cucumbers have been used to treat headaches and water retention.
5. Greens, Greens, and More Greens!
Consuming a variety of fresh organic greens is one of the absolute best things you can do for your body. Topping the list in terms of nutrient density are watercress (which are really easy to sprout at home), chard, beet greens, and spinach—but adding other gorgeous leafy greens such as lettuce, kale, collards, dandelion leaves, mustard greens, and escarole will just add to your overall nutrient infusion. Greens like spinach and kale are loaded with cancer-fighting antioxidants including beta-carotene, vitamin C, and sulforaphane. Spinach provides folate, which research shows can dramatically improve your short-term memory.
Eating folate rich foods may also lower your risk for heart disease and cancer by slowing down wear and tear on your DNA. Some leafy greens, including collards and spinach, contain vitamin K1, which is good for your veins and arteries. Beet greens are even more nutritious than beet roots, which should be eaten in moderation due to their high natural sugar content. Beet greens are even higher in iron than spinach and strengthen your immune system by stimulating your body’s production of antibodies and white blood cells, while protecting your brain and bones.
Multiply Your Nutrition Times 30 with Sprouting
Sprouts are a superfood that many people overlook, as they offer a concentrated source of nutrition that’s different from eating vegetables in their mature form. Sprouts provide some of the highest quality protein you can eat and can contain up to 30 times the nutrient content of homegrown organic vegetables. Some of the most common sprouts include alfalfa, mung bean, wheatgrass, peas, broccoli, and lentils—but my personal favorites are sunflower and watercress.
You don’t have to be a gardener to enjoy sprouting. Growing sprouts in your kitchen is easy and requires little space and time. But if you ARE a gardener, don’t throw out those extra seedlings when you’re out thinning your broccoli patch—just toss them right into your salad because they’re a nutritional goldmine! Sprouts have the following beneficial attributes:
Support for cell regeneration
Powerful sources of antioxidants, minerals, vitamins, and enzymes that protect against free radical damage
Alkalinizing effect on your body, which is thought to protect against disease, including cancer (as many tumors are acidic)
Abundantly rich in oxygen, which can also help protect against abnormal cell growth, viruses, and bacteria that cannot survive in an oxygen-rich environment
Boost the Nutrient Power of Your Harvest by Juicing and Fermenting
Eating foods that are local and in season will help ensure they are fresh and at peak nutritional value, as well as typically being less expensive. Summer through early fall is a time when you can stock up on your favorites—although they may be SO plentiful that you might not know what to do with them all! I have just the solution: juicing and fermenting. Juicing provides an easy way for you to consume more vegetables in greater variety, in an easily assimilated form. Virtually every health authority recommends you get six to eight servings of vegetables and fruits each day, but very few people actually get that. Juicing is an easy way to reach your daily vegetable goal. Raw juice can be likened to a “living broth,” as it is teeming with micronutrients and good bacteria that many people are lacking.
When you drink fresh-made green juice, it is almost like receiving an intravenous infusion of vitamins, minerals, and enzymes because they go straight into your system without needing to be broken down. Drinking your juice first thing in the morning can give you a natural energy boost without resorting to stimulants like coffee. Since the juice is so easily digested, it can help revitalize your energy levels in as little as 20 minutes. Juicing is also an excellent way to get your vegetables in if you have difficulty digesting fiber.
Fermenting is one of the best ways to turn ordinary vegetables into superfoods. The fermenting process (also known as culturing) produces copious quantities of beneficial microbes that are extremely important for your health, as they help balance your intestinal flora and boost your immunity. When fermenting vegetables, you can either use a starter culture or simply allow the natural enzymes, and good bacteria in and on the vegetables, to do the work. This is called “wild fermentation.”
Personally, I prefer a starter culture, because you have more control over the microbial species and can optimize it to produce higher levels of vitamin K2. For the last two years, we’ve been making two to three gallons of fermented vegetables every week or two in our Chicago office for our staff to enjoy. We use a starter culture of the same probiotic strains that we sell in our store as a supplement, which has been researched by our team to produce about 10 times the amount of vitamin K2 as any other starter culture.
Tips for Selecting the Best Vegetables
Generally speaking, the more vibrantly colorful the vegetable, the more nutritious it will be. I strongly advise you to avoid wilted vegetables because they lose much of their nutritional value. It is wise to eat a variety of dark green leafy vegetables, plus other vividly colored veggies (purple, red, yellow, and orange) to ensure you receive a broad range of those powerful plant nutrients. The following infographic demonstrates how the color of your veggies can give you a clue about which nutrients they provide. For an extensive review of the health benefits of vegetables, please explore our Mercola Food Facts Library.
Food for Thought
The bounty of harvest provides a perfect opportunity for you to get more fresh fruits and vegetables into your diet, and perhaps try a few you haven’t tried before. The more variety you consume—especially local and seasonal—the higher their nutritional quality will be and the more you will benefit.
My top five vegetable superfoods are tomatoes, avocados, berries, cucumbers, and leafy greens (with watercress, collard greens, kale, and spinach topping the list). You can enrich your diet even further by adding juicing, sprouting, and fermenting to your dietary routine. Keep in mind that your goal is to consume the widest possible variety of fresh, organic vegetables and fruits to ensure the broadest complement of phytonutrients, which is the ultimate way to feed your body—and take control of your health.
For more than half a century, the conventional wisdom among nutritionists and public health officials was that fat is dietary enemy number one – the leading cause of obesity and heart disease.
It appears the wisdom was off. And not just off. Almost entirely backward.
According to a new study from the National Institutes of Health, a diet that reduces carbohydrates in favor of fat – including the saturated fat in meat and butter – improves nearly every health measurement, from reducing our waistlines to keeping our arteries clear, more than the low-fat diets that have been recommended for generations. “The medical establishment got it wrong,” says cardiologist Dennis Goodman, director of Integrative Medicine at New York Medical Associates. “The belief system didn’t pan out.”
It’s not the conclusion you would expect given the NIH study’s parameters. Lead researcher Lydia Bazanno, of the Tulane University School of Public Health, pitted this high-fat, low-carb diet against a fat-restricted regimen prescribed by the National Cholesterol Education Program. “We told both groups to get carbs from green, leafy vegetables, because those are high in nutrients and fiber to keep you sated,” says Bazanno. “We also told everyone to stay away from trans fats.” The fat-restricted group continued to eat carbs, including bread and cereals, while keeping saturated fat – common in animal products – below 7 percent of total calories. By contrast, the high-fat group cut carbs in half and did not avoid butter, meat, and cheese. Most important, both groups ate as much as they wanted – no calorie counting, no going hungry.
One year later, the high-fat, low-carb group had lost three times as much weight – 12 pounds compared with four – and that weight loss came from body fat, while the low-fat group lost muscle. Even more persuasive were the results of blood tests meant to measure the risk of heart disease and diabetes. The high-fat group, despite eating nearly twice as much saturated fat, still saw greater improvements in LDL cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, and triglycerides. This was enough to improve their scores on the Framingham Risk Calculator, a tool for predicting 10-year risk of heart attack. The low-fat group, by contrast, saw no improvement on their Framingham scores. “I think the explanation lies in how the low-fat dieters filled the hole left by fat – they just ate more carbs,” says Bazanno.
How a fatty pork chop can trump pasta begins with the fact that our bodies don’t process calories from fat, protein, and carbohydrates in the same way. “When we eat carbs, they break down into sugar in the blood; that’s true of whole grains, too, though to a lesser extent,” says Jeff Volek, a leading low-carb researcher at Ohio State University. The body responds with the hormone insulin, which converts the extra blood sugar into fatty acids stored in the body fat around our middles. Our blood sugar then falls, and that body fat releases the fatty acids to burn as fuel. But carb-heavy diets keep insulin so high that those fatty acids aren’t released, Volek says. The body continues to shuttle sugar into our fat cells – packing on the pounds – but we never burn it. Dietary fat, meanwhile, is the only macronutrient that has no effect on insulin or blood sugar. “This means it’s likely excessive carbs, not fat, that plump us up,” he adds. Low-carb diets stop that vicious cycle, keeping insulin levels low enough to force the body to burn fat again.
But isn’t too much saturated fat bad for your heart? “The evidence for that has really disintegrated,” says Dr. Eric Westman, a bariatric physician and director of the Duke Lifestyle Medicine Clinic. It is true that saturated fat can raise cholesterol. But as we know, there is good cholesterol and bad cholesterol. And it turns out that a diet rich in saturated fat increases the former while decreasing the latter. Carbs, on the other hand, do exactly the opposite. In fact, a new Annals of Internal Medicine review of 72 studies and hundreds of thousands of subjects found no strong evidence that saturated fat causes heart disease.
The NIH report actually adds to research that’s been accumulating for years. “It’s something like the 25th clinical trial in the last 15 years to come out saying this, with almost none going the other way,” says Westman.
High-fat diets have been slow to catch on mostly because of two long-held theories. The first is the calorie-counting theory of weight gain, which came about in the 1950s. “It looks at the human body as a mathematical counting machine,” says Gary Taubes, author of Why We Get Fat: And What to Do About It. “Fat has more calories per gram than carbs or protein, so eating fat must make you fatter. It’s a naive view of human physiology.” The second idea, the lipid hypothesis, blamed saturated fat for clogging arteries. This notion emerged from vast population studies in the 1970s that found loose correlations between fat consumption, total cholesterol, and heart disease. Just because two things occur together, however, does not mean that one causes the other. But the lipid hypothesis became so popular at the USDA and the American Heart Association that, says Westman, “there was no money to fund research into anything other than low-fat, low-calorie diets for 20 years.”
The AHA now acknowledges that refined carbs like flour and sugar threaten your waistline and your cardiovascular health. “We no longer think low-fat diets are the answer,” says Dr. Linda Van Horn of the AHA Nutrition Committee. But, she says, the AHA still recommends keeping saturated fat below 6 percent of total daily calories, or half what the low-carb dieters consumed in the NIH study. “There just haven’t been any controlled clinical trials yet showing us how much saturated fat is safe,” says Van Horn.
There also haven’t been low-carb clinical trials running long enough to reach “hard end points” – heart attack, stroke, or death. That means no one can say with certainty that a high-fat diet will make you live longer. That might be why so few doctors recommend them. Goodman cites another possible reason: “The idea that fat kills got so ingrained, it became folklore. Your mother told you, your grandmother told you. It’s going to take years to get people to believe that was wrong,” he says. “We’re in a transition, and on the cutting edge. It may take a while, but you’ll see new guidelines.”
This summer LeBron James slimmed down, losing some 15 pounds to ready himself for the upcoming season. His secret? Cutting carbs. The approach is nothing new: Two years ago, Dr. Cate Shanahan helped the Los Angeles Lakers switch from high-carb to low-carb and become so-called fat-burners, meaning that their bodies burns fat as a primary fuel, instead of carbohydrate. It’s a fast way to lose weight while keeping muscle, a move that can help prevent injuries and boost energy reserves for players — and everyone else.
The Guiding Principles 1. 50/30/20: Aim to get 50 percent of your calories from healthy fats, 30 percent from protein, and 20 percent from healthy carbohydrates, ideally whole fruits and vegetables.
2. Embrace healthy fats: Going low carb means going high fat, and that means knowing the bad fats from the good. On the bad side, the only true villain is trans-fat, which sometimes appears on ingredient labels as “hydrogenated” or “partially-hydrogenated” oil, and which hides in a lot more processed food than you’d think, including most commercial salad dressings containing Canola and other vegetable oils (for a list of offending oils, check out Dr. Shanahan’s website). On the good side, walnuts, almonds, avocados, olive oil, and fatty fish like salmon and sardines are the superstars. But don’t be afraid of saturated fats from whole food sources like poultry, butter, and meat, especially grass-pastured. Numerous major studies have failed to find any link between saturated fat consumption and heart disease. Plus, says Shanahan, “Our bodies need these fats to help with nutrient absorption.”
3. Don’t snack: “A lot of people have been told you’ve got to suppress appetite by having frequent small meals throughout the day. But this keeps your insulin levels elevated, interfering with your switch to fat-burning.” Don’t starve yourself, but skip those hourly handfuls of almonds.
Four Weeks to LeBron Lean Week One:Zero Carb Breakfast. For the first week, don’t worry about changing your lunch and dinner habits. Just make breakfast a zero-carb meal — as in, two eggs scrambled in extra-virgin olive oil, topped with avocado. Or cold leftover chicken. You’ll feel the difference immediately, in steady energy throughout the morning.
Week Two: Pack Lunch. When Dr. Shanahan says baby steps, she means baby steps. Before you worry about what goes into lunch, just get into the habit of packing lunch at home and bringing it with you to work. Mid-day restaurant and cafeteria meals are too often jumbo-sized and loaded with carbs and trans-fats. Week Three: Low-Carb Your Lunch. Salad with chicken, tuna, steak, or even a hardboiled egg, plus copious walnuts, avocado, extra-virgin olive oil.
Week Four: Low-Carb Your Dinner. You’ve always wanted to eat this way: roasted, pan-seared, or grilled lamb/chicken/steak/fish, with copious sauce; heaping helping of vegetables or salad, maybe some cheese; fresh fruit dessert; but skip the rice/bread/pasta/chips.
For decades the recommended daily amount of vitamin D for an adult was set at 400 IU. Doctors and nutritionists were taught that this level was enough for good health.
Then researchers all across the globe started reporting widespread deficiency of the sunshine vitamin, vitamin D. Physician conferences started focusing on the effects of this vitamin on health, bringing much revelation to the old thought that vitamin D was only important to prevent rickets.
Vitamin D Deficiency is Clearly Related to Pain One of the findings about vitamin D actually pertains to the amount of pain in the body that people have when there’s a deficiency. This pain is in the muscles and in the bones.
One study, performed in Iran at the Department of Medicine, Division of Rheumatology, at Rouhani Hospital at the Babol University of Medical Sciences, evaluated 276 patients who had pain in different parts of their body – in their legs, joints, ribs, back, pain everywhere and fibromyalgia for their vitamin D status.
They compared the results of these patients with 202 patients without the pain, but with similar vitamin D levels.
What Level of Vitamin D is Considered Deficient? The doctors considered a level of vitamin D less than 20 ng/ml deficient. The “normal” range seen on blood tests from the laboratory is 30 to 100 ng/ml here in the United States.
Researchers discovered that when someone had pain in their legs, ribs, joints or everywhere, they usually also had a vitamin D deficiency.
In fact, the two types of pain that were highly correlated to a vitamin D deficiency were leg pain and joint pain, such as arthritis. They also found that women had a greater correlation of pain with a vitamin D deficiency. (Source: Int J Rheum Dis 2010 Oct;13(4).)
What this study means to you is to get your vitamin D levels checked, and if they’re low, raising them could significantly lessen your pain levels. You could be a lot happier with less pain, right?
Does Age or Type of Disease Affect Vitamin D Levels? Another study that appeared in a medical journal called Clinical Rheumatology discussed what the correlation was between vitamin D and pain in the joints in 231 patients at the Arthritis and Osteoporosis Center at the South Infirmary-Victoria University Hospital in Ireland.
This time the doctors wanted to see if age or diagnosis affected probability of having low vitamin D levels.
Different Standards for Determining Deficiency Interestingly, these doctors considered a vitamin D deficiency of less than or equal to 53 ng/ml. This level actually makes more sense since you should never be at the bottom of any ranges for vitamins and minerals.
Over Two-Thirds of Them Were Deficient The researchers discovered that 70% of the patients had a deficiency, and 26% had a severe deficiency (defined as less than 25 ng/ml). The patients who had rheumatoid arthritis were deficient 77% of the time.
Those with connective tissue diseases or inflammatory joint disease were deficient 69% of the time, and those with osteoarthritis 62% of the time. If patients had bone or muscle/joint pain in their back or osteoporosis, the deficiency rate was at 75% and 71% respectively.
Age Didn’t Really Matter They also discovered that age affected vitamin D status. You might think that if someone is young, they have more opportunity to go out in the sunshine more often and thus, should have higher levels of vitamin D.
Well, the research revealed that 65% of patients who were 65 or older and 78% of those who were 30 years old or less were deficient in vitamin D. (Source: Clin Rheumatol, 2011 June; 30(6).)
This gives us the clue that really, anyone can be deficient. Get your levels tested soon and take any appropriate actions right away. And do hold yourself to the higher standards of vitamin A deficiency levels as in Ireland. Don’t just get by when it comes to your vitamin D levels. Your bones and joints will appreciate you all the more when you do!
Source:
healthhotsolution.com
How nutrition, exercise, and lifestyle strategies can help alleviate the pain
Millions of people (including a staggering 3.4% of adult women) struggle with fibromyalgia, a pain disorder once dismissed as a made-up problem. The good news: Doctors now treat fibromyalgia as real. We know more about it. And it’s easier than ever to feel better. The bad news: As with any fledgling market, everyone wants to sell you a quick fix.
With help from trusted trainers and coaches, you can get real answers, begin developing new lifestyle strategies today, and start feeling better tomorrow.
[Note: We’ve also prepared an audio recording of this article for you to listen to. So, if you’d rather listen to the piece, click here.]
Quick reference: What to know
Fibromyalgia (FMS) is a complex health condition. While doctors and researchers are learning more about it and taking it more seriously, there’s a lot we still don’t know. While you may not be able to completely “cure” FMS, there are many things you can do to reduce or even alleviate some of the symptoms. This includes nutrition, exercise, mindset, and other lifestyle adjustments. There’s a lot of information here, so don’t try to deal with it all at once. Scroll down to the end of this article for a simple “get started” plan that you can begin immediately.
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Achey, tired, and sluggish… what gives?
Maybe you haven’t been sleeping so well lately. You squeeze your eyes closed and beg to drift off, but you just can’t seem to stop squirming.
The exhaustion is causing these annoying headaches, and you have to admit you’ve been kind of depressed about it for a while now.
Your body suddenly feels… old. It’s hard to make it to your workouts when you’re so tired and out of sorts.
It’s just a phase, right?
Maybe. But it could be fibromyalgia.
I know what you’re thinking: Seriously? Come on, I don’t have some maybe-disease, I’m just a little off lately. Is fibromyalgia even real, anyway?
You’re not alone.
Since fibromyalgia is poorly understood even in the medical community, people often write it off as a fake problem that keeps doctors’ and pharmaceutical companies’ checks rolling in.
But the truth is that this disorder, characterized by persistent, all-over pain and sensitivity combined with more commonplace (but miserable) ailments like headache, anemia and arthritis, is real and quite prevalent: 5 million U.S. adults suffer from fibromyalgia according to a 2005 estimate, the most recent available.
Thankfully, we are learning more about solutions.
If you have fibromyalgia — or think you may have it, or serve as a fitness coach to someone who has it — there are lifestyle strategies you can try today to start feeling better almost immediately.
Pain with no purpose
What exactly is fibromyalgia, anyway?
“Myalgia”, from the ancient Greek roots myo, or muscle, and algos, or pain, simply refers to nonspecific muscle pain.
Fibromyalgia syndrome, or FMS, is a collection of symptoms that may or may not include:
headache
poor sleep
depression
painful menstrual periods
overactive bladder
irritable bowel
arthritis
anemia
stiffness
restless legs
And — ugh — that’s just to name a few.
But there is one commonality among FMS sufferers, and that is pain.
The pain of FMS is widespread throughout the body, and it’s constant.
Unlike acute pain, which tells you that something needs immediate attention (like, you stepped on a nail or need your appendix removed), the chronic pain of FMS doesn’t seem to have a clear purpose. It doesn’t seem to signal any actual damage.
And though FMS has been studied for decades (in fact, similar conditions are noted in fairly old medical texts), there’s still no consensus about its cause.
Some theorize that those with FMS might have a lower threshold for pain due to certain changes in nerve cells, which would make it purely a physical problem. Others believe FMS could be a psychosomatic disorder.
In addition, pain itself is a highly subjective experience. Some folks seem to feel it more than others, or we may feel pain more in certain situations (such as when we feel emotionally stressed or socially isolated), but we’re not completely sure why.
So, yeah. We’re pretty far from fully getting it.
Unfortunately, not knowing what causes FMS means that, at this point, there’s no cure.
Pinpointing the problem
Many of the symptoms of FMS overlap with other problems and disorders, so trying to find the right diagnosis can be a confusing game of “chicken and egg”.
For example, sleep can affect pain and other things like energy levels.
If we don’t sleep well, our body chemistry changes. Inflammation can go up. Metabolism can be disrupted. Our hormones can go out of whack.
We end up feeling crummy – perhaps achey, low energy, plus other nagging complaints from the list above.
So is it just lack of sleep? Or is it FMS? (And what if FMS is causing the poor sleep… which makes things worse… and so on?)
To address this challenge, the American College of Rheumatology recently released revised diagnostic criteria for FMS.
Whereas previously doctors diagnosed FMS based on an examination of specific (and rather limited) tender points on the body, the new set of criteria offers a broad-based severity scale: If a doc pushes on 18 of the designated points, and someone has pain in at least 11 of them, they might have FMS. The revised recommendations also account for accompanying symptoms (like fatigue).
With ever-changing diagnostic criteria, it’s hard to pin down how many people suffer from FMS.
But current data estimate that 0.7% to 3.3% of adults have FMS globally, with 2% to 7% of populations in developed countries fitting the diagnostic criteria. Adult women are affected with FMS up to seven times more than men. In children, gender distribution appears equal.
Searching for reasons
As with any health problem that’s not fully understood, there’s lots of speculation about what causes FMS.
This is a pretty complicated list, and obviously it’s still a work in progress.
In general, though, the basic idea is that there’s probably something (likely several somethings) that affects our physical and psychological perceptions of pain.
Some of these theories include:
Bodily tissues’ inability to produce energy: Cells might be metabolically “shut down,” leading to muscle pain and symptoms of fatigue.
Central nervous system abnormalities: Congenital malformations of the brain may disrupt the blood-brain barrier, potentially changing how the brain functions and responds to pain. In this case, viruses, stress, cell signal problems, pharmaceuticals, and nutrient deficiencies might act as triggers.
Altered sensory response in the brain: Some brain areas that process pain may be over-active, sounding the alarm without a legitimate threat.
Sleep deficiency: Short or poor-quality sleep can change hormone levels and immune function, increasing pain.
Inflammatory-pathway abnormalities: Cytokines, compounds that regulate how our immune system responds to inflammation, may be out of whack, causing a trigger-happy immune response to your body’s own cells.
Too much stress: Allostatic load, or all of the stuff in your life that causes stress (workouts, kids, relationships, job, and so forth) might increase our pain perception.
Poor gut health: An imbalance of gastrointestinal bacteria (caused by an unhealthy diet or food intolerances) can lead to or worsen FMS symptoms including pain, fatigue and stress.
Use of antibiotics: There has been speculation that using antibiotics (or at least certain types at certain times) might contribute to the development of FMS by throwing gut bacteria off balance.
Hormone imbalances: Hormones — particularly from the thyroid — that are disrupted may cause hypersensitivity in the central nervous system, leading to the pain of FMS.
Pain-perception disorder: There may be an overproduction of pain-generating substances after injury (or even intense exercise).
Nutritional deficiency or toxicity: Pain may be triggered by deficiencies of B vitamins, vitamin C, and iron. And high levels of oxidative stress might play a role in the development of FMS (making dietary antioxidants important). Also, it might be worthwhile to check for candida overgrowth — excessive levels of yeast in the gut caused by corticosteroid use, eating too many refined carbohydrates, or taking antibiotics.
Breathing disorders: Altered breathing (caused by problems like asthma and allergies) might cause an oxygen deficit, throwing blood gases out of balance. This could mess with the brain’s processing of messages from pain receptors, leading to an FMS flare-up.
Infection: Getting sick (for example, with a virus) might initially trigger FMS.
A traumatic event: Adults with FMS report higher rates of childhood distress (e.g., maltreatment and abuse). Trauma might lead to FMS by causing endocrine disturbances or changes in the inflammatory system.
Where you live: Adults in the United States may be more than twice as likely to develop FMS compared to the global average. In China, for example, incidence of FMS is minimal, perhaps because of genetic differences or sociocultural norms that affect the perception and acceptance of pain.
Unlike, say, smallpox or lead poisoning, where we can clearly blame a specific disease on a particular, clearly recognizable pathogen or toxin, we don’t yet have a smoking gun for FMS.
FMS is probably the result of several factors, many of which are hard to measure or trace.
New ways to treat FMS
Years ago, people with FMS suffered in silence and/or shame.
They were often dismissed by doctors. Confused by symptoms that seemed vague, inconsistent, and puzzling. Labeled crazy, hypochondriac, whiny, neurotic or “hysterical” (a very common catchall “diagnosis” for diseases that preferentially affect women).
They might have been prescribed tranquilizers and sedatives, opioid painkillers, muscle relaxants, anti-depressants, anti-inflammatories, hormonal birth control, and a host of other medications that rarely addressed the underlying problem.
Nowadays, even with modern understandings of FMS, the condition still disrupts people’s routines, wellbeing, and lives.
Many sufferers end up quitting the gym, ditching dinner plans, skipping holidays, and otherwise curtailing many of the activities that they enjoy. Now they’re not only in pain, they feel miserable and isolated too.
And health care providers are struggling to help. Given that most drugs to date have been ineffective, and the ones that were previously prescribed can have nasty side effects, doctors are increasingly recommending lifestyle solutions to help their FMS patients.
In fact, with the right holistic treatment plan, many people with FMS can reduce or eliminate their symptoms.
There is hope.
You, your support team, and life after fibromyalgia
Although there is a lot we still don’t know about FMS, there are steps that you can take — starting today — to potentially improve, or even get rid of, some FMS symptoms.
You, your doctor, your fitness trainer and nutrition coach can work together to improve your quality of life.
But first — keep it simple.
We’re giving lots of recommendations here. And we know that can be overwhelming, especially when you’re already dealing with the psychological and physical load of a chronic illness. (And since one of the symptoms of FMS can be “brain fog”.)
So take it slow. One thing at a time.
We’ll explain how, below.
And reach out for help. A coach or health care provider can help you organize your treatment steps into a clear, simple, do-able plan. You don’t have to do this all yourself — in fact, you probably shouldn’t try.
Awareness
This is something you can tackle all by yourself, immediately.
Get to know your own body and the ebb and flow of your health.
Grab a notepad, or set up a little diary app on your smartphone, or use any other tool you like that will help you record your daily physical, mental, and emotional fluctuations as well as any factors that seem relevant.
Book a few minutes every day to check in.
Start to observe, like a detective or a scientist. And record.
Here are some things you can track. Symptoms: What’s happening today? Capture as much as you notice, even stuff that might not seem relevant right away (e.g. bowel habits, skin rashes, whether your hair or nails seem brittle, etc.). Pain: On a scale of 1-10, with 1 being no pain and 10 being the most horrible pain you can imagine, how is your pain today? Where is it? What is the quality of it — achey, burning or stinging, sharp, diffuse, etc.? Does it move around or settle in a particular area? Sleep: How many hours? Did you have trouble drifting off, or wake up often? Etc. Digestion: How does food feel in your body? Do you have stomach upset, digestive problems, etc.? Mood and cognition: Are you feeling mentally sharp or dull today? How would you describe your mood or emotional state? Are you having trouble remembering things, or is recall coming easily? What’s your overall outlook on life today? Etc. Energy levels: What’s your energy like today? Do you have bursts and then crashes over the course of the day? Or is it a more constant low or high (e.g. “good days” and “bad days”)? Do you notice yourself affected by things like the weather or light? Etc. Food and appetite: What did you eat today? Did you notice that anything seemed to affect you? Are you hungry? Exercise and movement: How did you move your body today? How did that feel? Did you struggle to recover or have more sustained energy afterwards? Etc. Menstrual cycles: If you normally menstruate, how are your cycles? Where are you at in your cycle today? If you’re perimenopausal or menopausal, do you notice any hormone-like symptoms (e.g. bloating, cravings, etc.) without actually getting a period? Etc. Other life demands and stressors: What was work like today? How are things with your family? Finances? Etc.
First, just get to know how your unique body responds, and how things might change (or not) over hours, days, weeks, and months.
Second, start to look for patterns. Can you notice regular ebbs and flows, or things that might seem to go together (e.g. “When X happens, my pain is worse” or “Eating Y seems to make it flare up”)?
Exercise
Exercise is powerful medicine, but like all medicines you have to get the right type and dosage.
If you’re dealing with FMS, your recovery ability is probably lower.
That means no “beast mode”, no Ironman triathlons, no “pump till you puke” workouts. (Your body will probably kibosh that stuff pretty quickly anyway.)
And you’ll want to avoid anything that “amps you up”, stresses you mentally, and/or activates your “fight-flight” sympathetic nervous system.
Your goal here is happy, easy, relaxed movement that gets the juices flowing, calms the stress response rather than activating it, and makes you feel good, without overly depleting your limited reserves.
For instance:
Moderate aerobic exercise has been shown to alleviate anxiety, depression, poor pain tolerance, poor sleep, elevated inflammation, and decreased mood in FMS patients.
According to one study, progressive exercise three times per week in a support-group setting increased strength and function while decreasing pain and fatigue.
Qigong, yoga, stretching, tai chi, and meditation appear to address FMS by promoting muscle relaxation and deep breathing.
Some guidelines:
Start slow.
Avoid increasing exercise volume by more than 10% in one day.
When possible, go for lower-impact exercise (water workouts, cycling, walking, yoga, bodyweight resistance work).
Prioritize aerobic capacity, focusing your efforts at one or two steps above “easy.”
Take one day off for recovery between the more intense structured workouts.
After a month of consistent aerobic work, start to build in strength training.
Here are some ideas for distributing your weekly exercise patterns.
Try this simple regimen that alternates days:
Or, mix it up a bit: Monday: 5-10 minutes warm-up, 20-30 minutes aerobic work Tuesday: 60 minutes gentle yoga Wednesday: 5-10 minutes warm-up, 20-30 minutes strength work Thursday: Normal everyday activities Friday: 5-10 minutes warm-up, 20-30 minutes aerobic work Saturday: 5-10 minutes warm-up, 20-30 minutes strength work Sunday: Normal everyday activities
Be prepared to nix any part of a session if you’re having an FMS flare-up or when your stress level is unusually high. Don’t try to be a hero.
Nutrition
Though we don’t know exactly what causes FMS, we do know that being overweight increases your risk.
Compounds secreted by body fat may cause inflammation — a potential FMS trigger. In one study, women who were overweight or obese were up to 70% more likely to develop the disorder than those with a body mass index in the normal range.
Of course, regardless of weight, making healthy choices is always a good idea.
Start with how you eat: thoughtfully, mindfully, slowly, and in response to real physiological hunger (here’s how to distinguish between real, physical hunger and emotional hunger).
And track any ups and downs in hunger and appetite in your awareness journal.
Then:
Prioritize whole foods: Processed ones contain too many needless sugars, fats and additives.
Eat plenty of plants: More plants in the diet means more antioxidants. And more antioxidants might mean less pain (in fact, some research indicates that a vegan diet may offer short-term benefits to FMS victims).
Drink water and tea: Try to avoid juices and sodas, which increase your sugar intake.
Avoid caffeine and tobacco: These are associated with sleep problems and increased pain in FMS sufferers, respectively.
Limit alcohol: In a recent study, FMS patients who were moderate drinkers (consuming 3-7 drinks per week) experienced less pain that heavy or non-drinkers.
Eliminate food allergens and intolerances: Obvious, right? But it might be worthwhile to get a work-up (ALCAT’s a good one) and find out if you have sensitivities you weren’t aware of. Common culprits include wheat, dairy, sugar, caffeine, aspartame, alcohol, and chocolate.
Beware excitotoxins: These are amino acids and brain-stimulating neurotransmitters found in MSG, aspartame and protein-dense foods that may worsen FMS pain, perhaps by increasing cerebrospinal fluid (the stuff in your brain and spine). In certain case studies, eliminating excitotoxins alleviated FMS symptoms, especially in folks who are particularly sensitive to these chemicals.
Don’t overdo sugar: When added sugars make up more than 10% of your total calorie intake, you might experience candida overgrowth (see above).
Supplements
Certain nutrients may help fight the symptoms of FMS. When possible, try getting them from food first.
If you choose to supplement:
Pick reputable brands, and introduce supplements one at a time.
Always check for interactions with other supplements and medications first.
Here are some options that you may consider.
Probiotics/prebiotics: These bacteria boost the health of your gut, which can influence your whole body. Sources: sauerkraut, kimchi, miso, yogurt, kefir.
Ribose: This simple sugar is involved in energy production, potentially improving problems related to fatigue and sleep. Sources: milk, cheese.
Magnesium: This mineral seems to be low in some folks with FMS; getting enough might help relieve muscle spasms and cramping. Sources: almonds, spinach, cashews, peanuts, beans.
Melatonin: It’s the hormone we produce to make us sleepy; supplementing might help promote natural sleep cycles.
CoQ10: Coenzyme Q10 acts as an antioxidant and may offset dysfunction of mitochondria (cell parts responsible for energy production) noticed in FMS patients. Sources: fish, liver, whole grains.
SAMe: Taking supplements of this naturally-occurring bodily chemical might help with mood and sleep.
Quercetin: This powerful antioxidant might fight FMS symptoms by tamping down on inflammation. Sources: citrus fruits, apples, onions, parsley, tea.
5-HTP: The body converts this naturally-occurring neurotransmitter into serotonin, a hormone that helps regulate mood, appetite, and sleep. Supplements may improve related FMS symptoms.
Carnosine, BCAAs, creatine: These body compounds might help with muscle energy production. Sources: beef, chicken, pork.
Acetyl-L-carnitine: A synthesized amino acid derivative, ALCAR might assist in mitochondrial function.
Turmeric: This delicious spice — found on its own or as an ingredient in curry — might help buffer inflammation.
Ashwaghanda: An exotic herb available in pill form, it may help improve sleep and anxiety.
Capsaicin/capsicum: Ingested or used topically, this compound that gives many spicy foods their kick might help decrease pain. Sources: chili peppers.
Iodine: Deficiency in this mineral may lead to chronic fatigue. Sources: seaweed, scallops, cod.
Zinc: Not getting enough can lead to low immunity and brain fog. Sources: Oysters, cereal, veal.
Iron: Low levels of this nutrient, necessary for delivering oxygen throughout the body, is associated with significantly elevated risk of FMS. Sources: egg yolk, liver, dried beans, dried fruit.
Vitamin D: Low levels of D — only available via fortified foods, supplements and natural sunlight, are common in FMS patients. In a 2014 study, vitamin D supplements significantly decreased FMS pain.
Selenium: One study noted low levels of this mineral in FMS sufferers. Sources: tuna, shrimp, sardines, salmon.
Vitamin B1: Deficiency of this vitamin — needed for energy production and brain function– is associated with poor memory, fatigue, irritability and sleep disturbance. Sources: beef liver, pork, egg, legumes, nuts, seeds.
Essential fatty acids: Making sure you get enough, perhaps through supplements, may help with FMS-related nerve pain. Sources: flaxseed, chia seeds, salmon.
This is, obviously, a long and complex list. Consider getting guidance from a qualified naturopath or nutrition coach who can help you assess your needs, and put together an appropriate plan.
Bodywork and therapeutic touch
Whether you’re healthy or well, these therapies feel amazing, but there’s evidence they can really help FMS patients.
There’s a saying among body workers: “Mechanoreception inhibits nocioception.”
Catchy, right?
In English, it means that therapeutic touch can alleviate pain by competing for the same nerve signals, sort of like jamming up a highway with cars.
Effective bodywork may include:
trigger point therapy
craniosacral therapy
hydrotherapy
foam rolling
dry needling
biofeedback
acupuncture
chiropractic
massage
Keep it gentle; if bodywork is too intense, it’ll work against your anti-pain efforts.
Again, keep track of what interventions seem to improve your symptoms.
Keeping stress to a minimum can go a long way toward reducing FMS hell by helping improve your mood and sleep habits. Decreasing stress and developing effective ways of coping may help build resilience in the body.
A couple tips:
When you rest, really rest: Hint! TV and books require energy. That’s work, not resting.
Try yoga and breathing: These can take FMS sufferers to a tranquil state, perhaps by delivering oxygen to the tissues and relieving fatigue.
That’s the warmup. Here’s the real game: Chronic illness often forces us to re-evaluate our relationship to stress and life demands.
Obviously, life happens. We can’t control all of our circumstances or stressors — a sick child, a nasty boss, etc.
However, we do have control over many other stressors, and we also have control over how we respond.
For instance:
We may take an unflinching assessment of all our expectations, commitments, and responsibilities, and decide to let go of some of them.
We may opt for work, family, and/or school arrangements that help us get more recovery time or assistance with daily-life tasks.
We may choose to be compassionate rather than critical with ourselves.
We may practice mindfulness and relaxation techniques to help regulate and calm ourselves when the poop hits the fan.
Social support
We’re social beings. And pain isn’t just an individual experience; it’s a social one too.
Social isolation and loneliness can make us sicker, feel more stressed, and die sooner. This is especially poignant for chronic illness sufferers, who may already feel alone or unsupported (or have trouble asking for help).
Conversely, there’s evidence that when we have a happy, healthy and thriving social support network and relationships, it can help decrease pain, inflammation, and stress. And of course, this can also cut down our isolation.
Research on emotional attunement shows that when someone we love and feel connected to is close to us or touching us (such as holding our hand), it can actually decrease our perception of pain. (Apparently kissing the boo-boo really does work.)
And luckily, even if you don’t have close friends and family nearby, the same holds true for regularly being around animals. Consider Fido or Fluffy part of your health care plan.
What you can do
There’s a lot of information here. This can seem pretty overwhelming, especially if you’re already dealing with the mental, emotional, physical, and other demands of a chronic health problem.
So take a deep breath.
And start slowly and simply.
What you can do right now
Start to build awareness. Take notes on how you feel and what you notice, every day. Learn how FMS lives in your body, and over time, look for patterns.
Think about who you can recruit for your health care and support team. Whether it’s your doctor, a naturopath, your personal trainer or nutrition coach, family members, friends, etc. — look for allies, supporters, and helpers. Don’t suffer alone.
Ask for help. Even if it’s something small and simple, like someone else picking up a few groceries for you, or letting you have some quiet time for a nap.
Decide to be kind to yourself. Illness is not a moral failure or a sign of weakness. Choose to be gentle and compassionate with yourself.
What you can work towards, gradually
Go see your doctor: If you suspect FMS, or have already been diagnosed but want to explore some new treatment options, go see your doc and ask tons of questions. Your M.D. is doubtless a skilled, experienced, caring professional, but no one can advocate for your best interest better than you.
Talk to your coaches: Complex health problems like FMS require extreme care, and what you eat and how you move your body are at the front lines of your battle against the pain. Enlist your personal trainer and nutrition coach to help you develop an anti-FMS plan that works for you, then revise together as you go. And if you don’t have these coaches yet, consider hiring some! Life’s too short to feel terrible.
Start a simple workout routine: Getting back into an exercise groove can seem daunting when you’re feeling gross, and especially if you’ve been sedentary of late. Start slow with an easy alternating-days regimen of light cardio (see above for a sample schedule).
Cut down foods that actively subtract health: I know I offered a lot of tips for proper diet, but one tip rises above the rest for me: eliminating toxins. Putting unhealthy “food” in your body can have countless negative consequences– both known and unknown. Clean up your plate, prioritize whole foods, and the rest will fall into place a lot easier than you think.
Get serious about recovery and replenishment: Don’t try to muscle through or be a martyr. Recognize that this health condition requires you to actively “fill your tank”. That may mean offloading some responsibilities, commitments, or life demands. Or purposely scheduling additional recovery activities rather than waiting to someday “have the time” for them.
Go get a massage: Hey, you deserve it. We all do.
Do more of the good stuff: Use your awareness journal to look for “bright spots” as well as problems. Notice especially what seems to make you feel better, even just a little bit, and build a bank of “success strategies”.
Yep, we know… the health and fitness world can sometimes be a confusing place. But it doesn’t have to be.
Let us help you make sense of it all with this free special report.
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References
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