Fibromyalgia is a common condition characterized by long-term, body-wide pain and tender points in joints, muscles, tendons, and other soft tissues. Fibromyalgia has also been linked to fatigue, morning stiffness, sleep problems, headaches, numbness in hands and feet, depression, and anxiety.

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

Are You Toxic?

I have been researching information regarding toxicity of the body and I finally found a link to fibromyalgia, diabetes, chronic fatigue syndrome, and many other illnesses.

What really got me going was when my neighbor told me she just discovered she has Type 2 diabetes.  She is the 2nd person in 2 years that I know very well that have been diagnosed with this disease. 
I am also finding more and more people who suffer from fibromyalgia.  It's like an epidemic out there!

Something that makes very much sense to me is that our systems are full of preservatives, insecticides, pesticides and other man made substances and the older you get the more saturated you become. I truly believe that is why so many older people battle weight when they never had it as a problem in their youth. When you carry around a lot of toxins it generally gravitates to your waistline, but other symptoms include unusual rashes, allergic reactions to foods, sensitivity to smells, puffy eyes, bloating, headaches and not feeling well much of the time.  OMG, this is me except for the headaches.

I have been carrying around 10 extra pounds from the lack of walking when I fractured my foot, but what bothers me more than that is the fact that I am starting to break out in hives for things I never did before. It started with ibuprofen so I began taking aspirin. The aspirin gave me hives so I switched to Tylenol and the same thing. Last month I was eating some strawberries and noticed I was itching on my face and sure enough...hives!! I have eaten strawberries all my life and never ever had any reaction.

I was listening to Suzanne Summers on the news today and she was talking about the correlation between "leaky gut syndrome" and other ailments such as CFS and fibromyalgia. I had never made that connection before but it sounds feasible as fibromyalgia and CFS patients seem to be growing by leaps and bounds according to the research I have been reading online. In all honesty, I am not a follower of Suzanne., but I do know she has done her research.

I have decided to try an experiment. I am going to go off of all refined sugar and start taking the probiotics(good bacteria) to boost up my immune system. Apparently part of the problem with all these toxins we take in every day is that they begin to eat the lining of the stomach and this causes "leaky gut syndrome", which in turn allows the toxins to flood our bodies. It also attacks the good bacteria that we need for a healthy body so the probiotics helps to put them back in.

This can get a bit expensive but I figure I have a large deductible a year for my doctor so I may as well use some of it for a preventative and maybe I won't have to go as much. Truthfully I only go when I haven't any other choice such as when I get a sinus infection, but even those are becoming more chronic.

I also plan to use Dr. Natura's colon cleansing system. It's 2 pills in the morning followed by a fiber drink then a night time tea that's included. After researching online it appears to be the one with the best reviews. One of the first things to a healthier immune system is to have your colon, liver and pancreas working properly and not bogged down so this cleanse should help.
I have also been reading a book called "Toxic Relief" that show how to detoxify your body by fasting with fresh juices but I don't want to spend the money for a juicer right now.

What I am doing instead is taking Super Food tablets with each meal. This is one of the recommendations from the book. Super Food is the equivalent of eating 5-9 servings of vegetables and fruits in addition to some added herbs that are too numerous to list.  This does not mean I am not going to continue to eat fruits and veggies.  It just means I am getting more of the nutrients from these capsules than I might from the vegetables from the local grocery store.

I have highlighted a few things just for your own research. I am by no means recommending any of these products for you to use.

I will keep you posted on my progress.

Until Next Time :)

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Great ideas. I am actually going to be taking Milk Thistle in March so I can detox my liver. I already do the pre and probiotics and I take digestives enzymes and greens/grasses.

I totally agree with you on the toxicity of our bodies, although I do not think it is the causal link in ME/CFS.

I do on the other hand believe that toxins do massive damage and we are now eating them, breathing them, wearing them...they are everywhere.

Detoxing, and taking good herbal products to support our bodies can only help them in the long run.

Hope you meet this with lots of success!

Christine Burgess said...

Good for you, Dominique. I am anxious to get on this track. I don't know that the toxins cause any of it so much as escalates the process maybe.

Thanks.
Chris