A question for all you gurus on the board, although somewhat unrelated to weightlifting. here’s the situation: my mother has had fibromyalgia, a degenerative muscle syndrome, for quite some time. thus far, her doctors have taken only a reactive approach rather than a proactive, in that their only remedy has been to prescribe pain pills. however, these doctors are doing absolutely as something needs to be done to cure the disease rather than mask the symptoms. as i understand the basic symptoms of the disease, it consists of pain, fatigue, and a constant catabolic state in the body. so immediately i hear the word “catabolic” and my first instinct is to tell her to take methoxy-7 citing the non-hormonal anabolic/anti-catabolic nature of the supplement (along with a healthy regimen of antioxidants). methoxy-7, of course, has proven results for me as a weightlifter, but i of course do not have this disease. my question is do you guys think my line of thinking is justified on this? m7 is kind of expensive, but i feel it might help. any input is appreciated, especially from people who know someone with the disease. thanks. --rush15 (formerly rush7)
The disease you mother has been diagnosed with is still debated as to its existence or not. I do not debate that topic as regardless of weather it is psychosomatic or not the pain is real. The only things I have seen to cure this ailment are: psychological help, acupuncture, chiropractic ART specifically, diet and reducing stress. Please do not take my words wrong I am not doubting her disease I am just repeating what I have been told and seen.
Finding a cure for this disease is a lot more complicated then just popping a couple of supplements. It’s been shown that fibromyalgia is an auto-immune disease and typically fibromyalgia patients have a lesser quality of life then HIV patients or those with other autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis. The best treatments use a multifactorial approach including treating all typical underlying conditions such as undiagnosed hypothyroidism, candida overgrowth, depression, and getting the diet right. I don’t know of any allopathic treatment that actually targets the disease so you’re right, the drs. are only treating symptoms.
Though counter-intuitive until you consider leaky-gut syndrome, syndrome X, etc., low-carb diets (extremely low-carb, yeast-free, excluding cheese, fermented foods, certain nuts, mushrooms, etc.) have a good track record in controlling fibromyalgia, at least in the alternative medical field. Other things to consider looking into are candidiasis, food intolerances, heavy metal toxicity (generally either lead or mercury), severe mineral deficiencies, substance addictions (OTC, prescription, or illicit). Good luck, and please do consider a low-carb diet with adequate supplementation as a possible first line of attack.
I was reading this post and thought I would respond with a post I made on another forum to a friend’s mom with the same problem. I have had something very similar (chronic fatigue syndrome) for the past 9 months and it has all but killed my bodybuilding. In this time I have lost close to 60 pounds. So my sympathy goes out to her. ANyway here is my post;
"Chronic Fatiue Syndrome and fibromyalgia have very close links and I was terrified that I was going to develop that as well. Because the two are so closely related I have also read a heap on the treatment of fibromyalgia. It seems you can't pick up a book on CFS without it including a chapter on fibromyalgia. Most books and studies agree that they are not different illnesses at all, but are merely different forms of the same illness.
Interestingly one of the major implicators in the severity of symptoms is diet. Eating processed foods, sugars and foods you are allergic or intollerant to will exacererbate symptoms tremendously. I learnt this very quicly after the onset of my CFS and noticed a dramatic lessening of symptoms. Your mom might want to have an 1gG allergy test (known as a ALCAT or ELISA allergy test) that will also pick up IgE mediated allergies.
On a similar note people that have gone low carb, and especially the Zone diet have reported tremendous alleviation of some symtoms. Supplementing with Omega 3 fatty acids, flax seed oil and GLA is extremly helpful in reducing the inflamation associated with the disease. Magnesium injections have proved very helpful in relieving some of the muscle tightness.
Some other sort of supplementary treatments that have proved helpful are Qigong, Yoga, hydrotherapy, and accupunture. Anything that helps minimise external stress levels is a must.
An excellent book your mom might want to pick up is called “The 20 Day Rejuvenation Diet and Program” -By Dr Jeffrey Bland. It has some interesting stuff on fibromyalgia as well as a comprehensive supplement and diet plan that has helped a few people. I would adopt the supplements in this book and use it in conjunction with a Zone diet if I were her.
I think she should also consult a reputable naturopath that will works in conjunction with a good doctor. A lot of studies indicate that chemical and environmental toxicity combined with immune system breakdown is are the catalysts which provoke these diseases. A qualified naturopath or doctor can help determine if any external environmental or chemical factors are exacerbating her symtoms.
If you have any other questions of if your mom wants to get in contact with me she can email me. I have scoured the friggen world for any and all info I have on these problems and worst of all I am living them."
I’ve had a couple of clients with it and have found exercise helps alot. One thing to keep in mind is that usually they have a very low work capacity. So start off VERY easy.
In the beginning I used some of the Ian King exercises, you know the wierd ones, coupled with a low intensity.
One client has progressed immensley and I now have doing heavy deadlifts, 2x6-8, she also does Davies GPP circuits, she kicked ass today on her legs. I’ve been working with her for almost a year though. In the beginning I tried many times to bump up intensity and it would lead to flare ups, fatigue and soreness. I settled on a 3 week periodization scheme with only the last two, 1 upper 1 lower, workouts being hard.
She tried cardio, biking and walking and did not like it so she basically did all this with weight training.
She often jokes that we should write a book. We could probably make it to Oprah and be rich. Unfortunately, that’s not really a market I’m after (Oprah).
She is pain free, for the last 8 months and is now off her medications, including anti depressants, one of the symptoms is depression.
I really think the key with her was her patience, the low intensity, and choosing exercises which targeted the spots, I think there’s 11 or so, that define the condition.
She has shown a lot of dedication and put in many hours towards conquering this.
She is also on a lower carb diet, more like Zone ratios and gets lots of
EFA’s.
I lost the other lady as a client because of the economy. She was not patient and wanted me to push her hard, then when her fibro acted up she’d miss appointments. UGH!