Sunday Snippets is a weekly gathering of Catholic bloggers and readers over at This, That, and The Other Thing where we share our posts we think others might enjoy.  To join us visit RAnn’s blog.  If you are a blogger write a post linking to our hostess, go to her site and enter a link to your post.

This week in honor of Our Lady I posted an interpretation of a rare and beautiful renaissance painting of her.  At Decoding Sacred Art I explain it. Please share this with your friends as this painting should be much better known for its content and artistry.  I love to look at it and pray.

After learning that I am gluten sensitive, I researched and wrote an article on Gluten Sensitivity, Weight Gain, and Fibromyalgia. It’s all part of my journey into wellness that I hope it will help others, too.  The facts are surprising and I’ve included links for those who want to learn more.

This is my book review of a really worthwhile read: Salvation Is From the Jews. It made me appreciate more what God has done for us and helped me understand parts of the Bible better.

In Sabbath Moments I mention times this week where I consciously was with God.  At that post I include some great comments by a wonderful priest, Father Oscar Lukefahr.  You’ll want to read his book, The Privilege of Being Catholic.

Recently I was tested by my Natural Health Doctor for gluten sensitivity by means of a saliva test.  It was called the gliadin Av, SIgA test and revealed a mild intolerance or reactivity to Gliadin, a term I had never heard of before.

Gliadins are polypeptides found in wheat, rye, oat, barley, and other grain glutens, and are toxic to the intestinal mucosa in susceptible people.  Polypeptides are chains of amino acids which are the building blocks of proteins. (Now is about the time I wish I had taken chemistry in high school!  Since I didn’t, I have to search a lot to understand important aspects of achieving wellness.)

I learned in my studies that protein is a part of every cell in our bodies, and no other nutrient plays as many different roles in keeping us alive and healthy. We need protein to grow and repair our muscles, bones, skin, tendons, ligaments, hair, eyes and other tissues. Without it, we lack the enzymes and hormones we need for metabolism, digestion and other important processes.

With gluten intolerance we aren’t getting the use of the amino acids present in the grain and we are reacting badly to them, often with a low level inflammation of the intestines.  Why is this important to know?  Any disruption in the gut by inflammation prevents us from absorbing the vitamins and minerals we need to be in balance. Our cells can be starving for proteins and for the enzymes and hormones we need to live and feel healthy.

When I was first diagnosed six years ago with severe fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue and other neurological issues my holistic practitioner put me on the Atkins induction program.  It didn’t give me energy nor did it take away the fibro pain, but at some level I felt better and I lost 25 lbs. in three months.  This foray into the high protein/low refined carb way of eating was a revelation.  I never felt like I was starving and it was easy to do.  In retrospect, based on what I know now, I think that because it was  totally gluten free, I felt better.  Part of feeling better was overcoming insulin resistance, which is often a factor in fibromyalgia, and that came from eliminating grain and refined sugar carb intake while increasing fresh vegetables, berries and a variety of nuts.

Gluten Intolerance, Weight Gain, and Fibromyalgia

Some people who suffer from fibromyalgia are downright skinny.  A lot more of us weigh more than we should and have a dickens of a time getting to a normal range.  Is part of our problem gluten intolerance? Over at Gluten Free Fox doctors Vikki and Richard Peterson have written a book called The Gluten Effect that tackles the myth that gluten intolerance is marked by weight loss. (You can find the book in Barb’s Custom Shop under the “wellness” category.) Gluten sensitivity affects 40% of the population while only 1% are celiacs.  They write:

“Contrary to classic medical opinion, gluten intolerance is not associated with weight loss the majority of the time.  In fact, it is simply the opposite. Gluten-sensitive patients are overweight approximately forty percent of the time due to various direct and indirect factors. Because of the misperception that most individuals suffer weight loss when they have gluten sensitivity, a greater number of people go undiagnosed.  This perception needs to change.”

…This is one of the many reasons we wrote our book.  Not only are 95% of those suffering with celiac disease never diagnosed but the percentage of those with gluten sensitivity who continue to suffer undiagnosed is about 99.8%. This must change as too many people are suffering needlessly.

The same doctors write about fibromyalgia in their book:

“Anecdotally, we have witnessed over and over again the resolution of the classic muscle aches and tender points in response to gluten elimination. Adrenal fatigue, poor blood sugar control and hidden infections round out the most frequent causes of this condition that we find. Among our patients who have enjoyed this response, there is no question as to the link between fibromyalgia and gluten sensitivity.”

This tells me that we have unearthed another major piece of the wellness puzzle that sufferers of fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue, and chronic pain should look at when trying to find their own, individualized approach to health.  The other key pieces that I have explored and found to be significant for me and for others are:

1. the role of thyroid functioning - large percentages of people have underactive thyroids or their cells are unable to use the thyroid their bodies are producing due to
2. iodine deficiency – about 95% of the population suffers from iodine deficiency which prevents cells from operating efficiently and using the thyroid circulating in the blood;
3. vitamin D deficiency – the range of D3 in the blood needs to be 50-65, not 30+ as some labs say is “normal”;
4. Adrenal gland fatigue and other endocrine gland imbalances;
5. Not enough intake of flouride and chlorine-free water;
6. Type of food eaten;
7. Need for probiotics;
   
8. Stress, stress, and stress and not enough intake of vitamins and minerals for our particular needs.

Our doctors are trained to treat symptoms, but some symptoms point to so many possible diseases that a systemic approach is a much better strategy.  We aren’t going to die of fibromyalgia or chronic fatigue, but we can get to feeling better if we can find a good Natural Health Doctor who will help us diagnose the whole body and apply the remedies that work the best for us.

Since starting on the gluten-free diet several weeks ago, I have a slight increase in energy and a slight decrease in pain levels.  It looks like it can take 5-6 months to experience the good effects of this program in full.  For more information go to The Gluten Doctors blogspot.

Comments?

You might enjoy my related posts:

Adrenal fatigue, gluten intolerance, and war on ignorance

A holistic approach to treating depression

A fairly cheap way to feel better – iodine

Guaifenesin vs. iodine in treating fibromyalgia

God really has ways of delighting us unexpectedly.  A couple of years ago I wanted  to put in an asparagus bed, but after reading about the work involved, the time for a bed to mature, and considering my health issues – and Roger’s, too, I gave up on the idea.  (Fibromyalgia and arthritis sufferers just can’t do a lot of digging, bending, and stooping for serious garden work.) A number of times since then I’ve thought about how great it would be to have asparagus out of our own beds and had to say, “Thy will be done.”

Asparagus beans. Also known as Yardlong Bean, Snake Bean, and Chinese Long Bean. A useful Asian import that is disease and bug resistant.

Wouldn’t you know that God’s plans are always better than ours! This year in mid-April I went to Walmart to get plants for the garden.  Every year we’ve put bush beans into the Earthboxes® and into the ground and I’ve been unhappy with the paucity of the harvest.  No matter where we put them or how we treated them, the beans were just plain puny.  As I collected the various starter veggies this year, I saw something called an “asparagus bean” that the tag said “grows 15″ to 18″ long.”

“Well, what do I have to lose? Same amount of space and over 3x the amount of veggie.  A no brainer,” I thought, and picked up a packet.  It looked like they were similar to pole beans and I had already decided to switch to climbing beans I could train on the chain link fence.

The beans went into the ground just fine and they look happy, having grown five or six inches over the past couple of weeks.  Today I finally got around to reading about asparagus beans and I really had to chuckle.  God gave us some real bonuses with these plants.  Local Harvest says:

Asparagus beans in bloom

Asparagus beans are easily grown, produce heavily, harvest easily, thrive in hot weather, are slightly more resistant to drought than snap beans and are tolerant of a wide range of soils. [Music to my ears!] Grow in the same manner as pole beans or along a trellis, 8″ apart, 1″ deep. [A chain link fence will have to do.] Sow in June [we started early and will see how they work out] and make two or three successive plantings about three weeks apart for a steady supply. HARVEST: Harvest when pods reach 12-15″, before the seeds fill the pods. The mature beans may be threshed or shelled from the pods and cooked in the same fashion as dried beans. Their flavor is like southern peas but with a drier, nutty quality. Young leaves and stems are also edible.[What a deal!] FLAVOR: Sweet and mild resembling the combined flavor of asparagus, mushrooms, and beans. [Hmmm...this should be very interesting!]

So I don’t get my asparagus, but maybe this will be tasty and enjoyable instead.  They cook up just like ordinary green beans and should be a great addition to our eating for wellness.  I have nine plants and if they live up to the description, we’ll have beans coming out our ears.  Thank you, Lord, with joy.

I first mentioned the Nintendo Wii™ in my post:  Holistic Approach to Treating Depression where I wrote about the importance of exercise as part of a wellness program to overcome depression.  The Wii™ was a delightful discovery for me when I was in rehab after having both hips replaced.  Somehow, bowling and softball made regaining my balance and strengthening my legs a lot less onerous, and the occupational therapist I played with was a lot of fun.  Not only was the weather or having to go somewhere (getting in and out of a car was hard) not an issue, the mental lift I got from the exercise made me look forward the sessions.  Since then, I saw that Dr. David Williams [1] wrote about how the Wii™ is being used to help Parkinson’s patients improve balance and coordination.

If we suffer from debilitating conditions such as fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue, Parkinson’s, chronic back or knee pain, a stroke or obesity, our quality of life quickly diminishes.  We can easily lose our range of motion, muscle mass, and will to do even the most basic things like chopping veggies for a healthy dish, dusting the house or loading the laundry into a wash machine.  Getting in and out of a car can be a major project and slowly we find we have cut ourselves off from friends and healthy activities we once enjoyed because it is just too difficult to get out.  Depression sets in and one day we may wake up and ask ourselves, “How in the world did I get here?”

I cannot emphasize enough what Wii™ can do for us by giving us an enjoyable way to get moving, revving up the endorphins in our brains and helping us restore our balance and build muscle mass to help us move our bodies more easily. We can build core body strength, improve fine motor skills, and experience increased energy levels.  It can give us an excuse to invite a friend over for some healthy competition in a golf or bowling game, all without the stress on the body an actual game would cost us.

If you’ve ever wanted an alter-ego, the Wii™ makes it possible.  Using a character of your own creation you can track your wins, losses, and achievements, and it makes goal setting fun.  This is yet another engagement of the brain that helps with healing and improving cognitive functioning.

What I like best is that by playing a game I use the same muscles I need for doing ordinary daily activities, and it makes a good fill-in for the days I can’t make it to the therapy pool.

Probably one of the greatest challenges for a disabled person is to keep a good mental attitude, especially when getting a disease under control seems hopeless.  Playing Wii™ games makes me laugh and laughter lowers pain levels and strengthens the immune system, both of which affect depression levels.  Moving around helps the body throw off toxins that interfere with brain functioning.

If you know someone who could benefit from a Wii™ you will be doing them a great kindness to mention it and even offer to play games with them. How many lonely, depressed people with discouraging illnesses are out there who could be lifted up by playing a game with someone who cares? Who knows – you could be an “angel” in disguise.

[1] February 2010 Alternatives newsletter.  Click on the link at the sidebar for his web site.

Welcome to Sabbath Moments hosted by Colleen at Thoughts on Grace. Sabbath moments are the moments we rest in God, when we take time to just Be with God rather than Do.  Sabbath moments are those times when we live in the moment and find the holy in the ordinary.

This week I struggled with fibromyalgia pain and chronic fatigue.  Through it all I finished my regular monthly newsletter for Una Voce Arkansas Ozarks and got it posted. Then I completed an article I was writing on the unavoidable tragedy of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, researched for some blog posts and met with our insurance agent to find a better Medicare supplemental policy. These were not my Sabbath moments, but they led me to them.

My way of winding down after intense mental activity is to go out into God’s good sunshine and putter in the yard, to work on my digital art, or to gaze at a work of sacred art that leads me to prayer.  This week was great because I got to do all of it.  It may seem strange to say that puttering in the yard is a Sabbath moment, but it is.  When I am grooming plants, planting things or pulling weeds, I am reminded that all is God’s creation and am thankful He is letting me help take care of it and show His beauty to others.

When I work on digital painting, the beauty I create there is a dull reflection of God’s beauty.  It makes me think, “If this is beautiful, imagine what heaven will be like!”  Sacred art prompts me to meditate on the mysteries of salvation.

Through all these moments I keep thinking of God, my helplessness, and my need to trust in Him for all my needs, which leads to an undercurrent of constant prayer asking Him to help me to trust in Him more.

I want a good relationship with God.  Good relationships are built on trust.  Trust is letting go of self and selfishness and turning to face God.  Facing God, like facing the sun (the Son) brings warmth, peace, and well-being in a world gone mad.

The incidence of asthma is growing, especially among children.  One thing that seems to be an underlying cause is a vitamin D deficiency. I am writing about this because I know so many people who suffer from asthma, and if you have a chronic problem such as fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue, lupus or other autoimmune problems, any other health difficulty makes the major problem much harder to deal with.

Only 5% to 37% of American infants meet the American Academy of Pediatrics standard for daily consumption of vitamin D – a mere 400 IU per day. This dose is required to prevent rickets, but it is not nearly enough to protect from other diseases. Who gets sick and who doesn’t may be affected by genetics and environment, but the more researchers study vitamin D deficiencies, the more they find that a key factor in many illnesses is not enough vitamin D.  One key problem parents should know about is that most blood levels of D considered “normal” are actually too low.  To reap the greatest health benefits from vitamin D, the blood test 25 OH D should result in a reading of 60ng/ml.  From Dr. Mercola’s site are recommended daily dosages of vitamin D and a warning:

The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition revealed that poor diets and lack of vitamin D among mothers were determining factors in whether their children suffered from asthma, quite apart from the D levels of the child after birth.  Another issue of the journal calls the need to have an effective intake of vitamin D “urgent”.

Dr. Mercola says:

If you get your child’s levels to about 60 ng/ml, there’s a strong likelihood — especially if you combine it with exercise and balancing out her omega 3 and omega 6 fats as described below — that she will not experience asthma anymore.

He also points out:

Advair, for example, contains the long-acting beta-agonist (LABA) salmeterol. A 2006 analysis found that regular use of LABAs can increase the severity of an asthma attack. Researchers estimate that salmeterol may contribute to as many as 5,000 asthma-related deaths in the United States each year.

Conventional asthma treatments can also increase your risk of heart disease and osteoporosis, just to name a few.

To read the full article on the subject of vitamin D deficiency and asthma in children, go to Mothering Magazine. As far as adults go, look hard at keeping vitamin D levels adequate.  It is very inexpensive and has no side effects. Parents, ask for the 25 OH D blood test for all your children.  It could save their lives.

Holy Trinity, 1430, Master of the Votive Picture of Sankt Lambrecht, Museum mittelalterlicher österreichischer Kunst, Vienna

“O Lord,” I prayed, “Help me to grow more patient and trust You more.”

“Are you sure?” He asked.

“Yes, Lord.”

“Okay, I’ll give you fibromyalgia and everything that goes with it,” He said.

“Whoa!  What is that, Lord?” I asked.

“You’ll find out, and I’ll be with you every step of the way,” He replied.

Six years or so ago when I was diagnosed my body was burning from the bottom of my feet to the top of my head.  I couldn’t stand to wear my glasses and couldn’t see without them.  Every morning I got up, dressed, had breakfast and promptly collapsed into bed again.  After awhile I gave up on dressing and stayed in my nightgown.  My mind was in a stupor such that I could hardly pray and I lay there simply clutching my rosary.  When I had a conversation with my husband I forgot what I wanted to say after three words were out of my mouth.  I gave up driving and stopped going anywhere except to church, which finished me off for the rest of the day.

A couple of years went by and I found myself completely discouraged and wanting to go to bed never to wake again.  It seemed that everything the doctor told me to do and prescribed for me only helped marginally.  Yet as sick as I was, I never lost the feeling that this condition was God’s will for me, although I did think for awhile that maybe He might have picked a less unpleasant way to get His point across.

One day I said, “Well, Lord, I don’t get it.  Here You have smacked me over the head with a 2×4 and I still don’t get it.  What is it you want of me?”

“I want all of your pain and suffering.  Give it to Me with joy for the restoration of the Traditional Catholic Mass.  Give it to Me for the priest I have chosen to be your next bishop.  Give it to Me for the redemption of others and to expiate your sins.  Give it to me for My priests who are troubled,” He said.

“OK, Lord.  Whatever you say.  I want to do Your will.  But Lord, why did You have to teach me patience and trust this way?” I asked.

“Because  you were too full of yourself and your talents and ambitions were misplaced. I could not work through you the way you were.  I want you with me for all eternity.  I want you to know and understand Me better, to trust Me more through your helplessness and pain and to share what you are learning on this journey with My other children who are suffering even worse than you,” He said.  “I want you up here on the cross with Me.  I want you to witness to My message of hope and love, and the joy that comes from doing My will.  I want you to understand the fullness of My love for you.”

Morning sun over the ocean, Shizuoka Prefecture, (c)Tomo.Yun (www.yunphoto.net/en/)

And so I didn’t give up, and after accepting two new hips from Him through a good surgeon, and after slowly regaining some physical and mental equilibrium from remedies He showed me through knowledgeable holistic practitioners, I started this blog and put it in His hands.  I blessed Him for giving me this miserable disease and for putting me through the added great pain of hip degeneration; for making me aware that I have to depend on Him for every breath, every blink, and every beat of my heart.  I blessed him for giving me a high maintenance body because I know He wants me to learn how to care for it properly and share what I learn with others. I blessed Him for showing Himself to me both through pain and through the many forms of beauty that reflect His being.  Most of all, I bless Him for loving me enough to have created me and for having put all the wonderful people in my life whom I would never have met had I not become disabled.

Tomatoes and cantaloupe in the Earthboxes, mid-July.

It’s cold today but the sun is shining and I’ve been thinking about spring planting.  For the past three years we’ve been growing vegetables because of high grocery prices, pesticides used by commercial growers, because home-grown tastes better, and because it’s good therapy for us to putter in the garden in the sun. We found a sure-fire way to guarantee good produce – the Earthbox.

I’ve never been one to like pulling weeds and digging in the dirt because of my fibromyalgia pain and fatigue so when we discovered there was a way for decrepit people like us to raise our own veggies we decided to give it a try.  Maybe some of you will find our story helpful, especially if you have arthritis, fibromyalgia, or other physical problems that have inhibited you from growing your own produce.  For us, it’s also part of a wellness attitude – taking charge of our health as much as possible.

Earthboxes are great because we just follow the directions, put the box in a good location, and keep the bad bugs at bay.  You can’t overwater because there is a reservoir that has an overflow outlet that tells you when to stop.  It’s a big help for water conservation.  You also can’t over-fertilize because the plastic mulch keeps the fertilizer from washing away.  No need to weed, either. It’s a good option for people who don’t have a lot of space, too.  We started with four and now have six, one being a permanent home for strawberries.

We’ve put in tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, and cantaloupe every year. The zucchini prefers to be in the ground although the Earthbox site says you can put in four squash seedlings.  I like these boxes because they are movable.  If you find a better location in the yard for the crop you’re growing you can always take advantage of it. A couple of years ago we hired a handy man to make supports to tie the tomato and pepper plants to and they have worked well. By August the tomato plants in the boxes are like a jungle – so lush and filled with fruit you can’t see the supports.

whiteflies

We’ve learned a few things about handling bugs that attack the plants. Neem is a good, natural pesticide that causes chewing and sucking insects to forget to eat and to mate but doesn’t hurt humans, birds, or pets.  If you spray it early in the morning it will not hurt beneficial insects like bees or butterflies.  It takes longer to work than traditional pesticides because the bugs have to eat it first.  If you’re interested, here are some Neem insecticide products you can check out for your garden from my Amazon store:

Green Light Organic Neem II – 24 oz Spray #07824

Pure Neem Seed Oil – quart I mixed my own spray from the oil.  Warning – it smells stinky to me, but it sure works.  I got rid of all the whiteflies that infested the honeysuckle, daylilies, and tomatoes last year.

Green Light Organic Neem Concentrate – Pint #17016

I found out that putting egg shells in the soil makes tomatoes taste fantastic, so I’ve been saving and crushing mine in preparation for spring planting. Now if the weather would just warm up a little, I could get to the business of soil enrichment.

Home grown produce is good to share with neighbors.  It makes a good excuse to visit friends and share God’s bounty, just one more benefit we like from the efforts of gardening.

Many people suffering from fibromyalgia have stumbled upon the guifenesin protocol pioneered by Dr. Paul St. Amand explained in his book What Your Doctor May NOT Tell You About Fibromyalgia.* It apparently works well for some people although the restriction of avoiding all salicylates can be difficult for some to follow as salicylates are hidden in many items commonly used in the home and for personal hygiene such as toothpaste and lotions.

The use of iodine in treatment of fibromyalgia shows consistent success and is much easier to accomplish, but some people may need both to get well enough to live anything close to a normal life.  Karen Frandsen’s website has a lot of really useful information about treating fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue, the accompanying brain fog and depression, hypoglycemia and other bad symptoms.  The holistic approach shows the greatest promise because it gets to the root of the problem and “fixes” it rather than the application of pharmaceuticals which may relieve symptoms but don’t cure.

Karen has a good list of the similarities and differences in the guaifenesin and iodine protocols here.  Be sure to read this because if you need to increase your knowledge, this will be a good reference.

If you don’t have a doctor willing to work with you on a holistic approach (mine moved away), you might be able to find a good family practice doctor who will be open-minded enough to help you as I have.  It’s not a good idea to have to do everything by yourself, but you, the patient are still the only one who can say whether a particular combination of supplements, hormones, exercise, and drugs, if necessary, make you feel better.

*Clicking on the book title above will take you to Amazon.

Since the 1990s considerable research on the use and benefits of iodine has been going on among clinical practitioners who treat fibromyalgia, fibrocystic breast disease and thyroid deficiencies. Doctors Abraham, Brownstein, Flechas and Mercola (See my bloglist) are all M.D.s who are really on to something here.  They have all published books and papers on their research and have helped many patients correct thyroid deficiencies which has been fundamental in reducing pain levels, ending depression and anxiety, managing blood sugar levels and a host of other symptoms that afflict many Americans today.

The following presentation was a major eye-opener for me when I saw it last spring. Thanks to Karen Frandsen at the Fibromyalgia Recovery Group, everyone can see what the conference attendees saw.  She added some additional slides regarding her condition.

Since the Iodine Medical Conference in 2007, research has brought even more information to the fore which we should all know about.  First, the PDF presentation.  You will learn a lot and probably need to look at it more than once if you are not a medical professional (I’m not).  I have seen it more than 10 times and still learn from it.

The use of iodine in the treatment of my fibromyalgia has been a major factor in managing the disease.  I took the iodine loading test through my doctor in November of 2008 and reached my current dosage in March of 2009.  Iodoral is a little more expensive than other supplements I’ve talked about in this blog (vitamin D and niacinimide), but it is not out of reach and for what it does, worth the sacrifice, especially if it gets you off prescription drugs as it did me. Investigating iodine deficiency is to me one of the first places to start in a wellness program.

Lugol’s solution is less expensive but is in liquid form and not as convenient to take.  However, it can be very useful diluted as a swab for a sore throat.  Swanson’s Health Products catalogue labels Lugol’s as a “folk remedy.”  It’s been around and used effectively since some time in the 1800s and was used by medics treating veterans during and after World War II.

I will go into iodine in more depth in future posts.

As patients in an age where a pill is supposed to be the answer to everything and the government is moving towards serious denial of healthcare based on age and disability, I think we need to keep several things in mind:

1. Drug companies want to sell us their drugs.  That’s why they spend billions in advertising to the public, even though we can’t prescribe for ourselves.
2. Most drugs address symptoms, create unpleasant side effects, and don’t provide a cure.
3. Medical schools receive considerable funds from drug companies and most students are taught to treat symptoms with drugs rather than get down to the systemic issues that cause the condition in the first place.

I am not accusing doctors of bad will nor saying that there is no place for drugs.  I am deeply grateful to the surgeon who replaced my crippled hips and the painkillers I took at the time were necessary for recovery. Other situations call for the use of drugs to alleviate symptoms, too.

What I want to make clear is that we must be in charge of our own health because the things I am discovering are not presented in the average doctor’s office.  The pharmaceutical lobby is much bigger than most people realize and it is to their benefit to keep holistic approaches from the public which they do at every opportunity, especially in the area of supplements.   At the same time, every approach to fibromyalgia that has helped me I learned from reading books by medical doctors who practice holistic or alternative medicine.

The most recent discovery I made is what I call the wonders of niacinimide, a form of B-3.  Anyone who has fibro or knows someone with it knows that the brain fog is really awful.  Added to that is the anxiety and depression that accompany a chronic pain condition.  One thing I set out to do after my second hip replacement in January of 2009 was to get the use of my brain back.  After much improvement using thyroid, vitamin D, and iodine, a couple of months ago I started on niacinimide after reading about it in Dr. David William’s newsletter.  Continuing research convinces me that many others can benefit by taking this supplement.

Niacinamide and niacin are two different forms of vitamin B-3. Niacinamide does not cause the uncomfortable niacin flush. B-3 is an essential member of the B-vitamin family.  What interested me was a report from Dr. Williams about a study done at the University of California, Irvine, on reversing Alzheimer’s using niacinimide.  After reading how it worked in the brain, I decided to try it myself.  Here is part of the report covered at Orthomolecular.org:

Kim Green, Ph. D. neuroscientist, University of California, Irvine

Researchers at the University of California at Irvine gave the human dose equivalent of 2,000 to 3,000 mg of vitamin B3 to mice with Alzheimer’s. (2) It worked. Kim Green, one of the researchers, is quoted as saying, “Cognitively, they were cured. They performed as if they’d never developed the disease.”

(2) Green KN, Steffan JS, Martinez-Coria H, Sun X, Schreiber SS, Thompson LM, LaFerla FM. Nicotinamide restores cognition in Alzheimer’s disease transgenic mice via a mechanism involving sirtuin inhibition and selective reduction of Thr231-phosphotau. J Neurosci. 2008 Nov 5;28(45):11500-10.

Specifically, the study employed large amounts of nicotinamide, the vitamin B3 widely found in foods such as meat, poultry, fish, nuts and seeds. Nicotinamide is also the form of niacin found, in far greater quantity, in dietary supplements. It is more commonly known as niacinamide. It is inexpensive and its safety is long established. The most common side effect of niacinamide in very high doses is nausea. This can be eliminated by taking less, by using regular niacin instead, which may cause a warm flush, or choosing inositol hexaniacinate, which does not. They are all vitamin B3.

Niacin and nerves go together. Orthomolecular physicians have found niacin and other nutrients to be an effective treatment for obsessive compulsive disorder, anxiety, bipolar disorder, depression, psychotic behavior, and schizophrenia. New research confirms that niacinamide (the same form of B3 used in the Alzheimer’s research) “profoundly prevents the degeneration of demyelinated axons and improves the behavioral deficits” in animals with an illness very similar to multiple sclerosis. (11)

(11) Kaneko S, Wang J, Kaneko M, Yiu G, Hurrell JM, Chitnis T, Khoury SJ, He Z. Protecting axonal degeneration by increasing nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide levels in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis models. J Neurosci. 2006 Sep 20;26(38):9794-804. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?CMD=search&DB=pubmed See also: Vitamins fight multiple sclerosis. Orthomolecular Medicine News Service, October 4, 2006.

This website is very interesting.  They say: “Orthomolecular medicine describes the practice of preventing and treating disease by providing the body with optimal amounts of substances which are natural to the body.”  The site has the niacin molecule on the front page.

I chased down information on William Kaufman, M.D. and his over 60 year work on niacinimide and arthritis treatment as well, and discovered yet more information on the benefits of this supplement.  After reading articles by Dr. Kaufman and Dr. A. Hoffer relating over 60 years of successful clinical applications each, I determined I had nothing to lose by trying several doses a day.

My experiment resulted in a clearer brain, increased mental energy, and increased calmness.  The SADS disappeared, too.  All this occurred in about a month.  The fibro fog seems to have completely departed and there are no side effects.  Niacinimide disappears from the body in a matter of a few hours which is why several doses throughout the day are necessary to achieve an optimum benefit.

Niacinimide has also proven effective in treating the following conditions:

• High cholesterol
• Atherosclerosis
• Diabetes
• Osteoarthritis
• Cataracts
• Burns
• AMD
• Cancer
• Alcoholism
• Juvenile Diabetes
• Behavioral disorders

I strongly recommend reading Dr. Hoffer’s article as well as Dr. Kaufmann’s.  Doctor Yourself is a really interesting and informative web site that I have bookmarked for myself.  What worked for me may not work for others, but trying niacinimide in careful doses has no downside that I could find.  Each person’s chemistry is different, but once again, I have found a really cheap way to feel better.

Today I’m researching vitamin B3 for an article I want to post on niacinimide, which produces remarkable postive effects on a variety of health issues.  When I get it ready I’ll put it up as part of my goal to share how I am improving my quality of life even though I have severe fibromyalgia.

St. Hilary of Poitiers, Bishop, Doctor of the Church

Today is the feast of St. Hilary of Poitiers, bishop, +368 who fought the Arian heresy at several Church councils, was exiled by the emperor Constantius because of it, and converted many during his missionary travels in Gaul.  He is an early Church Father and Doctor of the Church.  Click on the picture and you will go to a writing of his on “The Spirit of Truth”.

Today I went to the fitness center to do my water therapy exercises after two weeks off during the holidays.  I was surprised to find that I was in better shape than I thought.  My 3x weekly workouts are slowly strengthening my arms and legs from the past year’s surgeries.  The bonus is that I’ve lost about 20 lbs. and only have 25 more to go.  The exercises were given to me by my wonderful physical therapist and I have added a couple more to help improve balance and co-ordination.  These times in the pool are also terrific for my fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue, and neuro disorders.  If you’d like to know what I’m doing so you can see if it would work for you, leave a comment and I’ll make some posts about the exercises.  Really, they are not hard and they don’t leave me miserable as land therapy does.  In fact, I really hate to leave the pool.  It’s warm water!

Now for the miso soup part of the day.  After working out my husband and I went to the health food store where I saw a product called “Miso-Cup®”, a freeze-dried instant soup.  Friends know that I love much about the Japanese – classical movies, kimonos, the countryside, the spirit of the people and many more things.  It’s turned into quite a love affair.  After seeing many movies mentioning miso, I have wanted to taste it, but thought it would never happen.  Imagine my surprise when I found that I could get it right in Springfield!  This stuff tastes good, and attention fibromyalgia sufferers, it is a living food like yogurt, made of fermented soy and rice.  This is really important for the IBS aspect of fibro.  I bought the kind with wakame seaweed and it was delicious, tasting very vaguely like chicken soup.  One cup only has 3 grams of carbs for you carb watchers out there, it’s filling and the price was economical. The box tells the story of miso and I’m not going to spoil the fun by telling you.  Just know that this could be a good food for people affected by wheat sensitivities, IBS, blood sugar problems, and other systemic issues.  It doesn’t say that on the box: I deduced it from the information given. So now I have one more thing I love about Japan and maybe you will, too.

I took the picture from Steamy Kitchen, Jaden Hair’s blog.  It shows tofu in the miso instead of wakame.  You can get Miso Cup® with tofu and with vegetables, too. Steamy Kitchen tells you how to make it fresh.  Jaden Hair is fantastic but if you go to Steamy Kitchen, beware!  This blog can be addictive if you like to putter in the kitchen and try recipes from around the world.

Yes, they want you to buy their products and they explain what the formulations should do, how you should use them, and what they are for.  No, I get nothing from VRP and have yet to purchase anything from them because of budgetary considerations but I would really like to some day.  Nevertheless, the articles themselves are worth checking out.  They are short, fully footnoted, and identify research findings related to numerous conditions. 

We also can have “brain fog” from fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue, and from side effects of some prescription drugs.  For example, in a recent article, “Four Ways to Keep Your Brain Young for Good” I learned that given the right conditions, brain cells can regenerate themselves.  Neurites, branch-like extensions on brain cells can be reduced as we age, causing what people call “senior moments.”

Another good article, “Could Chronic Stress be Lowering Your IQ?” talked about the effects of excessive levels of cortisol on the brain.  It states that there may even be a connection between Alzheimer’s and stress. 

If you or anyone you know might benefit from more knowledge about the factors involved in brain functioning take a look at these short articles and keep those pesky neurites functioning well.