Tag Archives: multiple chemical sensitivity

Fibromyalgia: Cranberry for Cystitis

cranberry juice

Research published in The Journal of the American Medical Association reveals  the beneficial effect that cranberry juice may have on preventing cystitis and urinary infections.  The good news is that cranberry juice helps prevent urinary tract infections, and where unavailable, cranberry concentrate capsules (1,000 mg) can be substituted.

People with any autoimmune disease are more susceptible to interstitial cystitis.  Interstitial cystitis (IC) is an inflammation of the bladder which can occur by itself or in conjunction with other autoimmune diseases, such as fibromyalgia, scleroderma, lupus, or Sjögren’s Syndrome.

Fibromyalgia (formerly known as fibrositis) is a chronic condition causing pain, stiffness, and tenderness of the muscles, tendons, and joints. Fibromyalgia is also characterized by restless sleep, awakening feeling tired, fatigue, anxiety, depression, and disturbances in bowel function, and interstitial cystitis.

Many internists, rheumatologists, and even many urologists, are unaware of or do not “believe” in interstitial cystitis. Unfortunately, this is a disease where the patient must often take the initiative to research and document their symptoms, request referrals to a specialist in interstitial cystitis, and often ask for specific procedures to be done to garner the proper diagnosis and treatment.

Cranberry fights infection

Cranberry is a powerful infection fighter,  helping the body attack bacteria and viruses.   Cranberry  contains amounts of a compound called “hippuric acid”,  which has some natural antibiotic activity. The natural agents in cranberry include an anti-adherence activity that keeps the bacteria from adhering to the bladder wall. This keeps the bacteria suspended allowing them to be flushed out harmlessly in the urine. Unlike antibiotics, cranberry juice does not kill of the body’s natural lactic bacteria that are viral to health.

Cranberry and cystitis research

Women get more urinary infections because the length of their urethra is shorter than men’s therefore more accessible to bacteria.  In a recent study,  153 elderly women drank 300 ml of cranberry juice per day to see the effect that cranberry juice had on the urinary tract.  Some of the women were given 100% real cranberry juice, while the others were given a placebo drink, which only looked and tasted the same as real cranberry juice. At the conclusion of  six months, women drinking the real cranberry juice had 58% less urinary infections, than the women drinking the placebo drink.

Researchers have also had positive results when treating patients by using cranberry concentrate capsules (1,000 mg), to  prevent re-occurring urinary tract infections and cystitis problems. The concentrate form is easier to manage, and it contains no sweeteners or added sugars.

Cranberries are very high in vitamin C and fiber. Commercial cranberry drinks usually contain a lot of sugar, so look for pure cranberry juice. How much do you take?  Recent information says that 400-700ml (about 2-3 cups) daily seems to be the “dose”.

Urinary Tract Infection

How Cranberry Juice Prevents Urinary Tract Infections

References:
Fibromyalgia (FMS) – SCLERO.ORG – International Scleroderma Network
Cranberry juice research
Regular Consumption of Cranberry Juice May Suppress H. pylori Infection
Cranberry recipes

Fibromyalgia: What it is and what it isn't

Neck Pain

I don’t have fibromyalgia it has me. There is no cure. I’m violently allergic to the medications used for it, and I will carry this unwelcome body invader that attacked me 20 years ago and remained in residence, to the grave with me. I choose to rely on alternative medicine and complementary medicine approaches and have had some success with them when it comes to managing and coping with pain.

Fibromylagia is  now considered to be a syndrome. You could say that I know quite a bit about this disease/syndrome as I have suffered with the symptoms for 20 years.  In addition, like many other fibromylagia patients  I   also suffer with  Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Seasonal Affective Disorder and  Raynaud’s Phenomenon.

Symptoms

Common symptoms include pain and swelling in many joints or soft tissues, trouble sleeping, fatigue and weakness, poor memory, trouble concentrating, stiffness in joints and muscles particularly in the morning, inability to stand the cold, sensitivities to certain foods, medications and/or allergens, depression, tension and migraine headaches.

No definitive cause or cure

There is really no definitive cause that has yet been identified for fibromyalgia, and there’s no cure. Simply put, fibromyalgia won’t kill you, but you will die with it. Those who suffer with this disease/syndrome live every day, hoping for a cure, praying our families can continue to cope with having to help us live with our invisible disabilities.

Fibromyalgia is included in the World Health Organsation’s International Classification of Diseases, in the Tenth Revision of the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (ICD-10) published by WHO in 1992 as follows:
M79 Other soft tissue disorders, not elsewhere classified
M79.0 Rheumatism, unspecified
Fibromyalgia
Fibrositis

Fibromyalgia (fi-bro-my-AL-ja) syndrome (FMS) produces chronic body-wide pain, which migrates and can be felt from head to toe.

Fibromyalgia deconstructed:
1. ‘Fibro’ refers to fibrous tissues, like tendons, ligaments and fascia.
2. ‘Myo’ refers to muscle.
3. ‘Algia’ means pain. An analgesic is a pain killer.

Hence, the term fibromyalgia refers to pain in muscles and fibrous tissues.

Recent research

Previous studies have shown that fibromyalgia is associated with reductions in gray matter in parts of the brain, but the exact cause is not known. Using sophisticated brain imaging techniques, researchers from Louisiana State University, writing in The Journal of Pain, found that alterations in levels of the neurotransmitter dopamine might be responsible for gray matter reductions.  The authors concluded that the connection between dopamine levels and gray matter density provide novel insights to a possible mechanism that explains some of the abnormal brain morphology associated with fibromyalgia.

What fibromyalgia isn’t

Fibromyalgia has often been called the “great imitator” because so many of its symptoms mimic those of other disorders. As a result, it can often be difficult to receive a proper diagnosis of fibromyalgia. However, there are subtle differences between many of the illnesses and FMS. Learning more about each of these disorders can help you figure out just how fibromyalgia is distinct from them.

Common disorders that fibromyalgia is often mistaken for include:

  • Lyme disease
  • Lupus
  • Osteoarthritis
  • Rheumatoid arthritis
  • Cushing’s syndrome
  • Hypothyroidism
  • Polymyalgia Rheumatica
  • Reflex sympathetic dystrophy syndrome
  • Cervical spinal stenosis

Higher risk for other disorders

People with fibromyalgia are also at greater risk of developing a number of other disorders, many of which can exacerbate your current fibromyalgia symptoms, or are linked to certain conditions, which may lead to fertility problems. Illnesses, diseases and conditions that fall into this category include:

  • Irritable Bowel Syndrome
  • Osteoporosis
  • Endometriosis
  • Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
  • Sjogren’s syndrome
  • Crohn’s disease
  • Multiple Sclerosis
  • Raynaud’s Phenomenon
  • Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
  • Anemia
  • Morton’s Neuroma
  • Seasonal Affective Disorder
  • GERD
  • Interstitial Cystitis
  • Yeast Infections
  • Bruxism
  • Low Cytokine Levels
  • Hypoglycemia

An estimated ten million people in the United States have been diagnosed with Fibromyalgia. It doesn’t favor anyone… it affects men, women, and children of all ages and races.

According to the 2003 Canadian Community Health Survey, 5% of Canadians aged 12 or older, an estimated 1.2 million people, reported having been diagnosed with at least one of three MUPS conditions: 1.3% reported CFS (chronic fatigue syndrome,)1.5%, FM (fibromyalia); and 2.4%, MCS (multiple chemical sensitivity).

References:
Medically unexplained physical symptoms by Jungwee Park and Sarah Knudson PDF file
Statistics by Country for Fibromyalgia