How Long is this Going to Take?

I am often asked:  If I start doing all of the things you suggest today, how long will it take until I start feeling better?   It took me two years of trial and error, reading and research to find out what worked and to get all of the pieces into place. My pain symptoms started getting better with the first step and continued to improve over the time I was developing my plan.  Once I put the last piece of the plan into place, it only took six weeks for all of my symptoms to completely disappear.

That was six months ago.  I have continued to keep chemicals out of my environment, eat very little processed food, and eat mainly whole nutritious foods that are full of anti-inflammatory properties and rich in antioxidants and other nutrients.  I have not had a flareup or return of any of the symptoms of fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome that plagued me for years.  I am completely symptom free.

There are doctors and medical researchers investigating this process now.  I find new validation almost every day in the work they are doing that shows that people who get rid of chemical exposure, ditch processed food, and eat whole foods get well.  The time this takes for each person will vary depending on how many chemicals you have been exposed to, how long you have been eating processed food, and how willing you are to be consistent in sticking with the plan.  I had been eating processed food and exposing myself to countless chemicals with little thought of the consequences for over fifty years. 

Once I started making changes the harmful effects of my prior choices reversed. I recovered. It's never too late to start a healthy lifestyle.  I do things every day that would have been impossible for me three years ago.  A few weeks ago I went camping with my grandchildren, hiked through the woods, tromped down to the creek, attended a family reunion, packed and unpacked the camper, drove over a hundred miles from the campsite to our country home to stow the camper, packed the car and drove another hundred miles to our apartment in the city, arrived at seven that night, hauled the luggage to the apartment, and then headed for the grocery store.   When I was sick, attempting to do only a fraction of all that activity would have put me in bed for a week.  But I had a great night's sleep and woke up the next morning refreshed and energized and ready to tackle the tasks of the day.

What do you do between the day you decide to make the necessary changes to improve your health and the day you get better?  You keep on keeping on and you wait.  Having the patience to continually make smart choices for your health while you wait on improvement and recovery is essential.  

"You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream."  

C.S. Lewis

Fighting Fibro Fog

I'm an extremely organized person and list maker.  I was used to accomplishing whatever I had on the agenda for any given day.  But when I became ill with fibromyalgia, the part of my brain in charge of remembering things took a direct hit.  It became increasingly difficult to focus and concentrate.  I would walk from the den to the kitchen and forget why I was there.

I drifted around in a fibro fog a lot of days.  My ability to think and reason seemed to have developed a severe glitch.  I was working on recovery for my physical symptoms by getting rid of chemicals in my environment, eliminating processed food, and finding the most nutritious whole foods to eat.  I felt it was equally important to try to do something about the cloud of confusion that enveloped me.  

I decided I needed to come up with some brain exercises.  I have always been an avid reader and continued to read a wide variety of books the whole time I was sick.  But just reading didn't seem to be enough to help clear my head.  Because I felt so horrible, I thought it was important to find some kind of brain exercise I could do at home. There were many, many days during my illness that I felt too bad to leave my house.

I came up with two activities that forced me to think: 

working crossword puzzles and playing Scrabble

I downloaded a crossword puzzle app to my smartphone so that I had a new puzzle available all the time.

Before I got sick, I had been playing Scrabble competitively on the tournament circuit.  But while I was sick, I didn't have the energy to travel to competitions.  So I started playing on the internet Scrabble club and playing games on my phone with friends.

Both of these activities were things I could do without getting out of my recliner.  I worked at least one crossword puzzle each day.  And most days I played several games of Scrabble. This forced me to think and to concentrate.  The fibro fog lifted and I was able to focus on other things as well.

Maybe you don't like word games.  Find something you do like.  Try Sudoku, puzzle and game apps, or solitaire.  Anything that makes you focus in a concentrated way for a period of time each day will give your brain the exercise it needs to help you focus on other tasks.  Pick something that you enjoy doing so it can be a positive experience each day.

The pain, fatigue and brain fog of this horrible illness can improve.  Fibromyalgia is not a lifelong sentence.  You can get better!

Now that I'm well, I still enjoy working crossword puzzles and playing Scrabble.  I had finished in the top five at several tournaments before I got sick.  Last fall I won my first tournament!

Cool Water

If you want to recover from fibromyalgia, what you drink is just as important as what you eat.  You can find information about what not to drink in previous blog posts. So what can you drink?  Fresh ginger tea is a favorite of mine.  The recipe is in an earlier post.  But the simplest thing you can do is to drink a lot of water.  

Your body was created to function efficiently on water.  If you are just beginning to follow the plan to rid your system of chemical contamination, drinking eight to ten glasses of water each day is an excellent way to help flush toxins out of your body. 

Drinking water should be a simple matter of turning on the tap and filling up a glass.  But the reality is you have to exercise care with the water you drink.  Here are two things to consider.

Tap Water.   Our water supply is becoming increasingly contaminated.  Tap water in many locations contains measurable amounts of arsenic, chlorine, prescription drugs, industrial chemical waste, lead, aluminum, and heavy metals.  Radioactive contaminants have been found in some city water systems.

Bottled Water.  There are no regulations to govern the purity of bottled water. No oversight organization exists to insure that bottled water is toxin free.  In addition, if bottled water is left in a car or placed in the freezer, the temperature fluctuations cause harmful toxins in the plastic to be released.  Toxins are also released if you reuse the bottles. There is some evidence that the plastic used in bottled water containers may be harmful even when care is used with storing them.

So what are the alternatives?  You can purchase a filtered water pitcher for a reasonable price.  There are also personal size water bottles with a filter that you can fill and take with you anywhere.  If neither of these options appeals to you, you might want to consider purchasing a water filtration system for your home.  These can be mounted directly to the faucet or underneath a sink.

I use water from a filtered pitcher for drinking and for cooking at home.  I have a personal size water bottle that I take with me everywhere else. 

Drink plenty of water to keep toxins flushed out of your body.

Make sure that the water you drink is as safe and pure as possible.  

My Favorite Super Food of the Week: Flaxseed

MILLED FLAXSEED

Flaxseed is a great source of omega 3 which is a wonderful natural force to fight inflammation in the body.  Getting rid of inflammation is a key component in your fibromyalgia recovery plan.

Flaxseed is also high in antioxidants and both soluble and insoluble fiber.  It is a simple and delicious way to increase the amount of good things you put into your body each day. 

You can buy whole flaxseed and grind the seeds yourself in a coffee grinder.  Flaxseed has to be ground to release the nutrients.  If you eat whole flaxseed, it will just pass right through your system without giving you any of the super nutritional qualities of the seed.  If you choose to grind the seeds yourself, grind only the amount you plan to use immediately. You can store whole flaxseed in a pretty jar on your kitchen counter for six months or longer.

There is another option.  You can purchase milled flaxseed that has already been ground for you.  If you buy milled flaxseed, be sure to store it in an airtight opaque container in the refrigerator once the package is opened.  It will stay fresh in the refrigerator for six to eight weeks.   Flaxseed has a nutty pleasant taste.  If you notice a rancid or bitter smell or taste, you need to throw the milled flaxseed away. 

If you are not used to eating a lot of fiber, be sure to start out slowly with just a teaspoon or so at a time.  I eat between one teaspoon and three tablespoons of flaxseed almost every day.

You can add flaxseed to many things you eat.  Mix it with yogurt and granola.  Add a couple of tablespoons to pancake, cookie and muffin recipes.  Sprinkle it over cooked oatmeal and add the super fruit blueberries to power start your day.  

Continue to remove processed foods from your diet and add whole nutritious foods that  promote recovery from fibromyalgia.