R is for Read Labels to Avoid Chemicals

ABCs for healthy living are quick takes on simple strategies for creating a healthier life.

Commercially manufactured bread contains chemical additives.

I used to think that choosing healthy foods meant counting calories, fat grams, and carbs so that I could lose weight. I gave no thought at all to the ingredients used to create highly processed low calorie foods. I compromised my health every single time I ate something that came out of a box or carton no matter how low the calorie count was.

And then I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia. While searching for ways to improve my symptoms, I learned that chemicals we are exposed to every day in common household products, cosmetics, and processed food make us sick. Exposure to these chemicals has been identified a a causal factor in almost all autoimmune illnesses, including fibromyalgia, as well as Alzheimer's Disease, cardiovascular disease, asthma, and many types of cancer.

Our bodies are designed to break down and utilize real food for energy, stamina, and to maintain health. Our bodies are not designed to deal with artificial chemical ingredients used by big food manufacturing companies to increase the shelf life of packaged products. Most food conglomerates are interested in profit margins, not health.

The label in the above picture is from a typical commercially manufactured loaf of whole wheat bread. When I make wheat bread, I use just a few real food ingredients: flour, wheat, salt, yeast, milk, butter, and a little sugar to activate the yeast.

Look at what has been added to the commercially manufactured loaf. And this is a brand that contains fewer added ingredients than many of the others sitting on the supermarket shelves. Consider just one of the added chemical ingredients. Monoglycerides are additives used as an emulsifier to keep oil and fat from separating. Monoglycerides (and diglycerides) often contain trace amounts of trans fats which have been banned for use in food production but don't have to be listed as a trans fat because of the level per serving calculations.They have been linked to an increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and raising bad cholesterol levels.The CDC (Centers for Disease Control) has correlated consuming trans fats to increased rates of death.There is no safe level of them to eat.

I don't always have time to make my own bread. So I have become an avid label reader. When I buy a commercially produced loaf of bread, I read the ingredients labels, understand what each ingredient is, and make an informed decision about the purchase. My goal is to eat real food 90% of the time.That leaves 10% leeway for eating some processed food.

I also reduced my exposure to toxic chemicals by eliminating household cleaners that contain harmful ingredients and switching to safer cosmetics. For more info on how to reduce your exposure to toxic chemicals, check out these five ideas.

Eliminate These 3 Toxic Things Now

How to Clean Your Entire Bathroom Without Toxic Chemicals

How to Find Less Toxic Cosmetics

Why Fragrances are Harmful to Our Health

3 Nontoxic Household Cleaner Recipes

I was so debilitated from the pain and fatigue of fibromyalgia that there were many days I could barely function. I stopped eating most processed food, started eating real food with a lot of antioxidants and anti-inflammatory nutrients, and switched to cleaning products and personal care items with fewer chemicals.It takes time and energy to make lifestyle changes but it is certainly worth the effort. Next month, I will celebrate four years of being completely symptom free.

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10 Healthy Almond Recipes

Raw Almonds

I implemented ten healthy living strategies as I investigated smart ways to cope with my severe fibromyalgia symptoms.I was astounded when I completely recovered. Almost four years later, I continue to use these strategies to stay healthy. My top three are:

• Get chemicals out of your home environment by choosing less toxic cleaning products and personal care items.
• Stop eating most processed food full of harmful additives. 
• Eat real food rich in antioxidants and anti-inflammatory nutrients.

Almonds are a delicious and versatile real food to add to your diet.They are loaded with antioxidants and are a great source of Vitamin E, Vitamin B2, manganese, copper and other nutrients.Look for raw unsalted almonds with no additives. Eat them by the handful for a snack, sprinkle over yogurt, add to muffin batter, and use in stir-fry recipes.

These ten healthy recipes share creative ways to use this nutritious little nut.

Main dishes with an extra crunch factor.

Almond Crusted Chicken Fingers

Almond and Lemon Crusted Fish with Spinach


If you want to go vegan, try these scrumptious burgers.

Lentil and Almond Burgers


Side dishes that add a dash of pizzazz to company dinners or family meals.

Wild Rice with Shiitakes and Toasted Almonds

Green Beans with Goat Cheese,Tomatoes,and Almonds


A Colorful salad that complements any menu.

Strawberry Spinach Salad


Delectable desserts.

Flourless Honey Almond Cake

Raspberry Almond Coffee Cake


Snacks that blend the nutritional power duo of almonds and honey.

Almond Honey Power Bars

Honey Glazed Almonds


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H is for Healing

ABCs for healthy living are quick takes on simple strategies for creating a healthier life.

Eat real food for healthy living.

"Four of the top ten causes of death today are chronic diseases with well-established links to diet: coronary heart disease, diabetes, stroke, and cancer." - Michael Pollan

Eight years ago I would have shrugged my shoulders and said, "Who cares?" when reading that quote by Michael Pollan, the best-selling author of In Defense of Food. I ate whatever I wanted without a single thought to the possible impact on my well-being.

Then I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia, a terrible chronic illness with a broad spectrum of symptoms including severe pain and debilitating fatigue. Suddenly, I was extremely interested in creating a healthier lifestyle. I was desperate to find something that might make me feel better.I was willing to make any changes to my diet and lifestyle that held even the tiniest possibility of improving my symptoms.

I researched what causes illness and how healing occurs. I learned that we live in a toxic world.The food we eat and the household products we use either contribute to our health and well-being or leave our bodies vulnerable to contracting all kinds of diseases. Toxic ingredients in household products and processed food has been linked to the onset of numerous autoimmune diseases and disorders like fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, lupus, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), rheumatoid arthritis,and Sjogren's disease.

Based on what I learned, I developed ten strategies for creating a healthier life.The top three changes I made were:

• I quit using household products full of harmful chemicals.
• I stopped eating most highly processed food.
• I started eating real food with antioxidants and anti-inflammatory nutrients.

I was only hoping to find a way to feel better. I was amazed when I completely recovered. I have had no fibromyalgia symptoms since December of 2012. I continue to follow the strategies that helped me recover to maintain my health and well-being.

Now I read that Michael Pollan quote and applaud. I have firsthand proof that the food we eat and the products we use in our homes and on our bodies can either contribute to disease or lead to healing.

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7 Healthy Apple Recipes + 3 Apple Dessert Tips

Over 2500 varieties of apples are grown in the United States

I made three major lifestyle changes that led to my recovery from fibromyalgia. Making these choices can help moderate symptoms, not only from fibromyalgia, but also from many other chronic illnesses and autoimmune diseases. 

• I got as many chemicals as possible out of my home environment by changing what I used for cleaning and personal grooming. 
• I stopped eating most processed food. 
• I started eating real food with a lot of antioxidants and anti-inflammatory nutrients.

Check out the post from February 8 for info on the health benefits of adding antioxidant rich foods to your diet. Want to make something with almonds? Check out last week's post. This week is all about apples. Buy organic ones when possible. If you are lucky enough to live in an area that grows apples, you may be able to find an organic apple farm that allows you to pick your own fruit.

Apples are on several dirty food lists because of the high concentration of chemical residue in commercially produced apples. If you buy them from the supermarket,wash thoroughly and peel before eating. 

Or try this. Put 1/4 cup of plain white vinegar in a large metal or glass bowl. Add apples. Fill the bowl with water until the apples are covered. Put a heavy plate on top of the apples to keep them submerged. Or turn the apples every few minutes to make sure the whole surface is coated. Soak in the vinegar and water mixture for 15 minutes. Rinse the apples in plain water and dry them with a paper towel. This helps lift chemical residue off the apples. I also soak grapes, lemons, berries and any fruits that may have been exposed to pesticides and other chemicals in the vinegar mixture before eating. 

I have searched the web this week for healthy apple recipes. Here are seven delicious ways to use this antioxidant rich fruit.

Apple Spinach Chicken

Baked Apples

Beet and Apple Salad

Chicken with Apples and Cranberries

Pork Chops with Apples and Garlic Smashed Potatoes

Pumpkin Apple Soup

Updated Waldorf Salad


Apple Desserts

Apple pies, crisps, cakes, and tarts are delicious for dessert. Here are three tips to make your apple dessert recipes a little healthier.

Add healthy ingredients. To increase the nutritional value of the dessert, add healthy ingredients that blend well with the flavor of apples. Try adding chopped walnuts, chopped almonds, raisins, or medjool dates. Add 2 tablespoons of flaxseed or flaxseed/chia seed mixture to the dry ingredients. Replace part of the butter called for in the recipe with organic coconut oil. Replace part of the flour called for with rolled oats.Use unbleached flour and whole wheat flour instead of refined white flour.

Sugar. Consuming too much refined sugar is linked to a variety of health problems. Instead of white refined sugar, use raw organic sugar, raw organic honey, real maple syrup, or molasses for sweetener. Reduce the amount of sweetener called for in the recipe. I have reduced the amount by up to half with delicious results.

Shortening and oil. If your apple dessert recipe calls for oil, always use pure olive oil. Olive oil is much healthier than corn oil, canola oil, or other vegetable oils. If the recipe calls for shortening, try using organic coconut oil instead. Coconut oil looks like solid shortening and works much like shortening in recipes. Try this coconut oil pie crust.

Coconut Oil Pie Crust


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10 Healthy Recipes with Almonds

Raw Almonds

I made three major lifestyle changes that led to my recovery from fibromyalgia. Making these choices can help moderate symptoms, not only from fibromyalgia, but also from many other chronic illnesses and autoimmune diseases. 

• I got as many chemicals as possible out of my home environment by changing what I used for cleaning and personal grooming. 
• I stopped eating most processed food. 
• I started eating real food with a lot of antioxidants and anti-inflammatory nutrients.

Check out the post from February 8 for info on the health benefits of adding antioxidant rich foods to your diet. Almonds are a delicious and versatile food high in antioxidants.They are a great source of Vitamin E, Vitamin B2, manganese, copper and other nutrients. Look for raw unsalted almonds with no additives. They can be eaten by the handful for a snack, sprinkled over yogurt, added to muffin batter, and used in stir-fry recipes. I have searched the web this week for healthy almond recipes to give you some ideas of creative ways to use this nutritious little nut.Click the links to check out some of my favorite finds.

Main dishes with an extra crunch factor.


Almond Crusted Chicken Fingers

Almond and Lemon Crusted Fish with Spinach


If you want to go vegan, try these scrumptious burgers.

Lentil and Almond Burgers


Side dishes that add a dash of pizzazz to company dinners or family meals.

Wild Rice with Shiitakes and Toasted Almonds

Green Beans with Goat Cheese, Tomatoes,and Almonds


A Colorful salad that complements any menu.

Strawberry Spinach Salad


Delectable desserts.

Flourless Honey Almond Cake

Raspberry Almond Coffee Cake


Snacks that blend the nutritional power duo of almonds and honey.

Almond Honey Power Bars

Honey Glazed Almonds


Want to join my online community?

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Is Invisible Fat Making You Sick?

Hiking to walk off the visible fat. Eating real food to get rid of the visceral fat.

Researchers are unsure what causes fibromyalgia. Check out the post from Jan. 18 for a discussion of three possible triggers. Although the disease may be set off in different people by a different convergence of events, one thing that all fibromyalgia patients have in common is increased inflammation throughout the body. And one thing known to cause widespread inflammation is visceral fat.

Visceral fat is fat that you cannot see. You don't have to appear obese to have it. Many thin people have a significant amount of visceral fat. This type of fat wraps itself around your internal organs, especially organs in the digestive tract including the stomach, liver, and spleen. Visceral fat causes chronic inflammation on a cellular level that leads to a host of diseases including autoimmune diseases like fibromyalgia. It also contributes to aging, heart disease, diabetes, depression, sleep apnea, some types of cancer, and many other illnesses. 

I am working to get rid of my visible fat and increase my overall stamina by walking, using a fitness tracker, light weight lifting, doing Tai Chi, and stretching. To recover from fibromyalgia, it was important for me to understand the harm that invisible visceral fat causes and find ways to increase my overall well-being by getting rid of it.

One of the main causes for developing visceral fat and the subsequent inflammation it creates is eating too much processed food full of corn syrup, artificial dyes, trans fats, preservatives, and other potentially harmful chemical additives. Researchers studying the link between visceral fat and inflammation say that we should never eat anything that comes out of a box, bottle, can, or package. They recommend eating real whole foods with antioxidants and anti-inflammatory nutrients.My personal goal is to eat real food at least 90% of the time. I heard one physician say that if he could get his patients with autoimmune diseases like fibromyalgia to eat real food for at least 80% of their diet they always showed significant improvement.

People who eat processed food, drink soft drinks, and consume other packaged products have high levels of visceral fat even if they are not visibly overweight. I had been eating processed food mindlessly for decades when I developed fibromyalgia. When I changed my diet to include mainly whole real foods and eliminated as many chemicals as possible from my daily routine, my symptoms completely resolved.

• I stopped eating processed food with harmful additives.
• I stopped drinking all soda. 
• I eat a wide variety of fresh fruit, vegetables, nuts, and whole grains.
• I eat foods that have a lot of antioxidants and anti-inflammatory nutrients.

The trade off of giving up certain foods for the blessing of feeling better is certainly worth it. Nothing that I have eliminated from my diet tastes as good as it feels to be well. I would love to get your feedback in the comments section. What do you think might keep someone from eating real food? Why would the processed food industry not want people to understand how harmful many of their products are? What else would you like to know about fibromyalgia recovery?


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5 Ways to Make Christmas Treats Healthier

Joy to the World

Christmas is coming and I love to bake holiday cookies and treats.I also love being free from fibromyalgia symptoms. A big part of my recovery plan involves skipping processed food and eating real food. Christmas cookies are not high on any nutritionist's list of the healthiest foods out there. However, my recovery plan focuses on practical ways to move toward a healthier life and completely giving up holiday baking is not practical for me.I have found a few ways to hold on to our family Christmas baking traditions without completely ditching my goal of eating healthier food.

1. I make sure I continue to eat plenty of real food during the Christmas season.

Before I refocused my eating plan, it was not unusual for me to consider a holiday party plate to be nutritionally balanced if it contained an equal amount of sweet and salty treats. I now know how much harm that can do to my body all the way down to the cellular level.So, I stick to my plan, even during this festive time of year. I eat a lot of fresh fruits and vegetables, drink ginger tea, and have protein at every meal. Eating a few cookies and treats in addition to my regular diet is a different thing altogether than eating treats in place of real food.

2. I create festive platters of fresh fruit and raw vegetables. 

Family and friends enjoy having more than cookies at holiday parties. I've discovered I'm not the only one trying to eat healthy during the holidays.There are a lot of fun ways to present the nutritious goodies.I served a fruit plate at Thanksgiving shaped like a turkey and my grandchildren absolutely demolished it. Need inspiration? Check out this Christmas Fruit Tree and Joy Veggie Plate I found on Pinterest. These two dishes are great for family celebrations and to take to potluck parties.

3. I avoid using processed ingredients when I bake cookies and treats.

A lot of my old holiday recipes included ingredients like a box of cake mix, candy bars, packaged cookie crumbs, and boxes and tubs and cans of things filled with all kinds of potentially harmful chemicals and ingredients. Once I started reading labels and learned all the ways the things we eat can harm us, I couldn't just ignore the truth that processed food products are often filled with chemical preservatives, high fructose corn syrup, artificial flavors, artificial colors, and other ingredients that research studies have linked to numerous health problems.

Baking from scratch is not as difficult as I imagined it might be. Most cookies and treats can be made from simple ingredients like flour, sugar, salt, milk, butter, nuts, and fruit. Here are a couple of ideas for using real ingredients instead of processed ones.

Does your recipe start with a box of cake mix? Just stir together 2 c flour, 1 1/2 c sugar, 1 T baking powder, and 1/4 tsp. salt and - Voila! - you have a homemade cake mix.

Want to decorate cutout sugar cookies? Use fruit juice instead of artificial dye to tint the icing. Decorate the tops with chopped nuts and dried fruit.

Does your recipe call for coconut or chocolate chips? Most packaged coconut contains artificial blue dye. Some chocolate chips contain high fructose corn syrup. Try organic versions. I like Wild Oats coconut which contains one ingredient: coconut. And I use Enjoy Life Chocolate Chips which are great for families with allergies since they are dairy free, gluten free, soy free, and peanut free.

4. I add nutritional ingredients to everything I bake.

Nutritious ingredients can be easily added to your favorite recipe. Use whole wheat flour for half the flour called for in the recipe. Replace part of the flour with oatmeal. Try almond butter and other nut butters instead of peanut butter. If you use peanut butter, buy a kind that contains only peanuts. Use real butter instead of margarine. Replace part of the butter with a few tablespoons of organic coconut oil. Add two tablespoons of ground flaxseed to your baked goods. I toss one or two pre-measured travel size packets of ground flaxseed into almost everything I bake. Add chopped nuts and dried fruit to up the nutritional level of your cookies.

5. I reduce the amount of sugar in every recipe.

Nutritionists have widely varying opinions on using sugar. Some say that sugar is fine as long as it is used in something you make yourself from real ingredients instead of in something you buy that is full of artificial ones. Some say that you should never use any sugar at all because it has been linked to increased inflammation in some people.

I limit the amount of sugar I eat. I used to eat sweet treats every single day, including packaged cookies and candy. Now I eat sweet treats I make myself and I only bake on holidays and other special occasions. And I eat one or two cookies at a time instead of losing track of how many I've plucked off the buffet table.

I use raw organic sugar, raw organic honey, or real maple syrup instead of refined white sugar. I reduce the amount of sugar in everything I make and you can't tell the difference. If the recipe calls for 2 cups of sugar, try making it with 1 1/2 cups instead. 

Between now and Christmas, I'll be sharing specific recipes for Christmas cookies and treats on the blog. Merry Christmas!

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5 Reasons Why We Keep Eating Toxic Food

Step by step is the only way out of old food habits

Research shows that what we eat has a direct effect on our health and well being. Processed food is full of chemicals, dyes, preservatives, and artificial ingredients that our bodies were never designed to consume. For decades this truth had no impact on my lifestyle at all. I ate whatever I wanted to eat without giving it a single thought. 

The only reason I started investigating the relationship between what I eat and how I feel is because my fibromyalgia symptoms were so severe that I was turning into a housebound invalid. I had severe pain in multiple muscles and joints, frequent bouts of spiking pain in my knees, elbows, and feet, pain that increased with changes in the weather, pain so severe it woke me up at night, difficulty falling asleep and staying asleep, never feeling rested even when I managed sporadic sleep, unremitting fatigue, difficulty completing even the simplest tasks of daily living, loss of focus, an inability to concentrate, and feelings of hopelessness.

The most hopeless feeling of all was that I would have to cope with this disease for the rest of my life. After an entire year of misery and despair, I started looking for a way to feel better. After reading everything I could find on fibromyalgia, chronic illness, and the impact of processed food and chemicals on our health, I developed a plan that involved making three primary lifestyle changes. 

• I eliminated as many chemicals as possible in my home.  
• I stopped eating processed food that is full of toxic ingredients.
• I started eating real food that contains antioxidants and anti-inflammatory nutrients

When I started reading everything I could find about my illness, I was only hoping to discover a way to feel well enough to function every day. I was amazed that I not only found a way to feel better, but my symptoms completely disappeared. Is this a cure or is the disease just in remission?  All I can tell you is that when I made these changes in my life I got well. I have been symptom free and feeling great for almost three years.

Researchers who are studying the relationship between exposure to chemicals in our environment and chemicals in our food have found links to a host of illnesses including fibromyalgia, arthritis, lupus, Sjogren's syndrome and other illnesses like heart disease, depression, and cancer. So why isn't every person with fibromyalgia or another chronic illness getting rid of chemicals in their environment and food and eating whole foods? I suspect it is for the same five reasons I was slowly killing myself with food and chemicals for over half a century.

Habit.  When you are used to doing things a certain way, it seems simpler to keep on doing them that way than to change. So we keep using the same cleaning products and personal grooming products. We keep spraying our homes with scented products full of VOCs (volatile organic compounds) We keep eating things out of packages and boxes. We drink soda and stuff our faces with candy, cookies, and chips. It is what we are used to doing.

Lack of Information.  We don't educate ourselves about the harm processed food and environmental chemicals can cause. In the past, perhaps this information was hard to find. Now it is everywhere. You can get online, type a key word or phrase in your favorite search engine, and have hundreds of scientific articles right in front of you in a matter of minutes.The truth is out there.  

Disbelief.  Even when we have the information and read every article and book about the harm environmental chemicals and processed food cause our bodies, we just don't want to believe this could be true. We had rather believe there is some other cause, pop a pill, and hope for the best. Even some physicians are still not paying attention. I am grateful to have met many who are wholeheartedly behind the movement to eat well to live well. 

False Sense of Trust.  If it is available on our grocery shelves, we think it must be safe to eat. Nothing could be further from the truth. Giant food corporations have only one motivation for producing processed food products. And it is not our well-being. It is profit. Read the book "Salt, Sugar, Fat" by Michael Moss for an eye opening look into the world of manufactured food.

Unwillingness to Change.  Even when we know the truth and believe the truth, sometimes we just don't want to change our lifestyle. We don't want to give up soda or packaged cookies. We don't want to switch to safer organic chemical free cleaners. We just don't want to change our ways. It took me six months after I started finding out the truth to finally summon up the determination to take action and make the changes I needed to make.

If I had not made those changes I would still be dragging myself out of bed every morning just hoping for a low pain day, glad if I had the energy to take a shower and make it to the couch. Instead I am traveling, writing, camping, playing with my grandchildren, and living each day with joy and gratitude. Don't let chemicals and processed food rob you of your potential to live a life that is full of hope, promise, and possibilities. 

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Painting the House and I'm Still Alive

My husband and I are painting the inside of our house and I am having such fun. I know that sounds a little bit, well maybe a lot, crazy. After all painting involves taping, drop cloths, strenuous manual labor, ladders, brushes, rollers, time, moving furniture, and living in general chaos until the job is done.

But I'm elated nonetheless. Here's why. The last time the inside of our house was painted (ages and ages ago), we had a contractor complete the task. The smell of the paint fumes made me so sick I had to move out and stay with family and friends until the smell was gone. It was almost six weeks before I was able to move back into my home.This time around things are entirely different. Not only am I able to stay in the house while it is being painted, I am able to wield a brush and roller to help paint it.

A lot has happened between our two painting adventures. I had Meniere's disease the first go around. Since then I have developed Fuch's dystrophy of the cornea, multiple chemical and food allergies, and fibromyalgia. All of these diseases are related to malfunctioning of the immune system. I was in so much pain with fibromyalgia that I was desperate to find a way to feel better. I learned that exposure to toxic chemicals contributes to all kinds of autoimmune diseases including fibro. So I got chemicals out of my home, stopped eating processed food that is full of harmful chemicals, and started eating real food rich in antioxidants and anti-inflammatory nutrients. I haven't had any fibromyalgia symptoms in over nineteen months. And as a bonus, my immune system in general has improved. My allergies are a lot better. I haven't had a Meniere's episode in two years. My vision is stable. I feel great.

So I was worried when we started planning to paint the house. We are retired now and have plenty of time to do the work ourselves. But I didn't want to rock the boat by risking exposure to paint. Fortunately, paint manufacturers have developed paint that is free of VOCs - Volatile Organic Chemicals. VOCs in paint, cleaning products, scented products, cosmetics and a host of other things people use in daily life are a huge contributor to all kinds of health problems. We bought three gallons of VOC free paint in different colors and painted three different test walls. I had no reaction at all. We have finished painting three entire rooms and I am zipping right along as healthy as can be. 

Here are some quick tips that can make painting the inside of your home a little easier.

Buy paint that contains no VOCs. There are some paint products that say low VOC so make sure to verify that the paint you choose has absolutely no VOCs.

Gather all supplies before you start. Our list included: regular painter's tape, painter's tape with a four foot pull out drop cloth to use on the baseboards, an extension ladder, a step ladder, a step stool, three sizes of good quality brushes, disposable paint rollers, an extension roller pole, roller pans, drop cloths for the floor, and drop cloths to cover the furniture.

Painter's tape with a drop cloth attached works great on baseboards.

An extension ladder helps with the high spots.

Decide on a color scheme. Most companies offer brochures and online resources to help you pick out colors. We used a color palette sheet that shows a range of colors that work well together, got large paint chip swatches of the colors we thought we wanted to use, and painted test patches before buying all of the paint. The color palette sheet also has been useful for picking out accessories to go with our new look.

Prepare the room. Move the furniture away from the walls and cover with drop cloths. Put painter's tape around all baseboards, door frames, and windows. Take pictures off the walls and use spackle to fill in all nail holes. Wash the walls with a damp microfiber cloth. Bring your paint, brushes, and rollers to the room. Go!

For me painting my home has been a special blessing. Nineteen months ago I was too sick and in too much pain from fibromyalgia to even think about doing something as strenuous as painting our whole house. I am so thankful for health and energy and paint that is free from VOCs. I could share more but I've got to run. There are more rooms waiting to magically change color and I hear a paintbrush calling my name.

Surprised by Recovery from Fibromyalgia

Fibromyalgia produces a cascading torrent of symptoms.

I know the exact moment my encounter with fibromyalgia started.  On December 21, 2009 I had a severe allergic reaction to shrimp. I went into anaphylactic shock, had difficulty breathing, was taken to the emergency room, and was given three doses of epinephrine before my lung function returned to normal. I was kept in the ER for observation and then sent home to rest and recover. A week later I was still resting but I was not recovering at all.

I felt extremely fatigued all of the time. About a month after the shrimp episode, I developed muscle and joint pain all over my body. At first I thought it was just taking a long time to recover from the anaphylactic reaction, all that epinephrine, and the hectic Christmas holiday season. But the symptoms persisted and grew worse each day.

I had been working part time for four to six hours a day four days a week. I began to cut back on my hours until I was working only two or three hours a day. Eventually, I no longer had the energy for even that and had to quit my job. Prior to the onset of this mysterious cluster of symptoms I was an energetic,outgoing, generally cheerful person who thrived on being involved in many things at one time. But now it was becoming increasingly difficult for me to complete the basic tasks of everyday living. My doctor did laboratory analysis and evaluation which came back within normal limits. After the symptoms had persisted for six months and other possible causes had been ruled out, I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia. 

I was tried on several different medications used to help control fibromyalgia pain but I had side effects with each one and couldn't take any of them. I was going to have to somehow find a way to live with constant pain and debilitating fatigue. 

For the next twelve months, I spent most of my time lying on the couch. I got up to make occasional forays to the grocery store and wander into the utility room to try to keep up with the laundry. Everything I heard was discouraging. I was told there was no known cause or cure for fibromyalgia, that it would probably last the rest of my life, and that I might as well get used to feeling horrible every single day.

My usual coping mechanism is to confront a problem head on, brainstorm creative ways to resolve the issue, and jump in and do whatever it takes to make things better. I barely had the energy to stand up and shuffle around the house, much less do any jumping, but I jumped in anyway. I started reading everything I could find about fibromyalgia. 

It took another year to discover everything I needed to know to feel better. Over time, I developed a plan that involved making three huge changes in my lifestyle. I got chemicals out of my home environment, stopped eating processed food, and started eating whole foods rich in antioxidants and anti-inflammatory nutrients. My fibromyalgia symptoms have completely resolved. I haven't had any pain, fatigue,insomnia, fibro fog, or other fibromyalgia symptoms for over a year and a half. 

Before I got well, if anyone had told me it was possible to recover from fibromyalgia, I would have said they were nuts. I still wouldn't believe it even now except for this: it happened to me. 

Did you experience any traumatic physical, spiritual, or emotional event before you got sick?

Have you found anything that has helped improve your fibromyalgia symtpoms?