Shortly after we moved to Arizona in 2010, I took a job that initially caused me a huge amount of stress due to a steep learning curve about the business and having to deal with a difficult employee. The combination inflamed my body resulting in tremendous pain that neither the supplements I had been taking for 25+ years nor Ibuprofen could alleviate. Over time, as the stress reduced and I built a fabulous team, work became fun and the symptoms lessened. Even during COVID when our offices were shuttered and we all had to work from home, the team rose to the occasion and we kicked butt! I loved working from home. From late 2020 to mid-2021, however, things changed at work and it became a stressful environment for me. It was evident I needed to leave. My health was beginning to suffer, the fibromyalgia pain was increasing, and work was no longer enjoyable.
On top of those issues, I learned that Prohealth no longer carried the specific supplements I had been taking for 30+ years. They said the FDA had required them to relabel all their products to remove the word “fibro” from the labels and they had no timetable for when the products might be available again. I checked periodically to no avail. I was back to square one on a search for natural supplements and remedies to alleviate the fibro symptoms.
By mid to late 2022, I was having more severe Fibromyalgia Syndrome (FMS) symptoms again since I had nothing but Ibuprofen, chiropractic adjustments, and stretching to manage muscle pain and fatigue. While I had continued to follow a largely gluten-free diet, I had been eating much more gluten than in prior years. I discovered that my body would tolerate a little gluten so long as I didn’t have it every day of the week. But I also forgot about the nightshade vegetables that I should have been avoiding, as well as some other hidden ingredients in pre-packaged foods that I’d forgotten are triggers for FMS. Consequently, the FMS symptoms were getting worse over time.
In early 2023, while visiting the American Wellness Center in South Scottsdale to get gel injections in my knees, I learned about the New Wave body reset weight loss program. I hadn’t realized it at the time, but over the years, I had gained 40-50 pounds which also caused other pains in my joints! The main focus of this program was to eliminate the inflammation in the body that was preventing weight loss, and clear the body of bad bacteria, taking proprietary liquid supplements, and eating a healthy diet of certain lean meats, organic vegetables, and berries. No dairy, sugar, fats, grains, or alcohol were permitted during the regimen which lasted about 3 months.
The good news is that within the first few weeks, the pain and fatigue were gone! Then I noticed I was losing weight quickly and effortlessly. By the time I finished the program, I had dropped 35 pounds. As I dropped the weight, my joints improved to the point I could do 30-minute walks and 30 minutes on a stationary bike daily. I continued following the diet, although not as strictly as before, and dropped another 15 pounds for a total of 50 pounds. I’m still working on the next 20 to get back to my weight when I was married in 1987.
However, by late August 2023, some FMS symptoms were returning. Once again, I had forgotten about the FMS diet triggers and was only following a largely gluten-free diet. The symptoms started with severe muscle spasms in my low back which were resolved with chiropractic treatments and rest. Then in early August, I developed new symptoms – extreme muscle weakness in my buttocks and thighs that I can only describe as mushy muscles but without pain. When I got up from sitting, I felt as though my legs would not support me. At times, my muscles were so weak, I needed my husband’s support to help me walk from one room to another. I forced myself to stand and walk using chair backs and walls for support. Early on, I could only stand for perhaps 3 minutes before feeling as though my legs would fail and I would be on the ground. Fortunately, that never happened and I have not yet fallen. Throughout most of 2023 and into 2024, I went through a barrage of tests ordered by both my general practitioner, a heart doctor, an endocrinologist, and a neurologist. I had brain scans, EKGs, Xrays, MRIs with and without contrast, echocardiograms, and so many blood and urinalysis tests I lost track. The good news is that we ruled out all serious diseases and my heart, brain, and endocrine system are fine. We didn’t even find a pinched nerve in the low back despite some degeneration of the lumbar spine area. The tentative diagnosis was perhaps this was a new and different manifestation of fibromyalgia.
Now in May of 2024, I still have good and bad days, but I force myself to walk 20-30 minutes and also ride the stationary bike for 20-30 minutes daily. Lately, I’ve had more pain from tight muscles, primarily in my ankles and the tops of my feet. Occasionally I get the leg twitching at night which is alleviated with Hyland’s Arnica and Magnesium cream and periodically, Ibuprofen.
Frustrated by the lack of solutions after dealing with the medical profession for the past 2 plus years, I have decided to find my own alternative solutions. Turning to the internet yet again, I discovered the NativeFormulas.com website which discusses products created by chronic illness sufferers, functional medicine practitioners, naturopathic doctors, and other practitioners to address the issues of toxins, bad bacteria, and yeast build-up in the gut. I suspected this build-up had developed again after the deep cleanse I had a year and a half ago from the New Wave program. Curiously, none of the medical doctors I dealt with even considered this as a possibility.
I learned that the bad bacteria and candida secrete a protective blanket called biofilms that cause symptoms like body aches, fatigue, brain fog, and sleep issues, all of which I have, in addition to muscle weakness. According to their website, “Once the biofilm colony is established, it can be very difficult for the body to dissolve.” The practitioners have developed a 3-step solution of 1- Dissolve, 2- Remove, and 3- Restore using their proprietary Restore 3 enzyme supplement.
In my search for an FMS solution, I ordered their Restore 3 enzymes supplement and started my journey on May 3. I plan to share my progress in this blog. Their diet is not as restrictive as the New Wave program, since it does permit using olive oil, avocado oil, and ghee for cooking, and a wider variety of fruits and vegetables. It consists of no grains, dairy, sugar, or alcohol during the Dissolve and Remove phases. Hopefully, my story and the results I get from this program will resonate with others and provide some helpful information. They recommend sticking to the diet and enzymes program for 14-16 weeks.
I’m also in the process of finally publishing a book I’ve been working on for 20 years that ties all of this together. I’ve seen a lot of information about individual aspects related to FMS. gluten-free diets, exercise, and meditation, but I have yet to see a fully integrated book that discusses the issues and presents relevant remedies. My book addresses the natural remedies I have found for living with FMS and includes following a gluten-free diet, avoidance of certain foods and spices, daily exercise, meditation, and several recipes I have adapted to be both gluten-free and low FMS triggers.
Stay tuned to learn when it is finally published! Read about my initial fibro journey here.
