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Fibromyalgia Monthly Newsletter
Fibromyalgia Newsletter – September 2005
Can you really get rid of pain by getting your pH levels in balance?
TV infomercials tell viewers that cancer cannot grow in an alkaline environment. So to prevent cancer you need to keep your saliva and urine pH from becoming too acid. Similar results show a tendency toward pain levels associated with fibromyalgia and arthritis.
Measuring your saliva and urine pH can tell you how your metabolism is currently functioning. What you eat, your stress level, and your nutritional status affect both readings. You can get pH paper from health food stores, or it is available on my website along with a kit to assist you in understanding your readings. But I will give you a brief discussion here:
Your saliva pH reading shows how your liver is functioning, and how well your body is absorbing minerals needed to reduce stress. Saliva pH readings should be between 6.4 and 6.8 during the day, at least one hour after eating.
Urine pH readings are related to the metabolism of your colon and kidneys. It is best measured in the morning when the ideal reading should be between 6.0 and 6.4. It will tend to increase during the day, and so may be higher than 6.4 in the afternoon or evening. Urine pH is associated with the level of wastes being removed from your body, and so will be more acid in the morning when most of our cleansing occurs.
What do these readings have to do with Fibromyalgia?
When the urine and saliva pH are both low, or have acid readings, it indicates that the immune system is under stress. Immune system stress is associated with fibromyalgia, but also with a host of additional immune system problems including cancer and reoccurring infections. This acid state occurs because the digestive system is moving so fast that nutrients cannot get into the cells. There is a tendency toward fungal infections, leg cramping and joint aching. Often when I test people who have fibromyalgia, and they have low saliva and urine pH readings, I look for an underlying immune system weakness.
When the urine pH is low (under 6.0) with an acid reading, and the saliva pH is higher than 6.8, then there is a tendency to joint and muscle stress. Often people with fibromyalgia or arthritis fall into this range. This stress occurs when the liver cannot detoxify well enough and the saliva becomes too alkaline. The upper digestive system is moving slower than the lower digestive system, creating abdominal gas and bloating. A low urine pH and high saliva pH creates congestion and accumulation of toxins, generating knots and lumps in the soft tissues. Energy is being lost in the system. Chronic pain and stiffness comes from these toxins that have accumulated in the muscle tissues.
These are the two most commons situations found when I did my research project on clients with fibromyalgia, which is detailed in my book “Natural Choices for Fibromyalgia.” If you feel like you have unexplained symptoms, it is a good idea to measure your pH readings regularly at first. Then you can adjust your diet and see the affect that has on your pH readings. If all else fails, you can look at other causes of pH imbalances. Once your pH readings stay in balance your whole digestive system will work better.
Your Diet and Fibromyalgia
How can you tell if your diet could be causing pH imbalances? You can download a chart called the “Acid / Alkaline Food Chart” from my website in the Diet for Fibromyalgia section. This chart lists the acid foods on the right side of the chart, and foods that create an alkaline reaction on the left side. Ideally, we should eat 75% alkaline producing foods, and only 25% acid producing foods. But, too often we eat way too many acid foods on a daily basis. Common acid producing foods are peanut butter and jelly, coffee, soft drinks, beef, processed cheese, and chocolate.
Quick ‘n Easy Patterns of Stress Testing Kit
Get to know your system. It can make you much more confident of your own decisions regarding your health. If you have never had the opportunity to test your pH levels, I recommend using the kit my clients often use to see what is creating their health issues. The Quick ‘n Easy Patterns of Stress Testing Kit contains pH paper, and all of the directions and charts you need to understand your readings. It also contains highlighting pens so that you can understand your diet better. Order this testing kit
Fibromyalgia Newsletter – October 2005
Brought to you by: Jane Oelke, N.D., Ph.D.
DoctorOelke@aol.com
Keep Your Immune System Healthy!
Now that it is October, and officially flu season, it is time to remember to keep your immune system functioning as well as possible. There is even talk of a “killer flu” in the news. So it is even more important to do what you can on a daily basis to ward off extra bacteria and viruses, especially when you have fibromyalgia, since your immune system is already in stress dealing with those symptoms.
Last month we talked about the pH levels of your saliva and urine. When the pH levels are both low on a chronic basis, it is an indication that your immune system is stressed. Over time as your immune system continues to be stressed, the flu virus and any other microbes out there will cause additional stress making it even harder to reverse. This is when chronic fatigue, muscle aches and pain, and even degenerative changes, like cancer, happen more frequently.
Last month we talked about the benefits of getting fruits and vegetables in your daily diet. The current recommendations require 9 to 13 servings of a combination of fruits and vegetables per day. Impossible? Unrealistic? Yes, and No. You can get concentrated fruits and vegetables in capsules that can make up half of that amount. I know I have taken specific concentrated fruits and vegetables in capsules regularly for the past 10 years, and actually increase my dosage during the winter to counteract indoor air toxins, and the current virus that shows up in my office. Two fruit capsules and two vegetable capsules provide about 5 servings of fruits and vegetables, with all the antioxidants, minerals, and enzymes you need to keep your immune system working well. Increasing your dosage to 4 of each capsule will double your immune system benefit. To learn more about this go to my fruit and vegetable website
Common herbs that you can use to kill bacterial and viral toxins in your environment include:
Oregano
Garlic
Grapefruit Seed Extract
Olive Leaf Extract
Oregano is known as an Italian food spice, yet in oil or tablet form is very potent for killing bacteria, virus, fungus, and parasite toxins. In ancient Greece, oregano was used as a medicine by many, and continues to be used by naturopaths today. Quite of few of my fibromyalgia clients have seen a benefit from using oregano tablets for a period of time to eradicate built up toxins that are causing their pain. Oregano seems to target the lesser-known or recognized toxins, and so is very beneficial for a variety of undiagnosable chronic complaints.
Garlic is known as the poor man’s antibiotic. It can be added to warm soups on cold days to get rid of excess mucus and caused by viral conditions. Garlic is also beneficial in reducing staph and strep bacteria. Garlic is used mostly commonly with other foods since it action is most helpful in the digestive tract. It helps increase the action of probiotics, such as acidophilus, that help restore the good bacteria in the body so that the “bad” (immune system weakening) bacteria cannot take hold.
Grapefruit seed extract is a natural antibiotic, most commonly used for parasites and food poisoning. It is also beneficial for stomach flu, with symptoms of diarrhea and abdominal cramping. It is often used in combination with other immune system strengtheners for candida (yeast infections), sore throats, colds, and sinus congestion. It also can be helpful in relieving cold sores, acne, skin rashes, and athlete foot fungus.
Olive leaf extract comes from the olive tree, where we also get olive oil. Olive oil has cardiovascular benefits and is commonly used as a healthy substitution for processed salad dressings. Like the other immune builders it has antioxidant properties including many flavonoids. Olive leaf extract is also commonly used to eliminate viruses, bacteria, and fungus in the body. It seems to be especially beneficial in reducing fevers, and helps to remove acids from the body, including lactic acid that causes the muscles to be chronically in pain, and so is also beneficial for those with fibromyalgia.
Notice that none of these immune system builders are single vitamins or minerals. They all contain a variety of different phytochemicals that work together to improve your immune system, just like whole fruits and vegetables. One, or a combination of the above herbs, can be used to along with your healthy diet to help your immune strong. If you have been plagued with chronic bronchitis, or winter allergies, or susceptible to the current “flu” during the fall and winter months, you can reverse these symptoms by supplementing with immune system builders in your diet or in a capsule form found at your local health food store.
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