Expert: Sharon Erdrich - 10/18/2011

Question
My best friend is suffering with fibromyalgia. Can you provide any insight or articles on any alternative medicines that would be useful?

Answer
Hello Graham
Fibromyalgia is a difficult condition, mainly because on a functional level, nothing can be found.  We do know, however, that people with this condition have abnormally high levels of something called "Substance P" which is a mediator of pain and inflammation.  People with low vitamin D also have a higher pain perception, so getting this checked would be important.

There are a number of other health conditions that tend to occur in people with fibromyalgia, many with overlapping symptoms. These include gluten intolerance, gout and restless legs syndrome - all signs of metabolic or dietary imbalance.
Many people have overcome their Fibromyalgia symptoms by changing their lifestyle and diet.  You might like to get a copy of "The Fibromyalgia Nutrition Guide" by Mary Moeller and Joe Elrod.  There are a number of items worth eliminating from the diet, top of the list being:
High fat dairy foods

White sugar and white flour, Fried foods, Preservatives, junk food, and salt, Red meat (especially salt cured, cured bacon, smoked, or nitrate cured), Coffee and caffeinated teas, Colas, soda pop, Alcohol, artificial sweeteners.
Others add Chocolate to that list, and still others recommend gluten and dairy free.  Generally I recommend people to have a trial of grain-free - and "Going against the grain" by Melissa Diane-Smith is a great read on this topic: http://www.melissadianesmith.com/Books/AgainstTheGrain.html
Doing this is an effort and demands more vegetables in the diet - something that most people don't consume enough of.  If your friend is willing to invest some effort in diet and lifestyle modifications, an experienced naturopath would be a valuable support.
All the best.
Sharon