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by Source: Healthwatch
January 1, 1999
Fibromyalgia (FM) is recognized by rheumatologists. as the second most common rheumatic complaint seen by physicians. It affects more than 10 million people (five percent of the population) from all walks of life.
FM is an intensely crippling, constantly nagging chronic pain syndrome that continues to take a progressively larger toll on the population. FM mainly affects women, ages 25-55 years. The female to male ratio is five-to-one.
FM is usually classified as a soft tissue musculoskeletal condition. It resembles chronic fatigue syndrome in some ways. Symptoms of stiffness, chronic musculoskeletal pain, aching, disturbed sleep, depression, anxiety and fatigue plague patients with both syndromes.
To focus on assisting those who suffer from FM and chronic pain, it is necessary to understand what is happening in the body and the brain. An increased level of muscle tissue breakdown has been suggested as one of the main reasons for aching, pain and fatigue. The onset may be gradual or sudden. Symptoms may appear after an illness or a traumatic or stressful episode in one's life.
FM can occur within the muscles or where muscles join their tendons, rather than in the joints. Tension and stress, poor posture, rapid repetitive motions or incorrectly using the muscles to push, lift or pull can aggravate FM.
Anxiety and depression will almost always follow. A major factor in the successful treatment of FM, as well as chronic pain, is specific nutrients that exert a strong regenerative effect on the body's systems, including the nervous system.
Missing Nutrients
Recent research has shown that FM patients may be deficient in certain compounds required for the synthesis of ATP (Adenosine Triphosphate).
One of the most crucial elements for ATP synthesis is magnesium. Research suggests FM patients have below-normal levels of magnesium. Low levels of magnesium can contribute to PMS, headaches, muscle cramping, muscle spasms, heart palpitations and even heart attacks.
Many common foods Americans eat deplete magnesium reserves. According to reports, at least 85 percent of magnesium is removed by eating bleached and refined flour in breads, pasta and other prepared wheat products.
Soft drinks have a high phosphorus content, which also reduces magnesium levels in the body. Even high-calcium supplementation, without adequate magnesium, will deplete the body's level of magnesium.
Malic Acid
Aluminum toxicity may play a role in symptoms experienced by magnesium-deficient FM patients. As a preventative measure, adequate amounts of magnesium can help block the toxic effects of aluminum.
However, the most potent aluminum detoxifier is malic acid. Malic acid is especially effective at decreasing aluminum toxicity in the brain. Alzheimer's Disease patients have been found to have unusually high levels of aluminum in their brains. It was once assumed that these people had ingested large amounts of aluminum during their lifetimes. However, while that may be true, it is now thought that how much aluminum is consumed is not nearly as important as how well our bodies can detoxify and eliminate the substance.
Treatment with malic acid has been shown to greatly increase the fecal and urinary excretion of aluminum and reduce the concentration of aluminum found in various organs and tissues.
Clinical tests are proving malic acid to be a great asset in the treatment of FM and chronic pain. In one clinical study, reported in "The Journal of Nutritional Medicine," 15 patients (aged 32-60) taking a dosage of 200-2400 mg. of maIic acid with 300-600 mg of magnesium for four to eight weeks, reported significant pain relief within 48 hours. These positive effects continued to increase over the test period.
The mineral manganese and B complex vitamins have also been shown to be deficient in both CFS (Chronic Fatigue Syndrome) and FM sufferers. Combinations of GABA, glutamine and glycine, (inhibitory neurotransmitters) have been helpful in lowering stress levels by controlling limbic firing in the brain.
Order Malic Acid
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