Old Silver Fillings, Mercury Poisoning & Fibromyalgia

I'm currently experiencing an unpleasant (as if it could be pleasant) metallic taste in my mouth and have been for quite some time actually. At the end of a teleconference I recently participated in with others interested in learning more about Fibromyalgia treatments, we were given the opportunity to ask questions. Naturally, I asked about the possible causes of metallic taste in ones mouth. One of the doctor's hosting the teleconference said the three main causes of metallic taste or ringing of ones ears (which I have as well) are:

1. Nerves over-firing
2. Metal toxin exposure
3. Medication effects

Initially I was inclined to believe the horrible taste stemmed from my nerves over-firing because I experienced the same thing shortly before the onset of Bell's Palsy in 2006. I ruled out side effects from medications because my doctor hasn't changed them in a very long time or at least not coinciding with the onset of my new symptom. I highly doubted metal toxicity too.

A few days ago my friend, Kim, suggested old silver fillings. Apparently, she had the same experience and after her dentist removed her old silver fillings, the metallic taste went away. She also said, “I have seen the cons of silver fillings. At my office and many other dental practices, amalgam fillings aren't even offered to patients. 60 minutes did an episode on mercury fillings about 10 years ago. Scary stuff!!” Considering she's worked in the dental field for over 20 years, I took her suggestion seriously and began my research online.

New "Cutting Edge" Treatment in Fibromyalgia?

I recently participated in a teleconference hosted by Dr.'s Katinka Van Der Merwe and Dave Pascal of the Neurologic Relief Center in Fayetteville, Arkansas. They devote their practice to providing “cutting edge” treatment techniques in relieving a variety of symptoms to include pain associated with illnesses such as Fibromyalgia, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy, Complex Regional Pain Syndrome, Lupus, Multiple Sclerosis and other neurological conditions.

Dr. Van Der Merwe opened the conference addressing why their techniques aren't well known to a large number of patients struggling with chronic neurological illnesses. According to her, they have tried on numerous occasions to educate the public through media exposure with limited success. Although she has appeared on the local news and Dr. Pascal on the Discovery Channel, they rely on Facebook, for the most part, because it's difficult to get national exposure on mainstream news media channels. Since the inception of their Facebook page, they've attracted 2,160 fans and are growing.

Fibromyalgia Awareness Day 2011

Fibromyalgia Awareness Day is May 12.  My balloon is on a journey to visit people and places all around the world and needs your help to pass it along!

Fibromyalgia Awareness|Tribute Balloon


From the National Fibromyalgia and Chronic Pain Association:

“The observance of National Fibromyalgia Awareness Day, officially May 12, can take many forms. The 2011 theme Walk to CURE FM (Campaign for Understanding, Research & Education of Fibromyalgia) is the rally cry for fibromyalgia patients and supporters to make their collective voice heard.”

For more information on how to spread awareness and observe this day, click on the following link NFMCPA

Pedal to the Metal

Hey you, yeah you! Listen up, okay? I want you to turn down your TV, music, children or whatever you have going on in the background. I need to whisper something in your ear. Are you ready? Did you do as I asked? Great!

{whispers} I feel human today. Yes, it's true. I can hardly believe it myself. Gone is the fibro fog, mental exhaustion and physical fatigue. I'm not sure how long this is going to last, but I'm going to savor this day and take full advantage of it. Play out in the sunshine, hop, run, skip and jump! Perhaps even do some gardening. You know, do all the fun things I haven't been able to do in a while. Maybe we can end the evening with dinner out and a show like “normal” people do. Doesn't that sound grande? I have no idea what's playing at the local theatre; I'm sure we can find something to suit our taste.

Whoa, slow down there Nelly. Remember to pace yourself. Wait, did I just refer to myself a horse? *facepalm

On second thought, I'm not going overexert or do anything to cause a flare today, especially since last week I willingly participated in activities that exacerbated the beginnings of a flare. What? Yes, it's true. Last week, I pushed the envelope knowing I would hurt even more for it later.

Trauma and Unlocking Tissue Memory

Last week, I mentioned the mind, body, spiritual and emotional connection and how trauma can be stored in the muscles and cells of a person's body. While I couldn't find the original article to reference in my post, I found this article which supports the belief memories of traumatic events can be stored in areas of the body other then the brain.

Learn How To Unlock Tissue Memory

by Nicole Cutler, L.Ac.

“Many scholars believe that pain and trauma are incidents prevented from being completed. These can be single damaging events such as a car accident, continuous bombardments requiring emotional defenses, or over-training of isolated muscles that lock the body into a recognized pattern. Traumas can be considered anything that keep us locked in a physical, emotional, behavioral or mental habit. Recovery from trauma is the process of the body finding balance and freeing itself from constraints. All too often, the recovery process is halted, preventing the traumatic occurrence from completing.

There are many reasons traumatic incidents cannot be completed, creating stagnation and causing a cascade of physiological protective mechanisms to separate the trauma from affecting everyday functioning. Because our bodies and emotions can only safely handle a limited amount of stress, trauma results whenever an experience exceeds our abilities to handle and cope with its consequences. The energy of the trauma is stored in our bodies’ tissues (primarily muscles and fascia) until it can be released. This stored trauma typically leads to pain and progressively erodes a body’s health.”

Continue reading this entire article

Rules Are Not Meant To Be Broken

I can hardly believe how late I stayed up the other night. When I looked over at the clock and saw the time, I thought, “Wow, you are going to pay for this tomorrow.” The combination of a short nap and an afternoon cup of coffee turned what’s normally an early night to bed into a late night TV marathon with my husband, Todd. However, by 1:30am, I knew I had to call it a night.

Once I finally found a comfortable position in bed, I noticed parts of my body twitched a lot more than usual. On any given night, my legs and/or arms twitch, but that night my shoulder and neck twitched too. And, not to feel left out, my entire body twitched once right before I fell asleep. The body twitches don’t happen frequently and are a real treat. [insert sarcasm]

It didn’t take me long to fall asleep because I take enough medications at night to tranquilize a horse! Now, if only they kept me asleep. As far as paying for it, I woke up with my normal aches and pains, but slept until 7am. Yay! Happy me! My internal clock was kind enough to compensate for the hours I missed by allowing me sleep passed 4am.

Funny, okay maybe not so funny, how quickly I can go from feeling relatively okay to completely crappy. Its like going from 0 to 60 mph in under 4 seconds and, basically, that’s exactly what happened:

I left the house to go on a grocery run. A dreaded chore now; however, one I loved to do before I got sick. Yes, from scoping out the produce section for the freshest fruits and vegetables; trying to avoid the junk food section, only to return and grab that bag of salt and vinegar chips; to comparing prices of toilet paper and wondering which brand of paper towels truly was the quicker picker upper, I enjoyed all of those things. Okay, I’ll admit, I didn’t enjoy grocery shopping when my kids were younger and I had to drag them with me.

This shopping trip, however, was especially bad. I felt excruciating pain in my back simply from pushing the grocery cart down the aisles. And, each step I took seemed to cause every muscle in my body to spasm and my legs to weaken. My stride slowed considerably as my body stiffened from my ever-so-aching joints. Even the fluorescent lights and the noise from the other shoppers and store employees caused discomfort; random pain searing through my head. I could feel a migraine coming on.

Fortunately, Todd and the kids accompanied me. The kids helped out immensely by getting the dry goods from the list and Todd took over when I could no longer push the cart. He also loaded the groceries on the belt and into the van when we left the store. Without their help, I probably would have abandoned the groceries in the middle of the one of the aisles. Needless to say, my next few days were shot.

While recovering, I berated myself for breaking certain rules we, as fibromyalgia survivors, must follow. Dr. Jacob Teitelbaum, a board certified internist and Medical Director of Fibromyalgia and Fatigue Centers, defines these rules “as the five common no-no’s,” we commit when trying to manage our illness:

1. “Exercising too much or too little 


Fibromyalgia reflects an energy crisis in your body, so you can only exercise to a certain point. Beyond that, you get what is called “post-exertional fatigue,” where you feel completely wiped out the next day. Be careful to avoid this as it can discourage you from the moderate exercise that is vital to healing fibromyalgia. On the other hand, insufficient exercise results in de-conditioning and clearly can worsen your ability to function.

2. Not Knowing When to Say “No”

Being too agreeable to things you don’t really want to do is a major stress that aggravates people with fibromyalgia. Try more often to allow yourself to say “no” when what is being asked of you doesn’t feel good.

3. Not Listening When Your Body Tells You it’s in Pain


Widespread muscle pain is one of the most dominant symptoms associated with fibromyalgia. When you feel pain, remember that that’s your body’s protective system signaling you that something needs attention. Don’t dismiss the pain or try to “play through it.” Instead learn how to manage fibromyalgia-related pain using a comprehensive approach.

4. Eating Excessive Sugar


Eating excessive sugar (especially in sodas or fruit juices) can severely flare fibromyalgia by worsening adrenal exhaustion and Candida/yeast overgrowth. Eat a high-protein diet and substitute Stevia or Saccharin for sugar. Sugar-free ice cream with Splenda and sugar-free chocolates with maltitol are also okay (in small amounts). Dark chocolate can actually improve fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome symptoms!

5. Not Getting Enough Sleep

It may seem counter-intuitive, but people with fatigue-related illnesses, such as fibromyalgia, often get too little sleep. Getting eight to nine hours of good quality deep sleep each night is critical to eliminating fatigue and pain.”

Sometimes Advice Should Be Ignored

I had an interesting conversation with a woman during my physical therapy appointment yesterday and it only reinforced the importance of seeking advice from a physician, pharmacist or just flat out using common sense.

According to her, extra strength Orajel can be applied to other areas of the body, not just on the gums of a person's mouth. Apparently, she said, it contains a better numbing agent then some of the other creams on the market.

I thought, you know, maybe she's on to something here. Orajel is used all the time for teething babies. Why not other types of pain?

She recommended applying “a good-sized goop” along with some heat and swore the pain would disappear for three years.

My therapist and I exchanged looks and I jokingly said, “Well, I guess I'm gonna have to fill my tub with some Orajel tonight.”

Come on, a three year pain cure? Taking nothing for face value, I looked up her claim on the internet as soon as I got home and found Orajel or rather its active ingredient, benzocaine, is used as a numbing agent for certain medical procedures and even minor skin irritations; however, it should NEVER be applied over larger areas of skin. An overdose can cause fatal side effects.


Don't believe me?  Please check it out for yourself:

Orajel

The Mind, Body, Spirit and Emotional Connection

I often wonder what triggered my fibromyalgia. What flipped the switch in my body to make my own Central Nervous System turn against me? Aside from childbirth, I never experienced a physical trauma. Maybe I sustained more of a emotional trauma than I realized, when my Mother passed away from cancer in 2006. Of course, the possibility exists as well that it was triggered by a virus. Perhaps, it's a culmination of all three.

The more I research Fibromyalgia causes and treatments, the more I am inclined to believe a connection exists between the mind and body. Don't misunderstand me, I'm not suggesting our pain exists in our heads. On the contrary, I read somewhere (I wish I would have bookmarked the page to reference it here) when your body experiences any kind of trauma, it stores the memories of the experience(s) in the muscles and cells in your body. It's those muscle and cell memories, along with Central Nervous System abnormalities, which cause pain throughout the body. It makes sense to me because I believe the human body is not wired to exist in separate parts – we are body, mind, emotion and spirit. Inseparable, until death.

For this reason, I tried Craniosacral therapy for the first time last week. For those of you not familiar with this type of massage therapy, it involves light touch between the cranial (head) and sacral (lower abdomen) areas of your body. In the most simplest of terms, the massage therapist gently places his/her hands above and below parts of your body, following the path of your spine, and uses energy to release tension and blockages, thereby stimulating the flow of cerebrospinal fluid. This type of massage is credited for managing many types of conditions to include migraines, neck and back pain and chronic conditions such as Fibromyalgia.

You may be wondering if it worked for me. I cannot commit to an answer either way just yet. It's very likely I will require more sessions to experience any substantial relief from symptoms. However, I can relay my experience with you.

Before starting the session, Joyce and I discussed my condition and I explained this was my first time. She assured me it would be a pain-free experience (unlike some other massage modalities) and a very relaxing one. She also warned that some clients become emotional because of the release of tension and blockages within the body or that I may feel the need to stretch my arms and/or legs. She also said she would not speak unless I had questions; she would follow my lead.

Joyce worked differently than what I expected. She started at my feet and moved to my knees. She then moved to my lower abdomen and slowly up to my head. Once she reached my head, she stood behind me and gently cupped my head in her hands. I felt immediate pain in my neck and shoulders and she could tell. She gently placed my head back down on the pillow and worked around my neck and face. Then she continued down my spine back to my abdomen. This time while she worked on my lower abdominal area, I felt the most amazing warmth come over my entire body. With my eyes closed, I saw different hues of purple. I felt a sense of indescribable calm and peace. It was the most amazing feeling and I didn't want it to ever end. Unfortunately, Joyce spoke to me and interrupted my calm. Ironically, she explained what I might start feeling and that some clients begin see colors at a certain point when blockages are released. As hard as I tried, and maybe that was my problem, I couldn't get back to that state of calm. As Joyce continued with the massage, I noticed she concentrated a lot on my right shoulder, both hips and right knee even though I never mentioned these areas as bothersome. She mentioned feeling drawn to these areas and perhaps that's why she began at my feet as well. At the end of the session, she returned to my head and cupped it again. This time I felt no pain.

I left feeling drained, exhausted of all energy, and dreading the drive across town to get home. Joyce warned me to drive carefully because my senses would be dulled as would my reaction time. When I arrived, I don't think I was home for more than 10 minutes when a surge of emotions hit me hard. My tears flowed freely as I described the session to my husband, Todd - the overwhelming sense of calm, and beautiful, vivid shades of purple. Overall, I think had it not been for the interruption, the session would have been a more satisfying holistic experience. That's not to say the massage was unsatisfying. Remember at the beginning, I felt pain in my neck and shoulders when Joyce cupped my head, but at the end I didn't. This is why more sessions may be necessary to really benefit from Craniosacral therapy or any alternative therapy really. For as we all know, there's no such thing as a quick fix.