I was recently diagnosed with fibromyalgia. I have had all of the symptoms for years, including fatigue, migraines, irritable bowel, etc. A spa in town is offering a fibromyalgia program that they say detoxifies your system. It consists of eliminating tap water, carbonated drinks, caffeine, alcohol, milk products and all meats; drinking distilled water with lemon and pure maple syrup; and taking supplements, including primrose, calcium, wheat, antioxidants, muscle and joint aids, etc. They have several convincing testimonials. Have you heard of this, and does it sound like something worth trying? It costs nearly $500 for the first month, and $100/month for maintenance. They recommend detoxifying four times per year.

A.

I have not heard of this particular program, however detoxification in general can be helpful for many health conditions. The elimination of caffeine and alcohol is very helpful for fatigue, depression, anxiety, migraine headaches, irritable bowel, sleep disorders, and hypoglycemia. Since many people are allergic to dairy products, their elimination can be beneficial. Other common food allergens include wheat, citrus, chocolate, eggs and peanuts. Some type of food allergy testing or hypo-allergenic diet will help you with identifying foods you are sensitive to and should help to improve your migraines and irritable bowel syndrome. Low blood sugar or hypoglycemia can be responsible for fatigue as well as contributing to migraine headaches, so sugar and refined foods should be eliminated as well. Tap water usually contains chlorine and other chemicals for disinfection along with metals such as copper and lead- these can all cause health problems especially in sensitive people. Meat can contain hormone and antibiotic residues which may aggravate some health problems and excess consumption can cause an imbalance of fatty acids in the body which also leads to health problems. However, some people do not do well on a strictly vegetarian diet. They need some animal protein to regulate their metabolism. In these cases, intake of plenty of fish and some organic meat is best.

There are many supplements which are helpful for the conditions you have mentioned. Fibromyalgia is especially responsive to magnesium supplementation, migraines benefit from supplements of magnesium, vitamins B-2 and B-6 and essential fatty acids like those from fish, irritable bowel syndrome is helped by supplementing water soluble fiber and Lactobacillus acidophilus, and chronic fatigue is helped by vitamins C and E, magnesium and pantothenic acid (vitamin B-5). All these health problems are improved with a good overall vitamin and mineral supplement as well. Fibromyalgia and migraine patients have also had good results with 5-hydroxytryptophan to help with normalizing serotonin levels in the brain.

As far as the cost, it sounds expensive at first look, but if you are getting individual professional consultation with physicians and nutritionists, it is probably quite reasonable. Depending on the area of the country, you can expect to pay $100-250 per hour for consultation with qualified health care professionals. Be sure to compare the cost of the supplements they sell with the cost of quality brands at your health food store. In most cases, it isn't necessary to pay more than the normal cost for their 'special' supplements. Check it out to find out what you are getting for the money you will pay.

Finally if you decide to try this program, be sure to consult with your doctor to make sure there are no medical contraindications to your participation. Any good program will insist on this anyway.

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