Category: Nutrition

ME/CFS Supplements – One Combination Doesn’t Fit All

5/14/2019

I’ve started taking supplements to fill in some gaps in my nutrition and this got me thinking about common practice today in the use of supplements for ME/CFS treatment.

Most providers who see ME/CFS patients recommend a regimen of supplements. They can include pills, IV, shots and ‘cocktails’. Patients report a range of results with these methods from revitalizing to ‘maybe it helped.’ If you’re seeing a practitioner who has recommended such treatments, be sure that the ratios and combinations of supplements are based on your metabolism. There are tests and blood chemistries that can be run to get an accurate picture of you and your needs for treatment. Many of these treatments can be expensive and it can be a sacrifice to pay for them. If you’re not feeling measurable improvement, revisit your doses and combinations with your doctor.

From my own experience, the first doctor who actually treated me for ME/CFS, relied on his prior experience with ‘patients like me’ and prescribed a similar plan. Although this first step got me to a healthier plateau, it wasn’t until we figured out, through trial and error, what I specifically needed for supplements that I was able to get on the right road to recovery. Are you taking supplements as part of your recovery plan? What do you think of their efficacy? Please COMMENT on this blog or Send in your thoughts and I’ll post them with your permission. You can use the Contact Form or send an email to Martha at DefeatCFS dot net. And Guest Blogs are most welcome!

Look for a weekly posting on Tuesdays. And consider being part of the conversation.
Be Well Again,
Martha

0 Comments

ME/CFS Symptoms – Consider Food Allergies/Sensitivities

2/26/2019

2 Comments

Although most ME/CFS patients share a core group of symptoms, many have additional symptoms that add to the complexity of treatment and healing. Depending on how long ago you were diagnosed with ME/CFS and how thoroughly you were tested, you may or may not have explored food allergies or intolerances. There are in fact some patients who have been diagnosed with ME/CFS who are actually suffering from food and/or environmental allergies.

Recently I was reading about Gluten intolerance and I was surprised at the overlap of symptoms with the standard definition of ME/CFS – Fatigue, feeling rundown like you have the flu, joint pain or numbness in extremities, ‘foggy mind’ where concentration is difficult, headaches, prolonged changes in mental health and gastrointestinal discomfort. It seems that when our bodies are immunocompromised, the symptoms are similar no matter what the cause. According to a recent article ‘Adult-Onset Food Allergies Increasing, Confusing’ on WebMD, about one in 10 adults have a food allergy with half of these starting well into adulthood.

Could you be struggling with a new food allergy? Could a food or environmental allergy/sensitivity be complicating your recovery? Consider this as part of your continuing ‘case study of one’ as you work to understand your version of ME/CFS. Please COMMENT on this blog or Send in your thoughts and I’ll post them with your permission. You can use the Contact Form or send an email to Martha at DefeatCFS dot net. And Guest Blogs are most welcome!

Look for a weekly posting on Tuesdays. And consider being part of the conversation.
Be Well Again,
Martha

2 Comments

ME/CFS Nutrition - Avoid Junk

10/10/2017

3 Comments

Ever since we were kids, we’ve been told by nutritionists to eat healthy food. The various pyramids and food groups have come and gone but the message has been the same. And there’s really no mystery to it. Eat healthy food. When I was struggling with ME/CFS, I paid attention to everything I ate once I understood the need to feed my recovering dis-eased body.

Our biggest road block to following this simple adage is discipline. In our consumer driven economy, there’s a mega agricultural and food business that wants us to consume a lot of unhealthy cheap stuff that’s profitable. And they have the market control to make it easy for us to acquire and eat their stuff and harder to get something different. So the first challenge is to PLAN to eat healthy food. This may sound simplistic but if I’m hungry and there isn’t anything healthy to eat, I go for the shelf with the packaged food. And sometimes, even when I have healthy food in the house, I don’t feel like preparing it. Make a salad? Sometimes I’m just too tired. So as simple as it sounds to eat healthy food, we have to work at it. And when you’re struggling with ME/CFS, every ounce of energy is precious. So you need to decide to allocate some of your limited supply of energy toward providing your body with the healthy food it needs to generate even more energy. Once you look at it that way, it’s a cliché of win-win.

So what’s healthy food? This is a personal decision in terms of what you know to be true about your metabolism. In today’s culture, many people are vegetarian or vegan. Some observe various restrictions in their diets that have made a huge difference in their health – gluten free, sugar free, etc. Whether you need to be more or less restrictive can be a matter of experimentation or testing. But whatever you do, as you work your way back to health, be sure to only put positive, healthy food into your system. Don’t eat negative food – like soda and copious sweets - that your body will have to spend precious energy clearing and processing. Plan to eat healthy food. What are your strategies for eating healthy? Please COMMENT on this blog or Send in your thoughts and I’ll post them with your permission. You can use the Contact Form or send an email to Martha at DefeatCFS dot net. And Guest Blogs are most welcome!

Look for a weekly posting on Tuesdays. And consider being part of the conversation.

Be Well Again,
Martha

3 Comments

ME/CFS/SEID Nutrition – Eat Healthy

7/25/2017

2 Comments

Ever since we were kids, we’ve been told by nutritionists to eat healthy food. The various pyramids and food groups have come and gone but the message has been the same. And there’s really no mystery to it. Eat healthy food. When I was struggling with ME/CFS/SEID, I paid attention to everything I ate once I understood the need to feed my recovering dis-eased body.

Our biggest road block to following this simple adage is discipline. In our consumer driven economy, there’s a mega agricultural and food business that wants us to consume a lot of unhealthy cheap stuff that’s profitable. And they have the market control to make it easy for us to acquire and eat their stuff and harder to get something different. So the first challenge is to PLAN to eat healthy food. This may sound simplistic but if I’m hungry and there isn’t anything healthy to eat, I go for the shelf with the packaged food. And sometimes, even when I have healthy food in the house, I don’t feel like preparing it. Make a salad? Sometimes I’m just too tired. So as simple as it sounds to eat healthy food, we have to work at it. And when you’re struggling with ME/CFS/SEID, every ounce of energy is precious. So you need to decide to allocate some of your limited supply of energy toward providing your body with the healthy food it needs to generate even more energy. Once you look at it that way, it’s a cliché of win-win.

So what’s healthy food? This is a personal decision in terms of what you know to be true about your metabolism. In today’s culture, many people eat organic or close to it. Some are vegetarian or vegan. Some observe various restrictions in their diets that have made a huge difference in their health – gluten free, sugar free, etc. Whether you need can be a matter of experimentation or testing. But whatever you do, as you work your way back to health, be sure to only put positive, healthy food into your system. Don’t eat negative food – like soda and copious sweets - that your body will have to spend precious energy clearing and processing. Plan to eat healthy food. What are your strategies for eating healthy? What works for you? Please COMMENT on this blog or Send in your thoughts and I’ll post them with your permission. You can use the Contact Form or send an email to Martha at DefeatCFS dot net. And Guest Blogs are most welcome!

Look for a weekly posting on Tuesdays. And consider being part of the conversation.
Be Well Again,
Martha

2 Comments

ME/CFS/SEID Nutrition – Avoid the Negative

2/7/2017

2 Comments

Often I’m asked what nutrition plan I followed when I was struggling with ME/CFS/SEID. Honestly, it wasn’t so much what I ate. It was what I DIDN’T eat. I simply learned to avoid the negative foods that are a standard part of our American diet. Of course none of this came about on day one. It was over time that I began to recognize the need to give my immune system a fighting chance to get well by fueling it with healthy food and drinks.

I developed the habit of asking myself, “Will my immune system thank me for eating this?” In the beginning, frequently, the answer was no. I began to eat more foods that were rich in nutrients and which could build up the strength of my immune system and less of the foods that were full of empty calories and unpronounceable ingredients.

We have learned that some patients who are diagnosed with ME/CFS/SEID are actually suffering from severe food allergies. And more and more people are restricting their diets by eliminating one or more common ingredients. Eating Organic, Gluten-free, refined sugar-free and other dietary restrictions are more common and the anecdotal evidence is showing that, for some, these dietary adjustments can generate a noticeable improvement in ones health.

For me, eating positive foods and avoiding the negative paid off. How have you adjusted your eating habits? What strategies are working for you? Please COMMENT on this blog or Send in your thoughts and I’ll post them with your permission. You can use the Contact Form or send an email to Martha at DefeatCFS dot net. And Guest Blogs are most welcome!

Look for a weekly posting on Tuesdays. And consider being part of the conversation.

Be Well Again,
Martha

2 Comments

ME/CFS/SEID New Year – Take Control

1/10/2017

2 Comments

I’ll be completely honest. I’m not a fan of New Year resolutions because most of us set ourselves up for failure by selecting a goal which is too difficult and all encompassing. These types of resolutions require the individual to change most of their way of being in the timeframe of an overnight. Is there anything wrong with challenging ourselves with self improvement? Absolutely not. But when you’re struggling with ME/CFS/SEID, let’s not add just one more big failure to the pile of reasons why we sometimes grind on ourselves.

Although the patients experience with ME/CFS/SEID can differ, there is one consistent thread that I hear from everyone – Helplessness. This disease persistently beats us down. With the lack of recognition, with the lack of medical treatment, with the lack of understanding from many of those around us, and with our own self doubts. It can be daunting. And in the face of this, it can be easy to allow ME/CFS/SEID to control us and to give in. We forget that there are aspects of this disease that we do have control over.

We control our daily choices about rest, nutrition and supporting our immune systems. We control our data collection and review of patterns. We control how we communicate and seek support. We control our own attitudes and approach to ME/CFS/SEID.

I encourage you to start by taking control of just one of these areas of your ME/CFS/SEID struggle. Then over time as you feel confident in that area, add something else. Slowly, patiently and consistently begin to take back what you can control about ME/CFS/SEID.

My wish for all of you is a year filled with step by step success in taking control of ME/CFS/SEID. Where are you going to start? Please COMMENT on this blog or Send in your thoughts and I’ll post them with your permission. You can use the Contact Form or send an email to Martha at DefeatCFS dot net. And Guest Blogs are most welcome!

Look for a weekly posting on Tuesdays. And consider being part of the conversation.

Be Well Again,
Martha

2 Comments

ME/CFS Supplements – One Combination Doesn’t Fit All

4/8/2014

4 Comments

Karen recently shared the lifelong struggle she went through to get to a diagnosis of ME/CFS (see blog 6/11/2013) and, like me, eventually determined that she was suffering with ion channelopathy.  The approach we both used was to unravel the clues that would lead us to the correct ratios of sodium, potassium, calcium and chloride.  The ratios which worked successfully for Karen, were almost the opposite of what worked for me. So even with the same sub-diagnosis, we needed different treatments.  And of course this got me thinking about common practice today in ME/CFS treatment.

Most providers who see ME/CFS patients recommend a regimen of supplements.   They can include pills, IV, shots and ‘cocktails’. Patients report a range of results with these methods from revitalizing to ‘maybe it helped.’
If you’re seeing a physician who has recommended such treatments, be sure that the ratios and combinations of supplements are based on your metabolism. There are tests and blood chemistries that can be run to get an accurate picture of you and your needs for treatment. Many of these treatments can be expensive and it’s a sacrifice for many to pay for them. If you’re not feeling measurable improvement, revisit your doses and combinations with your doctor.

From my own experience, the first doctor who actually treated me for ME/CFS, relied on his prior experience with ‘patients like me’ and prescribed a similar plan.  Although this first step got me to a healthier plateau, it wasn’t until we figured out, through trial and error, what I specifically needed for supplements that I was able to get on the right road to recovery. Are you taking supplements as part of your recovery plan?  What do you think of their efficacy? Please COMMENT on this blog or Send in your thoughts and I’ll post them with your permission. You can use the Contact Form or send an email to Martha at DefeatCFS dot net. And
Guest Blogs are most welcome!

Look for a weekly posting on Tuesdays.  And consider being part of the conversation.

Be Well Again,

Martha

4 Comments

ME/CFS Symptoms – Consider Food Allergies/Sensitivities

3/18/2014

2 Comments

Although most ME/CFS patients share a core group of symptoms, many have additional symptoms that add to the complexity of treatment and healing. Depending on how long ago you were diagnosed with ME/CFS and how thoroughly you were tested, you may or may not have explored food allergies or intolerances.  There are in fact some patients who have been diagnosed with ME/CFS who are actually suffering from food and/or environmental
allergies.

Recently I was reading about Gluten intolerance and I was surprised at the overlap of symptoms with the standard definition of ME/CFS – Fatigue, feeling rundown like you have the flu, joint pain or numbness in extremities, ‘foggy mind’ where concentration is difficult, headaches, prolonged changes in mental health and gastrointestinal discomfort.  It seems that when our bodies are immunocompromised, the symptoms are similar no matter what the cause.  According to the CDC, children in the US suffering with food allergies increased 18% from 1997 to 2007. An estimated 4% of the US adult population is food allergic - about 9 million.

Could you be struggling with a food allergy?  Could a food or environmental allergy/sensitivity be complicating your recovery? Consider this as part of your continuing ‘case study of one’ as you work to understand your version of ME/CFS. Please COMMENT on this blog or Send in your thoughts and I’ll post them with your permission. You can use the Contact Form or send an email to Martha at DefeatCFS dot net. And Guest Blogs are most welcome!

Look for a weekly posting on Tuesdays.  And consider being part of the conversation.

Be Well Again,

Martha

2 Comments

ME/CFS Nutrition - Avoid Junk

8/20/2013

2 Comments

Ever since we were kids, we’ve been told by nutritionists to eat healthy food. The various pyramids and food groups have come and gone but the message has been the same. And there’s really no mystery to it. Eat healthy food. When I was struggling with ME/CFS, I paid attention to everything I ate once I understood the need to feed my recovering dis-eased body.

Our biggest road block to following this simple adage is discipline. In our consumer driven economy, there’s a mega agricultural and food business that wants us to consume a lot of unhealthy cheap stuff that’s profitable. And they have the market control to make it easy for us to acquire and eat their stuff and harder to get something different. So the first challenge is to PLAN to eat healthy food. This may sound simplistic but if I’m hungry and there isn’t anything healthy to eat, I go for the shelf with the packaged food. And sometimes, even when I have healthy food in the house, I don’t feel like preparing it. Make a salad? Sometimes I’m just too tired. So as simple as it sounds to eat healthy food, we have to work at it. And when you’re struggling with ME/CFS, every ounce of energy is precious. So you need to decide to allocate some of your limited supply of energy toward providing your body with the healthy food it needs to generate even more energy. Once you look at it that way, it’s a cliché of win-win.

So what’s healthy food? This is a personal decision in terms of what you know to be true about your metabolism. In today’s
culture, many people are vegetarian or vegan. Some observe various restrictions in their diets that have made a huge difference in their health – gluten free, sugar free, etc. Whether you need to be more or less restrictive can be a matter of experimentation or
testing.

But whatever you do, as you work your way back to health, be sure to only put positive, healthy food into your system. Don’t eat negative food – like soda and copious sweets - that your body will have to spend precious energy clearing and processing. Plan to eat healthy food. What are your strategies for eating healthy? What works for you? Please COMMENT on this blog or Send in your thoughts and I’ll post them with your permission. You can use the Contact Form or send an
email to Martha at DefeatCFS dot net. And Guest Blogs are most welcome!

Look for a weekly posting on Tuesdays. And consider being part of the conversation.

Be Well Again,

Martha

2 Comments

ME/CFS Nutrition – Avoid the Negative

2/26/2013

4 Comments

Often I’m asked what nutrition plan I followed when I was struggling with ME/CFS. Honestly, it wasn’t so much what I ate. It was what I DIDN’T eat. I simply learned to avoid the negative foods that are a standard part of our American diet. Of course none of this came about on day one. It was over time that I began to recognize the need to give my immune system a fighting chance to get well by fueling it with healthy food and drinks.

I developed the habit of asking myself, “Will my immune system thank me for eating this?” In the beginning, frequently, the answer was no. I began to eat more foods that were rich in nutrients and which could build up the strength of my immune system and less of the foods that were full of empty calories and unpronounceable ingredient lists.

We have learned that some patients who are diagnosed with ME/CFS are actually suffering from severe food allergies. And more and more people are restricting their diets by eliminating one or more common ingredients. Organic, Gluten-free, refined sugar-free and other dietary restrictions are more common and the anecdotal evidence is showing that, for some, these dietary adjustments can generate a noticeable improvement in an individuals health.

For me, eating positive foods and avoiding the negative paid off. How have you adjusted your eating habits? What strategies are working for you? Please COMMENT or Send in your thoughts and I’ll post them. You can use the Contact Form or send an email to Martha at DefeatCFS dot net.

Look for a weekly posting on Tuesdays. And consider being part of the conversation.

Be Well Again,

Martha

4 Comments

ME/CFS Supplements – One Combination Doesn’t Fit All

ME/CFS Symptoms – Consider Food Allergies/Sensitivities

ME/CFS Nutrition - Avoid Junk

ME/CFS/SEID Nutrition – Eat Healthy

ME/CFS/SEID Nutrition – Avoid the Negative

ME/CFS/SEID New Year – Take Control

ME/CFS Supplements – One Combination Doesn’t Fit All

ME/CFS Symptoms – Consider Food Allergies/Sensitivities

ME/CFS Nutrition - Avoid Junk

ME/CFS Nutrition – Avoid the Negative

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