Fibromyalgia: Dietary Guide
Fibromyalgia (FM) is a chronic condition affecting multiple body systems is not limited to any one aspect of health. Because of this, there is no ONE diet that works the same for all FM patients. Since most dietary guidelines that address FM are based on general healthy eating principles utilized for many conditions such as hypoglycemia, diabetes, food allergies, headaches, digestive disorders, and fatigue, let’s review some of the most popular and successful dietary approaches that have been reported regarding FM.
Basic Guidelines:
- Carbohydrates: AVOID all refined carbs (white flour products). Eat whole grain bread, oatmeal, granola, nuts. Avoid artificial sweeteners and limit sugar intake to a max. of 40g/2000 calories. Eat roughly 14 grams / 1000 calories consumed of soluble dietary fiber such as apples, oats, and legumes vs. insoluble fiber such as bran. Your total carb intake from all sources should be between 30-55% of your total calories.
- Fats: AVOID saturated fats (these clog up circulation, lead to inflammation and pain). That means <10% of total calories consumed, so limit or eliminate foods such as cheese, beef, milk, oils, ice cream, cakes, cookies, mayonnaise, margarine, chips and chicken skin. Eat mono- and poly-unsaturated fats and include regular amounts of omega 3-fats. Eat < 300mg/day of cholesterol; Try to avoid ALL trans fats such as cakes, cookies, crackers, pies, bread, margarine, fried potatoes, chips, shortening. Take omega 3 fatty acids like alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) as these help make other omega 3 fats like EPA and DHA, and are very helpful for the brain. ALA is found in flaxseed, linseed oil, or cod liver oil. Limit total fat intake to 20-35% of calories consumed.
- Protein: Go easy on red meat as they are high in saturated fat. Instead, eat more fish and vegetable protein (legumes and soybeans are great). When eating meat or poultry, remove all visible fat and skin before eating. Maintain protein at 20-40% of total caloric intake. AVOID: processed meats, especially salt-cured, smoked or nitrate-cured.
- Fruits & Vegetables: Whole fruits are superior to juices. Include blackberries, strawberries, raspberries, kiwis, peaches, mango, cantaloupe melon and apples. Some FM sufferers cannot tolerate citrus fruits but if you can, fruits like oranges and grapefruits are great. Vegetables are crucial. Good choices include carrots, squash, sweet potato, spinach, kale, collard greens, broccoli, cabbage, and Brussels sprouts. These foods reduce the risk of developing chronic diseases (diabetes, heart disease, stroke and cancers).
- Dairy Products: Choose organic varieties of milk. This also applies to yogurt and cheese.
- Healthy drinks: Drink 8 glasses of water a day or diluted fruit juices, or herbal teas. Drinking water helps flush out toxins. Avoid coffee, tea, and alcohol as these increase fatigue, increase muscle pain and interfere with normal sleeping patterns. Limit or eliminate alcohol.
- Healthy Snacks: Chopped vegetables, unsalted nuts and/or seeds; AVOID ALL commercial snack foods (except salt-free air-popped popcorn) as these are high in trans fats & salt. Avoid chocolate and candy.
- Junk Food: Regular consumption of this is BAD for FM patients due to the high levels of fat, sodium, calories and general lack of nutrition.
- Artificial Sweeteners: AVOID them! Examples: aspartame, NutraSweet, & saccharine.
- MSG: (monosodium glutamate (MSG) and Sodium (Salt) can aggravate FM!
- QUANTITY: Eat smaller light meals, especially in the evenings.
We recognize the importance of including chiropractic in your treatment planning and realize you have a choice of providers. If you, a friend or family member requires care for FM, we sincerely appreciate the trust and confidence shown by choosing our services and look forward in serving you and your family presently and, in the future.
YOU MAY BE A CANDIDATE FOR CHIROPRACTIC CARE FOR FIBROMYALGIA! FOR MORE INFORMATION ON HOW WE TREAT FIBROMYALGIA LOG ON TO : WWW.STOPYOURFIBRONOW.COM
Can Food Improve Your Mood?
Most of us underestimate how food can affect our moods. The brain reacts quickly to food- both good and bad- depending on what you feed it.
Although you may feel sugary candy gives you an energy boost, you expose yourself to erratic fluctuations in your blood sugar levels. After the “sugar rush” effect wears off, your mood gets bad. (This can make you want to eat more and more sugar !)
Caffeine is not much better, as it eventually makes you feel jittery and anxious. A better approach is to feed your brain the right nutrients so you can expect good moods to consistently dominate over bad moods.
Eating right does take some time and planning. Unfortunately, in our rushed, stress-filled lives, we frequently turn to quick fixes like fast food. But these quickie meals are often nutrient deficient and heavy with ingredients that make you feel sluggish.
Select carbohydrates like fruits and whole grain products. Fruits that are lower in sugar are the best option; these include berries, apple and kiwi. If you’re not able to get these fresh or in season, choose frozen fruit. (canned fruit usually has sugary syrup in it) And, choose whole grain breads over highly-refined baked products.
Vegetables that are low in starch and high in fiber are excellent sources of brain nutrients. Try spinach, kale, tomatoes, asparagus, cucumber, carrots and cauliflower. Fresh vegetables are better than frozen, but frozen is better than canned.
When cooking food, opt for olive oil or macadamia nut oil. Stress can cause inflammation in your body. The inflammation affects how your brain functions, making you more prone to anxiety and depression. These oils are filled with oleic acids which are anti-inflammatory compounds.
And, don’t forget to drink plenty of water. Keeping your body well hydrated keeps you from feeling tired and irritable.
If you suffer from low moods look closely at your diet. If you are being treated for anxiety, depression or bipolar disorder it is especially important for you to follow and good consistent diet. You will be surprised at how good you can feel.
For more information on nutrition and a variety of other topics log on to my web-site www.painfree-greatposture.com.
Health is a Choice
They say that 70% of killer diseases like heart disease, cancer, obesity, stroke, and diabetes, are diseases of excess. They are the manifestation of poor lifestyle choices such as smoking, drinking, bad food choices, stress and lack of exercise.
In fact, I remember reading about a study done where they polled a large group of random people (off the street) and asked them…Tell us 3 things that you could change about your lifestyle right now that would extend your lifespan? These were the top 3 answers.
- Eat better, more vegetables, less fat and processed foods.
- Lose weight/Exercise more.
- Stop smoking or drinking.
People are smart, but we can also be lazy and indulge too much in things that taste and feel good.
And the problem with these lifestyle temptations, is they do their damage slowly, and for the most part silently. After-all…the first symptom of heart disease 2/3 of the time is a heart attack, many of those fatal.
So…while health is not a mystery, since most of us know what we should be doing to stay healthy…the mystery is why we don’t do it.
I think it’s because we think we can get away with it. We think…I’m young…I can change my bad habits before it gets too late…then get healthy. Meanwhile…time goes on and nothing happens (and years pass) to you even though you are drinking, smoking, and eating garbage…you get a sense of false security…then BOOM.
Did you hear…Betty was stricken by cancer…like she was hit by a car and had nothing to do with it.
But the thing is…a healthy lifestyle pays dividends now (and later).
You feel better about yourself when you are healthy. You look better. Your body functions better. You sleep better. It gives you a lot more options when it comes to expressing life. And you can do it for longer.
So listen to yourself…because you are right…Health is choice.
To schedule an appointment with Dr. Paul Kramer call Jennifer at 262-251-8306.
Dr. Kramer on “What’s Cookin”
Last month I was on the local TV show called What’s Cookin’ with KC Thorson. She interviewed me about nutrition. It was a great little discussion filled with lots of information.
My son’s cub scout troop was there to watch and they had a blast sitting in the audience with big head phones on.
We talked about a variety of hot topics in nutrition and then KC made an excellent pizza.
To check it out, log on here!
Can Dizziness And Vertigo Be Caused By Dehydration?
Yes, dizziness and vertigo can be caused by dehydration. Your brain is made mostly of water. Your body is made mostly of water for that matter. When you don’t get enough water, it can alter brain and nerve function and sign of this happening is dizziness.
How do you know if you are dehydrated? Well, if you drink less than 64 oz. (2 liters) of water a day, you are dehydrated. 64 oz. of water is one half a gallon. That’s water. Not, juice, soda, coffee, milk, beer, tea or soup. Water. If you don’t drink enough water, your body can extract water from these drinks in order to save your life. But, in the long run, you will never get enough water to get you out of a dehydrated state. And, you will start to get symptoms.
If you exercise or work and sweat a lot, you will need even more water. In that case, take your body weight, divide it by two and that is the number of ounces of water you will need 
every day. For example, I am 180 pounds, so I need 90 ounces of water a day, because I do work out and sweat.
Many people say to me “Well, I don’t feel thirsty, how can I be dehydrated ?” And, it can be kind of confusing. You see, when you have been dehydrated for a long time, your thirst mechanism shuts down. You don’t feel thirsty until your mouth is actually dry. It’s a strange phenomenon, but if you start drinking water regularly, your thirst mechanism comes back.
Drinking enough water is part of the treatment regimen I prescribe for dizziness and vertigo. If you suffer from one of these ailments, you should definitely try drinking more water. If that doesn’t take it away completely, the answer may be elsewhere and you may need a combination of therapies to get relief.
To find out more about how I treat dizziness and vertigo log on to www.stopvertigonow.com. Or call Jennifer at 262-251-8306 to schedule a free no obligation consultation where we can go over your situation and see if I can help.
Solutions to Chronic Pain As Seen On What’s Cookin’?
I had the great pleasure of being on a local cable TV cooking show called “What’s Cookin’ ?”.
The show is hosted by KC Thorson who also teaches organic cooking classes and sells different tasty and healthy food items.
The show is about the health benefits of fish. I talk about the high amounts of vitamin D and omega-3 fatty acids in salmon and other fatty fish. This show may be of interest to you, because fibromyalgia, endometriosis, arthritis, degenerative discs and chronic fatigue are related to lack of Vitamin D and Omega-3 fatty acids in the diet.
At the end KC cooks some salmon in mustard/tamari sauce. The fish is excellent!! You’ll see me continuing to nibble on it while KC is talking at the end
of the show! 
You can see the show on the web at the following links:
http://fallscable-wi.pegcentral.com/player.php?video=d14c5730b1795f6e4e2c8a
http://fallscable-wi.pegcentral.com/player.php?video=d14c5730b179
www.fallscableaccess.com
So check it out. I had fun doing it and I think you’ll enjoy watching it.
If you are suffering from chronic pain, good nutrition is the foundation you will need to feel better. However, you will need assistance from a physician that knows what you will need to eat and how to supplement safely and effectively.
For help on this, call Jennifer or Leah at 262-251-8306 and they can set up a free consultation when we can go over your health status and see if I can help.
If you have fibromyalgia go to www.stopyourfibronow.com for important information that can help you get better.
Is High Fructose Corn Syrup Good For You?
I’ve been asked more than once about a web-site called www.sweetsurprise.com. The web-site is advertised on TV. It discusses high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) and how it’s supposedly good for you!
Well, I beg to differ.
There is some evidence that HFCS has more impact than regular sugar on blood glucose. Also, if you are allergic to corn, you can have a reaction to it.
The web-site claims that HFCS is no more dangerous for you than sugar. It sites a few studies that seem to indicate that it effects the body just like table sugar. So, for the sake of argument let’s say that’s true.
My point is, any sugar is dangerous for your health! Too much leads to obesity, diabetes, high cholesterol, heart disease, nervous system disorders and on and on.
The reason processed food manufacturers use lots of sugars in their products is that eating it actually makes you more hungry. Whether it is HFCS or regular sugar, the result is the same. You eat the product, you get more hungry, you eat more of the product.
The biggest reason HFCS is so dangerous is that it is cheap. Cheaper than sugar. So now companies can add more of it to their products, at a cheaper cost and as a result, you get more hungry and eat more of their products.
Another problem is that companies now add HFCS to products that never contained sugar before, due to the expense. So now you have bread with high amounts of HFCS in it, which makes you hungry for more bread. That’s a quick way to obesity and diabetes.
My advice is to stay away from HFCS, sugar and sugar substitutes like aspartame and splenda. Which basically means, stay away from foods that come in boxes, bags and cans. Look for organic foods. Eat lots of vegetables, meat in moderation, fruit, nuts and whole grains in smaller amounts.
If you are interested in any more information or any of the services we offer, you can check out some of our other blog posts, or you can call Jennifer or Leah at 262-251-8306 and set up a FREE consultation and posture evaluation to see if I can help you get pain free-great posture.
Article by Dr. Paul Kramer, DC of Menomonee Falls WI
Nutrition Information…Who Can You Trust?
The internet is full of information on nutrition. Some is good. Some not so good. When you add in all the info. on TV, radio and newspaper, it can get overwhelming. Its hard to know who to trust.
My favorite resource is the Price/Pottenger Nutritional Institute. Found at www.ppnf.org.
I like them because they have been around a long time, their approach is fairly simple and the research done today is confirming what Dr. Price and Dr. Pottenger were advocating over 50 years ago.
Dr. Weston Price was a dentist. He traveled the world studying different groups of people in order to find out what the healthiest people ate. He found that people that had no cavities, no arthritis, good bone structures and good longevity ate pretty much the same things. They ate meat (some of it raw), vegetables, fruit, nuts, sprouted whole grains and raw dairy products. As soon as a culture started eating refined grains, sugar, cooked dairy and overcooked meat, they began to fall apart. Literally. He observed cavities, birth defects, arthritis and weak immune systems as a result of bad diet.
He predicted that due to the way we eat, America as a nation would not only become very sick physically, but also mentally and morally. Well… all you have to do is look at what has happened to America over the last 50 years and you will see that he was correct.
Dr. Pottenger was a neurological researcher who did a lot of work with cats. He found that he could induce many types of diseases by feeding the cats diets that were missing key nutrients. Without key nutrients, the cats DNA would become damaged. So, the cats would pass these diseases along to their off-spring.
He believed that humans did the same thing when they ate bad diets. But, the good news was that he found that if he switched the cats back to healthy diets, the DNA would repair itself. These findings were confirmed by studies done at the University of Wisconsin some 50 years later.
The principles these two doctors believed in are what guides the Price-Pottenger Nutritional Foundation today. On their web-site you can find all kinds of different information and books to help guide you on your way to eating healthy. I use their principles and they work very well. Trust me.
If you are interested in any more information or any of the services we offer, you can check out some of our other blog posts, or you can call Jennifer or Leah at 262-251-8306 and set up a FREE consultation and posture evaluation to see if I can help you get pain free-great posture.
Article by Dr. Paul Kramer, DC of Menomonee Falls WI