The experience of living with fibromyalgia has been compared to living alone on an island. Whatever sense of isolation patients feel is compounded by the fact that some persist in believing the condition exists solely in their minds. Yet the symptoms are quite real: pain, fatigue, sleep problems, mood disorders, stiffness, Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), swelling and tingling of hands and feet, and restless legs syndrome, to name just a few.
Medical researchers are still unclear on what causes the disease, but links have been established between fibromyalgia, also known as Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS), and toxins. For that reason, many treatments include some form of liver detoxification, along with eliminating toxic agents from the home and work environments.
Some of the most common causes of toxin buildup in ME/CFS patients are mold or yeast infections, bacteria, poor diet and heavy metal toxicity. When it comes to mold, the guilty party is usually related to the materials used to build and furnish houses. It lurks in dust, paint, wood, fabric, insulation materials and upholstery – in other words, your floors, rugs, furniture and walls. If mold is an issue in your home, car or office, try a non-toxic approach to removal with hydrogen peroxide, distilled white vinegar, essential oils, lemons or baking soda.
Yeast infections, meanwhile, can result from overuse of antibiotics (a common problem in the United States), lack of sleep, stress and poor eating habits which include too many sugary foods. Again, multiple non-toxic treatments exist, but cutting back substantially on sugar is a good place to start.
Researchers have also found a link between certain substances commonly found in processed foods and sensitivities experienced by ME/CFS patients. Aspartame and artificial sweeteners become toxic to the liver in excessive amounts and contribute to fatigue. Both natural and artificial flavorings can contain chemical compounds that exacerbate the symptoms of ME/CFS. Many patients are also intolerant of MSG, which can lead to inflammation along with citric acid and everyone’s favorite, gluten.
Aside from chemicals, some foods contain heavy metals. Rice, for example, is laden with arsenic while several varieties of fish include mercury. Non-organic vegetables may serve up a sizable heaping of cadmium or pesticides along with their nutritional value. Even water can be hazardous if it’s unfiltered and runs through aging pipe systems that contain lead or chlorine.
When bombarded with so many toxins, the liver loses its ability to function, which means toxins are no longer being filtered out of the body. In patients suffering from ME/CFS, the toxic load intensifies symptoms. Traditional medicine tends to address those symptoms through pharmaceutical pain meds, but consider these side effects: nausea, constipation, dizziness, insomnia, excessive sweating, vomiting, palpitations or increased heart rate, dry mouth and high blood pressure. It’s to say which is worse, the cure or the disease.
Alternatively, removing toxins from the environment and working on detoxing the body can be beneficial. In an American Medical Association Journal of Ethics article, Dr. William J. Rea describes a patient with an extremely moldy office space who had developed chronic fatigue and fibromyalgia. The patient tested positive for three different types of mold and mycotoxin infections. “He eliminated his exposure by moving his office to a mold-free area and received subcutaneous neutralization shots for the offending molds and mycotoxins, intravenous and oral nutrients, and heat depuration (sauna) therapy,” says Rea. “After three months’ treatment, he was again vigorous, free of fatigue and fibromyalgia.”
Removing toxins from the body is equally important. Dr. Tom Moorcroft coined the phrase ‘Chronic Toxin Overload’ to describe what he was seeing in ME/CFS patients. “[The body’s] self-healing mechanisms were designed to deal with a few discrete toxins at a time,” says Moorcroft. “Today, people are bombarded with multiple toxins at all times. Each of these chronic toxins needs to be addressed until the toxin load has been decreased to the point where the self-healing mechanism is able to regain control and maintain balance.”
Unfortunately, many forms of detoxification also come with side effects such as low energy, low blood sugar, muscle aches, fatigue, feeling dizzy or lightheaded and nausea that do a great job of mimicking the symptoms of ME/CFS. One key reason is that heavy metals are difficult to eliminate because of their minuscule size. Some detox methods succeed in pulling the heavy metals out of fat tissue or other organs, but they are too small to be passed out through urine or feces. The result is free-floating toxins that remain in the body and begin to search for a new home, potentially in more dangerous locations such as the brain.
In contrast, soluble zeolite offers a slower and gentler way to detox. Vitality Release Drops are a form of soluble zeolite that captures heavy metals and allows them to be safely eliminated from the body through two critical factors: a negative magnetic charge, which attracts heavy metals, and a cage-like structure which captures them in concentrations that can be excreted.
Detoxification is only one step in addressing ME/CFS, but it is an important one. The process of easing your body’s toxic load shouldn’t be as painful as the disease itself. Soluble zeolite offers a safe and simple method to help the body regain critical functions.
Resources:
“Chronic Toxin Overload: The Real Cause of Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome” by Tom Moorcroft, DO, Origins of Health, Retrieved April 10, 2021
“What Primary Physicians Should Know about Environmental Causes of Illness” by William J. Rea, M.D. American Medical Association Journal of Ethics, October 1, 2009
“Is Your Diet Full of Heavy Metals? Here’s Why You Should Get Tested” by Dave Asprey, daveasprey.com, retrieved April 10, 2021
“Effective Fibromyalgia Treatment” by Dr. Katinka Van Der Merwe, Spiro Clinic, Retrieved April 10, 2021
“Environmental Toxicity” International Center for Health and Wellness, Retrieved April 10, 2021
“Fibromyalgia, Sensitivities and the Hidden Toxins in Food” by Jok, The Fibro Clinic Southwest, February 3, 2021
