Fibromyalgia & Diet | Mediterranean vs. Vegan vs. Hypocaloric vs. Low FODMAP vs. Gluten-Free Diets

Fibromyalgia & Diet | Mediterranean vs. Vegan vs. Hypocaloric vs. Low FODMAP vs. Gluten-Free Diets & PROBIOTICS - Possible Treatments?

Fibromyalgia is the most common chronic, diffuse musculoskeletal pain syndrome that involves psychiatric, sleep disturbances and other associated symptoms including Raynaud’s phenomenon. In this lesson, we discuss different diets (including probiotic supplementation) that have been examined as possible treatments for fibromyalgia including effects of diet on fibromyalgia pain, sleep disturbances, fatigue, and psychiatric symptoms like anxiety and depression.

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JJ

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*Although I try my best to present accurate information, there may be mistakes in this video. If you do see any mistakes with information in this lesson, please comment and let me know.*

[throughfrankieseyeznow]

I have this for 10 years now, I have changed diet, I eat extremely HEALTHY, exercised, injections, treatments, NOTHING helps. People don't understand unless your going through it really, I pray for everyone who suffers from this terrible disease and they can find a cure.

[susanpoulin]

I'm a 65 year old female. Was diagnosed with fibromyalgia when i was 32. No meds helped and definately every diet I tried did not help. Last Sept 16th I started the CARNIVORE diet through Dr. Ken Berry. I am now pain free from my fibro. Ulcerative colitis and Diverticulitus totally under control, blood pressure normal, arthritis pain level very low. Absolutely no meds. I can't remember the last time I felt this good. Love it.

[aviancag]

I understand exercise is important, but with widespread pain exercise is hard to do

[Alipotamus]

50 years of fibromyalgia and I believe mine was from repeated emotional trauma.

[BrettBtv]

Wrong. The American medical association has it wrong. Fibromyalgia is not musculoskeletal. It is neurological and has to do with how the brain processes everything thru central nervous system. If it were musculoskeletal, we’d be seeing orthopedic doctors, not rheumatologists. Technically we should be seeing neurologists, but the USA is all about money, not health.

[MelanieStegman]

Thanks for doing this research and sharing it! My PhD is biochemistry. IThe cause of Fibromyalgia is really, finally beginning to be understood! When I was diagnosed with Fibro in December 2019, I did my own research on PubMed, the only papers I found was the last one you discussed. The one with the single patient who ate only that short list of foods. I also read the companion paper in which the same author outlines the biochemical data explaining how Fructose, Lactose and other sugars could be inhibiting Tryptophan absorption.

I followed the diet in that last paper, , eliminating fructose, lactose, galactose and in 5 weeks I was no longer taking any pain medication. I was only really eating egg fried rice (no onions or other fuctose containing veggies) every day! I mean, I live alone, have a demanding job and I could barely walk! After 3 months of this, I was noticeably less fatigued. Fatigue is still a big problem for me, even though I have remained on the strict, no fructose, diet for 13 months. Fatigue seems to be related to my feeling stressed out (like, because I feel out of control due to irrational demands at work, etc.) and fatigue follows exercise, like the day after a 30 minute walk, I will have a hard time with brain fog.

I realized pretty quickly that the diet in that last paper and the FODMAP diet (for IBS) are the same thing. They are both cutting out Fructose, Lactose, Galactose and other sugars... No beans, lentils, garlic, onions, wheat, oats, barley).

I also need to eat a lot of protein: if I eat french fries for dinner and maybe just starch for breakfast, I will feel a lot of pain that day or the next. I try to each 20-30 grams of protein 3-4 times a day, which is the best way to keep your blood sugar level anyway. Keeping my blood sugar regular also keeps me from getting too stressed out. Going 1/2 day without eating makes me stressed out. (I never tried eating less, maybe this "Hypocaloric diet" would help my fibro, but I can't take the stress! :)

I started taking 5HTP, 50-100 mg/day and that has helped keep the pain away, even when I don't eat enough proteins. Other supplements I take are VitB complex, VitD, Magnesium Glycinate.

I personally think low Serotonic could explain all of fibromyalgia. The fatigue I feel after stress could be because with low serotonin I experience stress too extremely. If I am n a better mood, it is harder to stress me out, for example. BUt if the stress overcomes my good mood, it goes too far and the heightened adrenal response could be causing other reactions that cause fatigue. I meditate, do yoga, binge TV, read, walk, talk to friends, and keep a twice-daily journal to finally, for once in my life, learn how not to get stressed out. I remain hopeful that once I manage to de-stress very very well, that I will be able to get back to normal level of fatigue... Normal for me was playing ultimate frisbee, biking and jogging 2x a week. I did always need a lot of sleep afterward, and I could never hangout after a game, I needed to sleep.

Sorry to talk so much, but I have been a living biochemistry experiment for the past 13 months!!
tl;dr Follow the FODMAP diet and learn to de-stress!

[thepipes]

I have fibromyalgia and I have been vegan for over 8 years and it has helped my fibromyalgia pain more than any myriad things I have tried! I still have symptoms, but I was pretty much bed bound for years before this.

[JennWatson]

I'm a veteran of fibro in my mid 60's.
I feel better on a keto diet and intermittent fasting, but what has helped the most was walking my dogs every morning for 50 minutes.
I am still stiff and sore later in the day but my outlook has become very positive and I'm beginning to lose weight!
Don't eat out-cook real food at home so you can control the ingredients and stay far away from ultra processed foods!
Good luck everyone!
Great episode thank you!

[celestdawn]

They need to stop saying you don’t get inflammation, YES you can, I have had Fibromyalgia for over 20 years.

[reginacaporn]

There was a study done in Spain which showed that a gluten-free diet reduced pain in fibromyalgia, before starting on the gluten free diet it was shown via gastroscopy that none were siliac . I had very severe pain symptoms and went on a very strict gluten free diet for 6 months and had significant improvement. Going back eating gluten did bring the pain back, but not to as bad a degree. If it gets bad, I go gluten free for a week and it settles down a bit….

[mocki]

If you have ME/CFS as well as Fibromyalgia, exercise is a no no unless it's yoga, simple stretches etc. PEM is result of overdoing it and Pacing is key!

[j]

I’d been dairy free for years prior to fibro diagnosis, so can’t speak about that helping or not. But going gluten does help a bit with pain reduction. I always feel much worse for a few days if I consume even the smallest amount of gluten.
I am going to start a low fructose diet to see how that helps, I read that case study too. I don’t eat meat, only fish. I was vegan for years but started eating seafood when I began recovery for anorexia. I’m just starting to test my body for egg reaction. My body seems to react to so many foods, always had done.
I did follow a raw vegan diet for 8 months and felt no difference with pain but loads of energy.
Yoga also helps, something I need to start doing daily again as my mood and fibromyalgia symptoms are the worst they’ve been in years since stopping a few months ago.
That being said, my mood is a huge catalyst for fibro. The worse my mood is the worse my fibro, and the worse my fibromyalgia is, the worse my mood.
I have complex PTSD and anxiety disorder. I’m also now in recovery for the anorexia. Oddly, my pain levels were not as bad when in the throes of the eating disorder. At 5 stone I had less pain and more energy than I do now at 9 stone. But the adrenaline was probably responsible for the energy. Every since I started recovery and eating more than 1000 calories a day my energy levels are lower than ever. You’d think the added calories would mean more energy but nope! But I don’t know why my pain is as bad as it is now other than stress/mental health issues and lack of yoga.
I’m about to start trauma therapy in March so maybe that will have a positive effect on fibro. But the other stressors are impossible to get away from.
And the biggest relief I’ve ever had from the pain has been heat. Staying in Spain for a few days a couple of summers ago I barely took any pain medication. Within hours of being back in the UK my pain was back and it was early September at the time so not even that cold here. I practically hibernate from October to April as my fibro is without doubt at its worst in the cold.
Anyway, wishing every other warrior the best. Never give up hope ❤️‍🩹

[magentamagenta]

Thank you for this info. My life changed to deal with my own fibromyalgia management because I reached the tip of the iceberg. I have had undiagnosed fibromyalgia from childhood.
Not one doctor I spoke to ever suggested that I had fibromyalgia and since a chance diagnosis six years ago has one doctor understood or even acknowledged the condition.
After the rheumatologist diagnosis I was given a list of symptoms by her, no suggestions or help except the minimal info on this piece of paper. After a year and one follow up she waved goodbye without any comments or suggestions.
In the meantime my doctor had prescribed pregabelin and another doctor opioids! My doctor advised me to give up my very stressful job and referred me to a specialist pain clinic.
In the meantime my holistic wellness instinct along with research lead me to take my health into my own hands and adopt a wellness programme which I follow every day.
Four years ago I became a vegetarian, a year later a vegan, I eat mostly low FODMAP, low gluten, dark chocolate and not much wine i started intermittent fasting and lost 10kg in six months, everyday I practice mindfulness, meditation, therapeutic activities such as qigong tai chi, hydrotherapy, yoga, Pilates, walking, weights all of these are daily and I rotate and change what I do for variety.
I find therapeutic distractions helpful because the brain can’t focus on more than one thing at a time so even taking up a hobby or activity is helpful.
The mind and body are connected if one aspect is dysfunctional then it affects the other and creates a vicious cycle. Aiming for balance is a struggle and all of these distractions do not cure or prevent my ongoing symptoms.
My leptin levels are elevated, I also have Hashimoto thyroid disease alongside peripheral neuropathy, chronic fatigue, insomnia and chronic pain.
It is often said that nobody understands what your situation is unless they also suffer with it but we are all different and we all experience pain in different ways it’s an individual experience.
Fibromyalgia is a disease it isn’t a syndrome it is important to recognise that blood tests are only a snap shot of a health problem so testing for adrenal problems, cortisol etc may not reveal anything at that time. None of my blood tests ever come back with anything wrong except elevated cholesterol which has been lowered with my vegan diet and fasting. I requested a blood test for leptin as my metabolism is very very slow due to being hypothyroid.
All I can say is that I have made several improvements with management of my diet and my wellness habits. I take each day as it comes and everyday and night I do more of the same.

[annettegaardlykke]

Thank you for your concern and the effort you put into this video. I am wondering why you didn't cover Keto? Unfortunately I have food allergies - egg whites, fatty fish, acidic foods; so some of these diets are not compatible. The KETO diet worked for reducing pain. It also caused me to lose weight which may be why the pain reduced. However, the fatigue is horrific and I live in a constant state of melancholy with bouts of depression.
As someone else commented, Fibro is complicated and there is no one "fit all" way of tackling it. Exercise is not always possible, depending on the pain, though on good days I can take long walks. Fibro is also affected by the weather.

[nancyandjohn]

Getting off of processed grocery store food and eating organic, natural, gluten free, along with adding healthy fats like virgin coconut oil and virgin olive oil has brought much healing!

[StephanieBogart]

Pescatarian diet is what I do. I’m surprised at the study talking about aspartame. If I chew gum with aspartame (which is most gum) I will have pain in 20 minutes.

[somcana]

You only have small energy to spend a day before your cup is empty

[CapSunLeoMoon]

Acupuncture - yoga- eating a clean diet - drinking a lot of water seems to help me a little - 🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼 I pray for anyone suffering from this I can handle everything but the insomnia and ibs - keeps me in my house a lot. Lucky thing ima home body

[conniehavlovick]

This worked in 2 (I suffered 7 hellish years.) Magnesium L Threonate (must be that specific magnesium), Benfotiamine (type of B1), Vitamin B6 and Vitamin D3. No Rx needed...all supplements. It helped my sister in law too. Pain levels went from an 8 out of 10 to a level 2 out of 10.

[tracyjames]

I have fibromyalgia CFS with IBS and I’m hypothyroid
Fibromyalgia it’s not a one size fits all disease what I’ve found is these diet changes sound good but some of the foods I can’t eat because of IBS or can’t eat because of my hypothyroidism or because of my fibromyalgia it makes me dizzy trying to find balance