I’ve read
one of my emails on fibromyalgia (1). Though I don’t think that “an estimated 50-70 percent of fibromyalgia patients may also suffer
from chronic fatigue syndrome”, I thought it worth wise to look at what there
is to find. 70% is a good estimation, when it comes to fatigue in fibromyalgia
patients, but the chronic fatigue syndrome is an entity of its own. Some people think that there is an overlap,
but I have a different point of view. Fatigue is a very frequent symptom in fibromyalgia.
Let’s go
into detail. I've read: “While there is
still no concrete known cause of fibromyalgia – many researchers suspect that
mitochondrial dysfunction plays some role. Mitochondrial dysfunction disrupts
the mitochondria’s ability to convert fuel into energy for the cells.” “Many
researchers” – I see two Spanish groups, one in Barcelona and the other in
Seville. I’ve looked at recent (2,3) and older studies.
M.D. Cordero
and colleagues see an activation of the NLRP3 inflammasome in fibromyalgia (4). They concluded: “These findings
provide new insights into the pathogenesis of FM and suggest that NLRP3
inflammasome inhibition [capacity of CoQ10 in the control of inflammasome]
represents a new therapeutic intervention for the disease.” As
the fibromyalgia group was very small and had been split up into two groups,
each N=10, the results need to confirmed in larger groups.
J. Castro-Marrero
and colleagues asked the question (5): “Could mitochondrial dysfunction be a
differentiating marker between chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia?” they studied 23 CFS patients, 20 FM
patients, and 15 healthy controls and came to the conclusion: “These data lead
to the hypothesis that mitochondrial dysfunction-dependent events could be a
marker of differentiation between CFS and FM, indicating the mitochondria as a new potential therapeutic target for
these conditions.” They came to a hypothesis. Actually they came
to two ones: 1. mitochondrial dysfunction could be a marker for fibromyalgia,
and 2. Mitochondria could be a therapeutic target. But both need to be tested.
M.D. Cordero
and colleagues presented results in 2012 (6): “After CoQ10 treatment, the
patient reported a significant improvement of clinical symptoms. At the
cellular level, CoQ10 treatment restored mitochondrial dysfunction and the
mtDNA copy number, decreased oxidative stress, and increased mitochondrial
biogenesis. Our results suggest that CoQ10 could be an alternative therapeutic
approach for FM.”
Summing up,
mitochondria dysfunction could be involved in fibromyalgia. Some hypothesis
still waits to be tested. Very early stage of scientific research.
1. Eat more antioxidant-rich superfoods
I’m with you
in this.
“Try adding
these antioxidant-rich foods to your grocery list:
Blueberries
Goji Berries
Cranberries
Blackberries
Cilantro
Kidney Beans
Pinto Beans
Russet Potatoes (cooked)“
2. Try Antioxidant Supplements:
“Take Alpha-Lipoic Acid
Take Co-Enzyme Q10
Take Acetyl-L-Carnitine“
Sorry, but
supplements haven’t proven to have an advantage.
3. Eat More Healthy Fats:
“Oily Fish (or take a fish oil supplement)
Nuts
Chia Seeds
Coconut Oil
Olive Oil
Flax Seeds or Flax Seed Oil”
No need for
supplements. I don’t see the rule, which makes one of these fats healthy and
others not. In this list you have omega-9, omega-6, omega-3 as well saturated
fatty acids.
4. Take a Magnesium Supplement
No! Please
eat spinach, bananas, dried fruit, almonds, chard, yoghurt, beans, avocado,
figs, pumpkin seeds, whole grains, dark chocolate, okra, quinoa, lentils, …
5. Watch your calories
Yes?! And
then? O.K. Keeping an eye on weight control is more than O.K.
6. Watch your fructose consumption
That’s a
good idea. Especially try to avoid High
fructose corn syrup (HFCS).
7. Stimulate Mitochondria with exercise
Exercise is
a good idea. Don’t over exercise, though!
8. Try Taking a PQQ Supplement
No human study
to support the idea of a PQQ supplement to improve fibromyalgia. PQQ stands for
Pyrroloquinoline quinone – try to
pronounce a couple of times and think of taking it. Or better, read the article
on Wikipedia (7), where you find: “A 2017 study found that PQQ had protective
effect against nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in a mouse model.”
What is the
gist? Eat healthy and exercise.
Links:
.
Give yourself a head start of about two months to get things in first thing to do when you decide to move is to research on the best movers in your area.
ReplyDeleteAllerdings sprach die Sphinx
DeleteRück das Ding mehr nach links
Und mit einem Mal da ging’s
However, the Sphinx spake
Move the thing more to the left
And suddenly it worked
(Evelyn Künneke)