This protocol is based on the theory that fibromyalgia patients are deficient in protein and amino acids and are unable to convert protein into needed amino acids because of poor protein digestion. Protein is needed by the body for repair. Many people have had success incorporating more protein into their diets. Many people also report pain and stiffness relief after using amino acids. This protocol also includes Systemic Enzyme Blend, Superzymes, and Ultra Veggie Enzymes for complete enzyme and digestion support that helps with pain and enhances and enables digestion of proteins, fats, sugars, starches, fiber and more. See article below.
MaxAmino 1200 90 Tablets
Amino Acids are the building blocks from which the body creates proteins. Twenty different amino acids are needed by the body to create the various proteins needed for growth and repair. Max Amino 1200 is a concentrated source of amino acids for use during periods of intense physical activity or stress. It contains a blend of free-form and di- and tri-peptide amino acids. This highest grade enzymatic digest of Lactalbumin provides both essential and branched-chain amino acids and is formulated with supplemental amounts of L-Ornithine, L-Carnitine, and L-Lysine as well as the metabolic cofactor, Vitamin B-6.
"As a dietary supplement, adults take two (2) tablets, three (3) times daily between meals, preferably prior to or immediately after exercise or as directed by a health care professional. Store in a cool, dry place and away from direct light."
2 Tablet(s) Keep out of reach of children.
For use as a dietary supplement only.
Do not use as the sole source of nutrition for purposes of weight loss.
As we grow older, our bodies produce fewer of the enzymes required for proper digestion of food. Processed food fails to provide the body the additional enzymes that it needs. Undigested food can pass through the intestinal track, and lead to numerous health problems. Superzymes provides necessary enzymes for the breakdown of fats, proteins, and carbohydrates.
"As a dietary supplement, adults take two (2) tablets after each meal, or as directed by a health care professional. Store in cool, dry place and away from direct light."
2 Tablet(s) "Do not take this product if you suffer from gastric ulcer, gastritis or persistent abdominal pain.
Systemic Enzyme Blend is a systemic blend of proteolytic enzymes. The blend includes pancreatin, trypsin, and chymostrypsin, all produced by the pancreas, as well as Bromelain from pineapple, and Papain from papaya.
As a dietary supplement , adults take three (3) enteric-coated tablets, two (2) times a day between meals, or as directed by a health care professional. Store in a cool, dry place and away from direct light."
Ultra Veggie Enzymes is the perfect choice for the vegetarian or anyone who is looking for a digestive aid derived exclusively from plants. Ultra Veggie Enzymes contain a broad array of key plant enzymes to help with the digestive process. National Enzyme Company, the industry leader in enzyme technology, manufactures the enzymes in our formula.
As a dietary supplement, adults take one (1) vegetarian capsule immediately prior to mealtime, or as directed by a health care professional. Store in a cool, dry place and away from direct light.
1 Vegetarian Capsule(s) Keep out of reach of children.
Fibromyalgia: A Plausible Model for Cause and Cure
Fibromyalgia: A Plausible Model for Cause and Cure
John W. Cartmell
Fibromyalgia is a disease of widespread soft-tissue pain and stiffness. It often coincides with symptoms of persistent fatigue, exercise intolerance, disrupted and non-restorative sleep, tension headaches, migraines, blurred vision, abnormalities of the skin or fingernails, painful menstrual periods, numbness or tingling, heart palpitations, sleep apnea, temperature sensitivity, restless legs, impaired cognition, irritable bladder, and intestinal symptoms of irritable bowel, bloating, gas, belching, pain and distention. [5,6] Over the years, it's been referred to as myofibrocitis, myofascitis, myofascial pain syndrome, muscular rheumatism, and fibrocitis (inflammation of fibrous tissues). [5] Because the soft-tissues are not really "inflamed," fibromyalgia is considered to be a more accurate term for the disease.
The word, fibromyalgia has Latin and Greek roots; fibra (fibrous), myo (muscle) and algos (Pain), which literally mean "pain of the fibrous tissues and muscles." The American Medical Association acknowledged the existence of fibromyalgia in 1987. The Arthritis Foundation classifies fibromyalgia as a form of soft-tissue rheumatism. In 1990 the American' College of Rheumatology established criteria for its diagnosis, including 18 common tender points, and a history of widespread pain for 6 month or longer. In 1992 a group of international experts established the formal definition of fibromyalgia in a report called the Copenhagen Declaration. This report endorsed the 18 tender points as criteria for diagnosis and formally acknowledged many of the other symptoms commonly seen with fibromyalgia. [5,6]
Fibromyalgia afflicts an estimated 6 million Americans and accounts for $9 billion annually in conventional medical care and another $13 billion in alternative treatments like naturopathy, acupuncture and massage therapy. Sixty percent of cases are diagnosed between ages 30 and 50, eighty to 90% of which are women. [5,6]
The exact cause of fibromyalgia is unknown. Nerve pathways somehow become sensitized and hyperactive to pain until nerve signals of pain become chronic. [5,6] Studies have shown that fibromyalgia patients have decreased levels of certain nerve transmitters and amino acids in their spinal fluid. Substance P and Serotonin are nerve transmitters for pain and sleep, respectively Endorphins and Enkephalins are opiate-like nerve transmitters that dull the perception of pain. [5] Substance P is composed of 11 amino acids, Serotonin is derived from Tryptophan, an essential amino acid, and Endorphins and Enkephalins are composed partly of proteins. It's believed that decreased levels of Serotonin may be a factor in the sleep disruption problems commonly seen in fibromyalgia patients. Essentially, fibromyalgia is a disease of biochemical imbalance, with soft-tissue symptoms of pain and stiffness that often coincide with other physiological disorders. [5,6] The tendency to develop the disease may be partially due to her edity. [6]
Soft-tissue changes seen in fibromyalgia are presumed to be the result of a self-perpetuating cycle of pain-activated spasms, causing more pain, which causes more spasms. The soft-tissue becomes chronically congested, and the delivery of oxygen and other nutrients, as well as the removal of metabolic wastes and acids, becomes impaired. [6] Symptoms often manifest after trauma, infection, or stress, or are secondary to other diseases such as lupus or cancer. [5] The symptoms of pain and stiffness maybe the result of injury and insufficient tissue maintenance and repair in the muscles and the myofascia, a fibrous tissue that encapsulates muscles, individual muscle fibers, and is continuous with the tendonous bands that attach muscle to bone. [6]
A similar disorder, known as Myofascial Pain Syndrome (MPS), is associated with soft-tissue injury, repetitive strain, or long-term spinal misalignment. MPS is often found together with fibromyalgia. [6] Myofascial pain syndrome differs from fibromyalgia in that the pain is localized rather than widespread, affects men and women equally, and has trigger points only in areas of past injury.5'6 Fibromyalgia is considered a biochemical imbalance, whereas MPS is considered a neuromuscular disorder. [6] The fact that MPS and fibromyalgia often occur together may indicate a common factor in the cause of both disorders.
Scans of fibromyalgic muscle tissue by electron microscope reveal abnormalities of increased deposits of glycogen (muscle sugar), abnormal mitochondria (organelles that produce the cellular fuel, ATP), DNA fragmentation, and damaged muscle cell membranes. An enzyme needed for ATP production may also be defective in fibromyalgic muscles. Some muscles appear to be deficient m oxygen, perhaps from pain- activated muscles clamping down on normal blood circulation, or from abnormalities in the red blood cells themselves. The exaggerated pain signals associated with neuro-physiological imbalance may also contribute to micro trauma of muscle fibers that goes unrepaired. [5] Growth hormone, a protein-based molecule needed for muscle maintenance and repair, is manufactured during deep sleep. Some researchers believe that decreased levels of growth hormone, due to disrupted sleep, may be part of the reason for the unrepaired muscle damage seen in fibromyalgia. [5,6]
Conventional treatments for fibromyalgia focus on controlling pain symptoms with medications and alleviating fatigue through exercise, stress management, diet and lifestyle changes. [5] Alternative treatments seek to promote and restore the normal state of health using herbal and natural medicines, spinal alignment, massage therapy, acupuncture, and nutrition. Neither conventional nor alternative treatments have been found to be particularly effective.
A proper diet is essential to maintain normal health and wellness. If the diet is insufficient to support health, the person will not be optimally well. Protein is one of many nutrients needed in a properly balanced diet for normal growth and maintenance. Proteins make up 10-20% of the mass of most cells and tissues and provide physical support and many of the functions of cells, organs and tissues. Globular proteins, composed of one or several protein molecules, perform specific functions as enzymes, nerve transmitters, hormones, antibodies, and transport complexes needed for the various processes of the body. [2,3,8] If protein intake, digestion or assimilation is insufficient to maintain normal tissues and functions, then degenerative changes and tissue abnormalities result. [2]
Dietary proteins must be broken down by digestion into individual amino acids. The first stage of digestion occurs in the stomach where hydrochloric acid activates pepsin, an enzyme that breaks down large complexes of protein into smaller sized proteins. Pancreatic and intestinal enzymes then digest proteins into individual amino acids that can be absorbed into the blood and reassembled by the body into the various body tissues. [2] How these amino acids are assembled into protein determines the type of structure and function of specific proteins and tissues.
Body proteins are composed of different combinations of 20 amino acids. Half of these amino acids can be synthesized by the body, but the other half and considered essential amino acids because they must be obtained from the diet. [2] Dietary proteins are classified as complete or incomplete, based on the amounts of essential amino acids they contain and provide. Animal-derived proteins like milk, meat, fish, poultry and eggs contain good amounts of all essential amino acids and are therefore considered complete. Vegetable proteins are considered incomplete because the amounts are availability of certain essential amino acids are inadequate to support normal tissue growth and maintenance. Vegetable proteins must be properly combined, or animal protein included in the diet to obtain sufficient amounts of all essential amino acids. [2]
Skeletal muscle is highly specialized tissue. The complexity of a muscle cell's structure coincides with its unique specialized function of contractibility, the result of an elaborate system of multi-protein interactions. The two primary types of proteins in a muscle cell, actin and myosin, are complexes of proteins with smaller specialized protein components. Essential amino acids make up approximately 38% of the structure of actin and myosin, and their individual protein components. Fifty percent of the structure of myoglobin, a type of "muscle" hemoglobin, is composed of essential amino acids. [8-10] By comparison, only 33% of the structure of collagen, a general fibrous protein found in tendons, ligaments and bone, is composed of essential amino acids. [12,13] It's not surprising that soft-tissue degeneration and ill health result when protein ingestion, digestion or assimilation are deficient.
Both fibromyalgia and MPS may be soft-tissue degenerative diseases related to protein deficiency. If there are insufficient essential amino acids available to properly maintain or repair muscle tissue, then collagen may be the body's best alternative to provide structural support in spite of a loss of normal muscle structure and function. The irritation, stiffness and pain associated with trigger points in fibromyalgia and MPS may be the result of structural abnormalities resulting from the replacement of one tissue type with another. Indeed, the 18 tender points used to diagnose fibromyalgia are located precisely in areas where muscles and myofascial tissues merge one into another, where collagen based myofascial tissue, with its lower content of essential amino acids, may increase disproportionately during times of protein insufficiency.
As a massage therapist, I specialize in the treatment of soft-tissue abnormalities. In my 15 years of practice, the majority of my clients have had fibromyalgia or other problems of myofascial abnormalities. I've worked with some of these clients for as long as 10 years. One of the more effective massage techniques for myofascial problems is deep-tissue massage; a vigorous type of massage used to loosen areas of hardened or inflexible muscles and associated tissues. Deep-tissue massage improves some of the symptoms of fibromyalgia and MPS, but the effects are generally temporary and maintenance treatments are usually needed indefinitely.
In 1999, after five years, I solved my own problem of chronic fatigue syndrome through dietary means. In the process, I noticed that soft-tissue abnormalities had improved or disappeared. [1] Where the tissue had previously been hardened and painful, it was now much more flexible and normal. A muscle injury that had not healed for 6 months healed completely in two weeks. Keratosis-like skin abnormalities of 15-years' duration also cleared up in weeks. When my clients with fibromyalgia and MPS tried this dietary approach, they all experienced a decrease in pain and improvements in energy, sleep, bowel function, and soft-tissue structure. Some clients whose muscle injuries had not healed for years had complete healing in a matter of weeks. The high rate of response to these basic dietary revisions in clients with fibromyalgia or MPS suggests a logical model of cause and cure for these soft-tissue abnormalities.
When protein ingestion and digestion are optimized in clients with fibromyalgia or MPS, there is a dramatic and undeniable decrease in pain, stiffness and other soft-tissue abnormalities. In my small group of 24 clients, all responded positively to this approach within 4-8 weeks, with substantial decreases in pain and stiffness and an estimated 50% or more improvement in soft-tissue structure. The soft-tissue feels more normal and seems to melt under the hands during massage. The pain these clients used to experience during deep-tissue massage is now minimal or nonexistent. Their muscles loosen and now respond to massage much more like normal tissue.
The following cases are typical: Jolyn is 40 years old and has been a client for over 5 years. She has been diagnosed as having fibromyalgia, and credits the deep tissue massage with preventing her from being disabled by her stiffness and pain. One day she was much worse than I had seen her in some time. When I questioned her about her diet and protein, she related that her primary source of protein was 3 to 5 glasses of milk a day, and that she didn't think she'd had any protein at all in the last 3 days. Her sole source of protein from milk was providing 40 grams or less of protein per day; 2/3 of the 55 grams generally recommended for adult females. When she increased her daily intake of protein to 55 grams or more, and supplemented her meals with pancreatic enzymes (pancreatin), her pain and stiffness decreased, and her chiropractor was able to make certain spinal adjustments for the first time in 5 years. When she added hydrochloric acid (Betaine-HCl) to her supplement regimen, her soft-tissue improved e ven more.
Louise is 35 years old and has been a client for 4 years. Her MPS symptoms had worsened over the years and in the last two years, she had gained about 20 lbs. She had tried a high protein diet to lose weight, but it didn't seem to make any difference and the extra protein made her feel stuffed and bloated. When she supplemented with Betaine-HCl and pancreatic enzymes, digestion was better and her soft-tissue improved substantially towards normal. A few weeks later she began to lose weight.
Lois is 70 years old and has been a client for 7 years. Her soft-tissue has always been "as hard as a rock" and very resistant to massage. I discussed with her the importance of protein for proper muscle structure and she subsequently increased the amount of protein in her diet. When I saw her two months later her soft-tissue was better than I'd ever seen it.
Betty, age 79, has been a client for five years. She had hip replacement surgery two years ago for problems related to osteoporosis. The soft-tissue around the site of surgery became once again hardened and inflexible a year after the surgery. Recently, I noticed the tissue had improved. When I asked her what might account for this improvement, she said the only change in her diet or lifestyle had been the recent addition of pancreatic enzymes to her diet to ease a chronic problem of feeling stuffed and bloated. An assessment of her diet indicated she had been getting approximately 2/3 of the recommended daily amount of protein. When she increased her overall dietary protein intake, her tissue improved even more.
Rebecca, age 28, is a recent client. She had experienced a lot of intestinal problems over the last 8 years. Her soft-tissue was hardened and sometimes swollen, and she suffered from bouts of exhaustion. She also had muscle injuries that had not healed in eight years, various joint pains, and sometimes felt "spacey." These symptoms all improved when she increased protein digestion by supplementing with Betaine-HCl and pancreatin. A few months later, her soft-tissue became hardened again and she complained of a relapse of symptoms. When I asked if she had made any changes to her diet, she said she had run out of Betaine-HCl about a week earlier and hadn't yet replaced it. When she added the Betaine-HCl to her diet again, her symptoms abated once more. Her physician later confirmed by clinical tests that her stomach hydrochloric-acid production was almost nonexistent.
Fred, age 68, has been a client for 14 years. A car struck him 5 years ago causing an injury to his right shoulder. Physical therapy, massage, and remedial exercises were unsuccessful in restoring the joint to its normal structure or function. He had problems of chronic pain and stiffness in the shoulder, and the soft-tissue had become hardened and abnormal. I suggested he assess the protein content of his diet and consider adding supplements of both Betaine-HCl with pepsin, and pancreatin. After 12 weeks, the pain and stiffness abated and his shoulder returned to normal. The injury appeared to have healed completely with normal soft-tissue replacing abnormal tissue. Other areas of myofascial abnormalities were also substantially improved.
A well balanced diet is only as beneficial as your ability to digest what you eat. It's not unusual for the middle-aged or elderly to have problems digesting protein. Low stomach-acid is common in about 50% of people over age 60, particularly women. [1] As part of the natural aging process, a decrease in stomach-acid production may be a common factor in the development of age-related degenerative changes, including weight gain, vision problems, arthritis, cardio-vascular disease, high blood pressure, sleep disruptions, prostate hypertrophy, intestinal problems, decreased hormones, emotional depression, fatigue, diabetes, cancer, disc degenerative disease and other soft-tissue abnormalities. These diseases can be caused or made worse by deficiencies in protein. We should consider the possibility that the prevention, treatment or cure for these maladies may include ensuring that protein-nutrition requirements are met.
The structure and function of soft-tissues, enzymes, brain-transmitters, and some hormones, depend on proper protein nutrition. Fibromyalgia symptoms of abnormal soft-tissue, persistent fatigue, exercise intolerance, disrupted and non-restorative sleep, tension headaches, migraines, blurred vision, abnormalities of the skin or fingernails, painful menstrual periods, numbness or tingling, heart palpitations, sleep apnea, temperature sensitivity, restless legs, impaired cognition, irritable bladder, and intestinal symptoms of irritable bowel, bloating, gas, belching, pain and distention, may all be related to insufficient protein nutrition.
When I ask clients with fibromyalgia or myofascial pain syndrome about their diets, I usually find they are getting significantly less protein than the recommended daily amount of 50 grams for women and 60 grams for men. Assuring that dietary protein is balanced, and that the ingestion, digestion and assimilation of protein is adequate, may provide an effective alternative approach to the treatment of fibromyalgia and other soft-tissue degenerative diseases.
References:
(1.) Cartmell, John W., Nutritional Considerations in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Frontier Perspectives, The Center for Frontier Sciences, Philadelphia, PA, Summer-2000
(3.) Caret, Robert L., Denniston, Katherine J., Topping, Joseph J., Principles & Applications Of Organic & Biological Chemistry, Times Mirror Higher Education Group, Inc, Dubuque, Iowa, 1997
(4.) Murray, Michael T, Natural Alternatives to Over-the-Counter and Prescription Drugs, William Morrow and Co. Inc., New York, 1994
(5.) Wallace, Daniel and Janice, Making Sense of Fibromyalgia, Oxford University Press, New York, 1999
(6.) Starlanyl, Devin, Copeland, Mary Ellen, Fibromyalgia & Chronic Myofascial Pain Syndrome, New Harbinger Publications, Inc., Oakland, CA, 1996
(7.) Braverman, Eric R., Pfeiffer, Carl C., The Healing Nutrients Within, Keats Publishing Inc, New Canaan, Connecticut, 1987
(8.) Guyton, Arthur C., Hall, John E., Textbook of Medical Physiology, 10th Edition, W.B. Saunders Company, Division of Harcourt Brace & Co., Philadelphia, PA, 2000
(9.) Dayhoff, Margaret O., Atlas of Protein Sequence and Structure, v. 5 suppl. 2 National Biomedical Research Foundation, Silver Spring, MA, 1976
(10.) Beggs A. H., Byers T.J., Knoll J.H.M., Boyce F.M., Bruns G.A.P., and Kunkel L.M., Cloning and Characterization of Two Human Skeletal Muscle Alpha-Actinin Genes, Journal of Biological Chemistry, 267: 9281-9288, 1992
(11.) Wu Q.L., Jha P.K., Raychowdhury M.K., Du Y., Leavis P.C., and Sankar S., Isolation And Characterization Of Human Fast Skeletal Beta Troponin T, DNA and Cell Biology, 13: 217-233, 1994
(12.) Zhuang J., Tromp G., Kuivaniemi H., Castells S., and Prockop D.J., Substitution Of Arginine For Glycine At Position 154 Of The Alpha 1 Chain Of Type I Collagen, American Journal of Medical Genetics, 61: 111-116, 1996
(13.) Dalgleish R., The Human Type I Collagen Mutation Database, Nucleic Acids Research, 25: 181-187, 1997
COPYRIGHT 2001 The Townsend Letter Group
COPYRIGHT 2001 Gale Group
Fibromyalgia: A Plausible Model for Cause and Cure
The material on this site is intended as an educational tool to offer information about alternative healing and health maintenance options available to the healthcare consumer today. The advice on this site is intended solely for informational and educational purposes and is not intended to replace your doctor. The statements in this website have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. The products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Please consult a medical professional if you have questions about your medical health. The information on this site and all information provided is intended to help you help yourself.
