“Do not bite at the bait of pleasure, till you know there is no hook beneath it.”
–Thomas Jefferson

Studies have shown that corn can irritate patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA)  and the National Fibromyalgia Association (NFA) suggests corn should be avoided because it can aggravate Fibromyalgia.

Eating corn promotes cytokine production. Cytokines cause many fibromyalgia symptoms. In the brain, cytokines can cause behavioral changes. They can either prompt or worsen depression, anxiety, or anorexia. They may cause a person to become withdrawn. Cytokines create fatigue and interfere with sleep patterns. They are one thing responsible for what has been termed “brain fog.”

Corn, besides promoting cytokines, has been called the leading cause of chronic food addiction in this century. To give you an idea of how powerful the addiction can be, all cigarettes made in the U.S. since World War I have contained added sugars, usually from corn. Do you think the cigarette companies chose corn syrup for the great taste it adds to their products?

Corn syrup (fructose) is cheap and twice as sweet as cane sugar. In 1994, the average person ate 83 pounds of fructose. Corn syrup causes an increase in blood lactic acid, especially in people with diabetes.  Fructose from corn syrup inhibits copper metabolism and decreases mineral availability, two factors in autoimmunity. Fructose also breaks down into a substance that weakens your body’s natural anti-inflammatory molecules.  The body does not metabolize fructose the same as other sugars. Fructose converts to fat more than any other sugar.  Corn fructose certainly isn’t the diabetic-friendly and harmless sugar substitute that it is advertised to be.

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“The price of anything is the amount of life you exchange for it.”
–Henry David Thoreau

Gluten is a component of grains such as wheat, oats, barley, and rye. Besides being inflammatory, doctors have reported a higher than average number of people with autoimmune disorders like fibromyalgia are allergic to gluten. They suggest complete avoidance for at least one month to see if benefits will occur.

Studies have also shown that wheat, oats and corn can irritate patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis and raise cytokine production. Cytokines cause many fibromyalgia symptoms. In the brain, cytokines can cause behavioral changes. They can either prompt or worsen depression, anxiety, or anorexia. They may cause a person to become withdrawn. Cytokines create fatigue and interfere with sleep patterns. They are one thing responsible for what has been termed “brain fog.”

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Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue are close related and may in-fact be the one in the same.  All autoimmune disease has the same cause. 

Article by Heidi Whitaker

Contrary what you have been led to believe, autoimmunity is not a disease. It is a consequence of modern day life. Most important of all, it is a consequence that can be avoided. Speaking of how sick I once was from autoimmunity, I often would tell people that I was “broken – very, very broken”. In actuality, I wasn’t broken at all because autoimmunity is not truly a bodily malfunction.

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Fibrmyalgia Syndrome and Serotonin Levels

Fibromyalgia Syndrome, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Multiple Sclerosis, Chronic Epstein-Barr, Irritable Bowel Syndrome, and Chronic Lyme are often associated with low serotonin levels. Serotonin helps regulate sleep, appetite, and mood. Depression and anxiety are often caused by a serotonin deficiency and popular antidepressant drugs are prescribed for the purpose of increasing serotonin levels in the body.

The amino acid 5-HTP, which can be taken in supplement form, improves your body’s ability to manufacture serotonin. However, if you eat carbohydrate-rich meals or snacks at night, which causes your blood sugar to rise and then drop while you are sleeping, the 5-HTP will not be effective. In contrast, eating a high-protein snack several hours before bed can provide L-tryptophan, another amino acid, which your body uses to produce serotonin.

Note: It can be dangerous to take 5-HTP in conjunctions with prescription medications for anxiety and depression because you can increase serotonin to unsafe levels.

A dietary choice that can naturally increase serotonin levels is consumption of Omega-3 fatty acids. According to a study published in the American Medical Association’s Archives of General Psychiatry, Omega-3 fatty acids from fish oil increase the level of serotonin in a way similar to prescription anti-depressants. Other supplements, which may be helpful, include Ginkgo biloba, DHEA, Acetyl-L carnitine, St. John’s Wort, vitamin B-6, mangosteen, and SAM-e (S-adenosyl-L-methionine). Additionally, the aromatic oil frankincense may be beneficial.

Note: For me, St. John’s Wort was effective, but had the same unpleasant side effects as prescription antidepressants. However, others have used St. John’s Wort with few or no negative side effects.

Quality sleep is crucial to healthy serotonin levels. Sufficient sunshine is needed to allow the body’s internal clock to keep on its normal rhythm. WebMD suggests that you increase your exposure to sunlight or bright light to one or two hours every day.

For many people that live in northern latitudes, the sun’s rays are not intense enough to regulate serotonin or melatonin levels. (Melatonin is a hormone produced by the pineal gland that causes you to fall asleep.) In the wintertime, this can result in Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), a form of depression. This inability to regulate melatonin levels can be corrected by “light boxes.” These boxes use what is called full spectrum lighting, which mimic the sun’s rays. Your doctor can write a prescription for full spectrum lighting or it can be purchased over the internet.

Note: At night, you should sleep in complete darkness. Any light in the room can disrupt your pineal gland’s production of melatonin and serotonin.

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Fibromyalgia reasearch suggests a link with cytokines 

Article by Heidi Whitaker 

In the case of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Fibromyalgia, MS, ALS, autism, Alzheimer’s, lupus, and Lyme Disease, inflammatory proteins called cytokines cross into the brain. They do so through weakened areas of the blood brain barrier (BBB). In the brain, they cause “brain fog,” sleep disturbances, and increased pain, depression, and anxiety. Certain cytokines can deplete the brain of tryptophan, which is necessary in the production of serotonin.

Low serotonin levels can result in non-restorative sleep, depression, increased stress, increased appetite, increased pain perception because of an increase in Substance P, and IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome). The decrease in serotonin and increase of Substance P may result in low Growth Hormone (HGH) production, which is characteristic of Fibromyalgia.

This tryptophan deficiency is especially detrimental in those who suffer from depression, anxiety, Chronic Lyme, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, and Fibromyalgia sufferers, who already struggle with low serotonin levels.

It is important to strengthen the Blood Brain Barrier (BBB) against cytokine invasion. Cytokines will only cross the BBB in an area that it is weakened. Low levels of vitamin B, a deficiency of certain essential fatty acids, and a viral infection, like a cold or flu can weaken the blood brain barrier. A study published in June 2002, in the scientific journal Differentiation, reported new evidence that mobile phone radiation can also weaken the BBB against harmful substances. (Cordless phones pose the same risk, but to a lesser degree.)

Diet and dietary supplements can strengthen the brain’s protective barrier (BBB) against cytokine invasion. Because vitamin C can strengthen capillaries and the blood brain barrier is made up of capillaries, it is reasonable to believe that vitamin C could provide the BBB with added protection. Additionally, animal studies show that flavonoids, like those found in blueberries, bilberries, and grape seeds can protect the blood brain barrier. These flavanoids can be purchased in supplement form. They are also anti-inflammatory, so they protect the brain by reducing cytokine levels and strengthening the BBB.

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