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The Rise and Fall of High Fructose Corn Syrup and Fibromyalgia

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Contents

Introduction..........................................................1One What Fibromyalgia Is And What It Is Not..........................7Two Fibromyalgia Recovery Plans......................................13Three Birth And Growth Of Fibromyalgia...............................17Four Alternative Treatments For Fibromyalgia.........................22Five The Princeton Study.............................................32Six The Manufacture Of High Fructose Corn Syrup......................41Seven Metabolism And Xenobiotics.....................................46Eight Causes Of Fibromyalgia.........................................51Nine From Upton Sinclair To Xenobiotics..............................57Ten Fascia, Pain, And The Central Nervous System.....................71Eleven Fatigue And Energy............................................76Twelve Under The Radar...............................................79Thirteen Fibromyalgia, Science, And Research.........................84Fourteen Invisible To The Naked Eye..................................95Fifteen My Recovery Story............................................101Sixteen Good Health..................................................109Seventeen Happy Ending...............................................119

Chapter One

Fibromyalgia is a biochemical disorder characterized by widespread pain, fatigue, and stiffness in the connective tissue. Other symptoms include achiness, irritable bowel and spastic bladder, headaches, depression or catastrophic thinking, increased sensitivity to pain, and unrefreshing or disturbed sleep. The term "fibromyalgia" means pain in the fibrous (connective) tissue.

The symptoms of fibromyalgia are intermittent or cyclical. Some describe the worst symptoms as changing in intensity, or "waxing and waning." The discomfort of fibromyalgia is often significant and debilitating.

Fibromyalgia is a biochemical disorder that stems from unbound molecules circulating in the bloodstream reaching the central nervous system and soft tissue and the fascia. The dysfunction is caused by chemicals from the environment that confound and stall metabolic processes at the cellular level. These synthetic chemicals are referred to as xenobiotics (foreign).Typically, the chemical molecules from the environment are transported into the body as very small subparts of food and beverages. However, there are some toxic particles in the air, and they can be breathed into the body.

Fibromyalgia falls short of the strictest definitions of "disease". A section of the Food and Drug Administration guidelines defines disease as something that causes damage to the system of the body, causing improper functioning, or damage to an organ or body part or causing a health status that leads to dysfunction (cardiovascular disease, for example.) The FDA excludes conditions that are caused by the lack of important nutrients (examples given in the guidelines are pellagra and scurvy).

As far as we know, fibromyalgia does not permanently damage any tissue or organ in the body. The FDA's definition of "dysfunction" seems to imply a state of dysfunction for a long period of time or over a life-time. The dysfunction is usually located in a specific body part or organ. Fibromyalgia metabolic dysfunction is not constant, cannot be observed, and cannot be measured, at this point.

There is no evidence of a causal relationship with viruses or bacteria in cases of fibromyalgia. Fibromyalgia is not caused by a virus, and it is not contagious. Like rheumatism, it is often referred to as a "condition." Some may consider fibromyalgia as a type of rheumatism. However, fibromyalgia includes a broader range of symptoms than those of rheumatism. Like rheumatism, fibromyalgia is not considered by medical personnel to be a disease. Some believe that fibromyalgia is fibrosistis. However, the definitions of fibrosistis do not include chronic fatigue and other typical fibromyalgia problems such as irritable bowel and un-refreshing sleep.

One distinction between fibromyalgia and many other ailments is the phenomena of stiff and inflexible fascia around the body's back, upper torso, neck and head. The fascia is a stretchy substance that lies beneath the skin and lies over muscles and organs. The fascia of the body is fibroelastic, meaning the fascia has properties like fibers and has also an elastic quality. For a part of a fibromyalgia bout, the elastic part of the fascia is shortened or temporarily looses its elastic quality. It becomes difficult to feel flexible and comfortable while that phenomena is occurring. Many with fibromyalgia enjoy back and neck massages or even rubbing the middle of their backs against available door jambs on uncomfortable days.

It has been reported that the term "fibromyalgia" was coined in the early 1980s. Most people had never heard the term until the mid 1980s, or later. Before 1970, no medical dictionaries, textbooks, medical encyclopedias, or literature included the word "fibromyalgia." Fibromyalgia existed in the American population approximately eight or nine years before the condition was recognized as a legitimate biological problem.

No book with a publication date earlier than 1970 includes the word "fibromyalgia". Finding legitimacy and being accepted as "real" took quite a few years. Prior to 1985, most doctors did not recognize the unique set of symptoms. After lupus, arthritis, and other problems were ruled out, some doctors assumed that the best recourse might be exercise, psychotherapy, and/or anti-depressants.

For a while medical personnel were perplexed by the complaints of pain because of the lack of observable injuries to the body, lack of evidence of an infectious disease, and lack of evidence of cancer or organ malfunction. Some with fibromyalgia look healthy and even robust. In the 1980s, no causes had been identified. Many doctors and others assumed that the root of the problem was psychogenic or psychosomatic in origin.

In some ways, fibromyalgia seems related to metabolic disorders. Both conditions are believed to spring from problems with enzymes (or lack of them) or xenobiotics in the endocrine system of the body. However, some characteristics of fibromyalgia do not apply to metabolic disorders. Some metabolic disorders have strong genetic components. Tay-Sachs is an example of a metabolic disorder with a genetic component. Some metabolic disorders result, in part, from organ dysfunction or damage. (Examples include pancreatic dysfunction associated with diabetes or liver impairment in fatty liver disease.) The intermittent nature of fibromyalgia and its lack of association with high blood presssure and higher levels of sugar in the blood fall outside the understanding of metabolic syndrome, syndrome X. Its lack of a genetic component is uncharacteristic of a metabolic disorder.

SOME COMMON MEDICAL CLASSIFICATIONS

Autoimmune disorders Infectious Diseases Organ malfunction or failure Cancer Allergies Food Intolerance Digestive disorders Metabolic disorders Asthma and lung disorders Cardiovascular disorders Poisoning and environmental disorders Disorders of the brain and inflammation of the spinal column Paralysis Autism...