G'day all,
I would appreciate any advice from people who have improved their CFS with use of supplements to their diet. My 15 year old son has had this complaint for 18 months and although graduated exercise has assisted, it is still 3 steps forward and 2 steps back. Like most 15 year olds fruit and vegetables are not his favourite foods, although I do persist!
I have just purchased L-Cartinine and Licorice root, but would be very grateful for any other advice.
Cheers and have a good day.
Hi Apresski
I have worked out a bit of a cocktail that works for me alongside conventional medication. In addition I have altered my diet somewhat and am living an almost normal life. I have fibromyalgia and although your sons diagnosis is not the same the symptoms are very similar. I take milk thistle extract, omega 3, buffered vitamin c, Ginko and Co-enzyme Q10. I also am prescribed low dose amitryptaline which helps me to get a 'restful' sleep. I have omitted wheat from my diet and I eat a little and often to get my metabolism working efficiently. Unfortunately your son may have to accept fruit and veg as a necessary evil but snacks such as nuts and berries are good snacking material. Its takes at least a month for the supplements to really get into the system but if you can get him to commit just for that time he will feel the benefits and maybe (although he is a teenager so dont hold your breath - I have one of my own!) just maybe he will prefer to stay well and keep it going. Good luck
G'day all,
I would appreciate any advice from people who have improved their CFS with use of supplements to their diet. My 15 year old son has had this complaint for 18 months and although graduated exercise has assisted, it is still 3 steps forward and 2 steps back. Like most 15 year olds fruit and vegetables are not his favourite foods, although I do persist!
I have just purchased L-Cartinine and Licorice root, but would be very grateful for any other advice.Cheers and have a good day.
Mitochondrial function help is ESSENTIAL
d ribose
l cartinine
vitamin b3 preferably NADH; the active form
get minerals checked and toxic metals
exercise does not deal with problem. ANyone recommending that to treat fatigue has not done any research into what actually causes fatigue in humans.
god bless
CFS is so hard to treat simply because it does not have one single cause and is often an accumulation of several things such as diet, heavy metals, viruses, parasites, candida etc.
Taking random supplements might help but can often be hit & miss and the road to recovery is often quite long. If you can get a bio-energetic screening done you might find it very useful to find out exactly what your body needs rather than what helps in general cases.
Apart from that the general advice is to take Multivitamin, multimineral, Vit C, B3 & antioxidant complex. Avoid tea, coffee, alcohol, smoking. Eat fresh fruit and veg and try to restrict refined carbohydrates
Individually what I have found in majority of my clients that suffer from CFS is that they are overly acidic also often short of Amino Acids including L-Carnitine & L-Glutamine and Lyme disease also frequently shows up.
I also recommend either spirulina, or organic barley grass juice as it is absorbed more easily by the body than tablets or capsules which often contain bulking agents and much smaller amounts of the required supplement.
Hope this helps
Chris
There's a GP in Wales who specialises in fatigue disorders. You can send her a completed questionnaire (it costs £70 - it's about 8 pages long) and she sends you recommendations which are normally lots of supplements and/or further tests. She's got lots of info on her website - I can send you the link if you wish. So, rather than take the scatter-gun approach and try things that worked for other people but may not work for your son perhaps it'd be better to see someone who's knowledgeable about these things?
I can't personally vouch for her efficacy - she was recommended by someone on one of my courses - however she didn't say what she was being treated for. And I've cherry-picked things from her pages which I think might work for me. I've completed the questionnaire, but haven't sent it back to her (I don't have CFS, so I'm consulting her re something else). So, I don't know if the £70 will be money well spent.
Anyway, let me know if that might be an approach you'd like to take and I'll PM you her details.
Ava x
If you wish to alleviate any condition through diet/supplements, I would always recommend reading "The Optimum Nutrition Bible" by Patrick Holford.
I recommend this book to all my weight loss clients, as well as clients suffering from many conditions, and base my own diet on it. Nutrition is probably the most important factor in "prevention" rather than "cure" and can also alleviate many problems. I feel Holford's system makes sense and from my personal experience, and the results with my clients, is extremely effective in preventing and/or alleviating most conditions.
At the end of the day, you can take all the supplements you want, increase the levels of those that best help CFS etc but if your diet isn't balanced then your body will not effectively absorb the additional nutrients/supplements. Holford's book(s) explain all this and how some foods/nutrients help your body absorb other nutrients and which anti-nutrients cancel others out.
Hiya, sorry to hijack your thread apreski, i really hope the advise you get helps you with your son and you dtartto see some progress :)x
i have a simiiar problem with hubby who docs can decide if cfs,pvfs,me but whichever he is adamnat that he wont he let me help him or seem to want to help himself!! it is so frustrating no matter how healthy i try and feed him he refusue's to eat it indeed his latest is he only like streaky bacon and sausages sweets oh and liquorise with 20 cups of strong tea with 2 sugars! he told the doc he was going to start at the gym i did suggest swimming may be a little less strenous that weight training which he agreed to but no visits so far! i have tried supplements st johns wort (he is also depressed now) but also propalis, multivits. he is currently straving himself to death and its so hard to watch him self destruct like this but aside from putting something in tea (no arsnic girls lol yet!!) trying to get him out for a little walk or even to breath some fresh air is a battle and a bad tempered march round the block yet he can play on a dam computor game until 3am everh morning!!!! if i daresuggest being on the game for 16 hrs a day may not be helping his sypmtoms i am shot down in flames!!
Any advise on something like homeopathy or perhaps flower remedys type things would be gratefully recieved or any advise form enyone.
Thank you so much if only listening tonmy ranting ha ha
pollyp :)x
i have a simiiar problem with hubby...
The only suggestion I can make is one which sort of worked with a colleague of mine - who also ate crap and was depressed. His wife ended up buying those 'Innocent' brand smoothies. You can get them in the chilled food section of supermarkets - and Tesco and other supermarkets make their own versions. Innocent's ones are just blended fruit and fruit juice. If you go for Tesco or another brand *read the ingredients* and don't buy any that have sugar in them. Just don't. Smoothies are nutritious, and tasty. See if he'll have a couple of glasses of those a day - it's sort of the thin edge of the healthy-eating spectrum. Another alternative, also expensive, is to try those ready-made chilled soups by Covent Garden. Also in the chilled-food section of the supermarket. Again they are nutritious (a bit high in salt) - but it's better than bacon and sausages that your husband is currently eating.
My feeling is that when someone is depressed you can't force things on them. And soups and smoothies are comforting non-threatening foods. A lesser alternative is to try him on tinned soups - again going for the vegetable/bean ones rather than cream-of-animal ones. Yep, high in salt - but you would be expanding his diet a little. And depression general responds quite well to any improvements in diet, so you may find in time you can slowly introduce some more wholesome foods.
Yep: soups and smoothies... nice comfort foods.
Good luck, and let us know how you go.
Ava x
The only suggestion I can make is one which sort of worked with a colleague of mine - who also ate crap and was depressed. His wife ended up buying those 'Innocent' brand smoothies. You can get them in the chilled food section of supermarkets - and Tesco and other supermarkets make their own versions. Innocent's ones are just blended fruit and fruit juice. If you go for Tesco or another brand *read the ingredients* and don't buy any that have sugar in them. Just don't. Smoothies are nutritious, and tasty. See if he'll have a couple of glasses of those a day - it's sort of the thin edge of the healthy-eating spectrum. Another alternative, also expensive, is to try those ready-made chilled soups by Covent Garden. Also in the chilled-food section of the supermarket. Again they are nutritious (a bit high in salt) - but it's better than bacon and sausages that your husband is currently eating.
My feeling is that when someone is depressed you can't force things on them. And soups and smoothies are comforting non-threatening foods. A lesser alternative is to try him on tinned soups - again going for the vegetable/bean ones rather than cream-of-animal ones. Yep, high in salt - but you would be expanding his diet a little. And depression general responds quite well to any improvements in diet, so you may find in time you can slowly introduce some more wholesome foods.
Yep: soups and smoothies... nice comfort foods.
Good luck, and let us know how you go.
Ava x
Or, really know what's in them and make your own! We do, it's cheaper and the end result is fresher and fits better with the tastes you prefer. Although there is an initial investment in the machine to make them, in the long run it probably works out cheaper as well.
We buy very little from supermarkets, produce from the local butcher (I'm vegetarian but my wife isn't) and greengrocer is always more fresh than the stuff in supermarkets that has been shipped half way round the world. Pre-prepared "smoothies" etc are made from fruit/veg that has also been half way round the world, has probably sat in a factory for a day or two, and then run through their machinery to make the product which has then spent a few more days travelling to the supermarket and then a couple more days on the shelf. Any nutritional value the contents once had is long gone by the time you get it home.
Unfortunately, when you read the nutritional value on the packaging of any product, it is based on the ingredients, not the end result.
Or, really know what's in them and make your own!...
Ideally, yes, we'd all wish to be seeing him eating lots of lovely oily fish, fresh vegetables picked from her garden, wholegrains, fruits, nuts/seeds, seaweeds - and taking lots of good daily exercise. However, that's not going to happen overnight.
Pollyp said that her husband refused to eat anything except bacon, sausages, licorice and tea with several teaspoons of sugar. Sadly someone like that will not be keen to eat anything homemade. Folk with an aversion to fresh food tend to only eat foods which are branded (i.e. bought from a supermarket and comes in packaging). Pollyp said that she is struggling with his diet - and so including very simple comfort foods will be easiest for both of them.
I'm sure we'd both rather see him eating soups and smoothies that have traveled all the way around the world [sic] than continuing to eat bacon and sausages and licorice and 20 sugary teas. He's not going to feel better on that diet. And introducing homemade foods is too big a leap to make, I feel. For the meantime Pollyp should buy branded smoothies and soups. A blender is a great idea - but only buy one if he likes the smoothies/soups - otherwise it's a terrible waste of money.
Baby steps...
Ava x
Ava,
thank you what a good idea i have been racking my brains how to introduce something rmotely nutrional and yes home made souos and smoothies idea thanks but like you say ave he wont have not truck with that and would see through me straight away wheras tho from the supermarket, the innocents smoothies and qualities soups could be a real breakthrough phew big weight of my mind ava had reached a real block
thank you again will keep you posted (he saved fron the arsnic for the mo ha ha :)x
help with CFS
Please get yourself a copy of the book 'From Fatigued To Fantastic' by DR J Teitelbaum (Amazon) the book describes how many people after having a virus, have in fact damaged their hormone system ie hypothalamus and adrenal glands. he shows that regular use of the easily obtainable hormone DHEA and maybe even cortisol, can work wonders in a short time - and I can vouch for that. Also Andy Cutlers book - Amalgam Illness - also on the net, lays much of the blame for many ills on mercury poisoning. He gives solid scientific advice how to deal with this problem.
Best regards Robert Davies.
__________________
cfs
Hi, I use Q10 my dr advised me to take magnesium tablets, which i started too but don't now. I was advised not to take Ginko if you have certain health conditions, as it can aggravate them (I have mild asthma).
my dr advised me to take magnesium tablets, which i started too but don't now.
It's great that your doctor recommended it, because it is a cornerstone of CFS/ME treatment protocol, and it's something you really should try to continue taking. Why did you stop the magnesium? I am interested in the dose you were taking, too. There are lots of different ways of taking it so that you can increase your absorption - meaning that you can take a therapeutic dose without it aggravating your bowels (i.e. giving you diarrhea).
I'm a bit crazy about magnesium - having only recently discovered how great it is, and so I am nobbling folk about it at any opportunity I get!
Ava x
Hi Atlanticpearl
We were advised to use the magnesium malate form as it is a natural part of the energy cycle in the mitochondria - the powerhouses of all cells. Malic acid is also supposed to be helpful (hence malate) found in apples.
As far as ME/CFS is concerned, it does rather depend on what has caused one's energy production to shut down, as to what supplement protocol is best for the individual - there are a number of avenues to follow and without a full case-history it is not possible to be more specific. Diet also comes into it - a wholefood diet is imperative. The endocrine system is often involved with the necessity to help support the adrenals. Food intolerances may be involved too so it is necessary to test for those. Was there an infection that triggered the reaction? and so on.
Your best bet is either to do lots of reading up and try and match the various cause-routes to your own case and then try to find out the best options supplement-wise for you, or better still to see a naturopath or nutritional therapist [url](click here)[/url] to help guide you through the process. I had it for 11 years before I found some ways of getting it sorted - nutritional therapist and a doctor of functional medicine. As a result I have got my life back (no thanks to the NHS) and although I am on reduced power, so to speak, at least I am able to do things like walk down a flight of stairs without taking it one step at a time, and walk more than 100 yards, sleep better, less pain - it is such a relief.
Have a look at other threads on the forums to see more advice. I assume you have looked at other CFS/ME sites on the web. It's useful to join something like ActionforME to get updated information.
Wishing you all the best
Cfs
It's great that your doctor recommended it, because it is a cornerstone of CFS/ME treatment protocol, and it's something you really should try to continue taking. Why did you stop the magnesium? I am interested in the dose you were taking, too. There are lots of different ways of taking it so that you can increase your absorption - meaning that you can take a therapeutic dose without it aggravating your bowels (i.e. giving you diarrhea).
I'm a bit crazy about magnesium - having only recently discovered how great it is, and so I am nobbling folk about it at any opportunity I get!
Ava x
Hi Ava
Thanks for the info I stopped taking magnesium tablets as I was told you could overdone in magnesium. My tabs were 300 mg, but I eat foods rich in magnesium as well.
Jane
Cfs/me
Hi Atlanticpearl
We were advised to use the magnesium malate form as it is a natural part of the energy cycle in the mitochondria - the powerhouses of all cells. Malic acid is also supposed to be helpful (hence malate) found in apples.
As far as ME/CFS is concerned, it does rather depend on what has caused one's energy production to shut down, as to what supplement protocol is best for the individual - there are a number of avenues to follow and without a full case-history it is not possible to be more specific. Diet also comes into it - a wholefood diet is imperative. The endocrine system is often involved with the necessity to help support the adrenals. Food intolerances may be involved too so it is necessary to test for those. Was there an infection that triggered the reaction? and so on.
Your best bet is either to do lots of reading up and try and match the various cause-routes to your own case and then try to find out the best options supplement-wise for you, or better still to see a naturopath or nutritional therapist [url](click here)[/url] to help guide you through the process. I had it for 11 years before I found some ways of getting it sorted - nutritional therapist and a doctor of functional medicine. As a result I have got my life back (no thanks to the NHS) and although I am on reduced power, so to speak, at least I am able to do things like walk down a flight of stairs without taking it one step at a time, and walk more than 100 yards, sleep better, less pain - it is such a relief.
Have a look at other threads on the forums to see more advice. I assume you have looked at other CFS/ME sites on the web. It's useful to join something like ActionforME to get updated information.
Wishing you all the best
Hi Caroline
Thanks for the info. I was taken ill with pneuonomia in April 2009, spent 10 days in hospital (overseas), came back to the UK when well enough to fly....got constant fatigue etc from that. CFS/ME diagnosed Sept 09.
Jane
Hello Jane
Thanks for the info I stopped taking magnesium tablets as I was told you could overdone in magnesium. My tabs were 300 mg, but I eat foods rich in magnesium as well.
I'm not sure you were correctly advised. You can't 'overdo' magnesium. If you take more magnesium than your body needs the symptoms are pretty obvious - you get diarrhea. Therefore it's easy to work out how much you need by taking magnesium citrate in divided doses (a bit with breakfast, a bit with lunch, a bit with dinner) and when you get loose bowels that tells you that your daily magnesium dose is too high. Simply reduce your dosage until your bowels are comfortably loose.
Magnesium is one of the cornerstone nutrients for CFS. So, by not taking a therapeutic dose you are selling yourself short. There are oodles of scientific papers showing how important magnesium is to CFS. I would expect that you'd initially be taking around 1000mg of magnesium citrate (though Caroline prefers magnesium malate... perhaps because of the malic acid CFS connection?) per day. Don't start at 1000mg obviously! Start with 300mg for 3 days, then try 450mg for 3 days, then 600mg for 3 days. Increase the dose by 150mg/day and stay on each new dose for 3 days. If you get diarrhea at, say 1050mg, then reduce it back to 900mg. Over the following months you'll find that your magnesium status improves and you'll find yourself slowly reducing the dose. Your bowels will tell you when to do this.
[Always take magnesium with food. Magnesium needs an acid environment to be absorbed. Which is why I recommend magnesium citrate (elemental magnesium bound to citric acid) and Caroline recommends magnesium malate (bound to malic acid).]
However, the best thing to do is to get guidance from a BANT-registered nutritionist. It's fine to take advice from folk here, but there are lots of other considerations - and it's best to get some professional help.
Good luck!
Ava x
Absolutely agree Ava!
Jane - viral infection is a common cause of ME - it seems some viruses can penetrate into the mitocondria and shut them down. One has to look for the reason why the virus gained entry through the mitochondrial membrane - what nutrients that are needed for a strong membrane was the person short of and why? What has disrupted their system?
No simple answers, I'm afraid! That's where a BANT registered Nutritional Therapist can help sort you out.