A Novel Treatment for Fibromyalgia

Share, Care and Prayer highly recommends the book Fibromyalgia: My Journey to Wellness by Claire Musickant. Claire had a typical experience with all the symptoms and frustrations encountered by people suffering from Fibromyalgia (FM). After many years of suffering, thorough investigation, trial and error, she found a treatment which set her free from her symptoms. Then she made it her goal to tell others about the treatment. In order to be able to prove the benefits of the treatment beyond her own experience, she arranged to have people from FM support groups that she had come to know to be involved in a study. She shares her personal story in the book, information regarding FM, and chronicles events regarding the study. Her book can be purchased for $15.00 from ELISA/ACT Biotechnology (formerly Serammune Physicians Lab). The address is at the end of this section. Following is the abstract from the study which was conducted in 1996.

A Novel Treatment for Fibromyalgia Improves Clinical Outcomes in a Community-Based Study

Abstract

It has been estimated conservatively that between 2% and 4% of Americans are afflicted with Fibromyalgia (FM) in a way that impairs daily living. Health care costs for the participants in this study averaged $10,000 per case per year with half covered by insurance and half paid out-of-pocket. Furthermore, Wolfe et al have reported that FM patients are almost six times more likely than the general population to apply for disability payments and four times more likely to receive such payments. We found that among FM patients who do work more than one quarter reported missing in excess of 120 days of work per year due to their condition.

It has been hypothesized that FM reflects a dysfunction in neuroimmune system function. To restore homeostasis within the neuroimmune system, we used the ELISA/ACT (R) (E/A) test, a lymphocyte response cell culture, to determine immune sensitivities to 340 common medications, foods and food additives, and environmental chemicals in 32 subjects meeting the criteria for FM. Subjects were assigned to a control group (n = 7) or a treatment group (n = 25). Control subjects maintained their usual life-styles whereas the subjects in the treatment group underwent a program of avoiding reactive substances and nutritional repletion with metabolic intermediates. All subjects completed a questionnaire to document changes in symptoms, medications consumed, severity of pain, and global disease severity and participated in biweekly support group meetings.

Modest improvements were noted after the first three months, and after four months most of the primary FM subjects in the treatment group reported feeling markedly better than they had in years. After six months, those in the treatment group with primary FM experienced 50% less pain, 40% less depression, 50% more energy, and 30% less stiffness than at the start of the program. In contrast, controls reported an increase in pain, 10% less depression, and comparable levels of stiffness and energy as compared to pre-program levels. Similar observations were made for other symptoms/conditions such as irritable bowel syndrome, headaches, sleep disturbances, etc. In sum, after six months of persistence, avoidance of sensitizing agents, and discipline, many of the classic features of FM had been ameliorated in patients in the treatment program, whereas no improvement was noted in the control group. This suggests that reducing the "load" of immunoreactants below a threshold in a free-living population may allow for re-establishment of resilience and homeostatsis and the restoration of reserves in the neuroimmune control systems.

(The above abstract and Table 3 are from a paper presented at the American Association for the Advancement of Science, February 9, 1996 by Russel M. Jaffe, M.D., Ph.D., of ELISA/ACT Biotechnologies, Inc., 2 Pidgeon Hill Drive, Suite 410, Sterling, VA 20165, 800-553-5472).

As pointed out in the study itself (see following excerpt), compliance of the participants was a key element to the successful results of the study and it proved to be a problem. If compliance had been 100%, the treatment results would have been even better.

We had a group leader who met with control and teatment subjects on a regular basis at separate times to address concerns and issues with respect to the program and/or FM per se. It became clear that not all subjects were following their dietary substitution and supplement programs fully, and that their discipline and commitment were not 100%. Self-reported compliance averaged 87% for the diet and 88% for the supplments, and those with better compliance did improve to a greater extent. It may be that a skilled nutritionist could improve overall compliance, but that remains to be tested.

For some indivuals, the program means a radically different approach to eating and dedication to changing habits. It took one subject, for eample, more than four months to believe that eating pesticide-free apples (in light of his hypersensitivity reaction to a biocide sprayed commonly on apples) would be better for him than commercial apples. After following the initial recommendation (but starting them four months into the program) the subject found that such pesticide-free products did not provoke any noticeable symptoms. The subject improved substantially after improving his personal commitment to following what was asked of him by the computer smart-system used to generate the dietary and life-style recommendations that are at the heart of this design. Education, persistence, patience, commitment, and a willingness to change and go by results are the prime requisites for this program to have its fullest expression. Some patients follow this treament program and in six months report themselves to be completely free of FM symptoms, despite having had FM for 10 years or more and previously been a multiple treatment failure. Relapses occur, usually because of exposure to a reactive substance despite efforts at compliance. At least six months, and perhaps one year (depending on compliance and on accuracy of laboratory assesment), are needed to help restore homeostatic equilibrium and function to a person who has been suffering from FM and its anticedents for many years.

From my own experience (Janet Dauble), Claire Musickant's experience (author of Fibromyalgia: My Journey to Wellness) and the experience of thousands of others I have come to know about in my 20 years of directing Share, Care and Prayer, discipline and commitment to avoid allergens--foods, chemicals, molds, dust, etc. - are well worth the effort.

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