Friday, January 27, 2017

CAN CANNABIS CURE FYBROMYALGIA?




CAN CANNABIS CURE FYBROMYALGIA?

Personally ii was blessed with an amazing house doctor when my children were growing up…ii also studied and worked with him in an academic hospital environment in the Eastern Cape for three years before choosing him as our family medical practitioner. He had no hesitations in giving me my diagnosis in 1994 as he understood the condition of overall pain and more importantly he understood pain management, himself having studied Fybromyalgia since the 80’s. 

In my life ii have been told by some strong men that ii am very strong woman and truly ii have and still do put my body through strenuous workouts, ii can carry 18 litres of water in a bucket on my head walking for miles, cross rampant rivers, climb trees, all of these things, but each day ii wake up feeling quite literally like a bus has hit me, and it can take hours before ii am even able to move about let alone get dressed.  If it wasn’t for my natural medicine ii would probably be bedridden if ii were a ‘weaker woman’.

But as a dyslexic for me personally, now that ii have already found a natural pain remedy, the most difficult thing about Fibromyalgia is trying to get my tongue around the actual word to pronounce it properly and ii now refer to this condition as “Fybro-M”.

Back in the day this condition was thought to be a mental disorder and was first described in the early 1800’s where medical people wrote about a health condition called “muscular rheumatism” with symptoms described as stiffness, aches, pains, tiredness and difficulty with sleeping.

In 1828 the term “Fibrositis” was first used and then in 1976 the name was changed to ‘Fibromyalgia’ and this is where medical mentality in respect of pain officially changed and swelling was no longer believed to be the cause of pain.

So in other words they are saying that the inflammation from infection does not cause the pain of Fybro-M and that the inflammation associated with this condition is not related to any infection.

If it were not for the fact that so many more younger people are starting to present with the symptoms ii would be quite happy to accept this condition as simply old age, dry rot and general degeneration, however all ii see is people getting sicker and sicker from a younger age than ever before. Since the age of 26 ii have been experiencing the most arbitrary of pain attacks in the most peculiar places in my body like my heels, vagina, armpits, buttocks, rib cage, scalp, neck, stomach, spine, teeth and even my eyes and ears.  Truly ii began to believe that someone must be in a possession of a voodoo doll with a piece of my hair on it.
Stabling pains that quite literally creep up like a thief in the night and bite you on the bum when you least expect it taking you down to your knees until even your knees ache…ii call this condition “kneasals”. Pain of this nature and magnitude can definitely cause a person to lose their mind and can definitely lead to depression.

Many medical professionals will tell you that pain does not even occur in your joints, muscles, or even in your nerve endings.  They will tell you that pain occurs in your mind.  So even if someone had to saw your leg off, the pain does not actually occur in the leg, but in your mind, where you truly ‘feel’ the pain. 

They will tell you that it is the same with eyesight that you don’t really see with your eyes.  The eyes merely receive light signals and it is the mind which assembles these light signals into the images which we then see. So ii found it interesting to notice what Davina MacKail author of The Dream Whisperer has to say:

“Our eyes do not see what we think they see.  They are actually receiving a constant influx of tiny electrical impulses which they convert into pictures imprinted upside down on a screen at the back of our head.
In fact the ‘I’ll believe it when I see it’ saying that we’re so indoctrinated with in the Western rational world is actually the wrong way round.  The truth is, ‘We’ll see it when we believe it.’

Hypochondria is also a very real condition.  We have been conditioned into a lifestyle where from a very young age humans realise the benefits of being ill.  When we are ill we receive special attention, special food and other special comforts and certainly this can lead to a scenario where many people may in fact be happier in illness than in health. This vibration extends into peoples working life where they are rewarded with ‘sick leave’ thus encouraging society to fall ill in order to have a day off.

So for the millions of people around the world suffering with unexplained widespread pain it is very important to have an official diagnosis.

The main question now is “Is Fibromyalgia a real disease?” because general attitude reveals that many doctors and health care providers still believe that it is only a set of symptoms looking for a disease.

Many doctors believe that this condition is a physical response to stress, depression and economic and social anxiety and that the related symptoms are a normal part of everyday life and to respond with distress is then very much part of the human condition. 


The Risk of Fybro-M

People get old, tired and arthritic.  They eat poorly, they have sleep disorders.  They overwork.  And of course, they get depressed.  All of these things lead to increasing pain levels as we age.  And when they first set in, they can be somewhat frightening. After all, our bodies were so good to us in our 20's and 30's, right?  Then you hit 40 and suddenly everything hurts all the time.

Fibro-M has it’s ominous origins in Fibrosis, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Yuppie flu…all of these conditions and the associated symptoms have been actively discussed since 1904 but even since the 1980’s, have remained a challenging mystery to the medical world.

Many medical professionals in fact do not believe that the symptoms of these conditions constitute a valid medical condition and as such many professionals seem to believe that the unseen symptoms presented in millions of people around the world are in fact “all in the mind”.

So right now, despite the fact that more than 9,366 as at September 2016 articles addressing Fibro-M research studies have highlighted the processes in the body that cause Fibromyalgia, we have a situation where many health care providers are still struggling to assist their patients with Fibro-M diagnosis and this then results in a scenario where patients then have no alternative but to take matters into their own hands by bringing information about new treatments to the attention of their doctors.

“When one has tuberculosis, one has tuberculosis, whether or not it is diagnosed. The same is true for cancer, rheumatoid arthritis, hookworm infestation — really, of the gamut of diseases. But not for Fibromyalgia.
No one has FM until it is diagnosed.” ~ George Ehrlich MD Internationally renowned Rheumatologist

Many of these new treatments are simply ignored because they come from the world of ‘alternative’ medicine, which generally means there is not much profit attached to such treatments. So basically anyone trained before 1990 were taught that Fibromyalgia was a disease of organic origin just like the hysteria described in the day of Freud.




90% of sufferers are women. You know … those women who are constantly complaining about aches and pains throughout their bodies. 

These same women could also suffer from various forms of cognitive and memory problems…sometimes called ‘fibro-fog’…

Personally ii feel that men are raised to be more enduring and then tend to complain less about aches and pains and simply chalk it up to “an old rugby injury”…personally ii have used this comment many times before when people catch me in pain…but women, perhaps because they are more introspective and ‘in touch’ with their bodies, become more distressed by these changes.

Sleep disorders, headaches, temperature sensitivity, sensitivity to bright lights and loud noises, painful menstrual periods, Irritable bowel syndrome, numbness in the hands and feet and also restless legs syndrome are just some of the symptoms of this mysterious condition plaguing millions of mostly women around the world.

Doctors simply do not read massage therapy journals such as those that publish articles of large European studies which discovered that Myofascial release, is a manual therapy which targets painful fascia and provides long-lasting relief of Fibromyalgia pain. It is interesting to note that most medical aid products do not provide cover for this type of treatment.
The reality is that for millions of people this condition is now the 14th most frequent reason for visiting a primary health care professional, more common than sore throats or urinary tract infections.




The Reality of Fybromyalgia…

A complex illness such as Fybromyalgia requires major research, lots of patience and a true compassion for those who are suffering.

This is not a condition where you can simply prescribe a single treatment and in fact it requires working with the entire spectrum of the patient’s needs, focusing on both the inner and outer human, in other words, each patient needs an individual treatment plan because each person manifests this condition in a different way. Factors such as diet, exercise, exposure to sunlight, emotional state of mind and stress levels are crucial to establishing a suitable treatment plan for each patient.

“People develop chronic pain for a huge variety of reasons.  We therefore need an equally diverse range of treatments to tackle the different root causes.” ~ Dr Giovanna Lalli Neuroscience & Mental Health Senior Portfolio Developer at The Wellcome Trust.

According to Traditional Chinese Medicine Fybromyalgia is categorized as “ji bi” which means muscle impediment.  There are three other main specific patterns which form within this syndrome being:

“xu lao”                                  vacuity taxation/fatigue
“yu sheng”                             depression
“Shi mian”                             insomnia

Each of these patterns present different symptoms depending on the root of the imbalance.
In Traditional Chinese Medicine at the core of Fibro-M is in fact Liver-Spleen disharmony and this is directly related to nutrition, toxins and stress.

They say that Fybro-M is an orphan disease meaning there is no cure for it and they do not know what causes it. 
Personally ii do believe that Fibro-M is a lifestyle disorder involving instabilities and imbalances in the way in which the central nervous system sends and receives messages.  In other words ii mean the way in which different people experience and perceive pain. Below ii would like to highlight my 7 main root causes of this condition:
1.   CHILD BIRTH
So here’s a thing…around 90% of the people suffering from Fibro-M are women in their mid- 40’s although this age onset period is getting younger by the decade. For unknown reasons no one in the medical world can explain this.
They say that we as women folk are blessed because the Universe, God, Mother Nature or someone important said that it is mystical how a woman forgets the pain of childbirth. Indeed it is true even though in the bible it states clearly that women will suffer great pain in child birth.
The human body has the potential to retain Pain Memory…the body and its cells never forget the pain it has had to endure no matter how strong the mind is…after all they say that pain is really felt in the mind. This hypothesis supports the fact that the body and not only the brain can retain memories. The little cells remember the excruciating pain suffered as a mother’s body grew double its size in only 9 months and then pushed a 10 cm ball and body out a much smaller orifice after bearing down for many hours.  Personally my first labour was 28 hours and ii pushed out a 4 kg bouncing boy through my refusal to succumb to surgery.
There is a very interesting new study being conducted at King’s College London where researchers are looking to for clues as to why chronic pain persists even long after the injury has healed.
“Although in its infancy this research could explain how small and seemingly innocuous injuries leave molecular ‘footprints’ which add up to more lasting damage, and ultimately chronic pain.”
Many medical professionals would brush this theory off and probably say something like
“Nonsense…giving birth is a natural part of everyday life” …
Truly ii am not denying this and we continue to give thanks for life but this does not change the reality of the physical damage that a woman’s body endures during pregnancy and childbirth…after all it must be heavy if God cared to mention this punishment in the very first book of the Holy Bible.
So my theory is that pregnancy and child birth is one of the top root causes of Fibro-M and ii also feel that it is fair to say that the entire condition of being female and having to endure the menstrual cycle, pregnancy, child birth and then the menopause can certainly take its toll on even the strongest of women and indeed back in the day way too many women died in childbirth.
2.   Post -Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
There is enough evidence to support the association between the development of Fybro-M and physical and emotional trauma for example sport and motor vehicle accidents.
Research studies also reveal that patients with Fibro-M also have elevated levels of nitric oxide in their bloodstreams which is indicative of physical trauma sustained to the central nervous system.
It is my firm and personal belief that the reason why the US is seeing such a radical increase in war veterans being diagnosed with this condition is as a direct result of the emotional and obviously the physical trauma, experienced in the war zones. 
Growing up in a naval base back in the 80’s when young men were being sent to the borders to kill people from upper Africa…was as traumatic to know of as surely it was to have experienced this.  Personally ii have spent many years listening to ex South African soldiers relaying ‘border stories’ told by mostly white males who were labelled ‘bos befok’ which means they became crazy in the bush and returned with intense battle flashbacks, and indeed most of these stories were horrific involving gory deaths and many suicides.   In listening to these tales from the other side of the border ii also observed the deep emotional trauma which many brothers carry inside of them and indeed many of them try really hard not to show the outside world the pain which they are feeling deep inside…pain memory of the traumatic experiences they had to endure in the name of war. This pain then manifests as Fibromyalgia.

3.   DIET AND LIFESTYLE TOXINS
Truly we have lost sight of the most important thing in life…where our food comes from…and we cannot blame anyone or any system for this situation it is us ourselves who have allowed ourselves to become too busy…too preoccupied…too tired…too lazy…too sick, to even notice where our food comes from or to cook proper food for our families.
Personally ii think that it is really important for everyone to be conscious of this matter. We all come from a place where not so long ago we were all eating out of our gardens and not being exposed to dangerous organophosphates which cause the deathly symptoms of various conditions.

Today we live in an absolutely artificial system which we have been brainwashed to accept as natural living. Our economic system is one of acquisition with little or no regard for the rest of society which is not our naturally evolved culture which focused on sharing and community.

We are kept in this semi sophisticated state of ignorance in order to prevent us from seriously evaluating our institutions and changing them in a manner that is less separated from our very nature.

All of this fast-pace-rushing around the clock vibe ensures that there is no time for gardening or even cooking for that matter and so we see millions of people around the world consuming dangerous and poisoness toxins in their foodstuffs. We live in a world where a hamburger filled with toxins and almost zero nutritional value is cheaper than a bunch of carrots. 

There are so many poisonous substances in our modern foodstuffs today but my two most disliked substances are MSG and Aspartame which cause such serious damage to the nervous system and quite literally ‘fries’ the brain and so over a period of 40 odd years of consuming these substances often unknowingly…the damage caused to the body then manifests as Fybromyalgia…in my opinion…ii always say don’t just believe what ii say, you should do some research into in the very important matter so that the research can filter through your own brain and then you will know whether or not it is truth.

Sodium Benzoate fries your brain and is found in basically all products as a preservative including animal food cats and dogs, it is a mood stabiliser and keeps us docile.

But what is even scarier, is that if you add Sodium Benzoate to Citric acid Vitamin C (Ascorbic acid) it becomes benzene which is a cancer causing chemical associated with Leukaemia and other blood cancers. It is a carcinogenic because it deprives cells of oxygen.

“If you want to avoid sodium benzoate, read labels carefully.  Look for the words ‘benzoic acid’, ‘benzene’, ‘sodium benzoate’, ‘potassium benzoate’ or ‘benzoate’, especially if you also see ‘citric acid;, ‘ascorbic acid’ or ‘vitamin C’. Sodium benzoate is also known as E211.”

40 odd years of consuming toxins in our food, water, vaccinations, soil and air will eventually take its toll on the human body.  These days we are seeing more and more people becoming ill with all kinds of dread diseases mental and physical. We are definitely seeing an increase of younger patients being diagnosed which goes a long way to proving exactly how toxic some of these additives and preservatives which are regulated and still allowed in our products are.

The reality is that there are 11 consumer products which you need to seriously research and then ask yourself if you will continue to consume these toxins once the research has filtered through your brain and you come to the conscious reality that all is not well in our food industry.

1.  Salt

2. Sugar

3. Saturated Fats

4. Trans Fats

A lot of people do not know that excess consumption of Omega 6 Fatty Acids can cause your body to produce cytokines which are pro-inflammatory proteins which cause inflammation.

6. Refined Carbohydrates

7. MSG

8. Gluten and Casein

9. Aspartame

10. Sodium Benzoate

Sodium Benzoate is a mood stabiliser hidden in food products as a preservative…dog food as well…

11. Alcohol

Cannabis protects against the harsh effects which alcohol has on the liver and the entire body, in very much the same way as it seems to protect cigarette smokers from the harsh side effects of commercial tobacco products.

The only antagonist to Cannabis is alcohol and should never be consumed together.
We are what we eat…we all know this to be true…so if we choose to eat deception and untruths then we will become deception and untruth…
4.   VITAMIN D DEFICIENCY
The Importance of Vitamin D
Through my research ii have also come to realise that the majority of medical conditions are related to a Vitamin D deficiency and this is also in line with my belief that all disease including mental disease stems from the digestive tract and involve bacteria. 
Recently there have been some astounding research papers proving the link between Vitamin D deficiency and Alzheimer’s and this encouraged me to pursue the same train of thought with autism and even epilepsy and ii guarantee you that any child with these two conditions will definitely be deficient in Vitamin D…in fact ii guarantee this for any medical condition and the first port of call for every new patient is to check the liver and Vitamin D levels.
So the only real way to absorb this fat soluble vitamin which is actually a hormone and affects over 3000 (probably more if not all) of our genes is from sunlight. 
Personally ii believe that we have all been brain washed to believe that the sun is bad for us and many people are actually now scared of the sun.  But ii can guarantee you if the pharmaceutical industry could find a way to charge you for using the sun they would then tell you the truth about sunlight and optimum health.
Already you can find papers on the net about how microbes seem to shape autism and so it is very important to be aware that the body and brain needs Vitamin D from the sun to keep valuable gut bacteria alive.
Gut bacteria needs Vitamin D in order to survive…
So the destruction of our natural gut bacteria leads to inflammation in the brain and the body leading to the increase in the large variety of illnesses we are seeing all over the world today.
Vitamin D affects our entire gastric tract and we have Vitamin D receptors in our brains, spinal cord, digestive tract, salivary glands, our teeth, esophageal sphincter, islet cells of the pancreas as well as the stomach cells.  It is also interesting that we Cannabinoid receptors in all these sites and even in our teeth pulp.
One of the biggest lies ever told to us is that the sun causes cancer so let’s take a look at the facts.
It is said then that when travelling from either the north or south- pole towards the equator that UV exposure increases by up to 5000% whereas ozone depletion only increases exposure by 20%.  So if UVB exposure and ozone depletion were in fact the cause of skin cancer then surely the people living closest to the equator would be diagnosed with malignant melanoma at an alarming rate…well the reality is that the opposite is truth.
To this day no scientific studies have ever proven that sunlight causes cancer in humans.  And in fact there is plenty of evidence to the contrary where over the years several studies have confirmed that appropriate sun exposure actually helps to prevent skin cancer and melanoma occurrence has been found to decrease with greater sun exposure, and can actually be increased by sunscreen products.
Most of these studies that try so hard to find a cause have only actually found links and many scientists have established that actually it is the toxicity level (usually always in the digestive tract and largely in the liver) of the human body which reacts with UV rays which causes cancer and not the sunlight itself.
Sunlight does not cause skin cancer and in fact it is our best defence against cancer.
If you do the research you will see that the majority of sun protection products in fact contain ingredients with serious health and safety concerns. Almost half of the 500 most popular products may actually increase the speed at which malignant cells develop and spread skin cancer because they contain certain carcinogenic agents which speed up tumour growth. But most of all they simply block out the vital UV rays our bodies and brains need to survive and if you deprive the body of sunlight it is the same as putting a healthy plant in a dark cupboard and even if you give it water and nutrients and air it will still die it is the exact same with humans except the process is longer.

While researching Can Cannabis Cure Glaucoma ii found it fascinating that since the advent of sunglasses in 1929 cancer cases started increasing and the reason for this is that this fashion accessory actually blocks out the vital UV rays which the brain needs in order for cells to communicate with each other.
It has been scientifically proven that cells communicate via light carried by neuro-transmitters. 
Sunglasses therefore also block the Pineal gland (Third Eye).
So the Pineal gland receives the white light from the lens of the eye and breaks the white light from the sun down into the full spectrum of the colors of light to be distributed around the body so for example when the body needs to make blood the Pineal gland then sends out red light and say green light when the body needs to create bile for instance.
So if you consider that the eyes are the only part of the brain that you can see from the outside then you can realize the importance of the eyes being exposed to sunlight for optimum health on a cellular level.  Fluoride which is in our drinking water is a terrible toxic by product which calcifies the Pineal gland and prevents its proper functioning. Fluoride… ii repeat …it’s in our drinking water…and toothpaste…
A calcified Pineal gland will automatically struggle to receive the full spectrum of light required by the body and this is exactly why there is such a strong link between many brain abnormalities and Vitamin D deficiency.
So my recommendation for anyone who is ill or not feeling well please take at least 20 minutes a day where possible to sit in the sunlight and if you have time…make it an hour. A large majority of people with Fibro-M are also Vitamin D deficient.
Every patient ii have ever had regardless of their condition …all have been Vitamin D deficient.

There are many case studies on the net confirming that Fybro-M sufferers have gained significant relief from mega-dosing Vitamin D3 treatment. Vitamin D3 is the type of Vitamin D made in the body.

As far as ii am concerned Fybromyalgia is a pain syndrome completely connected to Vitamin D deficiency.

 5.   SIDE EFFECTS OF PHARMACEUTICAL DRUGS

We already know that most pharmaceutical drugs including antibiotics, pain killers, sleeping tables, anti-inflammatories and so many others all play havoc on the body and specifically the digestive tract and indeed the liver always takes the brunt of toxins entering the body and it is the diseased liver which is the cause of the majority of medical conditions today and this is exactly why ii highly recommend liver flushing in the majority of my patients.  

It seems fashionable to offer patients a series of anti-depressants which allegedly provide pain relief for millions of people afflicted with the pains of Fybro-M. Indeed some anti-depressants do provide relief for a lot of people suffering with depression, sleep disorders and they seem to help with the pain as well…but the truthful reality is the harsh side effects  to the mind and the liver let alone the rest of the body’s delicate tissues which all suffer with these side effects.

Perfectly natural remedies are available without the challenging side effects.
These antidepressants basically cause the brain to over-fire and when the brain then notices that neurons are over-firing, eventually the brain will kill these neurons because they are defective and this is how we manifest degenerative conditions.

Anticonvulsant medication will do the same to the brain and is often listed as a side effect…as with so many pharmaceuticals…their side effects seem to be the very symptoms they are manufactured to prevent…so epileptic drugs can cause seizures…osteoporosis drugs can cause fractures…antidepressants can cause suicidal thoughts and so on.

Something that concerns me deeply about antidepressants is the effect they have on sexual functioning. Sexual dysfunction is a common problem for people suffering with Fybro-M and antidepressants only make this problem worse.
Top of Form

 

6. STRESS

Based on scientific research this is what we know for sure:

 

1.     Fibro-M symptoms are not ‘all in your head’

2.    Depression does not cause Fibro-M symptoms

 

Many people suffering from Fybro-M will tell you that stressful life events do trigger a flare-up of symptoms. It is said that stress is another thing that is just part of normal daily life and often ii hear my brothers and sisters saying “Ag that’s just life…” meaning…that whatever ‘upset’ just happened …is just part of life…in other words just get on with the life…moving on dot com.
Stress causes pain and this pain rots the entire body. No part of the body is immune.  It is only because people handle stress differently that the symptoms of stress can vary. As far as ii am concerned stress causes the entire body to deteriorate and in fact it can kill you. There is now sufficient scientific proof to support this and the fact that stress can and does make you more susceptible to everything from the common cold to cancer.
For me personally stress is the body’s reaction to its environment…so what ii mean to say is that if you are in a positive environment you will be happy and healthy and well- adjusted to your life.  But on the other hand if you are in a negative environment then your body will react negatively by becoming stressed and ill both physically and mentally.  It is said that we currently live in a more than 80% negative environment so clearly stress levels are higher these days where we live in a fear-based society which truly is becoming more fearful to bear by the day.

At the core of stress is the ceaseless challenge to develop interventions against the harmful effects of stress. This involves an understanding of the way in which thoughts and feelings can affect physical health.

Emotions control our thoughts and our thoughts control our actions so when emotions become excessive or supressed (blocked up) then they can and often do become pathological and can cause disease in the body.

Is it my emotions or my organs that are out of balance?

According to Traditional Chinese Medicine through balancing the organ associated with the emotion will naturally balance the emotion.

Sometimes the organ is out of balance and then produces the emotional imbalance and other times the emotional imbalance can produce the organ imbalance. Emotions that do not have outlets for expression and release can then create disease and disharmony in the body manifesting as physical symptoms.

If emotions are out of balance typically you will experience feelings of dwelling or focusing too long on a particular subject, excessive mental work, lack of enthusiasm and vitality, depression, insomnia, despair, confusion, anxiety and a lot of fidgeting. This is the consciousness of stress.

Here is a list of emotions and the organs they typically affect when emotions are out of balance.

Worrying and overthinking…

These two emotions affect the spleen with symptoms of tiredness, loss of appetite, mucous discharge, poor digestion, abdominal distension, diarrhoea, weak muscles, pale lips, bruising, excess menstrual flow and other bleeding disorders.

Sadness…

Sadness affects the lungs and you will notice shortness of breath, fatigue, couching, catching colds easily, fever with chills, sore throat, runny nose, headaches, asthma, chest oppression, pale complexion and dry skin.

Fear…

Fear controls the kidneys and is manifested in panic attacks, frequent urination, incontinence, vertigo, night sweats, dry mouth, poor short term memory, lower back ache, painful or weak knees, ringing in the ears, hearing loss, premature greying of hair, hair loss, osteoporosis and decreased libido.

Bitterness, anger, frustration, irritability, moodiness, depression and resentment…

These emotions affect the liver and the symptoms manifest as chest distension, red face, bitter taste in the mouth, dizziness, tinnitus, nausea and vomiting, sighing, breast tenderness, swelling and itching of genitals, blurred vision, eye floaters and dry hair and skin.
For me personally depression, anxiety and panic attacks are not a sign of weakness but rather a sign of having tried to stay strong for far too long.

7. INFECTION
Since my student days, ii have always firmly believed that all disease including mental disease stems from bacterial or viral gut infections. This does not include degenerative conditions usually associated with old age such as degenerative arthritis where the damage to the joint cartilage definitely does cause joint inflammation in the absence of any bacterial or viral infections. Tissue damage as a result of trauma is also not included.

The recent discovery of the 100 year medical cover up proving that Multiple Sclerosis is in fact Lymes Disease caused by the Borreliosis bacteria proves to me that this is the truth and further that the medical world are aware of this yet they continue to cover the truth up to satisfy their gluttonous greed for profit by ensuring that people remain ill to keep in business.

If you do your own research you will discover that the “MS Societies” generate massive amounts of revenue…and the exact same thing is happening with Fybro-M.

The way ii understand how the body works is that infection causes inflammation or swelling.  This is our body’s natural response to afflicting bacteria or viruses which can harm the body.
Any tissue damage in the body will result in inflammation of the affected area and will be recognised by redness, increased warmth, swelling, pain or itching depending on the severity of the inflammation and therefore the severity of the tissue damage.  So in other words pain would indicate greater tissue damage than itching which indicates milder tissue damage.

Therefore anything that can cause tissue damage can cause inflammation.

Any microorganism which can cause infection and gains access across any of the body’s barriers can and will cause tissue damage and this will then result in inflammation.

For me personally ii believe that it is this infection related inflammation which is the secret to understanding Fybro-M.

All disease stems from bacteria…

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) estimate that around 90% of cells in the human body are bacterial, fungal or otherwise non-human. These statistics also imply that we have only just begun to grasp the full extent to which bacteria work to facilitate their own survival by continuing to enjoy a commensal relationship with their human hosts where one organism benefits from the host without causing any harm to the host.

This symbiotic relationship only prevails when the body is in balance and when there is imbalance medical conditions result.

It is also obvious that we have greatly underestimated both the size and diversity of bacterial populations. In a recent environmental study of samples from human hands, the study revealed 100 times more species than had previously been detected using purely culture-based methods.  And another study which also used high throughput genomic sequencing discovered high numbers of hydrothermal vent bacteria on prosthetic hip joints.  This is a species of bacteria once thought to only survive in the depths of the ocean.

It has now been realized by molecular biologists around the world that there is indeed a very rich exchange of DNA among microbes.

So there are many studies which now link Fibro-M back to the gut.  One study published in the Annuals of the Rheumatic Diseases back in 2004 found a 100% association of Fibro-M with Small Intestine Bacterial Overgrowth (SIBO). This is a direct result of an imbalanced inner ecosystem.

Bacteria produce hydrogen as they feed and grow and this hydrogen is picked up in a lactulose breath test which is the ‘gold standard’ when it comes to measuring bacterial overgrowth in the small intestine.

Researchers at the Cedars-Sinai Medical Centre found that 100% of the participants with Fibro-M had abnormal test results. They also found that the more abnormal the test results, the more pain a Fibromyalgia volunteer was experiencing.

The degree of bacterial overgrowth in the small intestine has a direct relationship with the severity of Fibro-M symptoms.

How do gut bacteria work in the body?

Whether good or bad when bacteria overrun the small intestine problems quickly occur.
The function of the small intestine is to carry food from one end of the digestive tract to the other. If there are not enough of the correct enzymes in the small intestine then food slows its travel time and this is when bacterial populations start growing. When the food transit process is slowed down this gives food a chance to rot and microbial communities the opportunity to grow in the gut.

The most common problems are Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) and Small Intestine Bacterial Overgrowth (SIBO). Research studies have now shown that people with Fibro-M almost all have Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS) and a greater incidence of IBS and SIBO (over 70%), in other words a greater incidence of digestive problems.

Oftentimes for instance in the case of diabetes and hypothyroidism bacteria from the large intestine creeps up into the small intestine giving these bacteria the opportunity to multiply profusely .

What we eat also affects the bacterial balance in our guts and so when we eat a carbohydrate high meal or if we are unable to break down certain plant fibres, we see an overgrowth of resident bacteria.
So like trauma, infection is one of those causes of Fibro-M that just screams for logic to prevail.  Too often ii have heard the basic story that goes like this:

“I was fine, I got an infection, I developed pain and fatigue, and I’ve never been the same since.”
If we think logically then we can see that the Fibro-M symptoms were not present before the infection. There may well have been a hereditary predisposition or vulnerability, but the Fibro-M was not present before the infection.  So the infection caused the condition to develop and has been present since the infection and continues to be present.  For me this is a straightforward infectious cause of condition.

Various viral infections can cause the symptoms of Fibro-M for example the Epstein-Barr virus, the Cytomegalovirus, different strains of the flu virus, the Adenoviruses, especially Type 2 which causes common colds, bronchitis and upper respiratory infections. The Human Herpes Virus 6 has also been implicated and reactive Fibromyalgia has been described in patients with AIDS and hepatitis.

Bacterial infections can also cause Fibro-M and ii have seen patients who have developed this condition after septicaemia (blood infection), salmonella as well as Listeria infection.  There are also a number of research studies which found Mycoplasma incognitos and Chlamydia pneumoniae (3) in patients with Fibro-M and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.

Yeast and parasite infections can also cause development of Fibro-M such as Candida which is a yeast infection and Giardia a parasitical infection.




What is so special about Cannabis?

History has shown us that the three most common medical complaints which people have been using Cannabis for over the past 5000 years are without doubt pain, sleep disorders and depression.

So Cannabis has been used as a medicine for over 5000 years…that’s a lot longer than it hasn’t been a medicine…

Cross-sectional surveys of patients suffering from Fybro-M found that patients reported using Cannabis either by smoking and/or eating, to reduce pain, sleep disturbances, stiffness, mood disorders, anxiety, headaches, fatigue as well as digestive disturbances associated with this condition.

The subjects of the survey were mostly middle-aged women who did not respond to current pharmaceutical treatment.  Significant decreases in pain and stiffness, and increases in relaxation and feelings of well-being were reported after the use of Cannabis.

Clinical studies with prescription Cannabinoid medications

There are relatively few properly controlled clinical studies examining the role of Cannabis in the treatment of Fibro-M. (Mono-therapy refers to the use of one single drug to treat a specific disease or condition.)
Dronabinol
Subjects suffering from Fybro-M were placed in a non-placebo controlled pilot study examining the effect of Dronabinol mono-therapy and reported a significant reduction in pain perception.
Treatment commenced at 2.5 mg THC with weekly increases of 2.5 mg THC, up to a maximum of 15 mg THC daily.

Another multi-center, retrospective study of patients suffering from Fibromyalgia who were prescribed an average daily dose of 7.5 mg THC, over an average treatment period of seven months, reported a significant decrease in pain score, a significant decrease in depression, and a reduction in the intake of pain-relief medications such as opioids, antidepressants, anti-convulsants, and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs following treatment with Cannabis.

Please take note that these studies were conducted using really miniscule doses of THC especially if you consider that we are currently using a 60 gram THC treatment course over a 90 day period for cancer patients which equates to 1.5 grams per day and in reality this would be the correct dosage for Fibromyalgia as well. It is also very important to be conscious of the potency of THC per whole herbal plant used in the production of medicine.
Nabilone
A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of Nabilone (1 mg twice per day) for the treatment of Fibromyalgia showed statistically significant improvements in a subjective measure of pain relief and anxiety, as well as on scores on the Fibromyalgia impact questionnaire, after four weeks of treatment.

A two-week randomized, double-blind, active-control, crossover study of 29 patients suffering from Fibromyalgia reported that Nabilone (0.5 - 1.0 mg before bedtime) improved sleep in this patient sector.




BHO for pain

After 4 years of researching this method of extraction this is first time ii am writing about BHO (Butane Hash Oil) as a medicine. BHO is a Cannabinoid product extracted by the use of Butane gas or CO2.

It is widely believed and ii can personally confirm this through my own research that BHO presents a much higher THC concentration and is therefore much stronger than traditional hashish because this extraction process pulls out more THC than other conventional extraction methods when you compare the percentage of Cannabinoids per weight.

Personally ii have seen BHO make people’s pain literally vanish so as a medicine it is excellent for pain management. In my research ii have also seen how BHO can virtually cure withdrawal symptoms in alcoholics and drug addicts.

For pain management it works every single time and it is really easy to regulate your dose and with just a fraction of a gram a patient is fully medicated and exactly where they need to be in terms of pain relief.

In previous papers ii have stated that butane extracted products pose the threat of being neurotoxic as do many alcohol products used for Cannabinoid extraction.

According to the National Library of Medicine database there is no evidence that inhaling residual hydrocarbons like butane are dangerous, at least not in small quantities and at least it is an irritant but nothing more.

During my personal research and testing of this product ii can tell you that ii have repeatedly witnessed people taking up to 30 half-gram doses and not have any adverse side effects.

BHO has been around since 2000 so people have been ‘dabbing’ for over a decade now with no real problems being reported as yet. Honestly ii can tell you for free that there is more danger in making this product than in consuming it and this is why only people trained to produce BHO products should do so.

My advice as always is to make absolutely sure that you know the person who makes your medicine.



PAIN AND ANTI-INFLAMMATORY PROPERTIES

We already know that Endocannabinoids and Cannabinoid receptors are located all over our bodies and found at the intersection of the body's various systems, allowing communication and coordination between different cell types.

Cannabinoids are therefore neurotransmitters and it is now known that they are the most numerous of all our neurotransmitters. This is a scientific fact…

For example, at the site of an injury, Cannanbinoids can be found decreasing the release of activators and sensitizors from the injured tissue, thus stabilizing the nerve cells to prevent excessive firing, and calming nearby immune cells to prevent release of pro-inflammatory substances.

Millions of people from all walks of life use Cannabis as a pain killer and anti-inflammatory especially people who experience back ache and arthritis related conditions.




HORMONE ABSORPTION

The Endocannabinoid System (EC System) is linked to the Endocrine system as it has been proven to play an important role in the secretion of hormones related to reproductive functions and response to stress, and therefore controls the functions of the Endocrine system.

Positive research tests involving the production and release of oxytocin have given scientists confidence to pursue studies of the role of Cannabinoids in hormone release in the treatment of fertility problems, mood and anxiety disorders, and metabolic processes such as thyroid function and diabetes, as well as symptoms of autism. As the evidence continues to show we cannot deny that this medicine works for a large number of conditions but mostly to keep our bodies at balance. Homeostasis…

One of the reasons why Cannabis works so well for people suffering from Fibro-M is that Cannabis regulates the thyroid gland and hypothyroidism is one of the key symptoms which then manifests as Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. Cannabis can rectify these imbalances through the functions of our very own EC System.

As mentioned before Vitamin D is actually a hormone, a very important hormone, and Cannabis naturally increases our uptake of this vital vitamin.


Very few people who consume Cannabis have Vitamin D deficiency.

A recent study looked at 2209 people who regularly consumed Cannabis and only 4(0.18%) were deficient and these four fell within the 50-59 age group.

So the position of the EC system as being an important regulatory system in the function of Brain, Endocrine and Immune tissues, quite literally makes the EC System a bridge between body and mind. By gaining an understanding of this system, we are beginning to see a physiological engine which can go a long way to explaining how our positive state of consciousness can promote our physical and mental health in the same way as a negative state of consciousness can destroy our health.

Really it is no coincidence that the 7 spiritual chakras are directly aligned to the 7 Endocrine glands which they affect. The EC system controls the Endocrine System and therefore the chakras and this is exactly why Cannabis opens up the spiritual chakras when consumed. So clearly we are supposed to consume Cannabis and in my opinion most medical disorders are as a result of Cannabinoid Deficiency.

Cannabis may treat Fibromyalgia symptoms better than traditional painkillers, but why?

Traditional pain medications simply don’t work for Fibro-M and more and more patients frequently report using Cannabis to treat their pain because they can find relief for a number of the symptoms like sleep problems, eating problems, fatigue as well as the depression, Cannabis makes everyone feel better. But mostly for the pain, Cannabis basically provides instant pain relief…ask anyone who is using this medicine for their pain management and they will tell you.

The other benefit about Cannabis is that there are no side effects as with traditional painkillers which cause a lot damage especially to the liver…which then manifests as many other medical disorders.




Top of Form
Sleep Disorders
Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS)

Most doctors, researchers and patients suffering with Fibro-M will tell you that the better your quality of sleep the milder your Fibro-M symptoms will become and so it does not come as a big surprise to learn that studies have revealed that over 70% of Fibro-M patients also suffer from RLS.

There is sufficient scientific evidence to prove that there is a definite link between RLS and problems of the digestive tract.

There are many research studies that now show that people with RLS also almost all have either IBS or SIBO or both.

Science has also taken note that a large number of people with Celiac and Crohn’s disease have also been diagnosed with RLS. So the link between the symptoms of Fibro-M and problems of the digestive tract are very real and obvious.

Mycotoxins produced by fungi can produce RLS and Candida overgrowth in the gut can produce these exact same mycotoxins…which result in the exact same symptoms. Living in a dwelling inhaling toxic mold will have the same effects.

The reason why Cannabis makes a person sleep so well is because it stimulates the Pineal gland to produce Melatonin and Seratonin, the two hormones which control our sleep wake patterns as well as our mood.

It is however important to note that if you are Vitamin D deficient then your Pineal gland will not be functioning properly in its production of Melatonin and Seratonin.
DEPRESSION
You can read my paper Can Cannabis cure Depression? (July 2016).  We all realize that much of the world is depressed and how we cope with this situation will determine whether or not you really are depressed and exactly how much stress you can handle.
Cannabis is a known mood enhancer and also has the ability to reduce verbal and internal hostility towards other people. The reason for this is that Cannabis has the ability to relax people and a relaxed person is automatically in a better mood and less likely to become angry, irritable or anxious. So basically Cannabis ‘chills’ people out.

Cannabis is known to help people with sleep disorders and this in itself goes a long way to improving the mood.

Cannabis makes you laugh because it encourages your Pineal gland to produce Serotonin, your feel good hormone. As ii said before Cannabis makes you sleep so well because it stimulates the Pineal gland to produce Melatonin the hormone responsible for regulating our sleep and wake patterns by communicating information about environmental lighting to various parts of the body.


Through the consciousness of the Cannabis plant we expand our own consciousness!

When we consume Cannabis, there is a strong tendency for the chakras to open wider to accommodate the increased flow of energy created by the high vibration of the plant and the frequency vibration of the Cannabis plant is very much part of its own consciousness.
Quite literally Cannabis improves the psychic connection from one person to another. So Cannabis opens the chakras and raises our vibration to increase psychic power and connectivity.
There is a definite relationship between Cannabis and spirituality since the plant allows us to open our minds to the understanding of the universe and everything.

Chronic stress reduces production of Endocannabinoids…

Cannabis has the ability to alter human behaviour, mood perception and consciousness and often promotes the meditation of sharing, humour and creativity, and feelings of euphoria or positive vibrations.

Researchers have discovered that chronic stress in fact reduces the production of Endocannabinoids and so stress therefore makes you Cannabinoid deficient which results in imbalance in the body which leads to all sorts of medical disorders.


LOOKING TO THE FUTURE

People suffering from Fybromyalgia can now accept that this condition is not a death sentence and that there are perfectly natural ways to find relief for symptoms.

Pay attention to your body and look for the triggers, pay attention to how you feel and discuss these feelings with your health care practitioner. And most importantly please pay attention to what you are eating and how you are exercising. For me personally walking my pain out is what works best for me and after an hour of vigorous walking ii can honestly say ii feel much better and ii believe it was Mother Theresa who said that we should ‘eat half and walk double’ for optimum health and ii do swear there is a lot of truth to this statement.

Something ii have learnt about pain management is that the biggest mistake is to stop being active as immobility definitely leads to more pain and difficulty in moving.

Fibro-M is a chronic condition which means it last a long time, maybe even a life time…ii have been walking with this condition for 24 years now and the best ii can hope to achieve is to manage my symptoms of which the pain is the worst.

The good news is that this condition is not a progressive disease and no one has ever died from Fibro-M and indeed for many people with proper individual treatment programs, the condition does improve over time.

Be Healthy Be Happy
SOURCES:
www.xhosastyles.blogspot.com
The National Fibromyalgia & Chronic Pain Association
Canadian Clinical Guidelines for the Diagnosis and Management of Fibromyalgia Syndrome (endorsed by the Canadian Pain Society and the Canadian Rheumatology Association)
National Institutes of Health (NIH)
James Lake, Molecular Biology Institute University of California
American College of Rheumatology (ACR):
The National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS)
National Centre for Complementary and Integrative Health
Advocates for Fibromyalgia Funding, Treatment, Education, and Research
Fibromyalgia Network
National Fibromyalgia Association
National Fibromyalgia Partnership, Inc.
Arthritis Foundation
National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML).
Institute de Recerca Hospital del Mar in Barcelona, Spain
Medicus
International Association for the Study of Pain
Frederick Wolfe MD
William B. Grant, Ph.D.
Sunlight, Nutrition, and Health Research Centre (SUNARC)
The Dream Whisperer by Davina MacKail
American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 
That Sugar Movie
Annuals of the Rheumatic Diseases
Cedars-Sinai Medical Centre
Institute de Recerca Hospital del Mar in Barcelona, Spain
High Times Magazine
King’s College London