Winter: the dark side of fibro; healing soup

 

While others have been caught up in Star Wars mania, I have been caught up in the “fibro dark side” for the past two weeks. A fibro flare has eclipsed everything in my world. My brain has been off in some other galaxy while the rest of me has been functioning barely above the level of a speck of intergalactic dust.

It’s only been recently that I have labeled my relapses of health as “fibro flares.” It would seem more appropriate for them to be called “solar flares” because they may have something to do with the amount of sunlight our bodies receive during winter vs. summer. The change of season brings lessened light which may throw off our circadian rhythms or internal clocks, all of which may cause those of us with fibro to be more fatigued and achy. 

Okay, so my circadian rhythms are off. Is an intergalactic disaster causing my symptoms?  It might as well be. A fibro flare can be mind-numbing and overwhelming; you feel as if you’ve been hit by a truck in terms of muscle pain and stiffness. The fatigue and accompanying depression are so intense you cannot keep up with anything without an extreme act of will and determination (this, of course, doesn’t work well). Your interest in food wanes as your stomach bloats up like a giant beach ball. (Or is that an alien growing in there?)

Most fibro sufferers don’t know anything about circadian rhythms but they do know that once winter comes around and the weather changes, they feel much worse. Studies seem to back up that weather changes definitely influence fibro symptoms.

 A study in Norway found a relationship between fibromyalgia symptoms and the weather. Fibromyalgia symptoms appeared to get worse during the months of December and January, but began to improve during April and May. This suggests a direct relationship between colder temperatures and lower barometric pressures and a rise in fibromyalgia symptoms.

Another study done in Cordoba, Argentina, revealed similar results as the participants had greater pain as temperatures fell and atmospheric pressure increased.

Unfortunately, researchers do not yet know why weather appears to affect fibromyalgia symptoms so much. Besides changes in circadian rhythms, other possible influences may be changes in sleep patterns or increases in the number of pro-inflammatory cytokines which appear to be related to pain intensity.

I have found a few things that help:

• Get as much sunshine as possible. You may have to bring the sunshine into your house with a light box or special bulbs. Keep the blinds open when the sun is out.

• Do lots of deep breathing during meditation or easy stretching to remove toxins.

• Take soaking  baths in Epsom salts to help remove toxins and encourage healing.

• Try to reset your circadian rhythms by going on a 3-4 day cleanse.

A cleanse resets your body by decreasing inflammation and detoxing your body. It gives your system a break from the difficult task of digesting harder to digest foods and works with your body’s desire to renew and repair.

Tummy tamer chicken soup (single serving)

I decided my body needed a little nudge to get back on track and start healing by following a digestive cleansing diet. I have been giving this idea a try the past week. My diet has consisted of my tummy tamer chicken soup.

I have been on cleanses before but apparently forgot all the symptoms you can experience. Actually, I was already experiencing these symptoms which simply increased in intensity.

Headache

Fatigue, weakness

Light-headedness

Irritability, mild depression

Flu-like symptoms

Constipation, diarrhea, gas

I found taking a daily Epsom salt bath helped relieve these symptoms, and drinking lots of water and tea helped. The deep breathing with either meditation or easy stretching also was beneficial.

Tummy Tamer Soup for One

What you need:

1 cup homemade chicken broth (Make the broth following this recipe:http://catsinthekitchen.blogspot.com/2010/12/low-carb-turkey-with-vegetable-soup.html)

½ carrot cut in carrot curls or diced

½ small zucchini, diced or cut into noodles

1 handful spinach

1 stalk celery or bok choy, chopped

Pinch of salt and black pepper

Note: add other seasonings (tumeric, ginger) if desired

What you do:

Saute the vegetables in a little olive oil. Add all the other ingredients and simmer for 10 minutes or until the vegetables are tender.

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Brain tune up with sleep; plus stuffed spaghetti squash

The sleep robbing trio

Fibromyalgia is sometimes described as a sleep disorder. Those of us with fibro often don’t get the sleep our bodies need which results in many of our symptoms. Lots of other people too are not getting adequate sleep and things get worse around the holidays. But why do we need sleep?

A rested body and mind probably helps keep you from forgetting something important like to take your thyroid medication first thing in the morning. Yes, that’s what I did the other morning. It was after a night of interrupted sleep from the three owls outside my bedroom having a conversation with each other and our malamute, Nika. It was cute for a few minutes but after awhile, I was beginning to wish I could muzzle them all.

I was so groggy when I finally got up that I couldn’t remember taking that all-important pill. I just stood there in the kitchen wondering what I was doing and hearing owl sounds reverberating in my brain.

I found out later in the day what fibro is like coupled with no thyroid medication being taken. I crashed. It wasn’t a pretty picture. I took my thyroid medication better late than not at all. Twenty-four hours later, I’m still having trouble feeling like myself again.

I guess that illustrates why we need sleep, especially the deepest sleep. During deepest sleep, which is non-REM sleep, hormones are released that stimulate repair and growth in your organs. Your brain also gets “flushed out” and repaired. Mine obviously wasn’t functioning after the owl episode.

Recent research has discovered that our brains flush out waste material during sleep. The study was done on mice that apparently have brains similar to ours. The study found that during sleep the spaces that allow fluid to pass between brain cells greatly increase in size.  These enlarged spaces allow cell waste material to be flushed out more efficiently. If we don’t get the right kind of sleep, this cell waste material builds up and doesn’t get flushed out.

My brain must be a toxic waste dump. I hope those owls decide to do their “hooting” someplace else for awhile so I can get some sleep. Actually, I think I’d better get some earplugs.

Scoop out seeds, salt and pepper, and drizzle with olive oil

Despite my thyroid and brain drain, I cooked up a delicious stuffed spaghetti squash recipe. I am planning on serving it as a side dish for Thanksgiving.

Here’s what you need for 2-4 servings:

1 large spaghetti squash

Salt and pepper

Olive oil

1 cup fresh spinach

1 celery stalk

½ cup farmers’ cheese

2 organic eggs

Optional: sprinkle of grated Gruyere cheese

Voila stuffed spaghetti squash

Here’s what you do:

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Prepare your spaghetti squash by splitting it lengthwise and scooping out the seeds. Sprinkle the squash halves with salt and pepper and drizzle with olive oil. Place the halves face down on a deep baking sheet. Pour in 1 cup of water. Bake the squash for 40 minutes or until fork tender.

Place the squash face down in about 1 cup of water

In the meantime, chop the celery and spinach. Measure your other ingredients. When the squash is done, allow it to cool enough for you to scoop out the flesh. Place the flesh and other filling ingredients in a large bowl. Stir to mix.

Mix the squash flesh and other ingredients

Refill the squash halves with the filling. Return them to the oven for about 20 minutes or until cooked through. Just before removing them from the oven, sprinkle on a smidge of grated cheese. Now you have a delicious side dish for any occasion.

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Restuff the squash shells

IBS plus fibromyalgia equals vitamin deficiencies; get your calcium

Would you pay $8 for something called Juce that was billed as cold-pressed organic juice but really was Fun Dip mixed with water? You would think we could tell the difference but not everyone can as you can see in the Jimmy Kimmel video link above. Many consumers rely on labeling to help them choose healthy foods over less healthy ones. But sometimes we get duped.

The same can be said of health care. Sometimes we get duped. I recently read that doctors have been prescribing CT scans (fancy x rays that give 3-D images) when patients come in with chest pain. These scans are no better than traditional tests, cost more and expose patients to the amount of radiation in 500-700 regular X rays. Doctors have used these scans for a decade without knowing whether they were better than traditional tests. They definitely didn't explain to patients how much radiation exposure they were getting.

In the past,  I have relied on my health care practitioners to give me the best information possible on my health problems. If they missed something, I excused them by saying they were overworked or busy. But I'm having a hard time excusing them for missing that individuals with IBS probably also suffer from malabsorption of vitamins and minerals, including vitamin D and calcium.

It seems obvious that if you are having trouble digesting your food, you probably aren't getting what your body needs.  Unfortunately, there are many health conditions linked to IBS and malabsorption of vitamins and minerals. Individuals with fibromyalgia often have many vitamin deficiences and of course, IBS. 

Recently, when I fractured my wrist in a bike accident, I was told that I may be suffering from low bone density. I was upset by this news but even more upset (okay, angry) when I found out that individuals with IBS or other gut problems have a significant increased risk of osteoporosis and bone fractures. In another study, IBS patients had lower bone mineral density values and higher bone loss than healthy volunteers.

Why wasn't I told about this link before I fractured my wrist? Sure, I might have broken my wrist anyway. But at least, I could have started taking something to build my bones sooner.

IBS plus fibromyalgia equals vitamin deficiencies. That's why these days I take lots of vitamin supplements even though I eat a healthy diet, including 3+ servings of calcium-rich (lactose-free) yogurt and kefir every day.

Here's one way to build your bones. Carry a backpack and pull a sled through the snow to a yurt for an overnight trip.

The Yurt

Here's another way to add to your calcium intake for the day. Try a Shamrock Shake for St. Patrick's Day.

Low fermentation Shamrock Shake

Here's what you need FOR 2-3 SERVINGS:

 2-3 cups of plain yogurt (I make my own lactose-free)
stevia, to taste
pinch of salt
1/4 cup fresh spinach
1 bag of peppermint tea
1/2 cup milk of choice
2 T. water
1 T. Great Lakes gelatin
As an option: use 1/4 tsp. peppermint extract and 1/2 cup milk of choice and omit the tea bag

Here's what you do:

Heat 1/2 cup of milk of your choice until hot, not boiling. Divide the milk between two cups as shown above. Place your peppermint tea bag in one cup and allow it to steep. To the other cup, add gelatin dissolved in 2 T. cold water. Stir to mix and allow to set until somewhat firm. Now, mix everything together in a high-speed blender. Taste and adjust sweetener. Add more peppermint if desired.

Enjoy a serving of your Shamrock Shake.

Use the rest to make Shamrock Frozen Yogurt. Freeze the remainder in your ice cream freezer according to directions. Store in the freezer to enjoy for another serving of calcium.

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