Everybody worries sometimes, but some people worry all the time. Worrying is a natural human mental function that allows us to examine problems like we might a tangled ball of yarn. We turn it over and over, looking at it from all angles until we can find a thread that loosens some knots and frees the yarn. With too many people, however, worry becomes a bad mental habit, a preoccupation, and a way of wasting mental energy that could be more much more productive.

Worry can become a form of defense against difficult feelings, and an almost magical way of feeling that we can fend off undesired events. There’s a story about an old woman who would circle her house three times every day, carrying a bundle of twigs and muttering to herself. One day a new neighbor asked her what she was doing, and she replied “I’m keeping my house safe from tigers.” The neighbor said “But we’re in Indiana. There aren’t any tigers in Indiana,” to which the crone replied “See!”

Worry is a natural function of the human mind, but it can turn from a tool into a tyrant. Worrying can become a bad habit, even an addiction, because most of the things we worry about never come true. By not coming true, we are rewarded in the neurological sense of the word, we feel good, we fee; safe, we feel like we are exerting some control over the situation, so we begin to worry about other things we’d like to be able to control. It can become a full-time occupation.

The trouble with worry is that it is mentally and physically taxing, creating unnecessary stress that is exhausting for the worrier, and for the people around her (I say “her” because while worry is certainly not exclusively a female trait, the majority of people who worry themselves sick are female.) habitual worriers often develop significant illness from insomnia to anxiety disorders, irritable bowel syndrome, headaches, back pain and fibromyalgia. Worriers aren’t happy, often get depressed and are more likely than the non-worrried to smoke, drink and get addicted to prescription drugs.

Worry is a function of the imagination and is probably the most common form of mental imagery. Without imagination, there would be no worries. Imagination is the mental function that more than any other separates us from other animals. With imagination we have been given the gift of planning, and of envisioning the possible future. Through imagination, humans have been given the gift of being mobile in time – we can remember that past, and learn from it, and we can envision many possible futures and have the opportunity to choose the one that is likely to work best for us. But this gift comes with a price – we can imagine so many possible futures that we can get paralyzed by them, and if our minds get hypnotized and stuck on fears, we can become immobilized by that function which can give us the greatest mobility. We need to learn to use our imaginations better, and in a way that supports our well-being, not our worries.

The good news is that learning to use our imaginations consciously can be of great help in lessening the grip of habitual worry. Through imagery many people can impact their psychological states, their heart rate, blood pressure, respiration, digestive function, sexual function and even their immune response.

Worry is a bad habit, a distorted use of imagination, and can be overcome by learning to use the imagination more effectively and skillfully. Through guided imagery you may not stop worrying, but you can learn how to worry better. Guided Imagery will help you eliminate unproductive worrying and focus on the issues that can benefit from worrying. It will teach you skills that will help you use your imagination more effectively so that you don’t have to worry all the time, and so that the worrying you do will really help you resolve the problems you have. If you use Guided Imagery, you can go from being a worry wart to a worry warrior.

To see for yourself how you can use your imagination to relax and reduce stress immediately, go to www.thehealingmind.org and download our free 12-minute “Stress Buster” audio. To learn even more about using your imagination to resolve problems instead of creating them, check out our CDs on Stress Relief, Anxiety Relief, or our unique Guided Imagery for Self-Healing program.

Besides pain, patients also frequently complain about tiredness, stiffness and sleep disturbance, poor memory or concentration, headaches, mood swings, dry eyes and mouth. Gastrointestinal and emotional problems have also been associated with the problem.

All that orthodox medicine has to offer are painkillers like non-steroidal anti-inflammatories (NSAIDs), steroids or tranquillizers like diazepam (Valium), which act as muscle relaxants. Considering the proven association between NSAIDs and gut related problems like ulcers or mood swings with tranquillizers, it’s difficult not to wonder how many of the associated symptoms of fibromyalgia are due to the “treatment”. Another possible cause is the oral contraceptive pill (Dig Chiropractic Econ, 1991; 34 (3): 100-1.

Compared with medicine’s answers, alternative medicine has a wealth of scientifically proven methods of treating the problem.

In homeopathy, in a double-blind trial, 24 patients with fibromyalgia were given one of three remedies (Arnica, Bryonia and Rhus tox) for three months. The results showed that homeopathy produced a “statistically significant improvement, but only when the remedy had been well indicated (Br Homoeopath J, 1986; 75 (3): 142-7). These results were confirmed by a later study (Br Med J, 1989; 299 (6695????): 365-6).

Electro-acupuncture, where acupuncture needles placed appropriately, are attached to electrodes for extra stimulation of pressure points, also has proven success. In one study, 70 patients were divided into two groups, with half given the acupuncture treatment and the other half, a sham procedure. The patients’ improvement was measured according to a number of criteria, including pain threshold and number of painkillers used. In nearly all of them, the treated group showed significant improvement, while the controls showed none. The improvements continued for some months after treatment (Br Med J, 1992; 305 (6864???): 1249-52.

Massage therapy may also help. One study found a relationship between the degree of a patient’s pain and an increase in the blood of myoglobin, a form of red blood cells found in the muscles. This suggests that myoglobin often leaks from the muscle fibres in patients with fibromyalgia. Out of 26 patients, 21 noted improvement after massage; after repeated treatment, patients experienced reduced pain, plus a gradual decline in the increase in blood myoglobin concentration (Scandinavian J Rheumatol, 1986; 15 (2): 174-8). .

As for hypnotherapy, it may be useful for relieving symptoms if other therapies haven’t helped. One study comparing it with physical therapy showed that patients did better in the hypnotherapy group, in terms of pain reduction, fatigue, sleep and overall. Nevertheless, there were still problems with total muscle pain and discomfort in both groups (J Rheumatol, 1991; 18 (1) 72-5).

Other alternative approaches with scientific backing include naturopathic treatment, osteopathy, auricular acupuncture, biofeedback, transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) and even diode laser therapy. This suggests, as one researcher recently proposed, that using several alternative therapies together offers you the greatest prospect of a cure (J Chiropractic, 1994; 31 (11): 83-6).

Harald Gaier

Harald Gaier is a registered naturopath, homeopath and osteopath.

So a carefully researched report that has just landed on our desk sheds some amazing light on these – and many other – debilitating diseases. It may even provide you with the key to a mystery illness that could be wrecking the life of someone you know.

The report has been prepared by Carolyn Thompson of Toronto, and it concerns her sister who, in October last year, suddenly became very sick. Her sister began suffering stomach spasms, and even walking became a major problem. By last March, she had undergone biopsies and was on 24 different medications.

Her sister was convinced she was going to die, and doctors could offer no hope. They thought she must have multiple sclerosis, but couldn’t find any signs of it in tests.

Then, Carolyn mentioned a report she had read about the possible effects of diet colas, which are full of the artificial sweetener aspartame. Her sister regularly drank them, and had one in her hand as she was talking to Carolyn.

Carolyn told her to throw it away, and not to drink any more. Within 32 hours, her sister was walking again. Three days later and she was holidaying in Florida, and she’d thrown away her wheelchair.

Her sister is still not completely better, but she’s well on the road to recovery, and every day she is seeing slight improvements.

Carolyn points out that there are epidemics of MS and systemic lupus in the United States – and there is an epidemic of diet cola drinks. Is there a definitive link?

Carolyn is convinced so. Anyone who has fibromyalgia symptoms, spasms, shooting pains, numbness in the legs, cramps, vertigo, dizziness, headaches, tinnitus, joint pain, depression, anxiety attacks, slurred speech, blurred vision or memory loss should stop drinking diet drinks, she says.

You never know, things could get better.

* Buy the WDDTY special report on Aspartame by visiting our web site http://www.wddty.co.uk

Researchers from the US Food and Drug Administration in Rockville, Maryland, evaluated MRI findings for 344 women who had undergone breast enlargement during 1970-1988. At least one ruptured implant was found in 68.6 per cent of the subjects, and extracapsular leakage was seen in 21.2 per cent. The women, whose average age was 34.1 years when receiving the implants, also answered questions about their health, satisfaction with the implants, symptoms of connective tissue disease and other diagnosed disease.

According to the findings, women with extracapsular silicone gel were, on average, 2.7 times more likely to report a diagnosis of fibromyalgia, dermatomyositis, polymyositis, Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, mixed connective tissue disease, pulmonary fibrosis, eosinophilic fasciitis or polymyalgia.

The researchers consider it wise for women with silicone gel breast implants to consider regular screening for implant rupture (J Rheumatol, 2001; 28: 996-1003).

A kinesiologist writes in, telling us that fibromyalgia is linked to adrenal stress, which can be discovered by using kinesiology. Having established that, she then balances the adrenal glands, and the aching joints clear up, she says.

We’ve also had several missives from people who extol the virtues of the Virtual Scanner. It sounds like a cure-all, being able to treat prostate cancer and fibromyalgia, to name but two. Its proponents describe it as a brain/neural scanner that can reprogramme the brain. We need to investigate before we say more.

Finally, one therapist recommends the use of ‘a new energy tool, a magnetic field supplementation device’ that he operates. Again, more research is needed before we say another word.

Successfully treating thyroid disorders is a tall order for any doctor. It’s vital that he not only knows about the gland itself, but also that he understands the entire endocrine system, including the complex workings of the various biochemical pathways.

Unfortunately, most medical students receive, at most, half a day’s worth of schooling in the complexities of the endocrine system. Small wonder that knowledgeable and expert practitioners able to meet the varying needs of thousands of patients are exceptionally thin on the ground.

The result is an epidemic of people walking around with undiagnosed thyroid disorders. The latest information indicates that thyroid problems may play a significant role in many of the 21st century’s most puzzling illnesses, such as myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME)/chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) or fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS). This is all the more serious as, in some circumstances, untreated or poorly treated thyroid problems can lead to death (Neal JM, Basic Endocrinology: An Integrated Approach, Oxford: Blackwell Science, 2000).

There is much controversy in medical circles over states of hypothyroidism, in particular where patients have normal blood tests, but show the clinical signs and symptoms of hypothyroidism. These conditions are described as ‘biochemically normal but clinically hypothyroid’.

Subclinical hypothyroidism is common, especially in elderly women. The presence of this condition or of thyroid antibodies increases the risk of developing overt hypothyroidism. The risk is even greater if both are present (BMJ, 1997; 314: 1175-8).

Screening for hypothyroidism is particularly important during pregnancy since undiagnosed hypothyroidism in pregnant women may adversely affect their fetus (N Engl J Med, 1999; 341: 549-55).

One reason that hypothyroidism so often goes undetected is the common misconception that a diagnosis of clinical hypothyroidism can be made from blood tests alone. But many conditions can change the amount of circulating thyroid hormones in the blood – everything from pregnancy, dieting and kidney problems to prescription drugs and even illness.

In such patients, thyroid function tests are virtually useless (BMJ, 2000; 320: 1332-4). Especially in elderly patients, some of whom may have pituitary tumours or hypopituitarism, testing only for TSH may be inappropriate. Unless a doctor diagnoses hypothyroidism through careful clinical examination and history-taking, the diagnosis is likely to be missed (BMJ, 2000: 321: 1275-7)

In addition, when patients are taking thyroid replacement therapy, other drugs can affect the amount needed or absorbed. A study in hypothyroid women treated with thyroxine showed that when they take oestrogen therapy at the same time, the usual doses of thyroxine may be inadequate (N Engl J Med, 2001; 344: 1743-9).

ME: the link with thyroid
Thyroid problems may be a culprit behind unexplained diseases such as ME/CFS and FMS. In most cases, the health problems experienced by these patients are part of a more basic and profound dysfunction, such as primary damage to the hypothalamus or pituitary gland through infection and/or some other insult. In Basic Endocrinology: An Integrative Approach, author J.M. Neal says that these different manifestations of thyroid dysfunction, especially those seen in hypothyroidism, require their own special treatment.

Psychiatrists have filled the major UK journals with articles postulating that ME/CFS and FMS have a psychiatric basis. In one recent report (Lancet, 1999; 354: 936-9), the authors suggest that the problems seen in conditions such as irritable bowel syndrome, premenstrual syndrome, multiple chemical sensitivity (MCS), CFS and FMS are all in the head.

Such a mindset ignores the established research showing that abnormalities in ME/CFS patients may be due to thyroid, adrenal and other hormonal dysfunction. E.G. Dowsett, an eminent researcher in CFS, found that 5 per cent of female ME patients suffer from thyroiditis (Hyde BM et al., The Clinical and Scientific Basis of ME/CFS, Ottawa: Nightingale Research Foundation, 1992: 285-91). Byron Hyde, the leading Canadian researcher in this field, reports that glucose and TSH tests reveal that up to half of ME patients develop thyroid problems (Proceedings of the Second World Congress on CFS and Related Disorders, Brussels, September 1999, p 60).

At the same conference, Belgian researchers showed that TSH levels, among others, were elevated in CFS patients (Proceedings, p 62). In Why ME? (Crafton Books, 1989), author Dr Belinda Dawes acknowledges that, in ME and other environmental and allergic disorders, thyroid function is disturbed, and low-dose thyroid hormone supplementation, along with other supplements, is often appropriate.

Other eminent international researchers have found that the endocrine system in ME/CFS sufferers is disrupted (Rheum Dis Clin North Am, 1996; 22: 267-84; J Psychiatr Res, 1997; 31: 69-82; Horm Metab Res, 1999; 1: 18-21). A key feature is a defect in the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis (J Clin Endocrinol Metab, 1991; 73: 1224-34; J CFS, 1995; 1: 59-66). In one study, computed tomography (CT) of ME patients showed that both adrenal glands were reduced by as much as 50 per cent compared with the controls (Radiology, 1998; 209P [Suppl]: 411-2).

One reason why this thyroid abnormality is often overlooked in ME patients is that it doesn’t show up in the usual neuroendocrine tests. In one large study, the researchers concluded that these tests are inadequate for ME/CFS patients (Scott LV, The role of the HPA axis in chronic fatigue syndrome [PhD thesis], British Library, 1997).

The evidence suggests that these patients may not have a truly normal thyroid function (‘euthyroid’), but may have what is known as ‘euthyroid sick syndrome’ (J Clin Endocrinol Metab, 1997; 82: 329-34). There may be a problem in conversion from T4 to T3, a process which takes place in the liver and is facilitated by several enzymes, and requires specific micronutrients to proceed smoothly (Medicine Endocrinology 23-24-98 html, Thyroid, Lecturer Dr Blum).

Possibly the most comprehensive list of common symptoms due to hypothyroidism seen in ME/CFS/FMS/MCS can be found on the website of the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists, Merck Manual, Thyroid Foundation of America (http://thyroid.miningco.com/blchklst.htm?pid=2750&cob=home).

Professor Timothy Dinan, University College in Cork, Ireland, has observed an increased prevalence of subclinical hypothyroidism in CFS patients. At a conference at the Royal Society of Medicine last October, he announced his discovery that, in CFS, as in other stress-related conditions, regulation of the HPA axis is abnormal and associated with diminished organ function.

In a recent randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled study, a well-known American team treated 72 FMS patients for subclinical thyroid, gonadal and/or adrenal insufficiency, disordered sleep, suspected neurally mediated hypotension, opportunistic infections and suspected nutritional deficiencies.

The treated group enjoyed significant improvement compared with the placebo group. Of 38 treated patients, 33 received thyroid replacement therapy, demonstrating that hypothyroidism plays an important role in FMS and CFS (J CFS, 2001; 8: 3-28). An earlier study by the same team reported similar results (Am J Med Sci, 2000; 320: 1-8). One researcher has even postulated that CFS, FMS and Persian Gulf syndrome share a common underlying cause: a magnesium deficiency plus a toxic excess of fluoride (J CFS, 1999; 5: 67-127).

Certain practitioners and researchers have treated patients with thyroid replacement therapy using either conventional synthetic thyroxine (T4) or natural thyroid hormones, such as Armour Thyroid, which contains the full complement of thyroid hormones, including the far more powerful T3. In the UK, Dr Gordon Skinner, perhaps the best known of these practitioners, proposes treating biochemically normal but clinically hypothyroid patients with low-dose thyroxine (BMJ, 1997; 314: 1764).

Skinner’s treatment has received publicity through the publication of Diana Holmes’ book Tears Behind Closed Doors (Avon Books, 1998), in which she tells of her years of being misdiagnosed before being correctly diagnosed and treated by Dr Skinner. Skinner and his team later published the results of their trials with patients like Holmes (J Nutr Environ Med, 2000; 10: 115-24).

Dr Barry Durrant-Peatfield used a similar treatment regime (J Nutr Environ Med, 1996; 6: 371-8). Until recently, he prescribed thyroid replacement therapy to all patients with clinical hypothyroidism (not just patients with CFS/ ME/FMS), with low-dose adrenal support for those who needed it. He gained a solid reputation for successfully treating many patients with CFS/ ME/FMS as well as other thyroid and adrenal dysfunctions.

As Peatfield writes in his own information booklet, ‘With the pituitary-thyroid-adrenal axis damaged, the body’s immune system cannot recover, and the sufferer is frequently ill with apparent relapses of virus illness, other general illnesses, and indeed low-grade parasitic infections.’ (Durrant-Peatfield BJ, Diagnosis and Treatment of ME).

Nevertheless, Skinner’s approach has met with considerable opposition from medical practitioners in endocrinology and clinical biochemistry. Even the medical director of the ME Association, one of two major ME/CFS charities in the UK, opposed Skinner’s treatment on the grounds that its benefits were unproven and potentially dangerous (BMJ, 1997; 315: 813-4). Dr Peatfield recently had his medical licence suspended, the latest victim of the General Medical Council’s witch hunt on doctors using unorthodox procedures (WDDTY, vol 12 no 5).

Despite the wealth of evidence of disturbed thyroid functioning and other abnormalities of the HPA axis (notably adrenal deficiencies) in ME, the medical director of the ME Association recently co-authored a booklet stating: ‘There is no evidence of disturbed thyroid gland function in ME/CFS, and the use of thyroxine supplementation in people who have normal thyroid function tests is a controversial form of treatment which carries a number of risks, including the potential complication of precipitating an Addisonian crisis in patients with hypocortisolaemia [diminished production of cortisol by the adrenals]’.

Fibromyalgia and thyroid
Much of the research on FMS patients also points to thyroid problems as a hidden cause. A recent study reported that almost all of the hormonal feedback mechanisms controlled by the hypothalamus are altered in this condition. This includes elevated levels of ACTH, follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and cortisol (hydrocortisone) as well as lowered levels of insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-1, somatomedin C, free triiodothyronine (FT3) and oestrogen (Scand J Rheumatol Suppl, 2000; 11: 8-12).

Studies have shown that thyroid disorders, notably hypothyroidism, and altered reactivity of the HPA axis are a common feature in FMS patients (J Rheumatol, 1992; 19: 12120-2; J Rheumatol, 1993; 20: 469-74).

Dr John Lowe has documented his experiences with FMS patients and his study of fibromyalgia in a 1260-page publication The Metabolic Treatment of Fibromyalgia (McDowell Publishing, 2000). This book effectively argues that fibromyalgia is largely caused by inadequate thryroid hormone regulation of tissue functions.

The medical regulatory bodies have produced four ‘mandates’ to serve as guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of hypothyroidism:
1. A deficiency of thyroid hormone is the only cause of symptoms and signs characteristic of hypothyroidism
2. Clinicians should not permit patients with ‘normal’ thyroid test results to use thyroid hormone
3. Hypothyroid patients should use thyroid hormones only in ‘replacement dosages’ (dosages that keep TSH within its reference range)
4. Hypothyroid patients should only use thyroxine (T4).

To help the thousands of thyroid patients who fall outside this strict definition, Dr Peatfield and other practitioners have had to resort to violating accepted medical practice, knowing their risk of suspension or revocation of their licences. Indeed, one doctor goes so far as to argue that adherence to these ‘mandates’ is itself contributory to the sudden rise of new diseases.

FMS, CFS, ME and other such syndromes may not be all in the sufferers’ heads so much as in their necks, largely the result of a low thyroid problem not properly treated.

Doris Jones

One study tracked the progress of 84 sufferers, half of whom had the usual medication, while the rest went on a self-help programme of swimming, simple exercise, relaxation and simple dietary changes.

The self-help group said they were less fatigued, depressed or anxious, and had greater vitality, whereas the group under medical care reported no improvement in their condition.

(Source: Annals of Rheumatic Disease, 2004; 63: 290-6).

Sufferers feel as if they are recovering from a severe bout of flu. Because of this, it is associated with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), and appears to affect more women than men.

Most sufferers also have the ‘alpha-EEG anomaly’, where they fall asleep easily, but deeper sleep is interrupted by waking-state brain activity. Irritable bowel symptoms, including constipation, diarrhoea, abdominal pain and gas, and nausea are experienced by up to 70 per cent of sufferers. Severe-to-moderate jaw pain – or temporomandibular joint dysfunction syndrome – and chronic headaches affect 50-75 per cent. Other complaints are poor memory/concentration, mood swings and dry eyes/mouth.

Although the cause is uncertain, speculative suggestions range from a viral/bacterial infection, accident trauma or another disorder such as lupus or rheumatoid arthritis. The Pill has also been blamed (Dig Chiroprac Econ, 1991; 34: 100-1), and four women who had fibromyalgia for up to 17 years had an almost immediate remission in symptoms when MSG was removed from their diets (Ann Pharmacother, 2001; 35: 702-6).

But a credible body of research links the condition to the thyroid. It was found that virtually all sufferers have altered hormonal feedback mechanisms (Scand J Rheumatol Suppl, 2000; 11: 8-12). Other studies concur, finding hypothyroidism to be a common factor (J Rheumatol, 1992; 19: 121-2; 1993; 20: 469-74). A similar theory is the basis of Dr John Lowe’s book, The Metabolic Treatment of Fibromyalgia (Lafayette, CO: McDowell Publishing, 2000).

What doctors tell you
Many doctors still consider fibromyalgia and its cousin, chronic fatigue, to be mainly ‘all in the head’ of hysterical women, even though the World Health Organization has recognised them as genuine conditions.

Physicians who do treat fibromyalgia sympathetically may first try to establish a deep and undisturbed sleep pattern, using medications to boost serotonin and norepinephrine, the neurotransmitters that modulate sleep, pain and immune function. These may be prescribed in low doses, and include amitriptyline, cyclobenzaprine and citalopram. Sleeping pills that may be prescribed include clonazepam and trazodone.

To treat the muscle pain, drugs such as the opioid analgesic tramadol – but, more often, a powerful painkiller, probably one from the family of NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) – may be prescribed, along with muscle relaxants such as Valium.

Bryan Hubbard

Supplements
Those recommended in the protocol include magnesium, choline citrate, glutamine, flavonoids (especially quercetin dihydrate), minerals and essential fatty acids. Many fibromyalgia sufferers are deficient in most, if not all, of these nutrients.

In addition, those who have poor digestion are treated with probiotics, while those with a yeast infection need to take ascorbate, magnesium and choline citrate.

Homoeopathy
Patients taking either Arnica, Bryonia or Rhus Tox for three months improved significantly (Br Homoeopath J, 1986; 73: 142-7).

Acupuncture
In a study of 29 patients, all reported reduced pain and tender spots with acupuncture (Rheumatol Int, 1998; 18: 35-6). In an electroacupuncture study with 70 sufferers, all significantly improved compared with a sham procedure (BMJ, 1992; 305: 1249-52).

Massage therapy
Patients noted a reduction in pain according to the number of massages they had. There was also a decline in blood myoglobin levels, which some believe is a major cause of the muscle pain in fibromyalgia (Scand J Rheumatol, 1986; 15: 174-8).