Fibromyalgia Diet Comparisons (with a spreadsheet!)

If you're like me, you've been bombarded with recommendations for this diet or that diet.  Just read this book, do everything the author says, and you'll lose weight, have less no pain, even be cured!  There are the paleo people, the vegetarians, the vegans, the Whole 30 types, and more.  Honestly, it's all a bit overwhelming.

So, I ended up comparing and contrasting a few different diet plans that have been recommended to me either through fibro resources, doctors, or friends.  I have been trying to follow Dr. David Brady's very high protein Fibro Fix 21 day diet (which I had to stop due to bladder pain), but last summer, my husband and I were actually somewhat successful on the Gut Balance Revolution diet, so that made me wonder what diet would be best to follow.  Yet another friend recommended the Acid Watcher diet, and since my GERD is so very bad, I had to get that book to see what the recommendations were.  Of course, I wanted Dr. Liptan's input from her book, The Fibro Manual, to round it out.

These diets are all created/promoted by doctors in an effort to help patients.  Paleo and the others are more about lifestyle or losing weight, but for fibromyalgia, we have some special issues that make following a medically-based diet more important.

Here's the full spreadsheet.

Analysis:
Everyone agreed on some common goals.  These are all heavily research-based and very hard to argue against.  Everyone agreed on:

No:

• Sodas, pop
• Sugars, especially artificial sweeteners and HFCS
• Caffeine (though some moderate that with allowing some coffee, tea)
• Fatty protein sources, especially fatty red meat
• Processed foods with lots of hidden sugars and ingredients

Yes:

• Fresh, unprocessed foods, preferably organic
• High protein, especially lean protein
• High fiber
• Lots of filtered/purified water, at least a liter a day
• Probiotics, preferably in real foods like kefir
• More vegetables and fruits, though lower in sugar preferred

The Fibro Fix diet is the most restrictive and the highest in protein.  Honestly, I think it would work for most fibro types.  I just have kidney/bladder issues that make my situation more complicated.  Dr. David Brady is also the only one selling his own supplements and shake powders.  Honestly, compared to the other doctors, in their practices and just promoting their books, he stands out, but also, his book has a lot of research behind it and some very good points in figuring out if one really has fibro or not.  I still recommend the book.

The Fibro Manual does not promote any specific diet, though Dr. Liptan does recommend cutting some big things and following an anti-inflammatory diet.  It sounds like she tends to make it more personalized in her practice, but she agreed with the others on the big areas.

The Acid Watcher Diet makes a strong case for lowering dietary acid big-time in an effort to heal the body from acid reflux and throatburn.  Honestly, I found his arguments highly convincing, and now I'm thinking I need a scoping since I haven't had one for 9 years with worsening symptoms in the meantime.  If your worst symptoms are having trouble swallowing, sore throat, acid reflux, and pain, I would recommend his book, hands-down.  He also has a great set of meal plans and recipes to make it easier.

Side note: If I'm understanding the Acid Watcher diet right, the most likely source of my bladder pain from the Fibro Fix diet is the higher dietary acid involved in making two high protein/high fiber shakes palatable and then eating similar-to-usual dinners with usual acid sources.  Something to think about.

The Gut Balance Revolution really is a must-read for everyone with any sort of health problems.  Dr. Mullin's three phase diet (I only covered 1 and 2 due to those being the ones needed to get started) is based on the latest research on our gut biomes.  The first phase is the most restrictive and hardest to follow, but it's only a month, and it's to get the bad bugs in the gut to die off.  The second phase is designed to re-seed the gut with beneficial flora, and honestly, it isn't all that different from the Acid Watcher diet, especially in each diet's phase 2.

In the end, everyone agrees that there is no one diet for anyone.  We are all individuals, and fibro peeps are the most individual there are.  The best thing is to read through these books and other options, know your body and your fibro, and try a dietary change to see if it works.  Dr. Liptan argues that it really takes 2 months at least to know if a dietary change really works, and the others agree.  Their one month-ish first phases are more focused on resetting things, something I think most of us with fibro can see the attraction of.

At this point, I will be combining some things from the various diets to create one that will work for me and my husband, hopefully our kids, too.  Let me know what you try and how it works out!

I Ran into a Snag

I only have the one kidney due to a tumor ten years ago (long story--probably part of how my fibromyalgia started), which means that my doctor likes to do kidney function tests every once in awhile, just to make sure it's still okay.  The tests a couple of weeks back showed I have a UTI, which was weird because I didn't recognize it from symptoms.  Then again, I often have UTI symptoms (why two urologists thought I had interstitial cystitis), so I ignore them until they become bigger, more real.

Anyway, I got on the Cipro that tends to work (they use the stronger stuff to protect my kidney), started this 21 day diet, and thought nothing of it other than how to make sure I had plenty of time before and after taking my antibiotic with no calcium (it makes Cipro not work).

Yesterday, I got severe pain, the kind I hadn't had in ages.  Take my breath away level pain.  I figured that meant the antibiotic wasn't working and messaged my doctor.  He told me to stop the antibiotic, see if the pain went away, and if I stayed symptomatic, to let my Ob/Gyn know since it's more her area.  No biggie, but then I got to thinking: what if it's the shakes?

Turns out, protein shakes can cause urinary pain.  This is probably why Dr. Brady says to drink half our weight in ounces of water daily, which I'd been coming close to doing for days.  The pain yesterday started not long after my breakfast shake and was bad enough I didn't eat much the rest of the day, though my weight stayed the same.

So, I'm taking a few days off of the Fibro Fix 21 Day Challenge, taking it easy on everything, babying my bladder and kidney with lots of water, asparagus, and my usual supplements (and probiotics, definitely!).  If the pain goes away, that was it.  If it doesn't, then I'll get another urine test to see what's going on.

Fibro Fix 21 Day Challenge: Day 6

I have learned some things already this week:

1) The shakes are definitely doing something to my GI system.  Gas, pain, way too much time in the bathroom, etc. all make me think that the shakes with all those greens are doing something to my system.  Honestly, I am not sure my body is absorbing much of the greens from what I'm seeing and dealing with, which makes me wonder why I'm adding that greens powder to my shakes, wonder what the point is.  Dr. Brady says it's to detox, but I'm not sure that's what's really going on at this point.

2) Banana, frozen fruit, cocoa powder all help make the shakes taste better.  Biggest thing, though, is ice.  They're easier to drink if they're really cold.

3) Getting one of the Blender Bottles with the mixer ball was totally worth it.  One of the problems with these shakes (never having done it before) is that they separate, don't stay homogenized.  If I take too long to drink it, set it down because I'm dealing with something and then come back to it, having that mixer ball in there to blend it back together really helps.  Worth the money.

The Blender Bottles we got also have containers that screw on to the bottom, one of which holds pills.  So helpful!  They hold blueberries, nuts, the powder mix, whatever.  I remember having something similar for the kids when they were little and how helpful it was in the car.  Same thing for adults!  The bottle is only 16 ounces, though, or I'd use it as my main water bottle.  They wash up easily, dry easily, and don't seem to hang onto flavors or smells.

4) If I'm going out at all, I need to plan better with the shakes.  I keep getting caught out running errands or whatever during lunch time or out with Mom, and then I end up eating something I shouldn't or eat my main meal then and then want to eat with my family.  One shake a day is easy, but two shakes are harder to fit in.

5) I really do need to stop doing that much gluten.  I ate more bread yesterday, and my weight went up.  I think Dr. Brady and Dr. Mullin are on to something there.  It doesn't do anything to my pain levels, but it sure does to my weight.  I need to cut down further.

So far, my GI system is starting to mostly stabilize, my pain is better due to weather stabilizing a bit, and I'm sleeping better with more GABA at night.  We'll see how it continues.

Fibro Fix 21 Day Challenge: Day 3 Report

Today has been a challenging one.  I woke up with severe pain today, most likely due to the rain, and the brain fog and dizziness were worse than usual.  I wasn't sure I would be able to stick to the diet at all today.  The good news is that I managed to stick to most of it.

First things first: the shakes are better with banana!  Thank goodness I got some bananas at Costco yesterday.  Almond milk and bananas with something else for flavor, like cocoa or frozen berries, are perfect.  I can definitely drink these now.  For the morning one, I added a bit of cocoa, a bit of peanut butter, and half a banana, and it was good!  For the afternoon one, I added half a banana and some frozen berries, and it was good, too, so I have solved that dilemma.

Next, symptoms so far: my husband and I are definitely having GI stuff going on.  It is really uncomfortable, but it will probably pass soon.  At least, I hope it does.  Dr. Brady does call this a detoxifying program, so maybe that's what is happening.  When we did Phase 1 of the Gut Balance Revolution diet last summer, we had some GI stuff but not like this.  That said, this program is similar enough that it might be helping us re-do the gut biome.  It did resolve eventually, so this should, too.

Now we're trying to figure out how to make sure we get both shakes in each day.  The snacks and dinner are easy enough, as is the first shake of the day, but it's the second one that's tricky.  If I do the first shake later in the morning due to not being able to get up and around, I'm not interested in the second shake until later in the afternoon, which then makes dinner a bit of an issue.

So far, fibro pain is worse, though that isn't necessarily due to the diet change, what with all the weather changes lately, and GI issues are worse, though he warns of that in the book and says it will resolve.

Fibro Fix 21 Day Challenge Day 2 Report

Day 2:

I started out the day with Dr. Brady's Morning Brew with a twist, cinnamon instead of chili powder, and it really did help me wake up better.  I will keep doing this every day.  The hot water, lemon, and cinnamon really help me wake up.

We were out of almond milk, so I used Happy Tree Original Maple Water with the shake mix and a dollop of hot chocolate mix.  I managed to get it down, but seriously, the greens mix makes the shake taste nasty on its own without flavor to help.  The taste stayed in my mouth all day.

I had lunch out with my mom, so I just got a small lunch (salad and one baked chicken thigh).  I had a snack later, but by the time of dinner, I still could taste that shake flavor and ended up having dinner instead.

Tomorrow, Morning Brew and two shakes.  I have some ideas about how to make it more palatable and got what I needed at Costco.  Tomorrow, cocoa and banana and then frozen berries with some yogurt (maybe).

Fibro Fix 21 Day Challenge: Day 1 Report

My husband and I did a soft start today, mostly because not all the shake stuff had been gathered (and we're still tweaking our shake versions).  We went with two different options, one for him with a little bit of pea protein in it since he wants to try it and test it, and a whey protein for me since I've tried it before and know it's okay.

For my protein shakes, I'm using just under a scoop each shake of Garden of Life Grass Fed Whey protein powder, and the vanilla is really strong.  For the greens, proteolytic enzymes, and probiotics, I'm adding one scoop of Green Vibrance.  There's fiber in that, too, but for more fiber, I'm adding chia seeds, too.  Tomorrow morning, I will add some of my TracHealth Chia Plus Superfoods drink mix that I know helps me with energy.

For supplements, I'm sticking with my usual barrage of pills, from vitamin D and CoQ 10 to my multivitamin and magnesium/calcium and more.  We added N-Acetyle Cysteine as he recommends in the book and will take that with the shakes, but the rest are all in my usual supplements or in the greens mix.

For exercise, today, I did a bit of walking but not enough.  Tomorrow, I will do my water exercises since I should be able to get in to the Y for that.  If not, I will do more walking and aim for the Y on Tuesday.  Dr. Brady says to do a little bit of low impact exercise daily.  Now, Dr. Liptan, author of The Fibro Manual and speaker at the Michigan Fibromyalgia Awareness Day conference yesterday, says that we need 48 hours to recover from exercise since our fascia are all so tight, but I think doing more daily will be better for me as long as I don't overdo it.  I do plan on doing her warm up first.

Pain-wise, it's been a rough day, and the headache/paresthesia are bad today, but the last two days used up all my spoons and then some, and then we had a massive storm system park itself over us all day.  Tomorrow should be better.

Living with Fibromyalgia: FibroFix Book Review

Setting:
My couch and the hotel last weekend where I read the book, The Fibro Fix by Dr. David Brady, ND.  My fibro has been bad for months, now, though the nicer weather has been helping a little.  The chronic headache is bad, worse since the failed Topamax trial.

Book Summary:
Dr. Brady's theory about fibromyalgia is that A) it is often other conditions that are misdiagnosed by doctors who don't take the time to really find out what's going on and by the fact that many diseases/conditions are very similar and B) following a high-protein diet that eliminates allergens and helps detoxify, drinking a lot of water, low-impact exercise, and working on training the brain to relax instead of react are the best ways to deal with the disease and reverse the symptoms in some patients.

He has a 21 day detox diet plan, and while he really pushes his products for sale on his website, he tells readers of the book how to come up with something similar at home.  To be fair, what he says to do instead is missing many of the components in his boxed program, so it isn't exactly identical.

In reality, his diet is similar to some other gut biome resetting diets on the market these days (such as Dr. Mullin's Gut Balance Revolution), and he makes good points about the difficulties of exercise and living with pain.  He is pretty clear on the latest theories and research regarding fibromyalgia and chronic pain, and his plan is a good one.  I will be starting a modified version of his 21 day program this Sunday, as will my husband.

Problems So Far:
Brady has a couple of websites, and his customer service people admitted to me this week that the FibroFix 21 Day box is identical to the PaleoCleanse 14 Day box.  Turns out, Brady is the Chief Medical Officer of Designs for Health, which is actually the company, Ashley Martin, but FibroFix is supposedly made by Formulated Nutricueticals, LLC in Florida, though Formulated Nutricueticals said that everything is from Designs for Health.  Moreover, when I looked up Formulated Nutricueticals, their actual office is the same as Dr. Brady's in Connecticut.

I found this out in trying to track down information about the source of their pea protein.  My husband is a QA chemist for a nutritional company that stopped using pea protein two years ago due to too much mold.  Turns out Designs for Health only has testing certificates for the final product, though they say they can provide quality certificates for each component/ingredient on their website.  I've been told over and over that they test and assure quality, but the certificate just says the testing method is "by input."  I'm curious where they're getting their pea protein and how they're making sure it doesn't have mold.

After that, I'm not sure I can recommend buying Dr. Brady's supplements or the FibroFix/PaleoCleanse box programs.  The actual program has a lot going for it, which is why we're trying it, and I hope that it can help get this latest flare under control and help me get my pain at least at a more manageable level.