[Vowel Lady]

My apologies if I am beating a dead horse, but...
I am very excited about the recent benefits to my health as the result of changing my eating habits and taking certain supplements. I was dx'd with lupus years ago and my neurologist feels I also have Fibro. Ironically, my rheumie doesn't agree with this...sticking his guns to the lupus dx. However, of late I don't have the typical lupus lab results. I do have more typical Fibro symptoms. Some days I have very bad fatigue/very bad aches...it is usually caused by heavy duty stress or extreme cold weather. However, it passes quicker than ever...

Anyway, I do know that depression often goes hand in hand with chronic pain. If you have depression (mild or otherwise), you might want to seriously think about getting this book! It's called "Food and Mood." The author, Elizabeth Somer MA., R.D. talks about how certain chemicals in food can influence our brain chemistry.

She also talks a lot about supplements. She is a big believer in the importance of the B Vitamins, especially B6, B12 and Folic Acid. I have been screaming from the rooftops about how I was considering going on an antidepressant, but taking B vitamins (a special thank you to two people from BT), exercise and eating properly has cured me of my depression. I know it is hard to believe, but it is the honest to goodness truth. One other thing I do is read positive, uplifting literature.

Chances are if you are suffering from a severe depression, medication is absolutely needed. But this could very well be an add-on therapy that could make things go much faster for you.

She discusses how food and/or supplements can help with the following:
Mood, Insomnia, Overweight, Fatigue, PMS, SAD, Depression, Srress, Intelligence and Nutrition. She also briefly mentions chronic fatigue syndrome and fibro.

My only complaint about the book is that when she talks about B12, she doesn't mention the Methyl. (do not know how to spell this) brand, which is the preferred type. Other than that, I think the book is very good.

BTW, I take a B50 supplement and extra B12. I have heard many people over the age of 40 or who are on mulitple medications often need extra B12. For a variety of different reasons, some people just don't absorb it as they should. There seems to be some controvery regarding the levels needed and the testing provided. I do know that since taking the B50 supplement combined with extra B12, I started to feel better. I also take a multi vitamin mineral supplement and a cal/mag tablet with added vitamin D in it. There has been some discussion of people with fibro needing extra vitamin D.

This coupled with exercise, good eating, and filling my head with good thoughts did the trick for me in terms of doing away with depression.

My rhematologist strongly believes that most everyone should strive to exercise four days a week, 30 minutes a day. He says that sometimes it takes a very long time to get to this place. And some people have to move slowly or break it up due to health concerns. But he says, once you get this in place, you usually feel much better and weight issues improve tremendously. I know that it took me a looooong time to get to that place and now I've actually gone past it.

I hope this is of help to someone.

[fiberowendy2000]

Yes you are correct and your Rheumy is a stubborn turd. Of course you could have both Lupus and FM. Your Lupus could be in remission right now and that is why your bloodwork is good.
B does help with many things, so does Omega 3. I take both daily and it helps but only to a degree. I still have to take my meds but the extra boost does help.