A retired chiropractor named Dr. Brice Vickery has studied fibromyalgia and found that his fibromaylgia patients were deficient in systemic protein even though they were eating dietary protein. He deduced that their pancreatic ability to produce digestive enzymes was inhibited to the point that complete digestion of protein, carbohydrates and fats was impossible and therefore they did not have the materials to maintain, protect and repair their body functions. Dr. Vickery developed a particular blend of amino acids, which enable the pancreas to manufacture the necessary enzymes needed to break down food. Subsequently he found that fibromyalgia patients were also deficient in organic sulfar and he added extra sulfur and molybdenum to his blend. Dr. Vickery discusses the coexisiting conditions of various bacteria and viruses, heavy metal toxicity and candida that often accompany fibromyalgia and he has designed a treatment plan that includes a candida diet and other nutritional supplements with his amino acid blend to facilitate recovery of these conditions. He states "We have this simple plan for life and wellness: First there is air; second there is water (and salt); and then there is protein. Everything comes after these and in that order including the most deficient, sulphur, and iodine, and the rest of the minerals, vitamins, and fatty acids."
I was very impressed with Dr. Vickery's theory of protein deficiency as well as his understanding of problems with digestion and absorption in the gastrointestinal tract, which are common in fibromyalgia patients. The diet he recommends (high protein, low carbohydrates, no sugar) is the one I arrived at on my own as being most beneficial. I started taking "Platinum Plus Essential Amino Acids" 3 weeks ago and noticed an improvement in my muscle function within a few days and have continued to improve. Since being on this program I have experienced an increase in my energy and decreased the amount of hydrocortisol I take. I was not however able to tolerate the other supplements on his fibromyalgia program.
Dr. Vickery's amino acid blend includes the branch-chain amino acids - valine, isoleucine and leucin - the amino acids that are used to provide energy directly to muscle tissue. A fibro friend forwarded a medical study that mentions a deficiency of branch-chain amino acids (BCAA) in people with fibromyalgia www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11104853 so there is validation on this theory. From my reading about amino acids I learned that the process of assembling amino acids to make protein is a continuos one. The body may become depleted of its reserves of essential amino acids and then will no longer be able to produce proteins. This can happen as a result of impaired absorption, infection trauma or stress - all precursors to fibromyalgia.
Like many others who suffer form Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Fibromyalgia I have spent lots of money on "over the counter" nutritional supplements. I've accumulated at times a war chest of various vitamins, minerals and herbs recommended that promise to improve my health to no avail. It seems that ever few years there is some new "natural" substance on the market that reports to be a miracle agent for healing chronic health conditions and I have tried many of them. ProHealth.com is the website of a company that sells nutritional supplements for people with CFS and FMS. The company donates a portion of its sales to organizations focused on finding effective treatments and it also contains a wealth of information on these conditions. Their catalog of supplements is huge and demonstrates just how vast the inventory is of supplements and the conditions they treat are including supplements for detoxification, for energy, sleep, brain function, digestion, mood, inflammation, etc. I was very skeptical that something in the nutritional supplement arena could be a key to fibromyalgia however Dr. Vickery's theory of protein deficiency makes a lot of sense because it could be an underlying factor of why many functions go awry. To learn more go to: www.supernutrient.com.
