So you are probably wondering, what is Takesumi and why should I be interested in it. In a previous post, I listed the several toxins and infections Dr Shores tested me positive for: 

• Heavy Metals
• Arsenec
• Borrelia Burgdorferi – lyme
• Chloroform
• Formaldehyde
• H-pylori

Takesumi, which is a carbonized bamboo supplement, is an effective and the most gentle way Dr. Shores knows to rid the body of toxins and infections. Here is a description fromMichael Lebowitz D.C.:

 Takesumi, on AK testing, fairly routinely blocks positive tests to toxic metals, chemicals, and often foods too. I look at it as a supreme detoxification product. It also appears to adsorb myco and endotoxins (and other bio-toxins) from various organisms, take the load off the liver and kidneys and thus act in an anti-aging fashion. Takesumi is also reported to adsorb radiation (radon, nuclear, etc.)

 

Michael Lebowitz D.C. has been a researcher in applied kinesiology and nutrition for over 30 years, and this statement was based on his clinical testing and research. Takesumi also has anti-fungal, anti-bacteria, anti-parasitic and anti-viral properties.

I began taking the Takesumi over two weeks ago. Some of the effects I have been feeling are headaches, muscle aches, fatigue, my skin (especially on my face) feeling hot, and some dehydration. I naturally drink a lot of water each day, but I have had to increase my water consumption considerably and I still wonder if I am drinking enough. Dr. Shores warned me about the side effects of doing a detox, and I am not experiencing anything out of the ordinary, but I am experiencing it for longer than anticipated. Although the effects sound similar to a fibromyalgia flare-up, they are not at that level of severity – thank goodness!

Now for the good news. My fibrofog is much diminished since starting the detox! Even though my body is feeling achy and fatigued, my brain is feeling as sharp as it has since the accident. I have been much more productive and organized, even with the headaches. Honestly if it were not for the improvement I am having with my cognitive function, I am not sure I would continue with the detox, but it has made me a believer and I am sticking with it in the hopes that I soon see other improvements as well. Another of my support group members, who is also on the detox under Dr. Shores supervision, has already tested negative for all of the infections he originally found in her, and she has been taking the Takesumi just a week longer than I have. That gives me even more hope. Every evening after I mix up the carbonized bamboo with some water I yell “TAKESUMI” in my loud ninja-warrior voice and then swallow it down. Silly, yes, but I am a warrior in my battle against fibromyalgia, and if I have to be a warrior, being a ninja is a pretty cool thing!

I will keep you posted on any changes and improvements I have with my detox. If you have any questions about the Takesumi, please leave them in the comments. Dr. Shores has been generous enough in the past to have direct dialogues with readers via the comments. If he is unavailable I can try to look into it myself. 

And now for my little disclaimer:

In a continuing effort to live well with Fibromyalgia I am going to be researching and trying new and different things to help improve my health.  I will report on my research and my own personal experiences, but I am not a doctor and therefore will not be telling anyone to try what I do. If you think you may benefit from my experiences, please check with a medical professional to see if it is right for you.

Living with Fibromyalgia means you constantly have to make choices, choices that can be the difference between a good day and a flare-up.  Some days I have to choose between cooking dinner and doing a load of laundry.  These are relatively easy choices.  I check the status of Rob’s underwear drawer, and if I can see the bottom, laundry it is!  It is true.  Everyday is a balancing act, trying to measure the most I can get done against doing too much and exacerbating my pain.  Self-maintenance and moderation are crucial to my daily success.  But sometimes the choices are clear and easy and I still chose to do the risky thing.

Saturday night we went to a Halloween party.  I love Halloween!  A chance to express myself in a way I cannot get away with everyday.  I was feeling like a punk rocker this year.  So at the party encircled by death, a donkey, and a Sarah Palin zombie I had to make the choice – do I drink or not?  Alcohol is a toxin and can lead to dehydration.  I know alcohol is not good for me, which is why I seldom drink.  But sometimes I just want to do the risky thing and deal with the consequences.  I am able to make the risky choice because over the years I have learned how to minimize the consequences.

Several years ago we went to Michigan for a good friends wedding.  I know, not another wedding story, but this is important, because it was on this trip that I was really forced to listen to my body.  I had not yet made the connection between the things I put into my body and the effect it had on my Fibromyalgia.  I had to learn the hard way to listen to what my body was trying to tell me.  On this trip it spoke very loudly!

Cathy is another of my best friends from high school.  Her wedding was an event.  The three or four days leading up to the ceremony were constant celebration – showers and parties and dinners and more parties – just non-stop festivities.  And then the wedding itself was a grand occasion.  It was a wonderful time and I let myself enjoy every minute of it.  But of course it was not without consequence.

The day we left to fly home I felt awful.  Five days of gross consumption and celebration were taking hold.  We had a short flight from Saginaw to Cleveland and with each passing moment on that plane my pain intensified.  By the time we got off in Cleveland to make our connecting flight I was in one of the worst full-blown flare-ups I have had to this day.  I could barely walk.  The gates were not close and the airport was packed.  I could not stand upright the pain was so extreme, and each step I took sent waves of fire up and down my backside.  My head felt like it would burst.

The airport was buzzing with intense and impatient people.  I could feel them flying up behind me, and I could hear their grunts and sighs of disapproval at the speed I was moving.  Overwhelmed with the pain and the pressure, I almost broke down.  I was miserable and desperately wanted out of the chaos.  I remember I asked Rob if we could just go get a hotel somewhere in Cleveland and then fly home the next day.  I couldn’t bear the thought of getting on another plane in the pain I was in and I just wanted out of that damn airport.  But we got on the plane and I spent the next four hours in a misery I will never forget.

The pain was so unbearable I could not sit back in my seat.  I sat on the very front edge to have as little contact against my body as possible.  I was weak and unstable but I could not lift my arms up to help support me, so instead I pressed my forehead against the seat in front of me for balance.  And I remained like that for the long, miserable, four-hour flight home.  I could not talk, or turn my head, or even acknowledge Rob.  We waited until everyone behind us got off the plane and then I painfully stood and made my way to the exit.  I have never been so glad to be home.

I don’t remember how long my recovery from that flare-up took, but I will never forget that flight home.  I imagine that flare-up lasted quite awhile because most of mine did back then, and the reason they did is because I was just in the beginning stages of learning how to listen to my body and understand that what I ate or drank or did directly impacted my Fibromyalgia.  I am years ahead of where I was then and that is why I allow myself to make the occasional risky decision.  I know better now how to go into it and how to handle it after to avoid, or at the very least minimize, the potential flare-up.

So this Halloween I took a risk and decided to drink.  I knew my body was well hydrated because it is the most important thing I do for myself each and every day.  I had also eaten a healthy dinner before going to the party so I was not tempted to eat the chips and dip, and cheese and crackers, and pizza, and candy etc.  Taking the risk to drink was made less risky by the good choices I made beforehand.

Sunday I woke up feeling exactly as I knew I would – tired and dehydrated, the early signs of a flare-up.  First thing I did was to get up and make myself an Emergen-C energy drink.  This is a very important tool in my maintenance.  Here is a description of the product from their website:

Feeling good is better than feeling bad.  And it was upon this brilliant concept that Emergen-C was founded.

 

Emergen-C gives you 1,000 milligrams of Vitamin C for the immune system.  It gives you a full complement of energetic B vitamins.  It gives you 32 minerals and electrolytes.  It gives you a health and energy boost.  It just gives and gives and gives.

I can’t tell you how many mornings I feel just plain awful and I drink an Emergen-C to feel better.  Emergen-C is one of the things I have learned to rely on in my quest to manage my Fibromyalgia.  It is a great natural aide and if you have never tried it you can request a free sample on their website (and no, I am not in any way affiliated with them).

Like I said before it is a balancing act.  I have not given up everything I enjoy that is detrimental for me.  I just prepare better and enjoy in moderation.  Listen to your body and learn.  If you know Saturday is going to be a busy and taxing day for you, plan to take it easy on Friday and/or Sunday.  Learning to say no to some commitments enables you to enjoy the times you say yes even more.  These are just general examples and may not apply directly to you, but it is important to think about self-maintenance and moderation.  They are two very key components to living well with Fibromyalgia. 

I had a great time at the party Saturday.  Sunday I re-hydrated and relaxed.  I did not clean the floors or the bathroom like I had planned, but it was a good trade off.  I allowed myself the risk and did not feel guilty about the consequences.

For the estimated 10 million Americans living with fibromyalgia, there is nothing “simple” about it. The daily battle with widespread pain, fatigue, and mental fog can be debilitating. Trying to be a productive person under these conditions is a challenge.

Fibromyalgia sufferers struggle every day coping with this “new” version of their lives. Gone is the independent, productive person you once were. In place is someone left wondering, “How am I going to contribute today?” And it is not simply how am I going to contribute to my job, to my home, and to my family, but how am I going to contribute to my physical and emotional wellbeing?

One of the best ways to begin managing the daily stress and rigors of living with Fibromyalgia is to start simple. Below are 4 simple yet highly effective daily habits to adopt.

1. Drink Plenty of Water

Common Sense? Yes. But this is one of the most important things you can do to help manage your fibromyalgia.

Begin each day with a glass of water. You are naturally dehydrated in the morning. A glass of water will help quench that thirst and also help eliminate the toxins your body has been processing throughout the night.

Continue drinking water throughout the day. A basic guideline for daily water intake is eight 8-ounce glasses, but try to drink more. Water detoxifies your body, which can help your muscle to recover from flare-ups. Water will also:

• Reduce Headaches and Dizziness
• Increase Mental Clarity
• Improve Your Energy

Helpful Hint:  Try squeezing fresh lemon in your water for added health benefits. Lemon water has been shown to help with digestive problems, alleviate cold and flu symptoms and can even aide in weight loss.

2. Avoid Toxic Foods and Beverages

Toxic foods are acid forming foods. Studies have shown an acidic diet will interfere with your body’s ability to absorb minerals and nutrients. It will also make a body more susceptible to fatigue and illness. Some of the most common items to avoid are:

• Coffee
• Soda
• Alcohol
• White Sugar
• Salt
• Artificial Sweeteners
• Processed Foods
• Junk/Fast Food

Eating right is one of the best ways to manage fibromyalgia. If you do partake in anything from the list, increase your water intake even more to help flush the toxins from your system more quickly.

Note: There is more and more evidence that gluten-intolerance may be a major contributing factor in many chronic illnesses, including fibromyalgia. I will examine the possibilities more closely in an upcoming post.

3. Move Your Body

Researchers have proven that gentle exercise, such as walking, yoga, or aquatic therapy, may be the most beneficial way to improve Fibromyalgia symptoms. This may seem counterintuitive given the amount of pain everyday movements can cause, but experts believe exercise can actually help break the pain cycle. Here are some of the listed benefits of exercise with fibromyalgia:

• Increased oxygen flow to the muscles, which helps diminish pain and spasms
• Improved quality of sleep, which helps battle daily fatigue and mental fog
• Decreased anxiety and depression, conditions common in people with FM

Start slow. It may not be possible to exercise during a flare-up and that is okay. The key is to gradually and consistently start moving. Start with simple stretches so you can begin to feel the benefits of movement, and from there work up to a more physical workout. You will begin to see improvement in your symptoms and your overall outlook on life.

4. Avoid Self-imposed Guilt

Yes you have fibromyalgia. Yes you have pain and discomfort and a whole host of other issues. You cannot and should not deny this. But do not fall victim to the diagnosis. Get the most you can out of each day and leave the rest for another day.

If your major accomplishment for the day is that you took a shower, cooked dinner, and had a semi-intelligent conversation with your husband – embrace it! Celebrate it! Don’t think about what you did not accomplish. Don’t get bogged down in the endless muck of what you can no longer do. Guilt is self-punishment, and do you not suffer enough without adding to it?

Do not compare your reality now to your pre-fibromyalgia reality. You did not have the pain then that you do now. This is your new reality with all of the very realistic challenges you face daily. It is not your fault, but you are the only one who can make the best of it. Start one day at a time. Start with acceptance, and the need to change, to adapt. Leave the blame and the anger behind and start living your new life. Start simply. Take baby steps to avoid the painful leaps.