"I would like to thank you for your work. What you do for us who are long term patients is you send us a package of love in an email. I am happy when I see the email in my inbox."

"Thanks so much for your newsletter. I really missed it when I didn't get it. There so much valuable information that we all with our condition need and I love the inspirational part too."

http://www.prohealth.com/library/showArticle.cfm?libid=18006 - Snippet: "All Fall Down for M.E, 2.30 to 3PM, Sunday May 12th, Westminster, London, UK. While collapsed, we need to show that this is not enjoyable: the person with ME has to do this in order to survive/exist. We suggest you bring a black sheet/cloth/bin bag to cover your body to signify a living death. Please bring props such as eyemasks, sunglasses, ear defenders, possibly feeding tubes etc. to convey: The exhaustion to the point of collapse after minimal activity; the nerve, joint and muscle pain unresponsive to painkillers; the physical weakness; the cognitive dysfunction with thinking & memory problems; the inability to tolerate light and noise; the faintness & dizziness particularly when standing; nausea; rest or sleep bringing little or no relief; plus many other symptoms. This is what our loved ones have to suffer, day after day, after month, after year, with no end in sight. A living death. Since Old Palace Yard is cobbled, you may also wish to bring something to lie on, but please make it as ‘dead-looking’ as possible i.e. no bright colours. Our aims are: to raise awareness among the public and government about how severe & long-lasting M.E can be; how common it is; how it can strike healthy, happy individuals out of the blue, particularly our children and young people; and that we urgently need far more investment in biomedical research to discover cause(s), effective treatments and hopefully a cure – before it’s too late. We also need far better training for doctors etc. on the latest knowledge about M.E."

FROM DOM: I suffered from M.E./CFIDS www.fms-help.com/fatigue.htm for many years. I am amazed to be as functional as I am now at age 61 - teaching and involved as a church musician in our community. I think that M.E./CFIDS is caused by a virus that attacks the brain, particularly the hypothalamus gland. A list of things that helped me regain my health is at www.fms-help.com/what.htm. I am still not "normal," however. I must guard my energy expenditure very carefully, and I can't travel more than an hour from home without severe brain and neurological difficulties.

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2013/04/17/statin-side-effects.aspx - Snippet: "Seventeen percent of patients taking statin drugs reported side effects such as muscle pain, nausea, and liver and nervous system problems. Two-thirds of those who reported side effects quit taking the drugs; half of those prescribed statins quit taking them at least temporarily, while 20 percent quit for more than a year. Taking higher doses of the statins simvastatin (Zocor), atorvastatin (Lipitor) or rosuvastatin (Crestor) increases your risk of acute kidney injury by 34 percent, a condition that can be fatal. Statins are also linked to diabetes, liver damage, memory problems, muscle weakness and more. Most people taking statin drugs do not need them; heart health can be optimized using dietary and other lifestyle strategies."

FROM DOM: My cholesterol has been scary high (284) for many years. However, my blood test a few weeks ago shows that it is now an "acceptable" 200! Hurray! My doctor said whatever I'm doing to keep doing it. I knew about the dangers of statins, so chose to not take them. Basically, I have drastically reduced sugars in my diet. I have lost about 5 lbs. effortlessly in the process and I don't battle cold sores anymore. (On that subject, Robin Barr's Cold Sore Begone stick is fantastic for prevention.)

"I have a big heart for those that struggle with depression, anxiety and/or acceptance. I truly feel led by God to be your 'cheerleader' and bring a message of hope and joy! Why? Because I'm no different than you...I 'get you'! Yet, sometimes I feel like a dish of pistachio ice cream in a world of vanilla ice cream lovers! I don't always fit in...lol. I know God made me this way. Sometimes I"m like "Why, Lord?!" I have finally figured out that I don't operate well if I try to be someone I'm not (and you won't either...just sayin.) Let me give you an example that maybe you can identify with. For years I have admired Michelle Duggar (from the TV show "19 kids and counting"). She is a mom of a super-sized family (like me)...she's sweet and passive and soft spoken...I've never witnessed her scream or freak out. Yes, yes..I know it's tv..but..somehow I feel she truly isn't a screamer...it would be so opposite of her personality. Well...as many of my friends know, Walt called a halt to my "Michelle Duggar" impersonation.. he said it was creeping him out because it wasn't me. Yet..I so wanted to be like her...calm, passive, soft spoken...BUT...God has made me anything but <heavy sigh> I have a very strong personality..I'm anything but calm or passive and as much as I try to be "soft spoken"..um..it's not in my DNA. I asked my husband what word he would use to describe me and he said "passionate". I said, "Safe choice, honey" ;-) Bottom line...we all are made "unique". God gave us certain personality traits, talents and abilities. Some are quiet, some are more outspoken...it's just who we are! I'm finally embracing it! ;-) So..if you are pistachio ice cream....be pistachio ice cream. Some people will love you (as they do pistachio ice cream!) and some people will not like you (and I'm now seeing that you can't make people like pistachio ice cream if they hate it..ain't happenin'!) Be who God created you to be...use the GIFTS He has given you! Together we can change the world."

http://www.prohealth.com/library/showArticle.cfm?libid=18000 - Snippet: "'We have proved for the first time a link between vitamin D and mitochondria function,' Dr Sinha announced. 'Of the patients I see, around 60% are vitamin D deficient and most people living north of Manchester will struggle to process enough vitamin D from sunlight alone, particularly during winter and spring. So a simple vitamin D tablet could help boost your energy levels – from within the cells.'"

http://www.peoplespharmacy.com/2013/04/16/firm-faked-generic-drug-data--fda-mum/ - Snippet: "The brand new report from ProPublica reads like a detective story. A whistleblower working for a drug testing firm alerts the FDA that some scientists in the company were fudging data. A team of FDA investigators arrives at Cetero Research in Houston on May 3, 2010 and confronts the president with the allegations. He admits, "You got us." If this scenario were in a spy novel, the revelation would be followed by full disclosure of who the bad guys were, what they did wrong, which drugs were involved and how the FDA planned to right the wrongs. Unfortunately, in real life this scandal was not publicized. Without ProPublica's recent expose, we would never have heard about Cetero's data falsification. It turns out that between April 2005 and August 2009 the fraud at the firm was so "egregious" that the FDA could not trust the results of any of the studies done then. Roughly 100 drugs are affected, over 80% of them generics. You might assume that the FDA would have immediately notified the American public which drugs were under a cloud. In fact, you might think that the FDA would have suspended sales of these products until other testing could confirm that they met the agency's standards. But you would be wrong.
To our amazement, the FDA to this day has never released the names of the affected drugs. Their rationale is that this is "confidential commercial information." What? Shouldn't the health of the American public trump commercial interests, especially if questions about quality remain unanswered? As a consequence we have no idea which generic medications are really "identical" to their brand name counterparts and which ones might fall short. This question has troubled us for some time. Over the last decade we have become increasingly concerned about the FDA's approval process for generic drugs and the agency's ability to monitor quality of such products. The reason for our uneasiness grew out of the thousands of complaints we received on our website www.PeoplesPharmacy.com about generic drug problems."

http://ccmusa.org/u2u/u2u.aspx?id=198805 - a nitty gritty article about motherhood written by a husband and father. I knew this couple 40+ years ago in Pittsburgh, PA as a young pastor and wife. They are now retired from ministry, and their "baby" is married with children of his own! How time flies!

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2013/04/18/allergy-season.aspx - Snippet: "Spring allergies affect an estimated 25 million Americans. Airborne pollen is the most common cause of seasonal allergies, also known as hay fever or allergic rhinitis. An estimated 80 percent of your immune system is located in your gut, so supporting your digestive health is essential to also supporting your immune system, which is your primary defense system against ALL disease, including allergies and asthma. Processed food, GE ingredients and synthetic additives all decimate the beneficial bacteria in your gut, thereby having a negative effect on your immune system. Ideally, you’ll want to avoid processed foods, focusing on organic, locally-grown foods instead, and include fermented foods in your diet to optimize your gut flora. For short-term relief of allergy symptoms, acupuncture has been found to be effective. Irrigating your sinuses with a neti pot is also recommended. A number of foods and herbs can help alleviate allergy symptoms, including hot pepper, quercetin, butterbur, goldenseal and eucalyptus oil. For more long-term relief, consider provocation neutralization treatment, or sublingual allergy drops, which work just as well as inhalers. Sublingual immunotherapy has not been approved by the FDA but is widely used in Europe, and some American doctors prescribe it off label."

http://healthenews.cchfreedom.org/newsletter.php/67 - Snippet: "Next year, Obamacare goes viral. And not in a good way. Full-force Obamacare will infect your life like no law in the past, present, or likely the future. You'll feel the ill effects on your employment, your income, your insurance, your doctor, your health, your family, your choices and your medical and personal privacy."

FROM DOM: Essential oils are amazing. A list of the ones I use is at www.fms-help.com/oilsstore.htm. They have kept me from a lot of unnecessary misery!

http://www.prohealth.com/library/showArticle.cfm?libid=17981 - Snippet: "More and more, science is finding that teeny tiny creatures living in your gut are there for a definite purpose. Known as your microbiome, about 100 trillion of these cells populate your body, particularly your intestines and other parts of your digestive system. In fact, 90 percent of the genetic material in your body is not yours, but rather that of bacteria, fungi, viruses and other microorganisms that compose your microflora. True, some of these bacteria can make you sick; for example, the National Institute of Allergy & Infectious Diseases recently found Crohn's Disease may be caused by immune responses to certain gut microbiota. But the majority are good, and they work together as helpmates to aid your digestive system and keep you well. Beneficial bacteria, better known as probiotics, along with a host of other microorganisms, are so crucial to your health that researchers have compared them to "a newly recognized organ." For example, we now know that your microflora influence your: Genetic expression, Immune system, Brain development, mental health, and memory, Weight, and,Risk of numerous chronic and acute diseases, from diabetes to cancer."

"I have racing thoughts and songs get stuck for weeks. I really want to see if this can give me some relief. It is interesting you mentioned it may be from a potassium deficiency."

"I have one decent day out of 2 months. I am also feeling defeated and depressed, and I don't know HOW to get out of that cycle. I think about my Grandmother who was my spiritual leader. Seems when I'm on the floor crying in my bedroom, when I think of her, I'm immediately calmed. I use to sing on the praise team at church. Seems with fibromyalgia, my spiritual desires have dimmed. I have been beaten down by this long-term illness and I can't believe it. I used to clean one room a week. Now the motivation isn't there. The concentration I had to read The Word is hindered. How can I help others in their walk when I'm having all these problems? I want to do what God wants me to do but I'm so lost."

FROM DOM: My heart goes out to this reader, because I've been through this myself. Just remember that God IS there, and He understands. We mourn the loss of our usefulness and mental and physical function, but see my page about 2 amazing coincidences that let me know God is still there for me in my weakness: www.fms-help.com/coincidences.htm (See #2 - The Radio Story).

http://www.gutsense.org/reports/myth.html - Snippet: "The recent popularity of fiber in medicine and nutrition is based on old wives' tales and intentional lies that have little to do with either science or medicine. These lies and tales are retold ad nauseam in medical offices, web sites, diet books, college courses, government pamphlets, and on and on. Tell a lie one time too many, and it soon turns into a pervasive and believable myth. I don't have to tell you, just how dangerous medical doctrines are, when they are built on mythology. — Fiber is bad? Konstantin, have you gone postal?..Well, judge for yourself! Find a flaw, or prove otherwise. If you don't find any, you'll go postal too. If you continue to have doubts after reviewing the presented facts, just follow the links to the primary sources, and keep researching these facts until you are fully convinced that there is no quoting out of context going on here."

http://www.prohealth.com/library/showArticle.cfm?libid=18002 - Snippet: "Somatic Symptom Disorder, a new mental illness that was being proposed for the new edition of the DSM. People can be diagnosed with Somatic Symptom Disorder if, for at least six months, they’ve had one or more symptoms that are distressing and/or disruptive to their daily life, and if they have one [only one] of the following three reactions: Criteria #1: disproportionate thoughts about the seriousness of their symptom(s); Criteria #2: a high level of anxiety about their symptoms or health; or Criteria #3: devoting excessive time and energy to their symptoms or health concerns. Can you see how this diagnosis potentially includes everything from a stomach ache to cancer?......Using a hypothetical: For six months, you’ve had bad gastrointestinal symptoms that have been 'disruptive to your daily life' because you can’t be far from a bathroom. In the subjective view of a health practitioner, you’ve spent 'excessive time and energy devoted' to trying to figure out what to do about it (criteria #3). The result: you may well be diagnosed as suffering from a mental illness called Somatic Symptom Disorder."

"I just received your email and I prayed right away here in my little house in a Polish village. I saw what happened in Boston this morning, and I have been walking around feeling angry and just sick to my stomach. I remember the feelings I had after 9/11 and all those came back in one day. I remember being afraid to go into NYC for a year after 9/11 and even now that I am back in my home country those feelings of anger came back. These are innocent people that some evil madman has decided to kill, maime and scare to death. I hope that those responsible are caught soon and punished severely."

FROM DOM: May God's justice be done to the remaining perpetrator of this heinous act at the Boston Marathon. (It was interesting to get this response from a reader Poland, since I am 1/4 Polish.)

FROM DOM: I'm going to try this. Fusions Red maintains healthy joint and muscle comfort. Made from a highly concentrated “super fruit” blend (Sour Cherry, Pomegranate, Concord Grape, Black Cherry, Noni, Goji, Mangosteen, Açai, Sea Buckthorn and Gac) providing you with a powerful boost of natural antioxidants. Developed with our proprietary cold process concentration technology, Fusions Red is unique because it allows for the naturally occurring phytonutrients to remain intact, delivering a full complement of those phytonutrients in a highly bioavailable form.

FROM DOM: I used an immune balancing powder for over 8 years and found it very helpful. I had no more racing thoughts, less viral illness, improved sleep, no more swollen glands, no more gas and bloating. See the Physicians Desk Reference at www.legacyforlife.com/images/2011PDR.pdf. The powder works in the "gut" (intestines) where 80% of the immune system is located, surprisingly.

"I just received some very interesting information regarding fibro. that my sister sent me. This woman's daughter has had fibro and been bed bound for several years until going on Dr. St. Amand's protocol. She is now leading a normal life. It's very interesting - basically it's taking mucinex and staying away from sacylicitic acid (sp?) in products that we bathe in and put on our skin."

FROM DOM: Much in past newsletters about Dr. St. Amand and the (difficult to follow) guai protocol. I personally don't use it because I have been pain free since 1996, after 14 years of severe suffering, by using a powerful OPC product. Use search box at the end of this page to find the guai references in my past newsletters.

"I took Vioxx for arthritis and when I finally talked to my doctor in tears, he did blood work, which found my kidneys to be at 33%. My doctor is absolutely no good for me. I vowed the last time I went to him, that I was leaving him but how do I get my pain medications with out him? There is no other doctors available. He is actually mean to me."

http://www.amazon.com/Reiki-Christ-based-Healing-Differences-Dangers/dp/098330680X - Snippet: "Multiplied millions give and receive Reiki, a type of hands-on healing. Supporters say it mirrors hands-on healing used by Jesus, and it cannot harm. Are these claims true? Journey with a researcher who spent 3 years in the field with Reiki practitioners and recipients of Christ-based healing. You will: • Learn the origin of Reiki energy before Mikao Usui • Hear practitioners personal "healing" stories • Analyze what the research really says about Reiki and Christ-based healing • Understand the origin of laying on of hands • Witness Christ-based healings that defy medical science • Recognize the purpose of Christ-based healing • Explore potential Reiki dangers to the practitioner and recipient • Find out why Catholic Bishops banned the practice of Reiki • Consider why a successful practitioner abandoned Reiki • Discover healing without side effects This fascinating and well-researched book will catapult you into experiences that defy your five senses and challenge your understanding of healing. Open-minded readers will leave enlightened and informed."

FROM DOM: Satan has always been a counterfeiter! I have experienced miraculous Christ-based healing twice during my life through "laying on of hands" at church. We should do more of this!

II Corinthians 1: 4 - "Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God." Visit Dominie's FMS/CFIDS Homepage at www.fms-help.com for Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome sufferers and their families.