July 2005 Health News


July 2005: A Message from Dr. Murphree to those suffering with Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome This past weekend I had a chance to reflect on the past two years since my first book, Treating and Beating Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome was released. Two years ago there were only a handful of books on fibromyalgia but that's certainly more than when I first started treating fibromyalgia patients over 10 years ago. I’ve really enjoyed the opportunity to work with, and in most cases help, so many fibromyalgia and CFS patients. I travel around the country to speak to doctors and public support groups and it still amazes me that most doctors don’t know anything about fibromyalgia or CFS. What’s even worse, many think those with these illnesses are either crazy, lazy, or depressed. I’ve had doctors ask me, “Dr. Murphree why do you want to work with these patients, they’re so sick?” Well, I think THAT'S the point, don’t you? Yes FMS and CFS patients are very sick. This is why they need help! I’ve had more than one person ask me why a chiropractor would write books about fibromyalgia and CFS? Believe me, I didn’t set out to work with medical misfits but those with FMS and CFS found me. More about my first book, Treating and Beating FMS & CFS, here The reason I write books, teach seminars and, yes, develop supplements for FMS and CFS is because no one else will. No one else seems to care. I’m sorry to say this, but it is true. Traditional medicine as a whole certainly doesn’t. All you have to do is hear what many doctors have to say about their FMS and CFS patients to know that they just don’t care. Even Dr. Andrew Weil, author of “Spontaneous Healing” and other best selling books, said recently on The Larry King television show, when a caller asked him about fibromyalgia, that his clinic isn’t even taking fibromyalgia patients anymore. They don’t know how to help them so I guess they don’t want to see them. I wrote a similar letter to this one almost one year ago. I wish I could report that things were getting better but they aren’t. Traditional medicine is no more understanding or helpful than they were one year ago. They still just don’t get it. Those with fibromyalgia and CFS are sick, they feel terrible, they want to feel better, they want some help, and want their life back. Now, there are some doctors who are doing a great job helping FMS and CFS patients, but they are in the minority. Just try to find a doctor who actually knows how to treat these illnesses. It's even harder to find one who is having any success treating these illnesses. Very few are and the ones who do are using an integrative approach which combines judicious use of prescription drugs and natural supplements. This is the only approach that offers any lasting relief for those suffering with FMS and or CFS. Contrary to what some doctors may have told you, you’re not crazy, lazy, or suffering from a Prozac deficiency. I know how frustrating it is to continue to look for answers from doctors who don’t understand what you’re going through. These are the same doctors who tell you to get more sleep (right!), take it easy, get more rest, exercise more, and eat better. Or they send you off to a psychiatrist for more antidepressant medications. This clearly shows that most doctors just don’t get it. I’ve found that most Fibromyalgia and CFS patients know more about the illness than their doctors! This is why I’m traveling around the country giving continuing educational seminars for doctors. Hopefully, soon I'll be able to help you find a knowledgeable doctor in your area. Traditional Medicine Traditional medical care is practiced by using a cookbook mentality. If a person presents a doctor with certain symptoms, then they have a certain disease which has certain pills to treat it. Fibromyalgia is so far outside the traditional medical cookbook that there is no recipe for it. Most doctors don’t know what to do with you. Why? Because, they simply don’t know much about the illness. They know that traditional medicine has little to offer other than covering up symptoms. Prescription medications can be helpful. But prescription medicines also have potential side-effects. And let's face it, you are very complicated. Long-term prescription medication therapy often creates more problems which just leads to even more use of more medications. Many of you have funny reactions to medications and dozens of symptoms, sometimes very bizarre symptoms, "When I eat wheat I feel like I’m choking" or, "My ears are always itching," and, "I take something for sleep and it wakes me up." I’ve Been Specializing in Treating Fibromyalgia and CFS for the Last 10 Years I’ve tried all types of various natural and prescription therapies over the last ten years. I started, and wrote, all the protocols for a large integrative medical practice that was located on the campus of a large hospital in Birmingham, Alabama. This clinic was staffed with medical, chiropractic, and acupuncture doctors. We used a combination of prescription and natural medications. After working with patients from all over the country, and with all sorts of conditions associated with Fibromyalgia and CFS, we came to realize that prescription medication offered little long-term relief for our patients. The more medications a person was on, the more potential side-effects we had to deal with. But we weren’t alone in being humbled by these illnesses. Even the American College of Rheumatology discourages the use of most of the drugs that are being used to treat Fibromyalgia and CFS. Traditional Medical Drug Therapy Doesn’t Provide Long-Term Benefits The American College of Rheumatology has discovered that traditional medications don’t provide long-term relief of symptoms and therefore discourages the use of the very medications used to treat Fibromyalgia; non-steroidal anti-inflammatory meds (Vioxx, Celebrex, Mobic, etc.) muscle relaxers (Soma, Zanaflex, Flexeril, etc.), pain medications, and anti-anxiety medications. After a 15 year study, The American college of Rheumatology admits that their best drug therapies show no better results in FMS patients than sugar pills. Think about the implications of the above statement. Think about all the money spent on meds that don't work and all the unwanted side effects causes by those drugs. Getting Healthy from the Inside Out The only way to beat this illness (and I believe you CAN beat it) is to get healthy from the inside out. A person becomes sick when their self-healing mechanisms shut down. This is known as Dysautonomia or dysfunction of the autonomic nervous system. There is no prescription drug in the world that can correct this dysfunction. Nor is there any one therapy alone that can correct the self-healing autonomic glands: hypothalamus, pituitary, and adrenals. To feel better you MUST correct the underlying dysfunctional bio-chemistry - one system at a time. It is work, but it works! Please don’t give up. You can feel better. You just need to find the right recipe for healing. I’ve been criticized by some for even saying that you can beat Fibromyalgia and CFS. But I will continue to say it, because it is true. You can get well! It's not an overnight process. It may take months, and sometimes years, to get well. Using the protocols I recommend in my practice, and in my book, it usually only takes a couple of weeks before you start feeling better. Better than you’ve felt in years. You won’t be cured in a couple of weeks, but you’ll start to get your life back, have more energy, less pain, sleep better, be happier, and feel better. You can get well, but you’ll always have Fibromyalgia or CFS waiting to return if you let yourself get run down once again. Read some of the testimonials from people just like you who've benefited from my book, protocols, and the products I recommend. Many of you have written to thank me for my ongoing work with Fibromyalgia and CFS. I really appreciate your encouragement. Your support is never more appreciated than when I encounter disbelieving doctors, skeptical patients, and the hopeless. Click here to view free chapters from my books and gain access to my newsletter archives containing much more great information. The Bottom Line I want to help you feel good again. You CAN feel better. I see it happen time and time again. You CAN get your life back. There is no "magic bullet" for CFS or FMS. There is NO magic drug, massage, chiropractic adjustment, surgery, physical therapy, water aerobics, or shrink, that can make you well again overnight. You must do it by getting healthy FROM THE INSIDE OUT. You must get the processes in your body BALANCED by giving it the proper nutrients, allowing it to heal. And, the sooner you start, the sooner you’ll feel better. I am here for you and I will guide you through the process. I've developed my protocols through first-hand experience and "working in the trenches" for years with patients just like you. On my website you'll find links to all the lab tests I recommend, you'll find brain function questionnaires to help you see which nutrients you might be deficient in. Together, we can work on your particular problem. Everyone is different and that's ok. I'm always available to consult with you by email, phone, or in person. I'm in this for the long haul and will be here for you if you have any questions. I know that many of you are sensitive to things that "normal" people aren't sensitive to, such as fillers and other items that are added to many vitamins and minerals. I have gone to great length to put together a line of supplements that are very pure and are of pharmaceutical grade quality. They were especially designed for people with FMS and CFS. One thing I would like you to do, so that we can be on the same page, is to read my book. We can talk more intelligently about your problem if we have this "common knowledge." There is so much I want to say and I've said most of it in my book, Treating and Beating Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. I've just recently released a new SELF-HELP PATIENT'S MANUAL to go along with that first book. This new one goes into much greater detail about my protocols and adds the new things that I've learned in the last two years. With this new manual, you will have everything you need to use my protocols to treat yourself. It's the next best thing to visiting me in person in my office. July Special I try to have a special offer every month that relates to my monthly message. During the month of July I'm going to make it easy for you to get some great information that could easily change your life. My new Patient's Manual is now on sale. I sell it regularly on my website for $59.95. This month, I'm offering it to you for only $24.95! That's $35 off! Only during July. Here's where you can get this special price of $35 off on my new SELF-HELP MANUAL Or, here's one that's even better... If you buy the new patient's manual, which normally sells for $59.95 for the special price of $39.95 - I'll give you two additional gifts. A one-hour tape of me talking about how to treat and beat fibromyalgia and CFS. That tape sells for $12 on my website. In addition, I'll give you my first book which normally sells for $19.95. That's over $90 worth of information for $39.95!!!! Get this special deal by clicking here - Save over $50! Don't forget my ongoing special... "The JUMP-START package" I've created a Jump-Start Package for those individuals who want to start beating Fibromyalgia and CFS right away. These are the same 4 products that I've found essential and use with 99% of my Fibro and CFS patients. These 4 products promote deep restorative sleep, reduce pain, inflammation, depression, and anxiety. They are essential in restoring the body's own self-healing mechanisms that I discuss in my book. 1) 5HTP promotes deep restorative sleep. Reduces pain, mental fatigue, depression, and anxiety. Normalizing serotonin levels with 5HTP usually stops IBS symptoms diarrhea in one day and constipation within the next 2 weeks. 2) The CFS/Fibro Formula is loaded with the high doses of the essential nutrients - including all the vitamins, minerals, essential fatty acids, amino acids, malic acid, CoQ10, and extra magnesium (680mg). This formula contains all the high dose vitamins and minerals based on The Optimal Daily Allowance according to Orthomolecular Medicine. This formula contains Amino acids which make our brain chemicals. They help restore normal brain function, increase mental clarity, reduce depression, anxiety, and fatigue. This formula contains Essential Fatty Acids which reduce pain, inflammation, depression, anxiety, allow brain cells to communicate with one another, increase mental clarity, and boost energy. 3) The Adrenal Cortex helps boost energy, mental clarity and moods. It is a must in restoring normal stress coping stamina and resistance. Adrenal Cortex increases drive, ambition, and stamina. It helps prevent to classic crash from "overdoing-it" syndrome. 4) Digestive Enzymes help stop the bloating, gas, and indigestion that go along with Fibromyalgia and CFS. These enzymes break down foods and make sure the food we eat turns into the essential nutrients we need. It also prevents any problems with digesting the fish oil in the CFS/Fibro Formula packs. Most individuals with Fibromyalgia and CFS have trouble absorbing certain essential fatty acids, including fish oils. This is a real problem because these oils reduce pain, inflammation, and mood disorders. These 4 supplements are normally $133 if ordered separately. When ordered as a Jump-Start Package it's $119.95, saving you over $13. Order the Jump-Start Package Here 2005 Speaking Schedule Check here to see if I'll be in your area soon - I'll be in Dallas and Houston next month - Hope to see you there. Click here to see my schedule. Visit my website @ www.DrRodger.com Dr. Rodger H. Murphree 3401 Independence Drive Suite 121 Homewood AL 35209 To set-up phone or office consults, Call Dr. Murphree's office directly - toll free @ 1-888-884-9577. Birmingham, Alabama USA. Dr. Rodger Murphree's Email Address: DrRodgerM@yahoo.com