Much of the following material, including linked information, comes from my book Treating and Beating Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, past newsletters, past articles, and my books, Treating and Beating Fibromyalgia: A Patients Self-Help Manual and Treating and Beating Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: A Manual for Non-Allopathic Doctors.
Question: Can I take your supplements if I'm taking prescription medications? Only if you want to feel better and get well. There is a misconception that nutritional supplements may be dangerous if taken with medications. In some cases this may be true. However, there few contraindications for taking the vitamins and minerals I recommend. The only contraindication that comes to mind is surgery. Vitamin C and fish oil can increase bleeding times and should be avoided a few days before having surgery.
My Recommendations: Most of the products I recommend, like the CFS/Fibro Formula or Basic Vitamin/Mineral Formula, are essential nutrients. They must be taken everyday. Essential nutrients (vitamins, minerals, fish oils, and amino acids) make certain hormones (serotonin, dopamine, thyroid, sex hormones, etc) enzymes, and other chemicals that the allow the brain and body to function at optimal levels. Without these key nutrients disease processes begin to occur. Most individuals are deficient in these essential nutrients; vitamins, minerals, fish oils, and amino acids. Even if you eat 3 servings of fruit and vegetables a day, you’ll still be deficient in certain key essential vitamins, minerals, and amino acids. Most of our foods are processed and, therefore, the nutrients have been leeched out of them. 70% of the population is deficient in magnesium, 65% are deficient in zinc, 48% are deficient in calcium, and 56% of the population is deficient in Vitamin C. (1)
Nutritional deficiencies are quite common in America. In one study up to 50% of patients admitted for hospital care had nutritional deficiencies. (2)
Fifty percent of the population is deficient in magnesium. (3)
It's clear that everyone should taking an optimal multivitamin and mineral formula. Essential Therapeutics formulas are specially designed to exacting standards of quality.
RELATED INFORMATION:
Related May 2004 Newsletter
We are the Gardeners of Our Life
Compare Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) to Optimum Daily Allowance (ODA)
Essential Therapeutic Multivitamin & Mineral Formulas are available here
A Detailed Description of Benefits Associated with Vitamins, Minerals, and Amino Acids
Question: Can I take 5HTP or some of the other amino acids if I’m taking anti-depressants or sleep medications? Yes. Ninety percent of my patients are taking antidepressants. They don’t make serotonin or epinephrine. Most antidepressants are like gasoline additives, they help a person hang on to the serotonin or epinephrine their brain is already producing. Most individuals don’t have any serotonin or epinephrine in their brain to re-uptake. A gasoline additive doesn’t help when the tank is empty! Most individuals with depression or mood disorders are deficient in serotonin and epinephrine; they’ve used it all up and their brains are empty. This is why they are depressed, have more pain, suffer from insomnia, and anxiety. Using a gasoline additive isn’t going to help. Serotonin and epinephrine are made from the amino acids. Why use a gasoline additive (that has all kinds of potential side-effects) when you can just pour gasoline into your tank. Yes, please take amino acids.
See more about Mood Disorders in this newsletter
Antidepressants Not Much Better Than Sugar Pill According to Report on Clinical Trials
More: Conventional Medicine Defeated by Fibromyalgia?
See Brain Function Questionnaire Here
Question: Should I stop taking my prescription medications? I don’t recommend you stop taking your prescription medications until after you start feeling better on my program. Stopping medications can trigger a host of withdrawal symptoms. Start taking the supplements I recommend, build your stress coping system up, and allow your body to start healing itself. After you start feeling stronger (it may be a few months) then with the help of your doctor, slowly start weaning off the medications. Most of the medications can be weaned off and never missed. Some medications will have to be re-started until you become stronger or find other less toxic options.
More About Commonly Used Drugs and Their Side-Effects
Pfizer Settles Fraud Case for $430 Million
Question: I’ve started taking the CFS/Fibromyalgia Jump Start (or other products) and I’m now having problems (rash, diarrhea, nausea, etc.) what should I do? I recommend that you discontinue all supplements for 1-2 days. Then add back one tablet a day to see which particular pill (supplement) is causing the problem.
Example: If you have a problem taking the CFS/Fibromyalgia Jumpstart package stop all pills for 1-2 days. Then start adding one pill each day. The first day you should take one multivitamin tablet. If you don’t have any problems then the next day take two multivitamin tablets. If you don’t have any problems add another multivitamin tablet on the third day. Keep adding one tablet each day until you take a whole pack. If you start having a problem stop taking that particular pill, wait a couple of days and begin adding the rest of the pills one each day. Then do the same thing with any other supplements you may be taking (adrenal cortex, 5HTP). The digestive enzyme rarely causes a problem. I recommend you stay on this even while you are exploring which particular pill is giving you a problem.
Question: In your talk you said there are some medications we are taking that is actually making us worse. Which medications do you think are bad? I’ve already reported on the dangers of prescription medications. At best most only cover up problems. At their worst, prescription medications can cause serious side-effects.
As reported in the Journal of American Medical Association, over 250,000 Americans die each year from medical therapies - including at least 113,000 from the negative effects of prescription medications. Death from medical errors is now the third cause of death in the U.S. behind heart disease and cancer. (4) (5)
Question: I tried 5HTP but it didn’t work. What else can I try for sleep? First of all make sure you took a good, highly absorbable, pure 5HTP supplement. There are vendors who aren’t as concerned about quality as others. In short, there are some dishonest manufacturers out there. They only care about jumping on the band wagon and making a quick buck. Second, make sure you try taking it at night on an empty stomach with 4 ounces of grape juice. Try to push the dose up to 300mg. If no luck falling asleep, then add 3mg of sublingual melatonin at bedtime. Try taking together for a few days. If you fall asleep but can’t stay asleep, use 2-3mg of timed released melatonin at bedtime.
5HTP turns into serotonin and then into melatonin. Melatonin is the sleep producing hormone. However, you always want to make sure your serotonin levels stay elevated so start with 5HTP and add melatonin if needed.
Ok, you take 5HTP at night and it makes you more alert. Don’t take at night, instead take during the day with food 2 capsules three times a day. If you can’t turn your mind off before going to bed, try taking 50mg of L-Theanine or 500 mg of GABA (take on an empty stomach one and half hour after dinner). Both of these naturally-occurring amino acids help calm the mind chatter down.
Practice good sleep-promoting habits. Turn the lights down low, avoid bright lights, stimulation, caffeine, and alcohol. No work! Stay off the computer, avoid the phone and TV past nine O’clock. Keep your bedroom cool. Lights down low. Don’t get into bed until you are ready to sleep. A little reading is ok, but no TV in bed.
Warm baths with Epsom salts one hour before bed can be relaxing.
If this doesn’t work you might have to consult your medical doctor and use Ambien, Flexeril, Trazadone, or Elavil until you can correct your sleep-wake cycle. Keep taking 5HTP SO YOU CAN BUILD UP YOUR OWN SEROTONIN.
NOTICE: On this page you'll find some product links going to my new store. You will need to use the password RMURPH to use the new online VIP store. Please write this down. You only have to do it once and it will remember you after that. Thanks!
Password - RMURPH
My newsletter with more sleep
information
GABA is available
here
Question: Do I have
to use your supplements or can I get them at a health
food store, Walmart, or pharmacy? No, you don't have to use mine. You
can use other supplements. Make sure they are based
on optimal daily dose. I try to use the purest
nutrients I can find. I also try to keep cost down.
But, if I have to choose between quality and price
I’ll choose quality. I do this because it is not what
you take but what you absorb that matters. The
Essential Therapeutics line of supplements is
guaranteed to be digested with in 45 minutes. Also
look for products free of fillers, artificial colors
or additives. I use products that are free of yeast,
sugar, wheat, dairy, colorings or artificial
coloring. I’m pretty picky about the supplements I
use. If I’m going to be recommending supplements for
tough illnesses like fibromyalgia, CFS, diabetes, and
other chronic conditions, I want to know I’m using
the best products available, so should you.
Essential Therapeutics Statement of
Quality
See the ingredients in my CFS/FIBRO
FORMULA here
Question: When I try to
take fish oil I taste it all day. When I take fish oil I
get bloating, gas or indigestion? Why are fish oils so
important? Can I take flax seed oil instead?
Many individuals have become
deficient in the enzymes needed digestive certain oils,
including fish oil. Try taking a digestive enzyme along
with your fish oil capsule at each meal. This should do it.
If not, hang in there or switch to flax seed oil. The most
important part of fish oil is DHA. Deficiencies are linked
to mood disorders, depression, anxiety, fatigue, ADHD, and
poor immune function. This long chain fatty acid isn’t in
flax seed oil.
Sixty-percent of the U.S.
population is deficient in Omega 3 fatty acids.
The American Heart Association
reports that studies show that fish oil supplements
drastically reduce the risk of sudden death from heart
attacks and or stroke. Those individuals who took receiving
fish oil supplementation (1,000mg twice a day) were 45%
less likely to die from a heart related disease.
Another study published in Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers
and Prevention, showed that “studies suggest that marine
fatty acids have an anti-tumor effect on prostrate tumor
cells.”
These oils also reduce help boost hormones that naturally
reduce allergic reactions, pain and inflammation.
The Many Health Benefits of Fish
Oil!
Question: I feel a lot
better after taking your CFS/Fibro Formula or Basic
Multivitamin/mineral Formula but now I have diarrhea. What
should I do? Try taking
the white oval magnesium tablet out of each packet
(CFS/Fibro Formula). Magnesium is a natural muscle-relaxant
(the colon is a muscle). If you take too much magnesium you
can get loose bowel movements. If this doesn’t stop the
loose bowel movements, try taking one pack a day instead of
two (applies to both formulas). I’d also recommend you
start taking a digestive enzyme with each meal. Make sure
you take the CFS/Fibro formula with food.
A low serotonin state will cause irritable bowel syndrome.
Taking 5HTP will boost serotonin levels and IBS usually
goes away in one to two weeks.
If you are constipated then you’re low in magnesium.
Magnesium gets used-up rather quickly (used in each cell to
generate energy) when we get under too much stress. Another
sign you are low in magnesium is when you have muscle
twitches or spasms (Restless Leg Syndrome).
Magnesium
Information
Question: Will I have to
take these supplements for the rest of my life?
No, at some point you can stop
taking some of the supplements but you’ll always need to be
on a good optimal dose multivitamin/mineral supplements.
The best health insurance is the commitment you make to
taking good care of yourself. Taking nutritional
supplements helps fill in the gaps in our ongoing health
program. Do you eat 6 servings of fruits and vegetables a
day? Can you avoid all toxic pollution (air, water,
stress)?
I don’t want to breakdown and become chronically ill at 50
or 60 or 70 and live the rest of my dependent on drugs,
surgeries and hospital care. Too many people die with their
music still in them. They are dead long before their heart
stops beating. I’ve seen several people I love succumb to
the usual ravages of old age and poor health. Not me!
Research shows that taking essential nutrients and staying
active physically, mentally, and spiritually keeps us young
(no matter what age) and healthy.
My Multivitamin & Mineral Formulas
are available here
Question: Can you
recommend a doctor in my area who uses your program?
I wish I could. There is a
real shortage of “forward, out of the box thinking”
doctors. This is why I’m now touring the country and
teaching other doctors how to use my protocols.
Question: You recommend I
stop eating sugar. How can I stop my sugar cravings?
When you are under stress,
anxious, or depressed, your body might crave sugar or
starches. This is an attempt to get more serotonin into
your brain. Starches and sugar help more tryptophan (5HTP)
get past the blood brain barrier and get into the brain.
This boosts serotonin levels. Normally by increasing 5HTP
you can stop these cravings. You can take up to 300mg a
day. If you are taking it at night, also take during the
day with food for a combined daily dose of 300mg. This also
applies to helping reduce anxiety, low moods, or pain. Stay
on the empty stomach bedtime dose but add the additional
5HTP during the day with food (max 300mg).
You can also use the amino acid L-Glutamine 500mg 2-3 times
a day on an empty stomach.
Nature's Way makes a product called Blood Sugar that helps
reduce sugar cravings. Ask you local Health food store for
this product.
L-glutamine is available
here
Question: I’m doing
better since I started taking the CFS/Fibro Formula. What
else can I take to reduce my pain? If your Brain Function Questionnaire shows
you’re low in serotonin take 5HTP ( and keep increasing
until get to 300mg a day). The higher your serotonin, the
less pain you’ll have. If it shows you’re low in opiods,
(The O Group) then try DL-Phenylalanine.
DL-Phenyalanine is available
here
My Arthro Formula is good for
osteoarthritis or rheumatoid
arthritis
The new SAMe formula is also a good
choice for pain reduction
The brand new Achy Muscle Formula is
designed for chronic tight achy muscle
pain
Question: My doctor
won’t prescribe Armour thyroid, bio-identical hormone
Replacement therapy, or any other therapies you
recommend. What should I do? Fire them! I hear this often and it
upsets me that people are treated like peasants in the
royal court. If your doctor isn’t doing what you want,
fire them and get another doctor. They work for you.
Read More about Thyroid Issues in this
Newsletter
Question: How can I
reduce my cholesterol naturally? Take 300 mg of fish oil each day along
with timed release niacin.
Niacin is available
here
Question: How can I
reduce my blood pressure naturally? Start with Timed release Niacin 400mg
twice a day for 5 days. Then increase the dose to 400mg
three times a day for 5 days. Then 800mg twice a day.
Regular niacin can cause an unpleasant histamine flush. You
can avoid this by using timed release niacin. Even better
is a special form of niacin called inositolhexaniacinate
(No Flush Niacin). No Flush Niacin should be taken same way
as timed release niacin. I also recommend good optimal dose
multivitamin with 500mg of magnesium and 2-3,000mg of fish
oil each day.
Marine Fish Oil is available
here
Question: I’m trying to
get pregnant can I take the supplements you
recommend? I’d
recommend the regular multivitamin 2 tablets twice a day
with food. Prenatal vitamins are a waste! Based on RDA
recommend disease allowance (see last months newsletter).
I’d also recommend you take 3,000mg of fish oil each day. I
wouldn’t recommend taking any other supplements.
Sources
(1) Treating and Beating
Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
(2) Roubenoff R, et al, Malnutrition among hospitalized
patients: problems of physician awareness. Arch Intern Med
147:1462- 1465.1987
(3) Rogers SA, Tired or
Toxic?, Prestige Printing, Box 3161, Syracuse NY13220,
1990.
(4) .Journal of The American Medical Association, July 26,
2000:284 (4):483-5
(5) Kohn L, ed, Corrigan J, ed Donaldson M, ed. To Err is
Human: Building a Safer Health System. Washington, DC:
National Academy Press; 1999.