Fibromyalgia vs. Vegetarian & Raw Vegan Diets

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DESCRIPTION: Plant-based diets may be effective for the treatment of fibromyalgia, a painful condition suffered by millions. One thing all sufferers should consider is an aspartame-free trial period (see nutritionfacts.org/video/aspar....
Why do plant-based diets help with chronic pain conditions? There may be a number of reasons why vegetarians only have about half the odds of being on painkiller drugs (see nutritionfacts.org/video/say-n.... Potentially inflammatory compounds in animal products include Neu5Gc (nutritionfacts.org/video/the-i..., endotoxins (nutritionfacts.org/video/the-e... ), and animal proteins (nutritionfacts.org/video/diet-....
On the other hand maybe the potassium in plant foods modulates adrenal function? See my video Potassium and Autoimmune Disease (nutritionfacts.org/video/potas.... If it is the Anti-Inflammatory Antioxidants (nutritionfacts.org/video/anti-..., then that could certainly help explain it. See Antioxidant Power of Plant Foods Versus Animal Foods (nutritionfacts.org/video/antio....
Vegetarian and raw vegan diets appear effective, but what about just mostly vegetarian diets or mostly raw vegan diets? That's the subject of my next NutritionFacts.org video Fibromyalgia vs. Mostly Raw & Mostly Vegetarian Diets (nutritionfacts.org/video/fibro....
Have a question for Dr. Greger about this video? Leave it in the comment section at nutritionfacts.org/video/fibro... and he'll try to answer it!
Image Credit: Daderot via Wikimedia; and twicepix, ericarhiannon, and talksrealfast via Flickr.
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[@acerimmeh]

16 years ago My wife was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia and unable to work, she was mostly bed ridden with aches pains no energy etc, she seen six different doctors who all told her the same thing, "you have to learn to live with it", take pain medication etc. She hates taking pills so she researched things for herself. She juiced for 8 days to detox then ate only organic fruit and vegetables. Within weeks she was exercising 1 hr a day and looking for work, she found full time work and was up every morning exercising 1 hr before work and started being active around the house again. The difference was amazing. What really annoyed me is if she listened to the "expert doctors" she would still be living a miserable pain filled life, it also made me think of the thousands of people suffering needlessly.

[@WhiteKitta]

+acerimmeh ....one of my clients had Fibromyalgia for over 10 years, then she went on a whole food vegan diet for a little bit over a month...and all her pain, extreme fatigue, and also her weekly migraines left after completely.......quite amazing how your life can change when you have the right information for a problem.

[@moniquelopez5106]

can you please share a few recipes with me. My wife is suffering from Fibromyalgia also. I am grateful for you story.

[@Channelsnature]

I stopped eating meat and the body pain diminished, still there is arthritis pain, but no all over body aches. Energy levels improved; after being diagnosed with chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia, possible MS, chronic depression, etc. Many many thanks for you Dr. Gregor.

[@savahnah]

I suffer from Fibro and CFS. I've been Vegan since January. Had CFS for 3 years. Had Fibro just before January of this year. Being vegan hasn't helped. I still have both. But I'm glad it's helping others, because at the end of the day it's worth optimising your diet so your body can fight the crap it's going through.

[@lokasenna32]

I have had full blown fibro symptoms for over 8 yrs now and went vegan in June of last year and the first thing I noticed was the stiffness and joint pain significantly reduced in the beginning... I was literally walking like an 80 yr old person and I am 42. It still takes me time to warm up when I get up but when I do now, I am WAY more fluid. The only other positive thing I have noticed is that I get migraines on a less frequent basis now. My own conclusion was that dairy was the main culprit for the stiffness and i'm not sure about the migraines.. I never really ate meat at all anyway before but cheese was my addiction. I have also lost 30 lbs which helps some and that is with no exercise at all. My body doesn't recover well from exercise so I don't anymore but I am still loosing about a pound a week eating a HCLF vegan diet.. I have also removed the high cholesterol I had and pre-diabetes...

[@hiddenbayes]

Even though a plant-based diet is very healthy, I think people like us need to pay even greater attention to the details in order to get well. There are several studies which showed that fibro patients are low in an antioxidant called CoQ10 and that increasing it caused a reduction in symptoms. There are other studies which showed that CoQ10 also helped with migraines. The antioxidants we get from food can recycle CoQ10 so I don't think the answer is to supplement it but to eat more foods that are high in antioxidants. Also eating a little bit of fat with your veggies will improve the absorption of antioxidant compounds significantly. I remember Dr. Greger saying 3 walnuts worth of fat was enough. Doing those two things really helped me a lot. Also not sure if you saw the video Dr. Greger did on biggest bang for buck antioxidant food but it was purple cabbage.

[@elizabethdorchester5307]

@@hiddenbayes thank you

[@jjfakespace193]

Hey guys, correct all the way. Love the comments, real inspirational. my partner was diagnosed with fms in march 2014 and after months of watching the doctors destroy her I tuned to investigating medicine in food. Lily is now free from drugs and works almost full time from home as a conference producer for an international company, the same job she had before she was diagnosed. I can say that we owe our lives to Dr Greger. Thanks doc. If your ever in London UK we be honored to have you stay with us. life has never been so good.

[@guiomarrebelo6494]

I’m a Fibromyalgia suffer, and since I switch my diet to vegan it improved significantly pain. Fibromyalgia is related to stress , the body is in flight fight mode 24 hours and the stress hormones affects muscle, sleeping patterns, joints, digestion and so on. The reason why doctors say there’s no cure for fibromyalgia is because they can’t find a way of switch off the hypothalamus the responsible for the stress hormones. Fibromyalgia can be controlled with holistic healing or alternatives. How to release stress? By making changes on lifestyle, practising meditation, taking suplementos, fascial massage and yoga. The best book that everyone who suffers from Fibromyalgia should read is is “Fibromyalgia Manual For Yourself And Doctors” by Ginebra Liptan . On this marvellous book explain detailed everything that you need to know about Fibromyalgia, that most doctors don’t know. Highly recommended.

[@kerryford1831]

Please include relaxation hypnosis in your list of stress management techniques.

[@tamimg83]

I love the book you recommend. Dairy is my weakness for sure, mainly cheese. I am going to try a dairy, gluten and meat free diet to see if it helps. Thanks.

[@KrwiomoczBogurodzicy]

[00:44] What can we do for those who suffer? Well, according to the latest review on fibromyalgia and nutrition, a vegetarian diet could have some beneficial effects*, but based on what kind of evidence? [side note: It’s not that a vegetarian diet is a cure, it’s that unhealthful diets are the cause.] [01:27] The first one was in ’93. Ten fibromyalgia patients were put on a vegetarian diet for three weeks. Positive effect of the treatment upon pain status of most of the patients: Seven out of ten felt better. [02:07] A vegan diet was first put to the test in 2000, in Helsinki. {side note: what about vitamin D?} [03:00] The rheumatoid patients said they felt better when they started to eat the living food diet [raw plant-based diet], and the symptoms got _worse_ when they returned back to their previous omnivorous diet. [03:09] But what about the _fibromyalgia patients_ ? Both groups reported having quite a lot of pain at rest in the beginning of the study. But there’s a significant decrease in the raw vegan group, which gradually disappeared after shifting back to the omnivorous diet. They also found other significant changes, such as improvement in the quality of sleep, reduction of morning stiffness, and improvement in measures of general health. [03:36] • Morning stiffness comparison: raw vegan vs control group (omni). And reversal. [04:04] • Pains at rest comparison [04:09] So, significant improvements in fibromyalgia stiffness, pain and general health. (at least in the short run of 3 months-which is how long the intervention lasted)

[@ToddSloanIAAN]

It is true to my personal finding also that shifting to a live plant food diet relieves my morning stiffness a lot for me this later summer! Thank you for this report so I can even realize this fact! The anxiety is the same at the end of the day but I can't feel discouraged with this site... ever!

[@Steeni22]

As far as I know, I have Fibro, and these things have helped me... There's even a PubMed study on the success of rawfood veganism on RA, it's been proven positive and helpful... I'm of the opinion that if it's a placebo effect..., I'm all for it! Better than no effect! (Lol,... I am veg and it's helped keep me from screaming in pain, thus far... Not yet raw, but considering it...

[@zarnowind]

I believe that the magnesium content on plant based diets is a factor to be considered, there's positive association between magnesium intake and reduction of fibromyalgia symptoms in numerous studies. The problem is the size of the population observed. The role of magnesium in regulating the disrupted nerve stimuli that is believed to be the "cause" of fibromyalgia should definetely be more studied.

[@catlover5654]

A vegetarian diet can help alleviate world hunger. Over 10 pounds of plant protein are used to produce one pound of beef protein. If these grains were fed to humans instead of animals, more food would be available for the 925 million people in chronic hunger worldwide. Research from Cornell University found that the grain used to feed US livestock alone could feed 800 million people.

[@JamesonWolffFitness]

Grains contain phytates that bind to vitamins and minerals and block some of their absorption. That is why comparing white rice to brown rice is not so different when looking at nutrient absorption. Eating whole grains can potentially make a deficient diet even worse. I wouldn't say grains are bad but pre-soaking them can help with this issue. (allergies aside).

[@Nutzername36]

whats so bad about grains? i still don´t get it. i mean something like oat flakes seem to be an optimal food for humans.

[@DrSpooglemon]

I found that high potency magnesium supplementation helped. Although that is just anecdotal...

[@joeywmc]

Check out Dr. Douglas Graham's book Grain Damage. He is a raw(fruitarian) vegan which may not be something you choose to do, but there is some good info about grains in the book that I think are worth noting.

[@Nutzername36]

so u would prefer potatoes/corn given the choice between them and grains?

[@Nutzername36]

can u provide sources, please. thanks :)

[@evolopterus]

You can start by creating a free blog to share your experiences, and let users comment and share theirs with you. Wordpress has a free online blog service you can use.

[@Nutzername36]

its kind of funny. over here in germany i don´t even have to think about something like that. if corporations plant a field of gmo´s to test them people go there and destroy it :D think its time to adopt this behaviour worldwide ;)

[@evolopterus]

Please remember two things... first, not everyone is the same, people can respond differently to similar diets. Second, nutrition alone is not enough... not unless you get your physical activity/exercise and emotional/psychological factors in good shape also.

[@Nutzername36]

p.s.: there is a different between power lifting and body building ;)

[@Tamizushi]

How do we know that it's not the placebo effect?

[@Nutzername36]

thank you :)

[@sportydiver]

Well, we all have the same organs. When I hear that response, I come back with: we all have different nutrient deficiencies, different misdiagnosis, bacteria,parasites,microbes and pathogens in us. So, it is a process. First establish a baseline and it is like a process of elimination to get your homocistien levels, endocrine system,and every cell to start functioning and communicating in harmony. If you never eat beans, then start eating beans, then you are lacking the digestive enzymes

[@Steeni22]

Would like to do this and speak w/ anyone who has... Perhaps we can all start a Yahoo! group?

[@Nutzername36]

thanks for the info. but "Eating whole grains can potentially make a deficient diet even worse" isn´t really a strong argument i think.

[@TheRawTeen]

I generally eat 3000-3500 calories a day from fruits and greens and generally get like 4-6L of water a day. No constipation but I do take multiple trips to the bathroom a day. I don't see how your protein needs are never met, as just because you've never tried eating 30 bananas in a day, doesn't mean it doesn't work.

[@evolopterus]

I am not saying eating junk food and losing weight would do just as well for Fibromyalgia. I think that a "healthy omnivorous diet + physical activity + normal body weight group" would be interesting to investigate in such a study. This study does not investigate this scenario.

[@michaelonello1022]

Dr. G in the house..!

[@joeywmc]

What about dairy? I am willing to bet that if you go on a low fat vegan diet your arthritis would improve greatly. Check out some videos by Dr. John McDougal about MS and arthritis.

[@indivent]

You never mentioned this is in comparison to a Standard American Diet. The improvements could have been caused by many other things than antioxidant status or meat consumption. Correlation does not prove causation.

[@Gabe62046]

indivent in my opinion, my high antioxidant diet does nothing, and I know my shit when it comes to dr. Gregers research

[@JamesonWolffFitness]

I eat meat, dairy, grains, and lots of vegetables. For my needs and goals I need about 150-160g/protein per day.

[@youmakemehappy7]

You can get your protein from plants

[@bintakinpics]

2yrs fibromyalgia treated by Dr's. Stopped Dr's & did 60 days raw vegan (no more fibromyalgia) 60 days cooked vegan, 60 days raw&cooked vegan with a few vegetarian items each week, 60 days of previous plus monthly omniverous meals, no return of symptoms.

[@Moon52171]

I switched to plant based its not helped my fibromyalgia and cfs one bit.. my quality of life stinks 😢

[@evolopterus]

You can only lose weight when you get less calories than you burn. The subjects in the study lost significant weight so there you have it. The omnivorous group of people in the study, did not lose weight, and they "continued their omnivorous diet". Since their diet got them overweight in the first place, it's safe to assume it includes excess calories, lots of junk food, probably fried and processed foods, trans fats etc... i.e. the typical western diet.

[@sportydiver]

Why is it so difficult to find the TRUTH about health and nutrition in the U.S. ? I would like to create a platform where people can share info that works. And stop the oppresion and conflicts from special interests, and misinformation. Any Ideas?

[@natureasintended]

Is that less than 10% of your caloric intake? foodnsport. com/faq.php

[@Nutzername36]

ok. so u want massive amounts of protein in ur diet. i think it´s not practical if u want 180g/d of it from vegetables/fruits although i thing u meet ur demand for a week or so with it and will fuck up ur kidneys. maybe with seeds and sprouts. "journal of sports nutrition"->can u provide a source, please. also are u sure u only need 3-4Mcal/d and maybe not more like 4-6Mcal/d?

[@-V33-]

I am sorry if I offended you. If people wish to supplement B12 that is their choice, have a peaceful day

[@flowerswillsaveus]

not when gmo'd

[@evolopterus]

Cherry picking again... what doc neglected to mention is this "The majority of patients were overweight to some extent at the beginning of the study and shifting to a vegan food caused a significant reduction in body mass index ". The subjects were initially overweight. They lost significant weight on a calorie restricted diet and their symptoms improved (surprise). Again, the 'omnivore' diet group was not controlled... might as well have been on mcdonalds, fried foods, sodas and candy.

[@Nutzername36]

you can´t get protein deficient from eating whole fruits/foods . basically forget protein. make sure you don´t eat to much of it. 100g of fiber is OK. nothing special. constipation?! no, the other way around ;)

[@AbattoirDream]

they are cooked.. and we arent granivores, fruit fits the bill much better

[@Nutzername36]

so no symptoms? no? no point in repeating uself, i know what u have written;) dosn´t change the fact that obviously the human body can grow muscle from a diet of fruit and vegetables, because as i said there is no such thing as an "protein deficiency" only an "overall energy/nutrition deficiency". i may google that for u: en . wikipedia . org/wiki/Protein-energy_malnutrition

[@Nutzername36]

did u get my other comment? youtube is mixing things up again.

[@WOB1010]

Is Veganism alone, a cure fro Fibromyalgia ? Probably not ..However combined with proper Exercise , Sunshine, proper intake of Minerals , proper Sleep and intermittent fasting....Probably so.

[@chaceS55]

William Gabbert it is all connected. If you use dr Gregers daily dozen you will get enough vitamins and minerals in your diet. After this you will feel a lot better and you will be able to exercise. Before I went on this diet I hated exercising because of the pain it caused the next day. Now when I exercise I barely feel it unless I am using the muscles alot. So to me what you eat is a lot more important than the others. Vitamin D is also very important.

[@WOB1010]

That kind of makes sense... People who are healthy, don't benefit as much as people who are sick.

[@theresabajorek]

I've had fibromyalgia for many years, but it's gotten worse over the past two years. I have three other friends with fibro, and we all eat varying things. I find that my vegetarian friend has more pain than I do (omnivore) and same with another friend who has had weight loss surgery. I find that being active helps best with pain, like gentle stretching, swimming, and limiting caffeine. When i feel emotionally well, my pain is lessened, and I feel like if I were to continue trying to work on my mood and my exercise, that my fibro symptoms will lessen.

[@condatis6175]

+Theresa Bajorek Have you tried meditation?

[@hiddenbayes]

Vegetarian, omnivore, these terms are ultimately meaningless for health. If you want to be healthy, you need to eat whole foods plant-based. A little bit of animal product added to a plant-based diet won't do much harm. it may even be beneficial. Look up another video Dr. Greger did on the Okinawan diet for an example of what a plant-based diet might look like.

[@theresabajorek]

hey john o murcoo - I have. It's very hard for me to meditate but I'm still trying.

[@theresabajorek]

hb I have been slowly replacing certain meat based dishes with plant alternatives over the course of the summer, but no real change yet. Will update you in december I guess XD

[@WOB1010]

"A little bit of animal product added to a plant-based diet won't do much harm." That statement's validity is entirely dependent upon ones definition of "A little bit". The Okinawa's consume less than 5% animal product in their diet. (Mainly sea food)

[@Nutzername36]

can u back up that humans aren´t granivores please.

[@OfftoShambala]

they literally cause diabetes... at least that seems to be the biggest objection i've heard about

[@TheRawTeen]

30 Bananas a day gives you 44g of protein which is basically 50, and then you add in greens which are higher in protein and getting 50g is pretty easy. If someone is active then they would obviously consume more calories so they would get more protein and it wouldn't be a problem.

[@JamesonWolffFitness]

No

[@-V33-]

what's optimal about having to cook something? Fruits and veg are optimal

[@Nutzername36]

i´m asking u for your supposed symptoms. my muscles are all right ;) u are lifting weights and your muscles don´t grow, or what? eat sufficient or put on more weights or both :O simple as that. or get steroids ;) if u want to get not enough protein you really need to know exactly what u are doing and u really must want it. starvation or wise chosen highly processed food. no athletes?! really? or do i have to google it? lose your fear about this protein bs. u are fine. maybe Psychosomatic ;P

[@totomomo1701]

I have fibromyalgia and went vegan 1 year ago, after few month of relief, I am Back In limbos of pain, extreme pain... I am vegan, and that's the greatest thing, but don't fool us, it doesn't cure this disease nor reliefs the symptoms...... and i regret it.....

[@elodie2222]

so sad...kiss from france :)

[@Tamizushi]

How do we know that it's not the placebo effect?