wF.A.C.T. – Just the Facts

by Dr. Garry F. Gordon, MD, DO, MD(H)
Gordon Research Institute

Chronic Illnesses

such as

Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Have Multifactorial Etiologies

What are we learning today about the many apparently unrelated, chronic, and largely untreatable conditions that we are confronted with? The diagnostic list includes hundreds of autoimmune-related disorders such as rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, candida overgrowth, Lyme disease, adrenal insufficiency, chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia, multiple chemical and/or environmental sensitivity, and chronic pain syndrome. In a 2014 study, “Epigenetics and the Microbiome: Developing Areas in the Understanding of the Aetiology of Lupus,” the researchers review the presence of altered levels of DNA methylation in lupus and rheumatoid arthritis, and the roles of key environmental factors in the development of these diseases. We could go further and call these conditions mitochondriopathies, as recent, concurring research has implicated dysfunctional mitochondria may lie at the center of these and other complex illnesses, such as autism, Alzheimer’s, and Parkinson’s disease. Toxicological Sciences published a study in 2013 revealing that pharmaceutical drugs as well as environmental pollutants are major mitochondrial toxicants, causing epigenetic changes in mitochondrial DNA leading to dysfunction and disease.

In addition to environmental pollutants, we are bombarded by a myriad of increasingly treatment resistant infections. We know that over 90% of adequately tested adults show the presence of cytomegalovirus (CMV), and nearly 70% show the presence of human papillomavirus (HPV). In the case of Lyme disease, the experts tend to agree if a patient’s history and symptoms are compatible, it is almost impossible to prove that there is no Lyme present. Then there are the latest pathogens to make headlines, with cases emerging here in the US, of Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) out of Saudi Arabia, and the Ebola outbreak emerging from West Africa: both of these bear a high fatality rate among the infected, and there are no vaccines as of yet.

It is hard to know where and how to begin, but I believe that most all chronic health conditions can be safely and effectively treated by following my F.I.G.H.T. For Your Health program – a multifactorial approach that addresses interrelated problems encountered in the areas of Food, Infections, Genetics, Heavy metals, Hormones, and Toxins together. As it is essential to any protocol, I always suggest that we must first do something about the body burden of heavy metals that we carry, which affects the immune system’s TH1-TH2 ratio, setting the stage for vulnerability to persistent and recurring bacterial and viral infections.

Can oxidative therapies help us deal with today’s chronic health challenges? I like to offer remedies such as chelation and oxidative therapies that assist in removing the body burden of toxins and lowering our viral load. Ozone therapy is particularly effective, and now we have ozone stabilized in ASEA water, which many find much easier than IV or rectal ozone treatments, with or without UVB irradiation. ASEA can also help the body deal with heavy metals, as studies have proved that it can increase the intracellular production of glutathione (GSH) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) by 500%!

For optimal results, I sincerely believe that we need to provide some form of oral chelation, daily for life. Parenterally, or IV administered, chelation works faster and is better absorbed, and in my opinion one cannot get too much IV chelation, but it only works to remove metals and toxins from our tissues. Today, we have 1000 times as much lead in our bones as our ancestors did only 100 years ago. In adults, bone remodeling proceeds at about 10% per year, with complete turnover occurring at around 15 years. During the remodeling time, lead is consistently leaching back into the blood. This is why a daily oral chelation program is key, as without it, the lead only gets reabsorbed into the tissues and organs and eventually transported back into the bones.

When we consider the epidemic of chronic health challenges that we are confronted with today, there are no simple cures. Properly tested patients are all shown to carry some heavy metals, and there is no “safe” level of lead. Heavy metals cause immune system imbalances which increase the likelihood of acquiring viral infections. While striving to help heal our chronically ill patients, we need to always realize that merely masking the symptoms with drugs does very little to restore true health.

I continue to find that my F.I.G.H.T. program is a practical concept that helps health-care professionals and their patients avoid falling into the trap of using dangerous and toxic drugs that offer little benefit. Clearly, the most recent science supports the ties between environment and epigenetics, and the multifactorial nature of all chronic illnesses and disease.

References

Edwards CJ, KH Costenbader. Epigenetics and the microbiome: developing areas in the understanding of the aetiology of lupus. Lupus. 2014;23:505. doi:10.1177/0961203314531636.

Meyer JN, Leung MCK, Rooney JP, et al. Mitochondria as a target of environmental toxicants. Toxicol Sci. 2013. doi:10.1093/toxsci/kft102.

Here are a few examples of questions and additional alternative protocols, as discussed by our F.A.C.T. forum participants (names and responses redacted to protect member confidentiality).

Q: Fibromyalgia?

I have a patient who has been suffering from fibromyalgia for years. She has been treated by various doctors, but she still suffers from it. Nerve blockage, Botox, pain killers, myorelaxants have all been tried. Do you have any suggestions for her? Thank you, in advance.
Best regards, ~HB

A1: I see fibromyalgia as actually more than one disease/syndrome. According to Robert Gerwin, MD, who teaches the Janet Travell Seminar Series, only about 2% of diagnosed fibromyalgia is actually “fibromyalgia.” I mostly follow the school of Janet Travell, MD/Robert Gerwin, MD, but also that of Jacob Teitelbaum, MD. There are many possible causes of such pain syndromes & many times it is multi-factorial. I find that food, gut problems & sub-laboratory hypothyroidism are huge problems!
I start with getting people to “eat food with their meals” as many people simply eat junk. Avoid sugar, processed foods, grains, dairy, any foods they may be sensitive to & add organic whole foods. Add digestive enzymes, optimize nutrients–including EFA’s, B-12, vitamin D & hormones–especially thyroid including T3, and others. (There is a Thomas Lowe, DC, in Colorado who believes it is mostly a thyroid issue–he has a website.) Resolve gut problems/infections. In addition, the patient might have a hypercoagulation disorder…see the website of HEMEX. And as in my understanding of Dr. Gordon’s recent seminar, optimize what can be optimized & decrease the body burden of heavy metals, toxins & infectious agents. Once the internal milieu is improved, then physical medicine techniques e.g. trigger point injections, muscle techniques, etc, work better & can hold.
Sincerely,
~ LW

A2: I find that along with reducing the total body burden, ribose (15 gms/day) is really helpful. We use BioEnergy C, which also enables you to give lots of C as well. An alternative would be Corvalen-M, which also has Magnesium and malic acid in addition to ribose. A new product containing Seanol called Fibroboost seems to also be extremely effective (2 caps BID).
~RL

A3: Exclude food allergies /intolerance, and in the final analysis also toxic metal overload.
~S K T

A4: osteopathic manipulative medicine and homeopathic medicine helps.
~SD

A5: Xyrem, in that it gives a deep restorative sleep (stage 3,4) is very beneficial for minimizing the trauma of fibromyalgia. See www.xyrem.info for drug info and see www.ceri.org for info about the political economic aspect of stigmatizing this drug. Studies are undergoing for Xyrem and fibromyalgia.
Best wishes, ~BW

A6: one cannot begin to consider a diagnosis and options without knowing the full history including age, BMI, habits, mental and hormone status. It’s like asking advice for a fever. Why is she being poisoned by “Nerve blockage, Botox, pain killers” without a diagnosis?
Regards, ~NB

A7: We’ve had great response to Fibromyalgia with 50mg of Iodine (25mg of Iodoral twice daily). Most docs would probably want to do an Iodine loading test first. This in addition to all of the support already
mentioned here.
~WG

A8: Having been diagnosed with FM in 1994 at the age of 57, my personal experience with fibromyalgia is this:
After years of working with various physician-directed holistic approaches and finding some overall improvement with nutritional interventions, detoxing, etc. the most significant improvement came with several nutritional additions and a dietary change.
I tested low for vitamin D (18), began taking 2000 IU D3 and increased it over the course of 2 years to 6000 IU daily. My current level is 51. Levels are tested every 2 months. Much is written on the symptoms of a vitamin D deficiency mimicking fibromyalgia. In my case it was very true. I live in NE Ohio with many gray winter days but I golfed and gardened in summer so quite possibly was unable to convert because I had FM symptoms year-round.
In addition, a dietary change that eliminated all gluten/gliadin-containing grains eliminated almost all of the morning stiffness and muscle aches as well as eliminated the tiredness that frequently remained even after 8-10 hours of quality sleep. I find I can now do with less sleep which is a welcome improvement.
I also found the addition of D-Ribose very significantly helped with energy, lack of muscle pain and fatigue. I experimented with dosing and found I am comfortable and have good strength and energy with one teaspoon before and after a daily workout. If I become fatigued or begin to ache, another teaspoon quickly resolves the symptoms. The work of Clarence Johnson, PhD, of Bioenergy Inc. indicates ribose enables CoQ10 efficiency (and other nutrients) in the mitochondria. I’m about 98% cured of all the FM symptoms which I attribute it to vitamin D supplementation, D-ribose and elimination of gluten/gliadin in addition to a core program of nutritional supplements which are undoubtedly all key in my success story. ~JB

Q2: Another Fibromyalgia Patient?

I have a patient’s case that I would appreciate any insight on.
43 yo female with fibromyalgia symptoms, onset about 8 years ago, post high stress. Patient is depressed (sad, especially in morning), low energy, trouble concentrating, unremitting high pitch buzzing sound “in head” (not in ears), and widespread muscle pain. Previously been on antidepressants to no avail. Patient has sweet demeanor, feels like her cognition is analogous to that of a child. Patient is “big boned” and marginally overweight.
Currently mildly elevated TPO 54 IU/mL (RR: <35). TSH = 1.2, free T3 = 5.4 (RR: 3.5-6.5) (on thyroid).
Comprehensive Parasitology x 3 all negative for parasites, positive for gamma strep 4+, treated with botanicals. Neuroscience’s urine analysis of neurotransmitters demonstrated low epinephrine 3.9 (opt RR 8-12, observed RR 1-15), low normal NE 35.9 (opt RR 35-60, observed RR 15-106), low serotonin 80.3 (opt RR 150-200, obs RR 40-275), high GABA 6.1 (opt RR 1.5-4, observed 1.5-35), high histamine 20.5 (opt RR 10-20, obs RR 9-60). PEA & dopamine were WNR.
Chelation challenge with 2.4g CaEDTA. 100 mg DMPS IV demonstrated below average excretion of lead (15 ug/g creat) & mercury (1.5 ug/g creat). Meridian Valley IgG4/IgE food sensitivity panel demonstrated marginally elevated antibodies to cow’s milk & pineapple, overall impression not mounting much of IgG4/IgE antibody response against foods. AM Cortisol low-normal at 7.7 ug/dL (RR 6-27). Full chemistry WNR. Recently found out that 1 room in house smells like mold and chewable multivitamins get “fuzzy” after awhile. Patient has been instructed to get a dehumidifier, and mold plate testing and mold sensitivity testing is soon to follow. Patient is not particularly sensitive to chemicals.
Patient is doing marginally better on Myers injections (q2wks), thyroid, 5-HTP, tyrosine. Patient has also completed round of p.o. DMSA, a few MAH treatments, but patient’s symptoms appear to be resistant to treatments. Interesting thing is that this patient appears to be more “normal” according to testing than majority of patient base. What am I missing? Lead in cells (waiting for flood gates to open)? Mold sensitivity? Sublaboratory hypothyroidism/hashimoto’s? Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated. ~TW

A1: I have had outstanding results with MIHR. It stands for magnetically influenced homeopathic remedies. I’ve written about it in Second Opinion. In some cases, FM results are stunning. The remedies are activated with a special device and then injected into acupuncture points. ~RR

A2: Estimates suggest that anywhere from 30% to 70% of patients with fibromyalgia also suffer from irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), a chronic condition characterized by indigestion, irregularity, abdominal cramps, and diarrhea. Emphasize that patients with fibromyalgia have a high prevalence of gastrointestinal complaints that should be carefully assessed. I had many patients related to this problem. ~MU

A3: Adrenal insufficiency. I would suggest doing a challenge with ACTH or the synthetic version. Also, look for sleep apnea. I had a pt who was by all descriptions thin if not underweight and he had horrible sleep apnea, he had some brain injury which may have had an effect, but it pays to look. if other hormone levels are low, that also can be a sign (another pt with severe sleep apnea had drastically low testosterone and sky high estrogen levels and I have seen a similar pattern in women). it seems the pituitary doesn’t get enough oxygen being in a watershed area and doesn’t produce the stimulating hormones to make the other ones get produced. If you really want to see what kind of metals you are dealing with, check the stool after 3 grams of oral EDTA and a 3 gram Ca EDTA push. Give charcoal at the same time as the EDTA, orally so she/he knows which stool to collect. ~JB

A4: I ran a small study 40 patients, 38 were women. All were toxic with copper. Any estrogen intake raises copper, and I would speculate that the birth control pill has elevated copper in most women, some to the point of wild emotional and mental reactions. Since the syndrome is relatively new, I suspect it is created by copper thru the pill; another bungle by the medical/pharma/cartel establishment. ~WR

A5: we had a patient misinterpret our castor oil pack instructions for treating their fibromyalgia. We requested them to wear a castor oil pack over their entire abdomen for 3 hours over 3 days. They wore it for 3 days straight. They returned to our clinic and reported 95% improvement by reduction of symptoms. When in doubt, treat the gut, decrease the toxic load. ~BL