Q. Do you know of any nutritional protocol that would be beneficial for reducing or *gasp* even healing fibromyalgia using a high raw diet regimen

Do you feel that something like live blood testing, or mineral level testing would be beneficial? Wendy, after following your long ordeal with Lyme disease **Gentle Hugs to you** I believe you might be able to understand the pain, fatigue and depression that is involved while dealing with a chronic illness. ?I am looking forward to hearing more about your healing journey!

Sending love,? C.

btw...I am the one who has been dealing with this dis-ease for the last decade. It really started to escalate once I hit menopause, which makes me think a hormonal imbalance could play a part.

A. Our bodies can heal from just about anything!

Thanks so ?much for your email, C. Yes, you are so very right. After dealing with Lyme Disease I can fully understand the pain, fatigue, depression, and more that comes with a chronic illness such as Fibromyalgia. I'm sorry you and so many other individuals are suffering. It's wonderful you are looking to natural ways to heal your body, especially when medical doctors are either quick to say the symptoms are all imaginary or to dispense medications that mask the problems.

If you do a quick search on the Internet for raw food diet and fibromyalgia, you'll find some great inspiring stories of others who have healed their bodies by consuming a raw food diet. A 100% raw food diet, followed for a few months, should give you a pretty good indication of whether, or not, diet alone will be helpful for your body's healing. If you aren't interested in trying a 100% raw food diet, then at least try to eliminate the foods that will many times bring about the symptoms you're trying to overcome. The best things to eliminate from most diets are: wheat (in every form), sugar (except from fresh fruits), oils (except for cold-pressed coconut, olive, avocado), meat, fish, and dairy products.

Many people find relief by eliminating foods that come from the nightshade family (tomatoes, peppers, potatoes, eggplant). So, that could be an area where experimentation with your diet may prove helpful, as well.

As for a nutritional protocol, each body is unique. That's why so many of these chronic illnesses are difficult to heal -- we all have different imbalances that bring about the symptoms and therefore require different/unique ways of treating the illness. For many, as I stated above, a 100% raw food diet has helped.

Live blood testing is useful for viewing overall health, but not in diagnosing. You already know your body is out of balance, so it might be more beneficial to get some more serious testing done. A thorough blood test can provide you with some clues about where your body may be having some struggles (especially where minerals are concerned). I've been monitoring my health through routine blood tests since before I started my raw food journey.

You said you are sensing that your body is having some hormonal imbalances. If that's the case a qualified professional should be able to help you determine which tests to order when going for your bloodwork. I'd recommend finding a reputable naturopath to talk with about your concerns. Hormonal imbalances are something they are exceptionally well at diagnosing and helping to balance. Please don't overlook sugar/insulin balance as a possible root to other hormonal imbalances. A simple, inexpensive sugar/insulin monitor can tell you a lot if you track your blood over the period of a week, or so.

In the meantime, while you are still looking for answers and trying to get through each day, please know that I'm sending lots of love out to you (and to everyone else who's suffering and trying to find a way to heal). I DO understand and I am here to share what I've learned and to inspire you to keep trying to find what works best for your own body.

Also, for a quick burst of energy to start your day, try juicing. It will flood your body with nutrients that don't require a lot of work to assimilate. It's one of the things that always gives me more energy, so I hope you'll try it for yourself.

I hope I've helped in some way.

Lots of love to you,

Wendi

XOXOXO