Fibromyalgia is a painful, chronic condition which is much misunderstood. If you, or a member of your family suffers from fibromyalgia you will understand how symptoms such as fatigue, pain, stiffness, insomnia, IBS, or depression can limit your ability to live life to the full.

By following the advice in her previous book, Living with Fibromyalgia, Christine Craggs-Hinton was able to make vast improvements in her condition. It was after meeting a young nutritionist, however, that she changed her diet.

'After a couple of months my Irritable Bowel Syndrome started to settle down, my pain levels were dropping sharply, and I had more energy than in years. The other symptoms were becoming less of a problem too — and all because of my changed diet.'

Here, Christine Craggs-Hinton shows which foods and supplements can help in the treatment of fibromyalgia, and what to avoid. The book includes a simple detox programme, and delicious recipes which will help you get your life back again.

The Fibromyalgia Healing Diet

Contents

Acknowledgements
Foreword
Preface
Introduction

Part One:

1. Basic considerations for health
2. Necessary Foods
3. Why diet is important in treating fibromyalgia
4. Essential nutrients
5. Substances to avoid
6. On your way to better health — the detoxification programme

Part Two: Healing Recipes

• Essential basics
• Breakfasts
• Soups
• Main meals
• Salads
• Desserts
• Cakes and biscuits
• Snacks
• Breads
• Drinks

References
Useful addresses
Further reading
Index 

The Fibromyalgia Healing Diet

Foreword

There is an incredible power in each of us. It is the power and capacity to heal ourselves. Our bodies have an innate and great self- repair mechanism that we somehow have lost or hidden away in the corner of our stress-filled lives. We fail to take responsibility for our own illnesses and relinquish them to our modern-day doctors with their strong and often toxic drugs, expecting to take a few tablets for that 'quick fix', so that we can get back on the treadmill of life.

In the past, before the advent of 'conventional' medicine, people would use the extracts of plants, herbs, shrubs and trees to heal their ailments, each having specific properties for specific conditions. The properties of natural substances have been known and used for thousands of years. Ancient civilizations have documented evidence of their use. And what do these natural substances contain - vitamins, minerals, bioflavonoids, phyto-nutrients, etc. In other words, nutrition.

We need 13 vitamins, 22 minerals, 8 amino acids and 2 essential fatty acids to sustain life. The elimination of any one of these nutrients from the diet will ultimately result in death, it's as simple as that! Repeated studies have shown that we do not achieve the RDAs for many of the above nutrients and the RDA is the minimum amount required to avoid disease, not the optimum level to achieve good health.

Good nutrition is one of the cornerstones of health. However, under-ripened and overprocessed foods, with the use of chemical pesticides and fertilizers, has denatured our foods by an average of 50 per cent over the last 60 years. It's no wonder our health service cannot cope with the numbers of ill people our food industry is producing. Heart attacks, strokes, diabetes, arthritis, osteoporosis and even cancer have been linked to nutritional deficiencies. In the words of Linus Pauling, twice Nobel Prize winner for his research into vitamin C, 'Virtually all illness and disease can be attributed to a mineral deficiency'.

The food industry spends millions of pounds each year on slick advertising and marketing campaigns, telling us how good their products are. Well, I am afraid you can't beat foods that are fresh, unadulterated, unpackaged, unprocessed and hopefully organic. If you see labels such as long life, no added sugar, low fat or some other 'benefit', then please ignore this food. Its benefit will be far outweighed by some negative factor. Sugar is replaced with artificial sweeteners, of which studies have questioned their carcinogenic potential. Low fat usually means that sugar has been added to improve taste (fat tastes nice). Educate yourself about food labels and always read them. Contact a nutritional organization for help in this area.

In this book you will find some very practical advice on healthy eating. Own 'your' responsibility for 'your' illness and unleash your body' s instinctive healing powers. Reclaim your health by choosing the foods recommended in this book and using correct nutritional supplements that are designed to be therapeutic, not just for general use. Put yourself in the driving seat.

Good health - Steve Taylor, BANT Raw NCDip Member of the British Association of Nutritional Therapists (BANT)

P.S. Always remember that what works for one person may not work for another. Therefore, I also recommend you seek out a competent nutritional practitioner who will work closely with you to achieve your health goals.

About the author - Christine Craggs-Hinton: mother of three, followed a career in the Civil Service until, in 1991, she developed fibromyalgia, a chronic pain condition. Christine took up writing for therapeutic reasons and has, in the past few years, produced Living with Fibromyalgia, The Chronic Fatigue Healing Diet, Coping with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome and Coping with Gout, (all published by Sheldon Press). She also writes for the Fibromyalgia Association UK and the related FaMily magazine. In recent years she has become interested in fiction writing too.