Teitelbaum's SHINE Protocol

[Jemima]

This is a re-post as I apparently put this in the wrong place last time!

I recently came across a Dr. Jacob Teitelbaum, who specialises in fibro. He developed a protocol for managing the condition, called SHINE, which - according to their own data - helped 90% of patients in their study. I was struck by how much it chimes with what Sunkacola outlined for managing fibro, and what a lot of us have landed upon as an approach that helps us. The hormone stuff is quite interesting too:

Sleep: Get adequate sleep, preferably eight to nine hours a night. Sleep replenishes your body's energy and helps heal your muscles. Inadequate sleep will leave you exhausted and in pain. Because your sleep center isn't working in CFS/FMS, aggressive sleep support is necessary.

Hormones: Hormone deficiencies can contribute to fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome. Unfortunately blood testing misses the large majority of people with hormonal deficiencies in these illnesses. The large majority of people with fibromyalgia should do a treatment trial with thyroid. In addition, if you get irritable when hungry, adrenal support is needed. Most men with CFS/FMS find that their testosterone level is in the lowest 30% of the population. If a woman's fibromyalgia symptoms are worse around her menses, estrogen and progesterone support may be helpful. Low blood pressure (hypotension) is also a major contributor to CFS/FMS. Called orthostatic intolerance, this occurs when gravity causes your blood to pool in your legs when you stand up, leaving you easily exhausted and brain fogged.

Immunity/Infections: Underlying viral, bacterial, bowel, sinus and yeast infections are common and can be contributing causes of CFS/FMS, or even the result of it.

Nutrition: To maintain normal health and optimal energy levels you need to make sure you get an optimal balance of nutrients, particularly as nutritional deficiencies can result from CFS/FMS. Vitamin B-12, magnesium, acetyl L-carnitine, glutathione, as well as your basic A, B, C and D vitamins are especially vulnerable to depletion.

Exercise: Exercise as able. After 10 weeks on the first four steps above, you should be able to slowly increase your amount of exercise without being wiped out the next day. Don't overdo it trying to follow "normal" exercise recommendations, as doing too much can result in Post Exertional Malaise, a condition that can last for days that leaves you feeling as though you were hit by a truck. But by following the S.H.I.N.E.® protocol, you should gradually begin to condition.

For my own fibro-questing, I was interested to read about orthostatic intolerance, realising that this could have been what was causing the mild swelling in my legs rather than oedema - and its description mirrors some of the other symptoms I experience when in worse shape. It's an umbrella term for conditions that include POTS, which can present quite similarly to fibromyalgia with the addition of episodic elevated heart rate and blood pressure swings - another one to add to our list of potential co-conditions/misdiagnoses. Also, he mentions deficiency in glutathione, a precursor for which is glycine - so that made me wonder if my supplements (I'm taking magnesium glycinate among others) may be helping in a way I hadn't imagined.

There is a YouTube video of a lecture from Teitelbaum called "Effective Treatment for Chronic Fatigue and Fibromyalgia" that outlines his approach. He favours prioritising natural treatment options before taking the medication route. Maybe not useful to all, but perhaps something juicy for some!

 

[Sandra dee]

Wow Suncola the article from Dr Teitelbaum has cleared up a few of the questions I had. I have had almost constant sinus problems and have found that if I have less than 8 hours sleep I feel dreadful. Very interesting also is the addition of yeast infections as I have also had that a few times.
More sleep and maybe a visit to the doctors
Thank you!

 

[sunkacola]

Wow Suncola the article from Dr Teitelbaum has cleared up a few of the questions I had. I have had almost constant sinus problems and have found that if I have less than 8 hours sleep I feel dreadful. Very interesting also is the addition of yeast infections as I have also had that a few times.
More sleep and maybe a visit to the doctors
Thank you!

Actually your thanks should go to Jemima, who posted this article.