How I overcame Fibromyalgia using essential oils

This is a story of hope. It would be easy to see it as a tragedy; it certainly has its tragic elements. But the point of this story is that, for those who are suffering from Chronic Fatigue Syndrome or Fibromyalgia, there is hope. There is help. You don't need to continue suffering without significant relief.

I realize that everyone is different, and there may be many different afflictions that are grouped together under the label of CFS/FS; but I believe that what I have to share here could quite possibly be a major part of the answer for anyone suffering with this/these syndromes.

Here is my story.

My personal background

When I was a small child, the one thing that would most characterize my life was boundless energy. I wasn't hyperactive; I was just healthy.

But, during the summer of 1961, when I was eight years old, I took part in the Sabin oral vaccine for polio program. Within weeks, I was sick.

It didn't seem like any big deal. I felt a little off during the day. In the evening I felt a little worse, but not really bad. Overnight, I ran a pretty high fever, but by morning, I seemed to be back to normal.

A life-changing event

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While my parents' first thoughts were that, whatever the problem had been, I was fine now, this turned out to be a life-changing event for me. All the evidence now points to the conclusion that I had had one of the 69 known varieties of non-paralytic (or atypical) polio — one of the Coxsakie viruses.

From that day on, my energy level was significantly reduced, I started having digestive disturbances, I started gaining extra weight, I had unexplained pains in my knees, wrists, thumbs (which I found out years later were caused by muscle weaknesses) and began developing discomfort in my neck and shoulders.

It wasn't like my life was utterly devastated overnight. These symptoms progressed over time. In fact, it was subtle enough that no one made any connection to that one illness. We never even mentioned it to my doctor, as far as I remember.

By the time I was fifth and sixth grades, I started having problems with brain fog and depression . By the time I was in sixth grade, I was starting to miss school. My senior year of high school was just a blur. I missed so many classes, I almost didn't get to graduate. To be realistic about my life, I'd have to say that I was seriously disabled by the end of my sophomore year (1970).

Severely disabled, and more dead than alive

By early 1978, I couldn't pretend anymore: I was in serious trouble. I'd had to drop out of college. There was no way I could work. On a good day, I could sit up; but I had very, very few good days. Between the brain fog and a fatigue that was so crushing, it seemed to have a life of its own, the only way I could tell that I was actually alive was my severe nausea and generalized pain.

Doctors never took my situation seriously. I had so many different symptoms, they all concluded that it had to be psychological. Psychological testing demonstrated that they were wrong. And although doctors all said that there was nothing wrong with me, they all seemed very ready to give me medications. Some of these took some of the edge off my nausea, but all of them left me feeling worse in almost every other way.

I was chemically out-of-whack and lived in nearly unbearable agony for the next five years. I'll spare you all the details.

The beginning of the road back to health

Then, in February 1982, I found a chiropractor named Walt Conard. He literally snatched my life from the edge of death and set me on the course of recovery.

On my first office visit with Dr. Conard, I was taken into his consultation room. When he walked in a few minutes later, he took one look at me and turned white as a sheet. He really thought that I might die right there. A year or so later, he told me that, if I had not gotten help when I had, I probably would have been dead within a month.

I believed him. In fact, I had less doubt about it than he did.

First treatments and initial results

After some rather grueling testing and lab work, Dr. Conard confirmed his initial diagnosis of me and started me on treatment. Besides the usual chiropractic adjustments (three times a week), he also did Touch for Health and a lot with nutritional supplements.

One of the things he found was that many of my supplements were actually working against my system. One that was especially bad for me was Nutrilite Double X. Despite the fact that I'd seen it do the near miraculous for many others, it wasn't right for me.

Dr. Conard also introduced me to digestive enzymes, probiotics (as in acidophilus) and tissue supplements. The organs he addressed this way were the stomach, liver, adrenal glands and the pancreas. I've used these in the 22 years since, and found them to be among the most helpful supplements I've ever used.

He also tested me for food allergies/sensitivities, which required a rather radical change in my eating habits. The details escape me now, but the one thing that I remember most is milk. That the dairy industry is allowed to put a "Real Seal" on it is truly one of the great ironies of our time.

Two other issues we worked on were functional (non-disease related) hypoglycemia and a yeast overgrowth. I was put on a very low-carbohydrate diet, avoided all foods that had yeast or tended to mold (including grapes and cantaloupe) and took a supplement to kill off the yeast in my gut.

After three of the most miserable months of my life, I went out and played tennis. I was ecstatic.

Ups and downs and other treatment options

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Fibromyalgia seem to have a cyclical nature. There are good periods followed by terrible periods. That pattern continued in my life; but my good days were getting better and better, and for the most part, my bad days weren't nearly as bad.

Some things I added to my regimen that really helped include:

• Drinking and cooking only with purified water. The issue wasn't so much the many pollutants that are found in most water, but the chlorine and fluoride added for our health. Both are highly toxic, destroy the immune system and can cause most of the symptoms of Fibromyalgia. Chlorine also destroys the healthy flora in the gut, leaving you open to the overgrowth of Candida and other pathogens.
• Bathing in filtered water. I found it to be very important to remove as much chlorine as possible from my shower water. While bathing, you can absorb as much water through your skin as you'd get in a big glass of water. With the toxins in the water, that results in quite a toxic overload. Filtering the water, while not a complete solution, helped a lot.
• Eating natural, whole foods. If it came in a box or from most restaurants, I wouldn't eat it. If it was microwaved, I regarded it as toxic waste. Any processed or convenience food is essentially devoid of nutritive value and is loaded with harmful chemicals. Microwaved food is toxic on so many levels, I can't deal with it here. And most restaurants rely on processed foods and microwaves. The ones that don't, I can't afford to eat at.
• Having my amalgam fillings removed. This may be the one thing that helped me most. The moment I had my fillings removed, my pain level was reduced by 90%. The reason? Largely because I eliminated the battery effect of the dental metals, which allowed my muscles to relax from their near-constant spasming. It also reduced my level of digestive disturbance and cleared much of my brain fog. My energy level also improved quite a lot.
• Doing tai chi. I had always been interested in sports, and despite the limitations of my health, had participated in sports whenever I could. And after receiving so much help from Dr. Conard, I did my best to get back into shape. I worked very hard but made very little progress in conditioning. But tai chi was different. It helped me to build more strength and conditioning, increased my flexibility a little and did wonders for my energy levels. I felt more in balance and had more spring in my step.
• Avoiding all medications. Eliminating the medications I had been taking did wonders to improve my sense of wellness. All pharmaceuticals are toxic and place your system under a great deal of stress. Ridding my body of these enabled me to return to some sense of balance. Dr. Conard helped me to find natural products that met all the needs my medications were supposed to do, and they did it better.
• Moving to the mountains. For two wonderful years, my wife and I were able to live in Estes Park, CO. It was a truly wonderful experience. One of the best aspects of it was that I functioned on a much higher level while there. Two reasons for this that come to mind are the lower humidity level, with the corresponding lower levels of fungi, and the absence of lawn chemicals. I felt an immediate surge of energy and mental clarity when we moved to Estes, and suffered an immediate drop when we had to move back to Lincoln, NE. I felt my lungs starting to fill with guck by the time we reached York, about 90 miles from here.

While all of these things were helpful, none of them really lifted me back to health. Compared to what I had known at my best (which was a brief period in my sophomore year of high school when I seemed to have boundless energy), I was still functioning at about 15-30% on my best days. I still had a lot of fatigue and brain fog (I was trying to do some writing, but could only work at it about 30-45 days a year), and despite seeing Dr. Conard about three times a week, I was always in pain and feeling like I needed an adjustment.

Therapeutic-grade essential oils: a major piece of the health puzzle

I had pretty much accepted the idea that I wasn't going to get any better and that I had best learn to accommodate my life to my limitations. Then someone introduced me to therapeutic-grade essential oils.

When I finally got serious about using the oils, I took massive action. The primary reason for this is that I had developed some cardiovascular issues, as well, and my CFS/FS came with so many different symptoms. So, I went after all of this at once.

I noticed the difference the very first day, and made gradual improvement over the next month, to where I felt like a new person. For more detail on this, see My Story.

My strategy for using the oils

Here's what I did: I got a copy of the predecessor to the Essential Oils Desk Reference, and used everything that reference said might help. For every symptom. So, I was using probably 60 oil singles and blends, as well as some supplements. I used them every day, applying the oils neat to my feet, as well as on location for specific symptoms (over the abdomen for digestive problems, over the heart and on pulse points for cardiac problems, over the adrenal glands for adrenal support, etc.).

I also diffused the oils, especially the anti-bacterial blend. I lived in an aromatic wonderland and experienced truly wonderful results.

I've been asked quite often to share precisely what I did. The truth is: I don't really recall; and, depending on your circumstances, you probably wouldn't want to do what I did, anyway. For one thing, I'd been on a cleansing program for several years. While in no way free of toxic build-up, I wasn't highly overloaded like so many pharmaceutically-dependent people today.

My basic recommendation is to get a copy of the Desk Reference and deal with things sympomatically. That puts you in charge, and allows you to go after things at your own pace. Following is something like what I've done.

A protocol for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Fibromyalgia

When dealing with something like Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Fibromyalgia, you have a complex set of symptoms caused by a set of antagonists. The primary issues, as I see them now, and what I did about them were:

• pH balance: I was way too acidic (I checked this with Nitrazine paper [phenaphthazine paper] that I got from my pharmacist). Any of the oils will have an alkalizing effect, but I used the pH balancing supplement a few times a day, along with the citrus oils, which I applied to my feet and abdomen. (I started with the citrus blend, then layered on several of the single citrus oils for good measure.)

However, minerals also play an important role in alkalizing the body. The calcium supplement is very good, the liquid mineral blend is awesome, although I don't know if it would help with alkalizing as much. The calcium ultra powder is another supplement that should be very good. But, what I'd really recommend are the acid balancing supplement and the liver clearing drink.

• Colon cleanse: I had known that I lived in a fungus-rich environment, and had tried several different colon cleanse products over the years. Still, when I first diffused the anti-bacterial blend, I flushed out really, really big time. I did this every day for a few weeks.

I really needed the cleansing.

After that, I added the triple cleanser. The colon toning supplement is an amazing cleansing product. It will really get you regular, if you have any problems that way; and I feel a purifying effect when I use it. The fiber plus supplement is also very good; the oils in it help to cleanse in a way that fiber alone can't do. And the digestive enzymes are extremely important. I'd kick those up to about 5-6 times the label directions, especially in the beginning (although you'll want to ease into them).

To this, I'd add the digestive oil blend. Mix it 50-50 with a pure vegetable oil, put it in a "00" capsule and take orally 1-3 times a day, depending on tolerance.

Adding the liver clearing drink to this mix would also be really beneficial. It will help to clear the liver as well as the colon. Very important. Including the super green drink to this would help to kick it up a notch.

I'd also be sure to add the homeostatic soil organism supplement, and if pain is a significant issue for you, I'd add a nattokinase enzyme blend, which will help to digest away fibrins in the system and restore blood flow to the tissues.

• Immune support: Next, I went after the viruses, bacteria and fungi in my system. The main approach was with immune-supporting oils.

The anti-bacterial blend was a great help to me in this. I applied it to my feet, abdomen, back of neck — basically any place I could reach. I had my wife apply it to my back at least once a week (using the RainDrop Technique, although just slapping them on would be good).

I also made liberal use of thyme, oregano, peppermint and the immune blend. If I was starting over again today, I'd also use frankincense and myrrh, if there was any way to do it. I'd have to be honest here: much of this is intuitive as to what did what. Like I said earlier, I took massive action against a very wide range of issues. This is just my sense of what helped here.

Today, I'd also add the anti-fungal supplement, immune food and the anti-inflammatory supplement. These are very powerful anti-fungal and immune supportive supplements, as well as helping with inflammation, which is key to any pain syndrome.

• Hormonal balance: Then, I addressed hormonal balance, particularly of the pineal, pituitary, hypothalamus and adrenal glands. The glandular oil blend is very good for these. Put a drop on tip of your tongue and the roof of your mouth (be careful not to swallow until the oil is well-dissolved), temple and forehead, behind the ears, on the back of the neck, over the thyroid gland and over the adrenal glands (just above the kidneys). I also did the Vita-Flex points for these glands.

I'd also use a high sesquiterpene oil like lavender, frankincense, myrrh or lemon, doing direct inhalation, as well as placing it on the roof of the mouth. This will oxygenate the thalamus region of the brain, helping to stimulate proper metabolism in these important glands; and it helps with brain fog, too.

Of course, there are important balancing oils, like lavender and ylang ylang, that you should use often. And I love the enlightening blend, the protective blend, the meekness blend, the accord blend, the releasing blend and the romance blend. I can't say that they help with energy or pain or anything; they're just very soothing, and I suspect balancing, as well.

You don't need to use all of these; try one and see if you like it. If not, try another. The essential oil kits are very helpful for this; you can get sample-sized (for all practical purposes) bottles of the oils without the expense of buying them full-sized and individually.

So how am I doing now?

Since I've been using the essential oils, and especially since I added the homeostatic soil organisms to them, and as long as I get the rest and exercise that I need, I'm about 95% pain-free. And, I'm on no medications whatsoever. My energy level is about 50-65% of the very high standard set in my sophomore year of high school.

I'm still disabled and wouldn't be up to working in the marketplace, but for the most part, I'm comfortable and able to engage in productive activity. In fact, I've done more in the last four years than I had in the previous 30.

However, since I started my business, I haven't had time to do the oils as I had before, and I'm usually over-extending myself, trying to get too much done. I also haven't gotten the exercise that I should. Still, despite this abuse, I'm still functional most days.

Any time I have an especially bad day, I can usually identify a specific cause: exposure to lawn chemicals, high levels of fungus in the environment, lack of sleep or something like that. Sometimes, a weather front moving through will cause some aching in my hips, but normally I don't notice it. But one of the biggest problems is the shower. I suspect it's the chlorine and/or fluoride; but, when I take a shower, for most of the next day, I usually feel like I've been beaten up. When I get an answer for that, I'll be pretty much normal.