Dedicated to helping you recover from Fibromyalgia
and chronic illness.

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1. Note From Anita

2. Featured Article: Fibromyalgia Symptoms Checklist

3. Inspiration of the Month

4. Energy Tip

I've been thinking this month about my advice to keep track of your symptoms, so I've decided to make it easier for you.

I know it's hard to believe, but you will not notice when some of the things that have been bothering you simply aren't happening anymore. For instance, unless you need serious psychological care, you will not be saying, "Hey, I should be miserable right now." when some cold, damp weather comes. If this was a problem for you, and it doesn't happen anymore, you will just go on about your day. You don't miss it, unless it's brought to your attention.

This is why I hope you will find the chart below useful in tracking your health issues. If you do not have html, sorry, your chart will be one vertical column. If it looks funny, I can't figure out why. I'll get this chart up on my website for you as soon as possible.)

Fibromyalgia Symptoms Checklist

	Start	Month 1	Month 2	Month 3
Dates	______	______	______	______
irritability	______	______	______	______
depression	______	______	______	______
yeast infections	______	______	______	______
craving sweets	______	______	______	______
craving breads	______	______	______	______
craving dairy	______	______	______	______
anxiety	______	______	______	______
thin bowels	______	______	______	______
constipation	______	______	______	______
muscle pain	______	______	______	______
sinus infections	______	______	______	______
low libido	______	______	______	______
nosebleeds	______	______	______	______
loss of hair	______	______	______	______
bruise easily	______	______	______	______
nosebleeds	______	______	______	______
low energy, am	______	______	______	______
white tongue	______	______	______	______
canker sores	______	______	______	______
bad breath	______	______	______	______
poor memory	______	______	______	______
fatigue upon waking	______	______	______	______
low energy, pm	______	______	______	______
weak muscles	______	______	______	______
tense muscles	______	______	______	______
nervous	______	______	______	______
trouble falling asleep	______	______	______	______
waking in the night	______	______	______	______
mind racing	______	______	______	______
restless legs	______	______	______	______
can't concentrate	______	______	______	______
mood swings	______	______	______	______
headaches	______	______	______	______
bumps, back of arms	______	______	______	______
dry skin	______	______	______	______
weather makes worse	______	______	______	______
muscle cramps	______	______	______	______
bleeding gums	______	______	______	______
bruise easily	______	______	______	______
need caffeine am	______	______	______	______
need caffeine pm	______	______	______	______
chocolate cravings	______	______	______	______
use pain killers	______	______	______	______
acid reflux	______	______	______	______
upset stomach	______	______	______	______
PMS	______	______	______	______
bloating	______	______	______	______
heavy periods	______	______	______	______
peeling fingernails	______	______	______	______
ridge fingernails	______	______	______	______
head colds often	______	______	______	______
colds that linger	______	______	______	______
cold hands and feet	______	______	______	______
diahhrea	______	______	______	______
high stress	______	______	______	______
__________	______	______	______	______
__________	______	______	______	______
__________	______	______	______	______
__________	______	______	______	______
__________	______	______	______	______

I'd love feed-back on this form, so please let me know if I missed some important symptoms that may be common to everyone with fibromyalgia.

Some of the most genius, brilliant, productive people in history were very sick. Don't give up hope.

If you:

1) Truly want to get better (subconsciously, it may be easier or somehow beneficial to be sick)

2) Believe you will get better (do you think there's supposedly no cure?)

3) Try to get better (through lifestyle changes, etc.),

you will get better. It's not going to happen by magic. It's not going to happen overnight.

Start by making the decisions that will make a difference. And, believe me, I know how impossible it can be to think clearly enough to make even one decision. Here's a no-brainer:

Use the Symptoms Checklist above to track your progress and take charge of your health. I'm here to help you, but the end-results will be up to you.

Focus on your breathing. Do you find yourself holding your breath? Get more oxygen in your body. It is necessary for life. Right?

You don't need fancy supplements to do this (some of them may even be harmful). Severely sick people may benefit from a hyperbaric chamber, but most of us just forget to breathe deeply.

Babies breathe from the stomach. We adults have taken to breathing by lifting the chest, so we can hold our stomach in. Sound familiar?

Take a deep breath, while you let your stomach expand. Exhale completely, while contracting your stomach muscles, to get the stale air out of the bottom of your lungs and more room for fresh air. Continue indefinitely. Your body will thank you!

Put yourself first! (I know it's hard, but necessary.)

That's all for now,

Anita

Check out more about Fibromyalgia at www.FibromyalgiaHope.com

P.S. This newsletter was created with copyright in 2005, and edited to remove broken links and outdated contact information in 2017.

Health Disclaimer These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA. These statements and products are not intended to diagnose, cure, prevent or treat any diseases. The information here is not provided by medical professionals and is not intended as a substitute for medical advice. Please consult your physician before beginning any course of treatment.