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Fibromyalgia is a mysterious disease. No one knows what causes it. The basic symptoms are pain in muscles and bones, plus fatigue. Other symptoms include disturbed sleep and depression.

In 1987, a double-blind, placebo-controlled study was done on 17 people with fibromyalgia not complicated by any other disease. Five participants had suffered from it for 10 years or longer. Researchers found that SAMe reduced pain and caused no major side effects.

In a study published in the Scandinavian Journal of Rheumatology, 44 fibromyalgia patients took 800 mg of SAMe for 6 weeks. Results showed that SAMe reduced pain at the tender points, as well as fatigue, morning stiffness and resting pain. Being free of pain apparently put people in a better mood: they chose more "happy faces" in psychological test.

Relief from Fibromyalgia with Dietary Indoles
by G. Merrill Andrus, Ph.D.

Many people with fibromyalgia may benefit from ingestion of dietary indoles, specifically indole-3-carbinol. Preliminary tests were performed simply by supplying capsules of the dietary supplement I3CŪ CAPS to people reporting fibromyagia symptoms. An effort was made to contact those who received the capsules within six months of their being supplied. Over half of the patients who reported taking these capsules reported improvement in their condition.

Fibromyalgia, which afflicts approximately 2% of the women in the United States manifests itself as muscle aches and tenderness. Those who suffer from this ailment are somewhere between 10:1 and 20:1 women, as compared to men. Fibromyalgia is often associated with chronic fatigue syndrome, although there is not complete overlap of these two complaints. The cause is as yet undetermined and no general cure is known. People suffering from fibromyalgia experience different degrees of discomfort and disability as a result of the affliction.

In our preliminary tests 49 people, men and women, were given 10 day supplies of I3CŪ CAPS with the opportunity to purchase more if they so desired. Of this number 36 were found to have taken the capsules at a dosage of 200 to 400 milligrams daily. The remaining 13 either did not take the capsules or were difficult to contact within six months of the start of the preliminary test period.

Of the 36 people for whom data was obtained, 21 (58%) reported positive results in that their pain was reduced. These results varied from one person to another.

One person said, "I take them all the time; I am afraid to get off."

Another: "Eliminated most of the pain."

Another: "Less fatigue, hardly any aches, reduced muscle pain, better able to handle busy life."

Another: "Helps with pain. Sense of well being when she wake up in the morning. Tolerates exercise better."

Another: "90% reduction of pain, overall healthy feeling, less headaches."

Another: "Muscles are not as tender and sore."

Another: "Pain has been reduced and now seems manageable."

Others were less emphatic about the benefit. Two people (6%) were not sure whether or not they had relief. Thirteen (36%) of the respondents reported no benefits noticeable.

What are dietary indoles? When cabbage, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, and other cruciferous vegetables are macerated enzymatic reactions produce indole-3-carbinol, a reactive substance. The indole-3-carbinol might react with ascorbic acid (vitamin C) to produce ascorbigen. In the presence of stomach acid, head, or light indole-3-carbinol reacts with itself to form as many as 30 or 40 indole compounds, only a few of which have been identified.

These indole compounds, mostly indole-3-carbinol and ascorbigen, have been studied as dietary supplements for over 25 years. It is well established that at least some of the dietary indoles, when fed to laboratory animals or to humans will cause the body to alter the metabolism of estradiol, a primary female sex hormone. It has been established that about 60% of the female population respond to dietary indoles in this manner. This change in the estradiol metabolism is believed to result in a reduction of a propensity to develop breast cancer, cervical cancer, colon cancer, and other similar cancers.

It has been further observed that people suffering from laryngeal papillomatosis, a wart on the vocal chords, will experience beneficial effects from taking dietary indoles. Again about 60% of the people who have this rare disease see some benefit from taking dietary indoles.

Why people with fibromyalgia show a benefit from diet supplementation with dietary indoles is not known. This is new. But it is safe when taken as directed, as indicated by the hundreds of people taking dietary indoles for laryngeal papillomatosis (see the next article). The surprising and merciful improvement in some of those who suffer shows that this mode of dietary supplementation ought to be investigated further.

Talk with your physician before launching on any dietary supplement program for help with an ailment.