>Who has had positive/health-promoting experiences with therapies that
>complement nutrition?  I was thinking along the lines of anything aimed at
>mitigating/treating chronic ills.  While I have been very pleased to see how
>nutrition is helping my body heal, I am also interested in _carefully_
>exploring complementary therapies.

>-Ben

Hi Ben,

I had a pretty bad case of Fibromyalgia in 1994, which as it got less bad
turned into CFS and now is about 90% better, meaning that 90% of the time I
am symptom free and often feel great! and the rest of the time I do not feel
so great, but am not nearly as tired as I used to be all the time.  I have
very few aches and pains, even though I lift weights 2x a week and am using
pretty high weights.

What has undoubtedly helped me the most is a kind of healing work based upon
the subtle energy field (also known as the aura with its attendant chakras.)
I have gone weekly (and sometimes more often) over the course of the last 3
years to work with a woman trained in the Barbara Brennan School of Healing.
I started to feel a difference almost immediately.  She works by building
awareness of the physical body and its connection to energies, including
emotional energies.  It is hands-on work, done on a massage table in full
dress.  The Barbara Brennan School has a website www.barbarabrennan.com
which I believe gives a contact number to call to find a practioner in your
area.

I should warn you that there are many other competing schools of subtle
energy work, many equally as good as BB.  Check out the amoutn of training.
BB is 5 year program; some are only 2-3 weekends!  Some graduates have
degrees and licenses in psychotherapy and so are often covered by health
insurance.  Pranic healing is a possible alternative to explore; it's very
different, and I have little experience with it, but have heard good things.
I know there is an active group in CA.

Another thing that has helpd:  electrodermal testing done by a skilled
homeopath.  This uses a computer which is programmed with about 10000
supplements and homeopathic remedies.  The practioner puts a metal probe on
various points on your hands and feet (along different energy meridians,
following the Chinese theory of Qi or Chi as developed in acupuncture).  It
works on the principle of applied kinesthesiology.  You can be tested for
food allergies as well as getting a readout of which meridians are low, and
tested for whatever herbs or homeopathic remedies your body needs at that time.

Doing yoga and meditation, as well as regular exercise -- but in very small
doses because FM and CFS don't respond well to exertions.

If you haven't been tested for low blood volume or orthostatic hypotension
(e.g. blood pressure that drops as you stand up for a period of time) you
should.  I found that mine was dropping off so much that I understood why my
legs ached so often and why I got forgetful and fatigued.  (Read the Johns
Hopkins study in the JAMA where they found this in a high % of CFS
sufferers.)  My solution to the allopathic drug of fludrocortisone was to
take licorice powder following the example of an Italian physician who
developed CFS and treated himself.  It has helped me alot -- again, I felt
the positive effects quickly.

There is also a web-site on licorice which I haven't fully explored, with
some articles by a fellow who thinks high nitric oxide is the source of most
of our ills.  Address is www.serve.com/licorice/

If these internet addresses don't work, contact me.  I wrote them in from
memory as I can't get to them in this program.

I've tried some other things that have helped me but I don't think they are
generally available.  I have not had much luck with herbs and vitamin
supplements.

Good luck.

Janis