Fibromyalgia patients have widespread pain in many parts of their body, particularly in parts of the spine. They have many tender points where firm pressing with a finger produces pain. These points are particularly likely to occur in the lower back, neck, shoulders, hips, hands, knees, chest wall and feet. In addition to feeling pain, the patients tend to be fatigued, wake unrefreshed from sleep and be very stiff in the morning. Some 25 per cent of these patients have less common complaints such as irritable bowel syndrome, headaches and distress. The general state of fibromyalgia can be a common but temporary state.An early-morning visit to one of the airports in London reveals the sad sight of hundreds of passengers off the red-eye specials from the east coast of the United States. They are tired, missing sleep, their biological clocks are set five hours behind, and they are irritable, anxious and stiff. They drag along looking like a mass migration of fibromyalgia patients. Most of the travellers will recover but, in the patients, it is a chronic state. It is ten times more common in women than men. Muscle and tissue taken from the tender points is vaguely abnormal but it is possible that these abnormalities result from inactivity and so are secondary to the pain. There is a suspicion that there is something wrong with their immune systems, and the condition sometimes occurs with frank disorders of the immune system such as rheumatoid arthritis.The response to treatment is disappointing. Some patients improve when given antidepressive drugs, which are known to have an analgesic action as well as an effect on depression. A vigorous fitness training regime improves some patients, as does specific muscle training. A three-week course of cognitive behaviour therapy improves the ability of some patients to cope with the miserable state.*49\219\2*

It has been said that one of the main causes of food intolerances is faulty digestion in the stomach. This needs to be looked at first and before embarking on drastic exclusion diets, which can cause dramatic weight loss and severely affect the immune system and the nervous system. Try simply cutting out junk foods and eating a clean, well-balanced rotational diet. Cleansing the colon can also be very helpful. (Send for The New Colon Cleansing Programme and Beyond’ from Higher Nature, price at the time of writing 30 pence.)If the bowel is inflamed you might have to go very gently with your cleansing programme. All the nutritionists in the Useful Addresses section can give expert advice on colon cleansing and can supply you with the necessary products. Describe your symptoms carefully and remember that self-help programmes should not be embarked upon before you have had a firm diagnosis from your doctor.Some people find Medical Herbalists or practitioners of Chinese Medicine very helpful for cleansing the colon of old faeces.*33\326\8*

Cow or buffalo milk is not an uncommon allergen in infancy, probably because it is the major outside protein food during the early months of life. It has been estimated that milk allergy occurs in approximately 0.5 per cent of all children.Milk allergy manifests itself with a variety of symptoms. The most common symptom is of the infant crying with abdominal pain when he is put on milk other than that of his mother, or when the need is felt to change from one type of milk to another. There may be loose motion and cough. There may also be eczema or urticaria.Whenever possible, infants should be breastfed. This reduces the chances of development of allergic symptoms. Cow milk should not be given till the age of one year to a potentially allergic baby from a family which has a history of allergy.Diagnosing Milk Allergy. In many cases diagnosis cannot be made because allergy to milk is not suspected. The best way to make a diagnosis is by first eliminating milk from the diet, and then reintroducing it. Milk should be eliminated from the diet for a period of at least two weeks. If during this period, there is a marked improvement in the health of the child, or if reintroduction of milk brings back the symptoms, a diagnosis can be established.After the diagnosis is clinched, the offending food must be removed from the diet. Milk prepared from soya beans is a good substitute. If it is not locally available, it can be prepared at home. The soya bean milk should be given for a year or so, and then milk introduced again into the diet. If the child is still not able to tolerate it, soya bean milk should be continued; if fewer symptoms appear, then cow milk may gradually be included into the diet.Soya bean milk is as nutritious as mother’s milk; however, it has to be supplemented with vitamins and minerals.*37\260\8*