My first blog!

Welcome to anyone who may come across this blog. My name is Carol Marie and I have had a long and trying battle with fibromyalgia, cfs, mcs, salicylate sensitivities, and an unidentified autoimmune disorder (there are more issues than this).

Almost ten years ago I had developed debilitating flu-like symptoms that just never went away. At the time I was taking classes at a university to work toward finishing my B.A. in Holistic Health, Wellness & Nutrition. Furthermore, I had completed certification in herbalism and thought I could heal myself with tinctures. But heal me they didn't, the herbs made things worse. So began my endless journey going from doctor to doctor, from every specialty. Blood tests showed an elevated RA titer of 1:320 but all other routine bloodwork was normal. My primary care physician told me that I had rheumatory arthritis and prescribed celebrex, but it didn't help. I was sent to a rheumatologist who said "No, you don't have RA". I saw several other rheumatologists who said that I didn't have RA or Lupus (also suspected). But then why did I have this horrible pain and extreme fatigue? I still trudged on to other specialists in hopes of an answer, but none gave me anything other than heavy narcotics (which didn't ease the pain and certainly didn't help the fatigue!) and they continually tried to push anti-depressants. I should be depressed, and everyone gets down from time-to-time, but anti-depressants make me even more sick! I am not depressed; I always have hope, enjoy a least one good thing out of each and every day and can always laugh!

After making the rounds I went back to the primary care doctor who diagnosed me with fibromyalgia.

There has been so much that has happened since I first became ill in 2000. Many little revelations and epiphanies along the way have led me to where I am now, one of which helped me feel alot better; avoiding all salicylates. In 2005 I heard about a book called "What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Fibromyalgia; The Revolutionary Cure That Can Reverse The Disease." I found it at my library and thought "I have tried everything else (physical therapy, exercise, pain killers, ect.) so it won't hurt to see what this author has to say." I followed what the author, Dr. Amand, said about avoiding salicylates in personal care products and took guaifenesin. Interestingly, I did feel somewhat better but not as good as I should. Dr. Amand didn't believe that dietary salicylates had any effect on fibromyalgia, but one afternoon I found out that indeed they did; I always took pride in eating a variety of fresh, organic fruits and vegetables along with healthy protein. I bought beautiful organic Bing cherries from a local coop. Twenty minutes after eating the cherries my pain and fatigue went from a three to a ten. It was then and there I knew that dietary salicylates had a huge impact for me. So I altered my diet to exclude as many dietary sources of salicylates as possible. My pain and fatigue improved a little more.

I had a difficult time finding all natural salicylate-free personal care products. There are plenty of salicylate-free products out there but all contained toxic ingredients. I decided to educate myself on how to make salicylate-free products that were natural and neutral. So far I have created a line of soaps and body balm available at http://www.dailynatural.com/ and I have more products to come.

It has become my passion to create safe and neutral products and to help others find the clues to solve their own health mysteries. I am still dealing with the extreme fatigue, but life is better than it was. I keep trying to find the answers and I will not give up until I have ultimate health, because I believe that we all deserve it.