If you've heard of the hormone HCG (Human Chorionic Gonadotropin) — a hormone produced by the placenta during pregnancy — it's probably because you've either heard of, or been on, the HCG Diet.

The HCG Diet is a weight-loss approach that combines a very-low-calorie diet with injections of fat-burning HCG. It's a dieting method that's been recommended by some holistic physicians for decades. It's recently seen an upsurge in popularity, driven by questionably effective, over-... Read More

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A new study published this week in PLoS (Public Library of Science) adds a new potential treatment approach for CFS and Fibromyalgia — a medication called "Rituximab."

The immune system has several different arms — just like the military has the Army, Navy and Air Force. Two of these arms of defense are called the Th1 and Th2. When you have CFS, the Th2 of your immune system goes into overdrive — an imbalance that makes it hard for your body to fight certain types of... Read More

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Welcome to part 4 of my series reviewing and updating the core elements of the SHINE protocol for CFS and fibromyalgia.

Just as I did in the first 3 parts of this series, in part 4 I again focus on sleep. This time I look at a pattern that bedevils the nights of most patients with CFS and Fibromyalgia — waking up between 2 and 4 a.m. in the morning and being unable to go back to sleep.

Why does this happen and how can you prevent it? Is it nighttime adrenal and low blood s... Read More

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Sleep Apnea and Restless Legs Syndrome

In the first two parts of my multi-part series reviewing the core elements of the SHINE protocol for CFS and Fibromyalgia — Sleep, Hormones, Infections, Nutrition and Exercise — I talked about sleep problems that are common in CFS/FM and how you can treat them using natural remedies, better sle... Read More

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Getting a Great Night's Sleep

In this multi-part series, I am reviewing the elements of the SHINE protocol for CFS and fibromyalgia: Sleep, Hormones, Infections, Nutritional Supplements and Exercise — I'm reviewing the basics and also discussing new developments in treatment for each of the five elements.

In part 1, I looked at natural remedies for sleep. In part 2, below, I continue talking about sleep, first looking at "sleep hygiene" (daily habits that can help or harm... Read More

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