As a first step it’s important to go and see your GP as CFS can occur as a result of other illnesses and/or drug therapies which your doctor can deal with. Other causes are:

• Other systemic disease

• Impaired immune function.

• Food allergies.

• Chronic candida infection (or other infections).

• Sleep disturbance.

• Depression.

• Stress.

• Identify and control any food allergies.

• Increase your intake of water, fruit and vegetables.

• Reduce alcohol and caffeine intake.

• Avoid sugar as much as possible in order to even out your energy levels and to manage possible candida infection- try to eat complex carbs such as wholegrain breads (if you’re OK with those), oats, muesli and brown rice.

• Try to graze rather than eating 2 or 3 big meals per day.

Exercise/Lifestyle

• Regular, low intensity exercise.

• Manage your energy- try to ‘take it easy’ when you’re feeling energetic and maybe push yourself (very gently!) when you’re feeling tired.

• Use short ‘power naps’ to manage your energy levels- 15 minutes of complete relaxation, even without sleeping can have a fantastic revitalising effect!

• Meditation/deep relaxation can be a very effective energy boost.

• Consider counselling/psychotherapy.

Supplementation

• Magnesium 200-300mg per day

• Vitamin E 200-400 IU per day

• Thymus extract 750mg per day

• Pantothenic acid 250mg per day

• Ginseng

• Liquorice

Reduce intake of meat and dairy products (this reduces formation of inflammatory

compounds), while increasing intake of Omega 3 oils which increase production of anti-inflammatory compounds- see below for more details.

Increase intake of anti-inflammatory substances (Bromelain, Curcumin, MSM, green lipped muscle extract, alfalfa, yucca leaves, devils claw, garlic, ginger). Many of these are available in health food shops.

Completely avoid the Solanaceae group of plants- potato, tomato, aubergine, tobacco, sweet peppers, chilli peppers, paprika, fennel, capsicum, cape gooseberry, sugar cherry (these last two are a little obscure but I include them for your information). See below for more information.

Dietary supplements

In supplement form, omega-3 fatty acids are available as soft gels (like a vitamin E capsule) or as bottled liquids.

• Flaxseed oil (a rich source of alpha-linolenic acid)

• cod liver oil (a rich source of EPA and DHA)

When purchasing an omega-3 fatty acid supplement, remember that these oils are highly sensitive to damage from heat, light and oxygen. Choose a certified organic product that has been refrigerated and is packaged in a dark brown or green glass jar and be sure to store the product in your refrigerator or freezer.

It is also advisable to choose a supplement that contains vitamin E. Vitamin E is a powerful antioxidant, which is added to the oil to prevent the fatty acids from becoming oxidized (or rancid).

Foods that provide omega-3 fatty acids

• Salmon, flax seeds and walnuts are excellent sources of omega-3 fatty acids.

• Very good sources of these healthy fats include scallops, cauliflower, cabbage, cloves and mustard seeds.

• Good sources of these fats include halibut, shrimp, cod, tuna, soybeans, tofu, kale, collard greens, and Brussels sprouts.

Studies have proven that a relatively small number of omega-3 food sources can have a measurable impact on your blood levels of omega-3s, including those two key omega-3 fatty acids, EPA (eicosanoic acid) and DHA (docosahexaenoic acid). For example, two weekly servings of a non-fried, omega-3 containing fish (like wild-caught Pacific salmon) are enough to boost your blood levels of omega-3s.

Solanaceae Diet

Several books are available specifically aimed at arthritis and diet:

Arthritis-Free Cooking by Joan Vogel and Patricia Claudio Virginia

Arthritis-- Childers' Diet That Stops it, 1999 edition by Norman.F.Childers. 1

Where can I get more information?

Dr Norman Childers founded an organization dedicated to researching the connection between nightshade foods and arthritis. It is called The Arthritis Nightshades Research Foundation. Their contact details are below.

Dr. Norman F. Childers Publications

3906 NW 31 Place

Gainesville, FL 32606

Phone 1-888-501-8822

FAX (352)392-5653

email: norm1029@aol.com

The major thing to remember is that only 10% of people with diverticula in their gut actually develop diverticulitis i.e. management of this problem is very possible (not necessarily very easy!).

Increase

Fibre intake- especially soluble fibre ie. Fruit and veg

Fluid intake viz. water and smoothies (source of soluble fibre)

Pro-biotic foods

Exercise

Regularity of bowel habit

Reduce

All processed/canned foods and carbs

Sugar and salt

Saturated fats (meat)

Caffeine

Fried foods

Alcohol

Fasting

Consider a period of ‘dietary simplification/modification’ or maybe a full blown fast (see below)

Herbal treatments

Slippery Elm (mucosal turnover)

Glutamine (an essential amino acid required for cellular repair)

Dandelion root (liver detox)

Milk thistle (improves liver function)

Black cohosh (anti-inflammatory and nervous system calmer)

Dong quai (muscle relaxer)

Supplementation

Multiple vitamin and mineral supplement

Vitamin C (facilitates glutamine production)

The percentage of your bodies energy stores are in the form of fat (even skinny people!!), the rest in carbohydrate and protein (the latter is only used if both the other two are running out- shouldn’t be a problem over a few days!). By day 4 or 5 it is likely that you would have burnt the major part of your carb stores, things can feel a bit weird when this happens. In the case of marathon runners it’s when they hit ‘the wall’, at which point they fall over or at least start running very slowly indeed. This is because the biochemistry required to get energy out of fat is far slower than for carbs which is a very quick burn. As the body switches over to fat burn mode you may experience various sensations- strange moods and sudden profuse sweating which stops as suddenly as it started, or other effects…… or none of the above.

Day 1: brown rice, fruit and vegetables (no alcohol or caffeine).

Day 2: just fruit and vegetables (including smoothies).

Day 3: juiced fruit and vegetables (not smoothies!)

Day 4: water only

Day 5: juiced fruit and vegetables (not smoothies!)

Day 6: fruit and vegetables (including smoothies).

Day 7: brown rice, fruit and vegetables (no alcohol or caffeine).

It is VERY IMPORTANT to break your fast slowly- BEWARE, a fry up may be very tempting on the last day, but I would REALLY not recommend it!

You can go as far down the list as you like and stop there so you could do days 2-6 on fruit and veg or days 3-5 on juiced fruit and veg. If you want to go down to just water I suggest you organise it so that days 4 and 5 are Sat and Sun; even a long weekend could be an idea. Be flexible though. My personal experience of fasting was of profuse sweating for 30 mins only at the end of day 3, huge amounts of energy on the water day (to my amazement) and REALLY hitting the wall on day 5. Yours could be very different however.

Crohn's is increasing in western countries where diets are high in saturated fat, refined carbs and sugar, whereas it’s almost unheard of in poorer countries where people consume a more ‘primative’ diet.

Diet/Lifestyle

• Identify and exclude food allergens.

• Eliminate intake of alcohol, caffeine and especially sugar and refined carbohydrates.

• Increase intake of water and fibre (fruit and vegetables).

• Consider an elemental (exclusion) diet or fasting.

• Exercise regularly.

• Practice some sort of regular relaxation technique.

Supplementation

• Multivitamin and mineral supplementation

• Vitamin C (high dose- 3000 to 8000 mg per day)

• Vitamin E (200-400 international units per day)

• Zinc (30-45 mg per day)

• Flaxseed and cod liver oil

• Pancreatin (350-700 mg 3 times per day between meals) Naturopathic herbal remedy- ‘Roberts Formula’ 4 parts wild indigo 8 parts of marshmallow root, slippery elm, geranium, purple coneflower and goldenseal.

Use just enough water to dissolve completely and take 1-2 teaspoons three times daily. 

Fasting or exclusion diet to remove potential allergens esp. grain products such as wheat (gluten allergy), milk and meat.

Diet

• Reduction of saturated fats in favour of polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats (eg. fish oils & EPO).

• Increase antioxidant intake (esp. Vitamins C & E, beta-carotene & selenium).

• Broad-spectrum supplementation (esp. glucosamine sulphate & chondroitin sulphate).

• Increase pineapple intake (contains proteolytic enzyme 'bromelain').

• Nicotinamide- taken as B complex to avoid flushing effect due to vasodilation. Reduce sugar intake (sugar increases BMR and facilitates bacterial and fungal growth).

• Other recommended foods are turmeric and devils claw (African plant).

• Avoid Solanaceae family (potato, eggplant, tomato, tobacco, sweet peppers, chilli peppers (not black pepper), fennel, capsicum, Cape gooseberry, strawberry tomato, sugar cherry etc).

• Enhance elimination by optimising function of thoracic and abdominal organs. Reduce physical predisposing factors by reducing weight and attending to poor posture and/or restrictions.

• Enhance immune system by lymphatic pumping/drainage Tt. 

When you’ve got no symptoms-

Take a multi-vitamin supplementation. Also, take ‘slippery elm’ (from a health food shop) to improve mucous production in your colon.

• Reduce red meat intake (to reduce inflammation). If you do eat meat, remove as much fat as possible and try to avoid frying.

• Take an anti-inflammatory supplement available from a health food store- ginger, garlic, green lipped muscle extract, bromelain (found in pineapple), curcumin, MSM.

• Increase intake of oily fish (mackerel, herring, salmon, tuna and halibut).

• Increase intake of soluble fibre i.e. eat at least 5 portions of fruit and vegetables per day (stick 3-5 pieces of fruit in a blender with a little milk or water.

• Try to avoid sugars and all processed foods (they are high in salt and processed carbs which have the same effect as sugar).

• Reduce intake of dairy products and processed milk products (milk chocolate, ice cream)

When you have got symptoms

• Increase the ‘yoghurt weaver’ factor as much as you can!! i.e. get as close to a vegetarian diet as you can bear….. or at least cut down portion sizes of meat. Replace meat with fish wherever possible.

• In addition to the multi-vitamin tablet, take zinc and folate supplements as well.

• Take as many of the anti-inflammatory substances as you can. Try to include them in your diet as well as just taking supplements (eat fresh pineapple, include fresh ginger in ‘smoothies’).

Nutrient deficiency is the most frequent cause of immune deficiency. 

Supplementation is one way of increasing your intake of vitamins and minerals but research has shown that a diet rich in fruit and vegetables is probably the most efficient (and obviously natural) way to get the substances into your system. Many studies have been done using high doses of single Vitamins and/or minerals however; there is a good deal of confusion about how they all interact so I personally think that a good balanced diet is the way forward.

A high dose of vitamin C has been shown to reduce infections but some studies say that it is only effective when an infection is present so is long term use effective? However, how many times does one have a very low level infection that is dealt with before it gives you a ‘full blown’ cold that would have been assisted if you were taking vitamin C long term? Again, I think ensuring you have a good balanced diet is the way forward. Increase the following: Fruit and vegetable consumption (especially those rich in antioxidants, see below*), water and other non-caffeinated drinks. Things from your local health food shop: Multivitamin supplementation; Vitamins A, C and Zinc; Thymus extracts (good for viral infections); spleen extracts (bacterial infections); Echinacea and Astragalus root (Chinese herb). Reduce the following: Alcohol, sugar and saturated fat consumption. In addition it has been shown that exercise, getting sufficient rest/sleep and reducing stress levels (relaxation classes/meditation) all have a significant positive effect on immune system function.

* Antioxidants

Vitamin C (in rank order): Guava, blackcurrant, broccoli, red pepper, sprouts, watercress, lemon, cauliflower…………and then oranges!!!!

Carotenoids (gamma & beta carotene & lycopene): Carrots are by far the best source. Also, green leafy vegetables, apricots, mango.

Vitamin E: Almonds & hazelnuts esp, also brazil & pecans. Potato crisps, asparagus, broccoli, sprouts, avocado & blackberries.

Selenium: Garlic, mushrooms, bread, lentils, cod & herring.