Health Rising is very glad to announce the Fibromyalgia Treatment Group is our third corporate sponsor.
Like so many ME/CFS and FM efforts, the Fibromyalgia Treatment Group’s work was triggered by a personal experience with FM: Cindy Sparling, the President of the FTG, came down with Fibromyalgia after a car accident.
Like others it took her years to get diagnosed and after prescription drugs didn’t work, she and her husband turned to natural alternatives to get relief. Ultimately the Fibrolief product containing tumeric, boswellia, white willow, acetyl-l-carnitine, Rhodolia, COq10, Bacopa, Benfotiamine, Vit D3 and other natural ingredients was borne.
An Interview with Cindy Sparling, President of the Fibromyalgia Treatment Group
It’s interesting, given how high a prevalence of migraine occurs in ME/CFS and FM, that you had an almost life-long history of migraines prior to coming down with Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. I assume that you’d tried prescription drugs but you had no luck there?
After trying several classes of prescription drugs, I quickly learned that the side effects were not worth the limited success I was feeling. I felt like my doctor was using a “mud against the wall” type approach and nothing seemed to really help.
It was your husband’s success in producing a natural formula that helped your migraines that prompted you to look for a natural formula that might help with your Fibromyalgia. Can you say what was in the anti- migraine formulation?
Absolutely. As with our Fibrolief formulation, everything is based on clinical studies and research into the individual ingredients. The migraine formula contains Feverfew, butterbur, ginkgo, white willow bark, CoQ10, ginger, Magnesium, Niacin, Riboflavin and BioPerine to help with bio-availability. It was designed to be taken every day and not just when migraines attack.
Did you try any drugs for Fibromyalgia and if so how did they work?
I tried several drugs and like I mentioned before, nothing gave me enough benefit to warrant the side effects.
Your Fibromyalgia began when you were involved in a serious car accident. You had trouble recovering from that, experienced pain across your body, had trouble sleeping, developed mental fog. You were diagnosed with depression, you went on anti-depressants and pain drugs, neither of which helped much and finally you were diagnosed with Fibromyalgia, and you and your husband began a search for a natural approach to FM.
I think it asks a lot of any supplement to cure FM, but relief is another matter. How much has Fibrolief helped?
It was a long road to being diagnosed with Fibromyalgia and there is almost nothing worse than a diagnoses without the prospect of a cure. Fibrolief was developed as a way to find relief from the most debilitating symptoms and help regain quality of life. It has helped me tremendously and we receive reports every day from others who have found some relief.
Many supplements are available for Fibromyalgia are available: how is yours different?
One of the most important distinctions of our product is that we haven’t scrimped on quality ingredients. Most supplement companies use the cheapest ingredients they can find because they need such high profit margins to sell through traditional channels.
One example is Alpha Lipoic Acid. 99% of supplements use S-ALA which is a synthetic version that almost does more harm than good. We use stabilized R-ALA which is nearly 10 times the cost. The benefit of this approach in the final product has made a dramatic impact.
Since we sell directly to the consumer, we are able to produce a much higher quality product while still keeping the price at a reasonable level.
You state you only use ‘bio-available’ forms of the supplements. Can you explain what that means and why it’s important.
Many vitamins are notorious for being poorly absorbed by our bodies. One examples is the difference between various forms of B1. Most companies use a standard thiamine. We use Benfotiamine which translates in clinical studies to a 360% increase in absorption. In each of our ingredients we use the best available form on the market.
If your nutritional formula is going to work, how long would it take for someone to determine that?
This can vary dramatically from person to person. Some people might start seeing improved sleep and energy within just a few days or weeks and for other symptoms it can take up to a few months.
Do you use any other approaches (diet, drugs, coping techniques) ?
I have found meditation and TENS therapy to be very beneficial. I you haven’t tried either, it’s more than worth the effort for me.
- Facebook – Check out FTP’s Facebook Page
Efficacy and Quality
The FTG’s products come with a year guarantee. Their manufacturing facility is FDA approved and adheres to Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs) for supplement manufacturers. They lock in potency, purity an quality in 7 different ways:
- The ingredients they use have been shown to be effective in clinical trials.
- They only accept raw materials from proven growers and suppliers.
- All ingredients are lab-tested before mixing, using NIR (near-Infrared) to ensure potency, purity and quality.
- All ingredients are screened for contaminants including pesticides and metals.
- Their manufacturing process conforms with or exceeds standards set by the U.S. Government. Their facility undergoes 2 audits per year by a 3rd party that certifies that we meet GMP’s.
- Each ingredient goes through dissolution and disintegration tests, ensuring that it will be absorbed into your stomach and intestines.
- Every step of the manufacturing process is double checked and signed off by a quality control scientist.
Health Rising’s Sponsors
Health Rising is looking for sponsors that produce products that may support the ME/CFS and FM communities. With regard to Fibromyalgia Treatment Group’s FibroLief product I was struck by the research they did, the eclectic mix of ingredients in their product and Cindy’s story.
Sponsors play a vital role in Health Rising’s support of the ME/CFS and FM communities, and we’re looking for more of them.
If you’re interested in sponsoring Health Rising or know of a corporation or group that might wish to do so please use our contact form found here. We’re interested in finding innovative and appropriate ways of showcasing our sponsors.
Thanks!
Hi, Cort and Cindy – This looks like a great supplement, with high-quality ingredients.
The main issue I have with supplements that contain multiple ingredients is that there are often one or two of them to which I don’t react well. I have to fine-tooth-comb any supplement I buy to be sure it doesn’t contain something I cannot tolerate. Unfortunately, that’s true with this supplement.
For example, I cannot take SAMe. For whatever reason, I get weird, shooting flashes in my eyes and pain in my head. Benfotiamine makes my heart pound even harder than it normally does (I tried it briefly, based on a previous article you wrote here).
But, that’s just me, and this looks like an excellent supplement that could bring relief to many others. The fact that they use quality “bio-available” forms of the various ingredients is a huge plus.
Glad that you and Health Rising are starting to get corporate sponsorships. Whatever benefits your wonderful blog benefits us all! I wish Cindy Sparling, her husband and their company all the best with their venture.
Cheers!
Judith
Thanks Judith. I’m glad as well that the FTG reached out to us.
I guess the upside of an all-in-one package is ease of use and reduced costs and the downside is possibly not being able to tolerate all the ingredients. (I do wonder if another nutrient would take care of the side-effect but I have no idea what it would be :))
Thanks for your support 🙂
I agree with Judith. I also cannot even take a mixed Multiple vitamin.
Almost the only things that work for me are injectable or cremes or ointments. Some singles I can take. Most of mine are ordered by my physicians and compounded in a tiny dose.
Hope this works for some-but I am afraid to even try. Have done this before.
I really kind of panic when someone thinks they have the perfect formula.
I realize you probably went through alot of rigorous testing-just not for me.
Most definitely, Cort; mixed ingredients in supplements are necessary. And I’ve been thinking that the issues I’ve had with SAMe were way in the past. The benfotiamine dosage may be low enough so as not to cause me any symptoms. I’m willing to give it a try because IF it helps me feel better, that would be a real plus. If I have any issues, I could do like I do with a lot of other supplements; just take a lower dosage, and then increase later. That’s a common thing a lot of us with CFS/ME and FMS have to do anyway. Four capsules is a full dose, so starting with one for awhile, then up it to two, and go from there. That’s the good side of a multi-capsule supplement; you can start slowly. 😉
Thanks,
Judith
Sorry…me again. I didn’t take time to read Fibromyalgia Treatment Group’s web site fully. Doh! :p The FAQ’s answer a LOT of questions, and they even offer a free two-week trial – just pay the shipping and handling – to give it a try. I should have handled that better! But now I know. 🙂
JF
Cindy,
I fell in the welding classroom in October and have been unable to work since. I work as a school administrator. I learned from a very competent neurologist that the fall which resulted in whiplash and soft tissue has lead me to FM.I was diagnosed last Friday and am seeing anew physical therapist, the former one did more harm than good. Prescription meds scare me so I am looking for alternative treatments. Since I just turned 62 last month, I already take most of the supplements recommended. I also am wondering in Social Security considers this a disability. Do you know the answer to this or where I might find it?
Thanks,
Joni
I was very enthusiatic when I discovered the Fibrolief information. I jumped in with 4 a day. I started having a lot of stomach aches every afternoon and some feverish head reaction to something. I backed off to 2 a day and made sure to take it with food. My stomach was still messed up but I have a very sensitive stomach. Right now I decided to wait a few days and see if my stomach settles down then start adding one a day to my routine. I’m still trying to wean myself off of prescription drugs. Any advice is greatly appreciated.
I have been on fibro relief for 3wks.I have been on overdrive!!! I think the SAM e is doing this.when u lay down it feels like my heart is pounding yesterday I only took 2 in am and it was better but still having a hard x going to sleep. I think it is making me hyper manic. Any suggestions???
As for sleep and your heart pounding, I found a good acupuncturist that helped me. Maybe that will help you. Good luck. As for weaning off of meds., sometimes you need to change your prescription by 25 mg at a time when possible and keep it the same prescription strength for 2 months before changing again.