Health Rising is very glad to announce the Fibromyalgia Treatment Group is our third corporate sponsor.

Fibrolief – A Natural Approach to Fibromyalgia

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

Cindy Sparling, the President of the FTP, came down with FM after a car accident

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.

After prescription drugs didn’t work for Cindy’s migraines or Fibromyalgia, she and her husband turned to a more natural approach

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.

Their Fibrolief product contains only high quality Alpha Lipoic Acid

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.

Unless supplements are in bio-available form, they won’t be absorbed by the body. FibroLief is composed of bio-available nutrients.

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.

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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:

1. The ingredients they use have been shown to be effective in clinical trials.
2. They only accept raw materials from proven growers and suppliers.
3. All ingredients are lab-tested before mixing, using NIR (near-Infrared) to ensure potency, purity and quality.
4. All  ingredients are screened for contaminants including pesticides and metals.
5. 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.
6. Each ingredient goes through dissolution and disintegration tests, ensuring that it will be absorbed into your stomach and intestines.
7. Every step of the manufacturing process is double checked and signed off by a quality control scientist.

Health Rising’s Sponsors

Sponsors play a vital role in Health Rising efforts to support people with ME/CFS and FM

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!