You are visiting Barbara Feick Gregory's Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Website

Picture of Barbara Gregory I didn't sleep for about 2 years. I had a low body temperature and was freezing all the time. When I went to bed at night, I wore a T-shirt under the flannel pajamas, fuzzy socks that I tucked the pajama legs into, I wrapped up in a fuzzy blanket, and then I crawled into bed.

I had it back in 2002. I wasn't diagnosed officially, but I didn't sleep for about 2 years. Was exhausted and mainly laid in bed at night in a kind of daydream state and checked the clock periodically and was very tired in the morning. One tax season I had to prop myself up at the computer; I was too tired to sit up without support. I had a low body temperature and was freezing all the time. When I went to bed at night, I wore a T-shirt under the flannel pajamas, fuzzy socks that I tucked the pajama legs into, I wrapped up in a fuzzy blanket, and then I crawled into bed. If I exercised... on Monday I could do 10 pushups; by Friday I could only do 2 if any.

I watched a special on TV about it with my husband. Even though he watched the show that explained that it was a real illness and all the symptoms matched mine, he did not believe it was a real illness. "If you are tired, go to bed, sleep, and then get up. Drink a cup of coffee! Hell, I'm tired!"

I tried eating right, exercising, resting, and I read alot to try to figure out what to do. This website was a result of the research I did on it. I had to do something. Reading and studying feels like doing.

I'm cured. I got treatment from a local Sandusky chiropractor David Bodi. I remember my first appointment. He took my temperature by mouth. He looked at the thermometer and decided something was wrong with the reading. So he put a new slip on it and did again. Still wasn't right. So he put a new slip on it again and gave it to me and told me to take my temperature. It was 96.- something degrees. He treated me for a massive yeast overgrowth and worked to balance my body by using large amounts of homeopathic remedies for several months. I saw him frequently. I highly recommend him. If you were to read and study about the remedies he used, the research behind them is flawed according to my niece the doctor... so they won't work... except they did. With the current websites about acid/alkaline balance and using baking soda to alkalize the body, I think that was a major part of my cure.

Being cured doesn't put things back to normal. I am still working on getting back into good physical condition. In August, 2007. I had a severe bout of cystitis and got treated with an antibiotic which killed off my intestinal bacteria and the fatigue was back. I took probiotics and saw an alternative M.D. It is October 2008. There was no recurrence of the chronic fatigue.

How did I get sick in the first place? I believe in my case it was from being a sugar junkie for most of my life. Sugar depresses the immune system and upsets the body chemistry allowing yeast to grow. The good bacteria can't keep the yeast in check. I was tired alot long before I got full-blown CFS. I used sugar to boost my energy.

There were emotional factors, too. I am now divorced, sold our house, moved to Columbus, Ohio to be close to my daughters and found a new job and a new life. More than anything, moving was part of the cure.

Right after I became better, I tried putting together a support group. I don't recommend support groups if you want to get well. Many people who have CFS will be sick for a long time because they are victims and are unwilling to look outside the mainstream to get well. There are many doctors who have gotten CFS and had to look outside allopathic medicine to get well. This is one illness that the standard drug therapy does not help and may make things worse.

Update: October 2008

 I am still studying health. I am probably healthier than 80% of the people I graduated high school with.... I have decided from all my studies that you must address the emotional factors if you want to get well. The suppressed anger, fear, hate, etc. etc. The cure for you probably will not come from visiting your MD. It will come from you deciding that you are going to do what it takes to get well and you will do it yourself. Follow the diet recommended by the Weston Price Foundation, learn EFT (emotional freedom technique), and alkaline your body. As tired as you are you must make the lifestyle changes to get out of whatever emotional setting landed you in this state of hyper-fatigue.

Update: June 2010

I was bitten by two mosquitoes and my face broke out in a rash that was not going away. I finally consulted a Naturopath who suggested I add alot more fiber to my diet which I did. The rash went away...however... I gradually started not to sleep again. And although I ride my bicycle and am active, I'm getting more tired - is it from lack of sleep or something else?

I found when I screened myself with CEDS that Lyme was coming up. I didn't know what to make of it so basically ignored it. Then Dr. Mercola had and article on his website about it. I have information about Lyme spirochetes on my other site. These are not just from ticks, there are over 300 varieties, they cause alot of sickness that is usually diagnosed "cause unknown". One treatment suggested lots of salt. I already do that but not in as huge amounts as they recommend.

I have been reading up on the treatments. I have come to the conclusion that I would be wasting my time trying to kill off the spirochetes because they are like flies. To quote Dr. Lorraine Day "Flies don't cause garbage!"  Until I clean up the garbage, the flies will keep coming back. You can use alot of insecticide on flies but you end up poisoning your environment.

So currently I am seeing an alternative health care provider. I do have an overgrowth of yeast again. (Yeast are like flies, too) But the reason I don't sleep lately could likely be the mercury that is in my brain! I did have a hair analysis done. Found mercury and lots of aluminum. So I have been undergoing a detox. It takes time to pull out all the heavy metals. If you pull them out faster than the body can eliminate them, you can make yourself sicker when the body reabsorbs them and sticks them somewhere else. I did get a bit sick to my stomach one day. Turns out I also have formaldehyde in my system. I avoid Nutrisweet, don't have any metal fillings, so the question is where are all these toxins coming from?

Partly it is just my body's inability to get rid of the stuff that is in the environment.

Mercury: "Coal-burning power plants are the largest human-caused source of mercury emissions to the air in the United States, accounting for over 50 percent of all domestic human-caused mercury emissions" (Source: 2005 National Emissions Inventory). "Mercury in the air eventually settles into water or onto land where it can be washed into water. Once deposited, certain microorganisms can change it into methylmercury, a highly toxic form that builds up in fish, shellfish and animals that eat fish. Fish and shellfish are the main sources of methylmercury exposure to humans. Methylmercury builds up more in some types of fish and shellfish than others. The levels of methylmercury in fish and shellfish depend on what they eat, how long they live and how high they are in the food chain." (Source: http://www.epa.gov/hg/about.htm)

Aluminum: "many municipal water supplies are treated with both aluminum sulfate and aluminum fluoride. These two chemicals can also combine easily in the blood. Aluminum fluoride is also poorly excreted in the urine...It is estimated that the normal person takes in between 3 and 10 milligrams of aluminum per day. Aluminum is the most abundant metallic element produced by the earth. It can be absorbed into the body through the digestive tract, the lungs and the skin, and is also absorbed by and accumulates in the bodies tissues. Aluminum is found naturally in our air, water and soil. It is also used in the process of making cooking pots and pans, utensils and foil. Other items such as over the counter pain killers, anti-inflammatory products, and douche preparations can also contain aluminum. Aluminum is also an additive in most baking powders, is used in food processing, and is present in antiperspirants, toothpaste, dental amalgams, bleached flour, grated cheese, table salt, and beer, (especially when the beer is in aluminum cans). The biggest source of aluminum, however, comes from our municipal water supplies."  (Source: http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art7739.asp)

Formaldehyde:  The primary ways people are exposed to this poisonous substance is by inhaling its vapors from the air or absorbing liquids that contain it through the skin. Here are some of the common sources that may be in your home: Personal care products (shampoo, toothpaste, mascara, air fragrances, aftershave, cosmetics, nail polish); "No-iron" durable-press clothing, fabrics and draperies; Plywood and particleboard used to build homes Medium-density fiberboard (MDF) used for cabinets and furniture; Glues and adhesives Paints and coatings Certain insulation materials (urea-formaldehyde foam and fiberglass); Automobile emissions; Emissions from burning wood, kerosene or natural gas; Cigarette smoke.
(Source: http://www.sixwise.com/newsletters/05/04/05/toxic-formaldehyde-lurking-in-all-these-secret-household-locations.htm)

It's a slow process. I'll keep you posted.

I welcome any questions you may have. Just drop me an email.

Barbara Feick Gregory