DMG

Recently I blogged about my pill organizer, but what I didn't mention was the DMG I take twice daily. That's because I take it in a liquid form, and it doesn't go into my pill organizer. I started taking DMG because a friend of mind believes it is a miracle supplement. She initially gave it to me for my cat, Spike, who I blogged about over the summer. Spike has feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV), the feline version of AIDs. DMG is purported to support the immune system, so we thought we'd test it out on him. I have to report that Spike is amazingly healthy so far. Based on Spike's surprisingly good health despite the vet's dire predictions, my friend, decided I too should take DMG and see what it does for my fibro.

What is DMG? I'll start first with Wikipedia's definition:

"Dimethylglycine (DMG) is a derivative of the amino acid glycine with the structural formula (CH3)2NCH2COOH. It can be found in beans and liver. It can be formed from trimethylglycine upon the loss of one of its methyl groups. It is also a byproduct of the metabolism of choline.

When DMG was first discovered, it was referred to as vitamin B16, but, unlike true B vitamins, deficiency of DMG in the diet does not lead to any ill-effects meaning it does not meet the definition of a vitamin. In legal terms, it has been deemed a food product and, as such, is available without a practitioner or prescription.

Uses: Dimethylglycine has been suggested for use as an athletic performance enhancer, immunostimulant, and a treatment for autism, epilepsy, or mitochondrial disease. Published studies on the subject have shown little to no difference between DMG treatment and placebo."

Next let's look at Dr. Ray Sahelian's take on DMG. (Please note that I do not represent his view's as my own. I am just offering a different view from Wikipedia's.):

"If you find the field of mind-boosting pills, sex nutrients, and anti-aging interesting, you will certainly want to learn more about DMG (dimethylglycine), TMG (trimethylglycine), and methyl donors. Unless your major is college was chemistry, chances are you don’t remember learning about DMG or methyl donors. A methyl donor is simply any substance that can transfer a methyl group [a carbon atom attached to three hydrogen atoms (CH3)] to another substance. Methylation is a biochemical process that is essential to life, health, and regeneration of body cells. Vitamins, hormones, neurotransmitters, enzymes, nucleic acids (DNA and RNA), and antibodies depend on the transfer of methyl groups to complete their synthesis. Scientists suspect that proper methylation of DNA may prevent the expression of harmful genes, such as cancer genes. It’s quite likely that our body’s ability to methylate declines with age, contributing to the aging process, and therefore supplementation may well be beneficial. The research in this area is still very early and no firm answers are yet available."

Whether you believe in DMG or not, interestingly enough, I think it might be helping. I have been taking this supplement since early-October, and I feel less fatgued. I still have the muscle aches, I still get tired, but it feels like a more normal tired. The kind of tired you're suppose to have after you've spent a morning stacking wood.

Of course, this could also be due to the fact that I am no longer baking like a madwoman. That was also taking a toll on me. Fall is always hard on my fibro because of the time change and the constantly changing weather systems as we move into winter. The persistent cold of winter makes my muscles ache and can cause me a great deal of fatigue, especially in the morning. I will continue on the DMG through the winter, and see if the improvement in energy continues.