FAQs

You can eat almost anything on the protocol in normal quantities except teas and mint. Dr. St. Amand has found some of his patients blocked on teas. Mint is a very high salicylate.

There are a few reasons why this can happen. The main reasons are because they are not following the protocol correctly.

a) They are using the wrong guaifenesin
b) They are on the wrong dose
c) They are not 100% salicylate free.

After reviewing the quick sal checklist, and you are still unsure:

a) You can email Cheryl with a picture of the ingredients, and she will check them for you.
b) You can use www.salsearch.com to check the ingredients.
c) You can google search the ingredient and ask if it is a chemical or not.
d) You can join the Facebook group, Dr. St. Amand’s Guaifenesin Support

Just email Cheryl and she will tell you what dates and times are available.

Dr. St. Amand would decide if a patient was hypoglycemic based on their symptoms. Those symptoms are listed in his book, What Drs. May Not Tell You About Fibromyalgia by Dr. Paul St. Amand and Claudia Marek. You can try his diet, listed in the book, for two months perfectly and see if your symptoms improve. Many people have found that the diet lifts brain fog, decreases pain and helps with bowel issues.

CROWS stands for the grains of corn, rice, oats, wheat and soy. These are the only plant ingredients allowed in topical products.

Castor oil is oil from a plant so we cannot use it. Hydrogenated castor oil is oil from a plant that has been hydrogenated. The process of hydrogenation turns a liquid into a solid, it doesn’t change the plant oil other than it’s now solid rather than something that can be poured. A solid or liquid plant oil is still a plant oil, so we cannot use it.

What about an ingredient starting with PEG and a number?
Any ingredient starting with PEG and a number is a chemical and it’s ok such as PEG 40 Castor Oil.
So….
Castor oil — NO
Hydrogenated castor oil — NO
PEG 40 (or any other number) castor oil — YES
PEG 60 (or any other number) hydrogenated castor oil —YES
Polyoxyl 40 hydrogenated castor oil — YES.

Remember PEG and a number and then a plant oil as OK as long as there are no syllables of Sal, Camph, or Menth in the name.

Most perfume contains essential oils. You can spray it on your clothes or hair. If you think it’s going to touch your scalp or body, then don’t use it. Some people have found perfume that is strictly chemicals.

Bisabolol is not a salicylate BUT bisabol is! Bisabol is a plant resin and should not be used. Bisabolol is fine to use. Remember the LOL at the end of the word. Think “Laughing Out Loud”. Something happy, something good/ok.

Most dishwashing liquid is safe to use such as Dawn, Ivory or President’s Choice. Safeway had dishwashing liquids with the ingredients on the bottle. The ones most likely to be unsafe would be those purchased in health food stores. The amount of blue dye from Dawn squirted into a sink full of water is minute. If you are concerned about dyes or plants in your dishwashing liquid, you can use rubber gloves.

Salicylates block guaifenesin from working and dyes are not salicylates. Some dyes can cause energy deprivation in susceptible individuals. When I was nursing in Neurology, we would add ½ cup of blue dye to a bag of tube feeds. If the patient vomited, we would then know it was from stomach contents. No medical doctor showed concern about that high amount of blue dye! Dr. St. Amand read a study that said blue dye could slow down the production of energy in SUSEPTIBLE people. That’s why he suggested that we avoid blue dye when possible.

Some people block on purpose just to do certain things such as getting their hair done. It’s not something you do frequently so I like to enjoy getting the scalp massage with the nice smelly shampoo! Blocking using lasts 24 to 48 hours. On my blocking day, I would drink all the tea I wanted! I would even brush with Crest! Now, I forget I can drink tea on that day because I’m not used to it. If I brush with Crest, I find it burns my mouth!

No. I do not recommend you doing this. When the massage therapist is massaging you, she is touching all your muscles containing phosphate. After a massage, they encourage you to drink lots of water to release the toxins (and phosphates) stored in your body. If you are using massage oil with salicylates, you will not be able to excrete the phosphate. I used to buy salicylate-free Elta massage lotion from the US. It was very expensive.

Then I realized the ingredients were just body lotion ingredients with mineral oil. Then I started to buy an inexpensive body lotion that was sal-free and also mineral oil and then let my MT mix it to the consistency that she wanted. However, she preferred just to use mineral oil. If you don’t want to use mineral oil, you could just use a more watery body lotion or Emu oil which can be purchased at www.fibropharmacy.com. Emu oil is lovely but rather expensive. If you buy it, make sure that it is pure with no added plant ingredients.

When you book a mapping appointment with me, I schedule you for one hour. If it’s your first mapping, it may take longer. I ask that you wear a plain T-shirt and light pants such as yoga pants. The less print, pockets, seams, etc., the easier and more accurate it is to map. There are washrooms and an elevator in the church, where I rent a room to map. We start by reviewing and recording your symptoms. I then gently run my fingers along certain parts of your body and mark the swellings/nodules on a body map. We talk about the problems you could be having due to the build-up in that particular area. If you have trouble getting onto the massage table, you could bring a stool. You will be sitting and lying down. You can bring a pillow or blanket if that makes you more comfortable. If the next client comes early, he/she waits outside the room until your appointment is done. You can bring your products for me to check and ask any questions you want to ask. I’m an RN and not a physician so I cannot diagnose you. I can, however, tell you if you have signs and symptoms of fibromyalgia and to follow up with your family doctor. I do get you to sign a consent telling you that this is a muscle examination and not used to replace your physician. The consent also releases me and the church from any liabilities such as you falling off the massage table (it’s never happened) or down the stairs (also has never happened). I ask for a $50.00 donation to Fibrofree. $10.00 goes to the church for the room rental and $40.00 goes to Fibrofree to pay for free

handouts, conferences, public displays, the website and zoom meetings. I was trained by Dr. St. Amand in 2007 and have mapped regularly since. I do not pay myself for a few reasons. 1. Fibrofree could not afford me, lol. 2. I do not want to give you the feeling that this whole thing is just a scam for me to make money and 3. If I wanted/needed more money I would not be mapping. I can pick up an OT nursing shift for over $100/hr! If you are on AISH, you only have to pay the charge of $10 to the church. Just email me to get the available dates and times.

If you see the word “flavor” in the ingredient list, you must call the company and find out if there is any mint or menthol in the flavor. All other flavors are ok. Two common products with flavors written is toothpastes and lip gloss.

I have heard Dr. St. Amand answer this question a few different ways.

a) When clearing, you will feel SIGNIFICANTLY but tolerably worse.
b) No worse than 5 years down the road, if you don’t go on the protocol.
c) No worse than your worse cycle.