fibro and Chinese food

I like eating mild Chinese food but always suffer with flare ups afterwards this article explains why it may be happening:

A compound known as monosodium glutamate, or MSG, is a flavor enhancer frequently used in Chinese cooking, as well as in the commercial canning of vegetables, soups, and processed meats. MSG has also been controversial despite its classification by the FDA as “generally recognized as safe.” The controversy surrounding MSG centers around many decades’ worth of anecdotal reports of adverse reactions to foods that contain MSG. Similar to aspartame, MSG has been associated with Fibromyalgia and Fibromyalgia-like symptoms. In 2001, Smith et al. published a paper describing the cases of four female Fibromyalgia patients (two of whom were sisters). All patients had repeatedly tried conventional Fibromyalgia treatments (including antidepressant medications, injections, pain medications, physical therapy, counseling, and various alternative therapies), however none were consistently or profoundly successful for any of the patients. Under varying circumstances, two women eliminated MSG from their diets while the other two eliminated both MSG and aspartame. For all four patients, Fibromyalgia symptoms improved dramatically and in some instances, completely, following elimination of these substances from their diet. In their discussion, the authors note that MSG, in addition to aspartame, are toxic to certain nerve cells and suggest that MSG may also play a role in disrupting the body’s ability to process pain signals correctly (Smith et al., 2001).

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