Is standard virus testing useless?

[outdamnspot]

Is standard antibody testing for viruses such as Coxsackie too insensitive to be of any use in guiding treatment?

The reason I am curious is because I know Dr Chia analyzes tissue from stomach biopsies. I was reading about one poster here, CBS, whose SIBO/dysbiosis improved when they went on Equilibrant.

I did test negative for all viruses -- other than the chickenpox virus, which I had as a kid -- via standard lab testing here in Australia.

One of my concerns in all of this is that I am fixating on the attendant issues, such as Candida, gut dysbiosis etc. in the hope that they might be the cause of my CFS, whereas I have no idea if I should be looking further into a governing problem like a virus. I'll bring it up with my doctor, but I don't get to see her for another 4 weeks. One doctor I saw did offer more sensitive antibody testing for viruses overseas, but I couldn't afford the cost unfortunately.

 

[cman89]

I have often wondered this myself. I do know that lab can differ in accuracy from lab to lab, and also viruses can lurk in areas of the body that standard testing does not reach for. For example, there have been hypothesis than state that many ME triggering infections hide among vagus neural tissue, and can be very difficult to detect.

 

[outdamnspot]

I have often wondered this myself. I do know that lab can differ in accuracy from lab to lab, and also viruses can lurk in areas of the body that standard testing does not reach for. For example, there have been hypothesis than state that many ME triggering infections hide among vagus neural tissue, and can be very difficult to detect.

Yeah, it's annoying. It makes me wonder if I'm suffering unduly when I should just be trying antivirals. I have just started earthing and am experiencing an immune reaction to that, but I don't know if it's specific to viruses.

 

[cman89]

Yeah, it's annoying. It makes me wonder if I'm suffering unduly when I should just be trying antivirals. I have just started earthing and am experiencing an immune reaction to that, but I don't know if it's specific to viruses.

I will mention, though, that several practitioners and researchers have hypothesized that the problem isnt so much active infection, but that the immune system and neural system does not come back to "ground state" after the insult. Of course, anti-virals do help if one is severely infected, but I think some of their effects are on immune modulation, rather than killing the actual viruses. Still not worth discounting, but its a multi faceted approach that is needed.