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Does CFS F..k Up Your Immune System?

frozenborderline

Senior Member
Messages
4,405
I ask because a few times recently someone in my family has gotten sick with like a normal cold or mild illness, and then I've caught it and been way, way worse than them. This disturbs me to no end! It's one thing being generally tired, but if my immune system is compromised, I don't know how I'd do going back to school, etc..

The other thing that bothers me is that some people think CFS is due to an overactive immune system that's trying to attack a pathogen that's not there, but some think it's due to a weakened immune system. So treating the immune system one way or the other could fuck it up if you're wrong about which it is. What do you guys think? /what's your experience?
 

*GG*

senior member
Messages
6,389
Location
Concord, NH
ah, you mean CFS which is more properly named CFIDS, and been around as long if not longer than CFS! yeah, its like that for some people. I am the opposite, I don't come down with much. Might get sick 1x a year, but probably not that much :)

http://www.ncf-net.org/

GG
 

dannybex

Senior Member
Messages
3,561
Location
Seattle
I have the same experience as @GG. I think most with ME/CFS don't catch colds, or the flu, etc., at least not in the normal sense, because our immune system becomes 'dysfunctional'. I have a chronic sinus infection, but it's low grade, and doesn't go away because I never get a 'decent' fever -- one that goes high enough for long enough to kill off the viruses, bacteria, etc..

I often thought that CIDS would've been a better name than CFIDS, because it stresses the 'immune dysfunction' we suffer with. I wouldn't say 'compromised' is the right way to describe it however...
 

frozenborderline

Senior Member
Messages
4,405
weird. maybe i don't have cfs but something very similar? because recently, every little thing that goes around, i catch, and i get it a LOT worse than anyone else. it worries me. I would think i had aids but i've been tested
 

ljimbo423

Senior Member
Messages
4,705
Location
United States, New Hampshire
The other thing that bothers me is that some people think CFS is due to an overactive immune system that's trying to attack a pathogen that's not there, but some think it's due to a weakened immune system. So treating the immune system one way or the other could fuck it up if you're wrong about which it is. What do you guys think? /what's your experience?

I think the CFS research is clear, that there is immune system dysfunction. However they have not been able to find consistent specific dysfunction. I think the immune system in CFS is both over and under-active.

The immune system is very complicated and there are many different immune cells and cytokines-(signaling molecules), that the cells give off in the presence of pathogens. I used to catch 6-8 colds or flu's a year because of effects my CFS has on my immune system. I found colostrum cut that number in half!

So there are people with CFS that catch a lot of colds and flu's and there are those that rarely catch them. I think the "pathogen that's not there" the immune system is attacking is, as I mentioned to you once before, lipopolysaccharides from the gut. They get into the bloodstream and although they are only part of a bacteria, not a whole bacteria.

The immune system recognizes them as a threat and becomes more active, causing symptoms. This is a quote from Chris Armstrong, one of the leading CFS researchers-

Well we all experience a bacteremia when we exercise. The type of bacteria that enter your bloodstream are usually quite controllable by your immune system but if your gut is further compromised they may release more bacteria into your blood or more pathogenic species or your immune system may already be depleted. This is the concept for the chronic sepsis or SIRS and this is what I think may be behind PEM.

LINK

Jim
 
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dannybex

Senior Member
Messages
3,561
Location
Seattle
weird. maybe i don't have cfs but something very similar? because recently, every little thing that goes around, i catch, and i get it a LOT worse than anyone else. it worries me. I would think i had aids but i've been tested

It's a possibility that you might not have ME/CFS. Hopefully others will chime in, but I've been sick for a long time, and have only had a cold or the flu turn 'serious' maybe twice in almost 20 years. 'Serious', meaning I actually got a fever for 2-3 days, and the aches, pains, sneezing, coughing, etc.. The last time that happened I actually had to go buy some kleenex because I hadn't needed any in probably 8 or 9 years.

But as I mentioned earlier, I still have that chronic sinus infection. It just stays in my sinuses and never flares like it should if I had a normal immune reaction.
 
Messages
5
Location
London, UK
Hi debored13, I respond the same way that you do - I get wiped out completely by illnesses that healthy people find quite minor. I'm also very susceptible to secondary infections (e.g. bronchitis).

One thing that you and I may have in common is that neither of us have had CFS for very long (correct me if I've interpreted your introductory post wrongly!), which might be a factor. At least one paper (Hornig, Montoya et al.) suggests that some people in the early stages of the illness have an "exuberant stimulation" of the immune system, with longer-term illness leading to a kind of immune exhaustion.

I don't know if the findings were replicated.
 

ljimbo423

Senior Member
Messages
4,705
Location
United States, New Hampshire
I've been sick for a long time, and have only had a cold or the flu turn 'serious' maybe twice in almost 20 years. 'Serious', meaning I actually got a fever for 2-3 days, and the aches, pains, sneezing, coughing, etc.. The last time that happened I actually had to go buy some kleenex because I hadn't needed any in probably 8 or 9 years.

I haven't had a fever in probably 20 years, although I've had many, many flu's that knocked me out. Not even a very slight fever of say a half a degree!

I also never get any kind of a significant cough either, no matter how bad the cold or flu. That is a very clear sign of a weaken immune response I believe.

Jim
 

frozenborderline

Senior Member
Messages
4,405
Same for me. I have many evidences of a compromised immune system.

Dysfunctionnal mitochondria can easily lead to immune deficiency and patients with mitochondria cytopathies are known to have problems to deal with infections.
this sucks, what do i do about it?
 

Mary

Moderator Resource
Messages
17,335
Location
Southern California
this sucks, what do i do about it?

I get sick a lot, actually every time I crash (which is about once a week). I don't run a fever etc., but it's like a low-grade sinus infection which wipes me out.

I have found that the herb andrographis is very helpful with this. I don't get nearly as sick as I used to and I recover much more quickly since I've started taking it. This is what I take: https://www.iherb.com/pr/Planetary-...MIttmk_u6O1wIVx1t-Ch37NwGnEAQYASABEgJsJfD_BwE

When I am actually sick, I take 2 or 3 a day, and in between generally take 1 a day. But I do take a break, maybe every 4 or 5 weeks I'll take a week off. It's pretty powerful stuff, works better than any other herb I have tried.
 

Mary

Moderator Resource
Messages
17,335
Location
Southern California
Supplement to support mitochondria function may help.

I started the program 5 months ago and this summer I didn't catch any infectious illness.
My assistant got a cold and I met some ill clients (from cold) these last few weeks but touch wood, I got nothing for now.

What supplement(s) do you take to support mitochondria function?
 

frozenborderline

Senior Member
Messages
4,405
I get sick a lot, actually every time I crash (which is about once a week). I don't run a fever etc., but it's like a low-grade sinus infection which wipes me out.

I have found that the herb andrographis is very helpful with this. I don't get nearly as sick as I used to and I recover much more quickly since I've started taking it. This is what I take: https://www.iherb.com/pr/Planetary-...MIttmk_u6O1wIVx1t-Ch37NwGnEAQYASABEgJsJfD_BwE

When I am actually sick, I take 2 or 3 a day, and in between generally take 1 a day. But I do take a break, maybe every 4 or 5 weeks I'll take a week off. It's pretty powerful stuff, works better than any other herb I have tried.
actually i had sort of negative effects to andrographis, think i'm allergic. took it as part of the buhner protocol, should've bought the herbs separately, b/c now i have to throw out this shit
 

frozenborderline

Senior Member
Messages
4,405
Supplement to support mitochondria function may help.

I started the program 5 months ago and this summer I didn't catch any infectious illness.
My assistant got a cold and I met some ill clients (from cold) these last few weeks but touch wood, I got nothing for now.
also love your name, patti smith is one of my favs
 

pattismith

Senior Member
Messages
3,932
What supplement(s) do you take to support mitochondria function?

Supplements recommended for Mytochondrial cytopathies are

vitamine B2 (Riboflavine) high doses (several forms exist)
CoQ10 (no powder, liquid form, take the best quality as possible)
L Carnitine
Lipoic Acid
antioxidants (Quercitine, vitamine C, selenium)
B multivitamin cocktail
(creatine)
Vitamine K2
Vitamine B3 (several forms exist, Nicotinamide may be the most efficient )
magnesium

you will find many threads about mito suplements on PR, but you can also find many informations on this reference site:
http://www.mitoaction.org/blog/the-dosing-debate-coq10-and-creatine-mitochondrial-disorders

Pyruvate Dehydrogenase seems to be inhibited in CFS/ME, so supplements recommended for D
PDH deficiency may be also usefull:

For this purpose, you have to add to the previous list Thiamine (vitamine B1) at high dose about 400 mg, but sometimes higher
(several form exist)

https://emedicine.medscape.com/article/948360-treatment

I also take hydroxocobalamine (B12) injections every day.

it's a hard job to find the right vitamin forms that work for you, but it worth the pain.
When I will stabilize a bit more my symptoms, I will try methyl donors.