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    Created in 2008, Phoenix Rising is the largest and oldest forum dedicated to furthering the understanding of and finding treatments for complex chronic illnesses such as chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), fibromyalgia (FM), long COVID, postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS), mast cell activation syndrome (MCAS), and allied diseases.

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Vascular Brain Fog & Nitric Oxide

ebethc

Senior Member
Messages
1,901
@ebethc ME causes hypoperfusion of the brain, which explains the brain fog. A SPECT scan done in the proper way can clearly show this. I had it done in december and was quite amazed at the results, which showed I had moderate to severe hypoperfusion in most parts of the brain. The part of the brains that regulates orthostatic tension was not affected in my case, which also explains why I don't have Pots or any form of orthostatic intolerance.

wow, that's fascinating and explains alot... I don't get POTS either - thankfully! POTS would put me over the edge.. Did you doctor say anything about how to help the brain hypoperfusion? I feel better at dry, high altitudes, which I believe has something to do w circulation changes that low humidity and altitude combine to produce.. Any idea of the effects of altitude and humidity on circulation?

I'd like to buy this leg massager when I can scrape together the money.. I thought it would help w circulation

https://www.amazon.com/Sequential-A...coding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=E8NW082DMVBZGAREAASD
 

ebethc

Senior Member
Messages
1,901
Vinpo was great for me early on in the illness, for sure.

why did you stop taking it? did it "poop out"?

This is part of why I take the herb Vitex agnus-castus. It's progesterogenic. It helps with my breathing issues.

have you tried ibudilast? it's an asthma drug that also is good for brain fog (microglial inhibitor, increases blood flow)
 

Dechi

Senior Member
Messages
1,454
wow, that's fascinating and explains alot... I don't get POTS either - thankfully! POTS would put me over the edge.. Did you doctor say anything about how to help the brain hypoperfusion? I feel better at dry, high altitudes, which I believe has something to do w circulation changes that low humidity and altitude combine to produce.. Any idea of the effects of altitude and humidity on circulation?

I'd like to buy this leg massager when I can scrape together the money.. I thought it would help w circulation

https://www.amazon.com/Sequential-A...coding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=E8NW082DMVBZGAREAASD

@ebethc We're not done doing all the testing yet, I haven't had any tests for enterovirus, so we haven't talked about treatment. Also, my doctor doesn't treat usually but he sends you to the best specialists he knows to do so.

About brain fog, I am taking Nimotop, which I found through personal research and before even knowing I had hypoperfusion to the brain. It increases blood flow to the brain, and it helps with brain fog and even sometimes other symptoms like PEM and overall energy levels.

Here's a post I made about it if you want more infos : http://forums.phoenixrising.me/inde...-30-60-minutes-without-pem.48478/#post-796918

I don't talk about brain fog in this because at the time I wasn't aware of brain fog. Or maybe I didn't have it yet. But I do now (I have " only " been sick for 3-4 years). And I am definitely worse without Nimotop. I had to stop it for 2 weeks to do my table tilt test and I was much worse and exhausted without it.
 

ahmo

Senior Member
Messages
4,805
Location
Northcoast NSW, Australia
does malic acid help your body get rid of ammonia & ammonia? does it increase N.O. like ornithine/arginine?
Yes, it helps, but I don't know what the mechanism is.

And I've also had good results w/ nasal insulin. Got rid of persistent low-level headache + brain fog. Maybe I already said this to you, my memory is .... absent.



http://www.lostfalco.com/intranasal-insulin/


http://www.healthrising.org/forums/threads/the-benefits-of-intranasal-insulin.4820/#post-23758
 

Mary

Moderator Resource
Messages
17,334
Location
Southern California
I think my brain fog is at least somewhat caused by poor blood flow... I don't have POTS, but I'm starting to think that maybe I do have some subtle vascular problems that are causing big cognitive problems... I've ignored this part of CFS since I don't have POTS... Can anyone share info on "vascular dementia" or vascular brain fog?

I took high doses of ornithine/arginine a few years ago and felt fantastic and super, super focused (unbelievably organized...and great burst of energy).. THEN I crashed hard.. one of the worst reactions... However, it did teach me that blood flow and inflammation were causing so bad symptoms... I'm trying arginine again BUT adding lysine this time... rookie mistake to leave the lysine out the first time around... No ornithine in the house, and I'm broke, so I'm working w what I have. do you really need ornithine w arginine and lysine? I know these 3 are often taken together, as well as those 3 plus glycine - which is also good for me but makes me sleepy.

Arginine wiped me out after a couple of days. and then I learned that it lowers cortisol: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17510493 So this might be why you crashed so hard.
 

ebethc

Senior Member
Messages
1,901
Yes, it helps, but I don't know what the mechanism is.

And I've also had good results w/ nasal insulin. Got rid of persistent low-level headache + brain fog. Maybe I already said this to you, my memory is .... absent.

http://www.lostfalco.com/intranasal-insulin/

http://www.healthrising.org/forums/threads/the-benefits-of-intranasal-insulin.4820/#post-23758

INI is next on my list, as is ibudilast.. learned of both from the legendary lost falco! My head feels like it's full of cotton.. I just feel dumb all the time.. when I took arginine (and before it made me crash!) I got my brain back ... It was so awesome... humidity and any particulate matter make my head worse... we'll see if INI plus low carb/low lectin can help
 

Mary

Moderator Resource
Messages
17,334
Location
Southern California
interesting... I wonder if citrulline malate has the same effect on cortisol

I read that although citrulline helps produce arginine, it acts differently than ingesting arginine directly. I don't really know! Perhaps Hip or someone else can elucidate this.

I did find this comparison of arginine to citrulline: https://nootriment.com/l-arginine-vs-l-citrulline/

So I think citrulline is worth a try, just go slowly and pay attention to how you feel ---
 

Prefect

Senior Member
Messages
307
Location
Canada
Can anyone share info on "vascular dementia" or vascular brain fog

Have you looked into whether you chronically hyperventilate? I think many of us do, and I don't quite know why.

A good hint is your brain fog gets worse when you're slouching in a chair reading a computer screen, and you think your mental fog is because of mental exercise.

Lately when that happens to me, I lean forward to force my breathing down into my diaphragm, and practice Buteyko Breathing (search on google or this site). I've managed of reduce at least certain types of brain fog (maybe 50%). Yes, I have few types of them.

When you hyperventilate the resulting vasoconstriction causes cerebral hypo-perfusion. Additionally, when you reduce your breathing and increase CO2 in your blood through Buteyko or other methods, you increase ambient nitric oxide in your upper nasal passageways, which can help additionally.

doesn't histamine cause blood vessel changes? I have a mast cell disorder, and I was thinking that this was causing blood vessel changes

When you get brain fog, have you ever tried taking a claritin? I think that would be a good test of whether your symptoms are histamine related.
 

viggster

Senior Member
Messages
464
@ahmo - intranasal insulin is next on my list! also, ibudilast and (to a lesser extent) galantamine.
I started using intranasal insulin a few months ago and it has helped my brain fog much, much more than anything else. It's supposed to increase brain blood flow and is being trialed in Alzheimer's. You can buy insulin (Novalin-R) at Walmart in most states for $28 a vial (which lasts a month or so). Then put it in a spray bottle and you're all set.
 

ebethc

Senior Member
Messages
1,901
I started using intranasal insulin a few months ago and it has helped my brain fog much, much more than anything else. It's supposed to increase brain blood flow and is being trialed in Alzheimer's. You can buy insulin (Novalin-R) at Walmart in most states for $28 a vial (which lasts a month or so). Then put it in a spray bottle and you're all set.

I have APOE3/APOE4 so I'm confused about whether insulin would be good for me... the results are mixed for women w APOE4... does anyone know about this?
 

ebethc

Senior Member
Messages
1,901
I started using intranasal insulin a few months ago and it has helped my brain fog much, much more than anything else. It's supposed to increase brain blood flow and is being trialed in Alzheimer's. You can buy insulin (Novalin-R) at Walmart in most states for $28 a vial (which lasts a month or so). Then put it in a spray bottle and you're all set.

keep us updated on the efficacy!
 

ebethc

Senior Member
Messages
1,901
Interesting because arginine would feed EBV and other viruses, so the positive benefits were increased energy followed by a decrease from increased viral replication because of arginine? And Lysine would help stop that.

Have you ever tried MSM?

I didn't have luck w MSM ... BUT, timing is key, so maybe I should try it again down the road..
 

Knockknock

Senior Member
Messages
212
Arginine promotes some viruses but is antiviral against others, like enteroviruses which are implicated in CFS/ME. It also promotes release of nitric oxide which itself will kill many viruses. I had only positive experiences from supplementing with arginine, but unfortunately tolerance developed rather quickly for me.
The eteroviruses version on ms, it have been more of a theorie, its very possible and not just eteroviruses, bacteria, mycoplasmas etc.. since our immunity is so weak, we are more susceptible, but Viruses often and strongly related to cfs are the ones from the herpes virade family, hhv6,ebv,cnv.. etc...
To lower arginine intake and increase lysine is a recommendation you will find all over for people infected with herpes virade viruses.
Im not sure if anyone of you have read about late studies of MS, on the HHV6 foundation they just put a few publications 2017, showing the strong relation all this herpes specially hhv-6 have to MS.
In this new research they are directly linking the hhv-6 , also how other virures from the herpes virade family help each other to get potency, via envelope protein.
Probably one of the most importan to us is the fact of this hepes in particular hhv-6 to suppress the expresion of the surface proteins of that alert the immune system triggering two mayor receptors on NK CELLS:NKG2D NKP30 and how they are degradaded proteasomal.
Also how the viral protein U24 my desregulate myelination, all this virues have been like to both diseases for decades, Ms since it has more funding have had alot more research, everithing point more and more that it has a viral etiology including the retroviral theorie to.
 
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Knockknock

Senior Member
Messages
212
@slysaint @JaimeS

doesn't histamine cause blood vessel changes? I have a mast cell disorder, and I was thinking that this was causing blood vessel changes
Interesting,
I know many of you dont believe in the retroviral posiblility, but intresting enough, XMRV it was link to the premature blood vessel formation and transformation of blood vessel including induction of tumornecrosis.
People with Cfs have both easy bruising and blood vessel changes.

The researcher from the Nih who made the discovery soon later die misteriusly.
Supously commited suicide.
 
Messages
24
Hi @viggster

Do you still take the insuline and does it still work?
I suffer from very bad brain fog and kognitive impairment, so I'm very eager to try the intranasal insulin. Unfortunately where I live it is impossible to get it without prescription, which you will only get if you are a diabetic. It is so great, that you can just buy so many things just in Walmart in the US. I wished there was a way for me to get it.

Nice regards
Enna