• Welcome to Phoenix Rising!

    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.

    To become a member, simply click the Register button at the top right.

Search results

  1. zzz

    Anxiety from manure

    Since the air we breathe is about 80% nitrogen, I'm rather sure that molecular nitrogen is not the problem.
  2. zzz

    Effectiveness against CMV

    I have to concur with @Learner1 here. I have been on valganciclovir for about 12 out of the last 22 years, at a standard dose of 900 mg per day for most of that time. My blood tests have always been fine at that dose, and there was only one point when I had any side effects at all. I found...
  3. zzz

    A catatonic woman awakened after 20 years. Her story may change psychiatry.

    First of all, @Judee, thanks for pointing us to such an incredible story of recoveries from seemingly intractable medical conditions! I personally found these stories to be incredibly inspiring. Yes, we can. Although these stories have no direct bearing on ME/CFS, they show how a paradigm...
  4. zzz

    Tips for Finding Reliable Prescription-Free Online Pharmacies

    Opioids, as well as benzodiazepines (such as diazepam) are highly illegal to import into the US. As a result, standard trustworthy pharmacies mentioned in this thread do not offer them. (This includes Goldpharma, which carries a very wide variety of prescription medications, which are typically...
  5. zzz

    Dr. Jay Goldstein's Rapid Remission ME/CFS Treatments.

    I can't say for sure, but I think that the longer action of the isosorbide dinitrate really did have a lot to do with my improvement. The fact that this was so early in my illness was definitely crucial; later on, isosorbide dinitrate had little or no effect for me, and it's been many years...
  6. zzz

    What to fight first bacteria or viruses?

    Although all drugs have side effects, the seriousness of the side effects and any drug toxicity varies greatly from one drug to another, as well as from one person to another. For this reason, the risks involved in taking two drugs at once can vary greatly depending on the drugs and on the...
  7. zzz

    CDC's Evidence Review of ME/CFS Treatments

    It is truly amazing that after all these decades, this problem has barely changed. Thanks, @Pyrrhus, for bringing this to our attention.
  8. zzz

    Moderna or Pfizer - what is safer, better to tolerate?

    I have seen many reliable sources stating or showing that the Pfizer vaccine has somewhat fewer side effects, though I can't recall them specifically right now. (I have seen none stating or showing the opposite for the general case.) One reason for this is that Pfizer uses a noticeably smaller...
  9. zzz

    CDC and FDA recommend US pause use of Johnson & Johnson's Covid-19 vaccine over blood clot concerns

    I found the following CNN article to be very helpful in putting the blood clot issue into perspective: These blood clot experts want you to get a Covid-19 vaccine. Here's why. Elsewhere, I have read that the chances of a getting a blood clot even with the Johnson & Johnson vaccine are a...
  10. zzz

    Dr. Jay Goldstein has passed away

    A fascinating story about his death and funeral. The many comments following the article also reveal a lot about Dr. Goldstein personally, and some of these are from those who knew him best. Here is the first and longest comment by his former wife: Shortly after this, there is an extensive...
  11. zzz

    Dr. Jay Goldstein has passed away

    A fascinating story about his death and funeral. The many comments following the article also reveal a lot about Dr. Goldstein personally, and some of these are from those who knew him best. Here is the first and longest comment by his former wife: Shortly after this, there is an extensive...
  12. zzz

    Dr. Jay Goldstein has passed away

    I am very sorry to report that Dr. Jay Goldstein has passed away. As Erica Verrillo has said on her AMMES website, he was a pioneer among ME/CFS researchers and clinicians. His books Betrayal by the Brain and Tuning the Brain were a great inspiration and help to many, including me. He was...
  13. zzz

    Dr. Jay Goldstein has passed away

    THIS THREAD WAS ORIGINALLY POSTED HERE: Dr. Jay Goldstein has passed away | Phoenix Rising ME/CFS Forums AND HAS BEEN COPIED HERE WITH THE OP'S PERMISSION I am very sorry to report that Dr. Jay Goldstein has passed away. As Erica Verrillo has said on her AMMES website, he was a pioneer among...
  14. zzz

    Long Covid: Summary of discussions

    An excellent article from The Atlantic: Unlocking the Mysteries of Long COVID It's a great summary of what's been learned to date, and includes a number of illustrative case histories. It also makes a strong case tying long COVID to dysautonomia, and notes the similarities and differences...
  15. zzz

    The Immune Havoc of COVID-19 - Scientific American

    The January 2021 issue of Scientific American has an excellent article entitled The Immune Havoc of COVID-19. It explains in detail the interactions between the virus and the immune system that make the virus so dangerous. I highly recommend it.
  16. zzz

    Dangers of no exercise?

    No. Deconditioning happens rather slowly; it generally takes about six weeks of no activity for it to be noticeable. You're getting weaker by the day due to your crash, and this is the time when you need the most possible rest. Trying to walk a little or do any form of exercise at this point...
  17. zzz

    Dr. Jay Goldstein's Rapid Remission ME/CFS Treatments.

    That was my experience. Isosorbide dinitrate worked only that one time for me, although that one time was very significant. If the first dose doesn't do anything, I think that it's extremely unlikely that subsequent doses will. I really don't know.
  18. zzz

    Using a CT flexion scan to diagnose CCI

    I know that under certain circumstances, a CT flexion scan has been used to successfully diagnose CCI. What is the exact description of the scan that needs to be performed? And very importantly, is contrast dye required? If so, does the scan produce any useful results without contrast dye?
  19. zzz

    First HBOTherapy and I feel way worse... should I keep trying it?

    Sorry to hear about your reaction, @Tiffyshea. No; HBOT doesn't work like that. I had a number of HBOT treatments, but none of them gave me that reaction. I obviously can't give you medical advice, but if I had that reaction to HBOT, I would not continue it. I don't know what caused your...
  20. zzz

    IV cocktails: which one? NAD+, glutathione, ozone, poly-MVA

    I would strongly recommend magnesium. It's good for such a wide range of things in ME/CFS, and the IV form allows you to get many times the benefits of the best oral forms, along with many of the benefits that the oral forms just can't deliver. IV magnesium should be infused no faster than one...
  21. zzz

    Poll: Have you been helped from gabapentin or pregabalin?

    Listen to your neurologist. There is no drug that works for everyone with ME/CFS, and gabapentin works for only a relatively small minority of people with this disease. Giving gabapentin a try can be worthwhile, but your neurologist is right - two weeks is plenty of time to see if it works...
  22. zzz

    Fact-checking Judy Mikovits, the controversial virologist attacking Anthony Fauci in a viral conspiracy video | Science | AAAS

    A rather damning article from Science Magazine, which is a publication of the AAAS (American Association for the Advancement of Science). The article does an excellent job of destorying any credibility that MIkovits may have left. It describes some really wild conspiracy theories by Mikovits...
  23. zzz

    Coronavirus: Boris Johnson moved to intensive care as symptoms 'worsen' (BBC)

    Coronavirus: Boris Johnson moved to intensive care as symptoms 'worsen' UK's plan B if Johnson is incapacitated Boris Johnson in Hospital Makes U.K. Covid-19 Crisis Much Harder - Bloomberg Boris Johnson In Intensive Care. How Bad Is His Condition? | Time
  24. zzz

    Tips for Finding Reliable Prescription-Free Online Pharmacies

    True, but they are similar drugs. Hydroxychloroquine is less toxic than chloroquine, but that does not mean that it is without risks. I'd suggest watching this short video from the nonpartisan President of the American Medical Association: Doctor on unproven drug: You could lose your life...
  25. zzz

    Coronavirus, Pandemic Designation, and Exponential Growth

    We just finished another bad day in the US, with COVID-19 deaths jumping by 1321 for a total of 7392. Here are the latest historical charts from Worldometer: Note that I have selected the logarithmic scale for the first chart. To the extent that that data falls along a straight line, it...
  26. zzz

    Tips for Finding Reliable Prescription-Free Online Pharmacies

    You can get the Intal inhaler (cromolyn sodium) from canadianpharmacyworld.com. Despite its name, it ships from the UK. I've been getting my Intal from them for years; they have the best prices I could find. A prescription is required.
  27. zzz

    Coronavirus, Pandemic Designation, and Exponential Growth

    Although it's true that a lot of COVID-19 patients have pre-existing health problems, this is not one of the reasons cited by health professionals for the problems faced by hospitals in places such as New York City. Instead, it is the sheer number of patients, along with the lack of crucial...
  28. zzz

    Coronavirus, Pandemic Designation, and Exponential Growth

    This only applies if the total number of cases is much greater than the total number of tests. And if this is the case, how did the number of cases get so high in the US starting from zero just a little more than two months ago if not by exponential growth? So the results shown in the charts...
  29. zzz

    Coronavirus, Pandemic Designation, and Exponential Growth

    With all the data about the spread of COVID-19 coming out daily, it's often hard to see what's going on and what the underlying trends are. I have found the video How To Tell If We're Beating COVID-19 to be extremely helpful in displaying these trends in a way that is easy to see and...
  30. zzz

    Six-foot rule to protect against coronavirus is questionable, MIT professor says

    It looks like we may need to be even more careful. This may help clarify why there are so many unexplained cases of transmission. Six-foot rule to protect against coronavirus is questionable, MIT professor says From the article: This article was based on a piece published in the Journal of...