• 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. Dufresne

    Pantothenic acid (B5) without any form of calcium

    It might be easier to go to a naturopath. This is their bread and butter.
  2. Dufresne

    Allicin, Antibiotics, Artemisinin, And More

    I don't know what you're trying to treat, but a stiff neck and headaches, combined with the antibiotics you say have helped you in the past, you may well have Lyme. Not sure what the best tests are these days. Igenex is a good lab for diagnosing tick-borne infections. The fact that garlic still...
  3. Dufresne

    Pantothenic acid (B5) without any form of calcium

    In case you're looking to take it for adrenal issues: In my experience pantothene doesn't help rebuild stress hormones (adrenals), but pantothenic acid does. Not sure why this is. I know somebody else who has noticed this too. And I've read a couple naturopath pieces suggesting pantothenic acid...
  4. Dufresne

    Unfolded Protein Response and A Possible Treatment for CFS

    Unfortunately the TUDCA did not improve my core ME/CFS symptoms. It merely resolved the cognitive issues I was having after starting the herbal hair treatments. And yes, I've struggled with PEM since 2006. For me what happened was a sort of sensitization to rosemary oil followed by a disruption...
  5. Dufresne

    Unfolded Protein Response and A Possible Treatment for CFS

    @mariovitali Thanks very much for this thread. Had it not been posted on this forum I’m quite sure I wouldn’t have found my way to trying TUDCA (certainly not in a timely fashion). This would have had me continuing to suffer a significant worsening in cognitive functioning following treatments...
  6. Dufresne

    The Nightingale March / April Newsletter - Dr Byron Hyde

    I passed a tilt-table test. After that he didn't bother ordering a SPECT scan; I think because I didn't fit his theory of ME. He ran a bunch of labs. My ACE was high, and he discovered I have a 2:1 AV block (heart conduction issue). He said the latter was likely congenital, though I wouldn't...
  7. Dufresne

    Scientific explanation for binder reactions???

    These are pictures of what happened to my clothes last summer from just a couple months of extreme avoidance. I’d owned the shoes for about 8 months prior to beginning the experiment without any change in colour. The shorts were bought new for the occasion, as were a number of shirts that had...
  8. Dufresne

    Scientific explanation for binder reactions???

    -Concerning binders, the fact that people with illnesses such as ours tend to have such a hard time with them should tell us there is something going on. here Healthy folks taking CSM to lower their cholesterol don't get slaughtered the way we do. Is that confirmation there's a build up of...
  9. Dufresne

    Dr Markov CBIS Theory of ME/CFS - General Discussion

    Already on it. Thanks.
  10. Dufresne

    MYOKINE --- IL-6 as muscle anti-inflammatory

    PEM has always been a brain thing for me. Certainly physical exertion can cause it but it seems to revolve around dysregulation, mood problems, fatigue, weakness, etc, but this is perceived as central, rather than peripheral. I don't ever have muscle complaints as part of PEM. As IL-6 can cross...
  11. Dufresne

    Dr Markov CBIS Theory of ME/CFS - General Discussion

    Damn, I should have known you'd already been there. :)
  12. Dufresne

    Dr Markov CBIS Theory of ME/CFS - General Discussion

    Yes, translocation was the wrong way to put it. I understand it's toxins being released from the bacteria into circulation that is the theory. So there are two pathways for IL-6, but what I'm wondering is if one pathway could leak over onto the other. Could IL-6 from exercise also inflame a...
  13. Dufresne

    Dr Markov CBIS Theory of ME/CFS - General Discussion

    I imagine IL-6, because of the correlation to exercise, would be a hard one to draw conclusions from. "Did the subject take the elevator or the stairs on their way in, or even 5 hours ago?" But for this reason might have real implications for ME/CFS research. It's perhaps interesting to note...
  14. Dufresne

    A treatment that helps me tremendously

    I began having a really hard time through the winters about 5 years ago: depression, low energy and crashes. It seems to be the result of having started fairly extreme mold avoidance during the summer, and then continuing to do my best with avoidance through the winter while not being able to...
  15. Dufresne

    Dr Markov CBIS Theory of ME/CFS - General Discussion

    I'm pretty sure bacterial translotcation is not the primary cause of my ME/CFS. However I think it interesting that IL-6 seems to be a central cytokine in both sepsis and exercise. It can see increases up to 100x with exercise, and in this context it's working in an anti-inflammatory capacity...
  16. Dufresne

    Dr Markov CBIS Theory of ME/CFS - General Discussion

    By published study do you mean the 85 page hodgepodge with what looks to be Fm and CFS catchphrases sprinkled in for flavour? I admit I probably read less than 3% of it and these selections were just taken quickly and almost randomly, but here's a sample for anybody who hasn't looked at this...
  17. Dufresne

    Autopsy findings: Summary of discussions

    I've always thought they should put more effort into studying our bodies post-mortem: look for pathogens, toxins, and changes in tissues. Nobody wants to have to do a brain biopsy on a living patient. When you begin looking at brain slices and other tissue samples unimpeded you might just begin...
  18. Dufresne

    Psychedelics and Immunomodulation: Novel Approaches and Therapeutic Opportunities

    There are psychedelic societies, albeit somewhat underground, that can be contacted if one is interested in exploring these options. Personally, psychedelics don't do much in the way of lasting positive effects for me, and I think there are risks that really aren't addressed in today's 'third...
  19. Dufresne

    Dr. Neil Nathan's new book -- Toxic: Heal Your Body, from Mold Toxicity, Lyme Disease, MCAS and ...

    If Dr Nathan is endorsing limbic retraining I'm pretty sure it's because he's seen it help people. At the time of writing I believe he'd had roughly 200 patients try it and he deemed it of value. Whether or not it's working via placebo is another matter, but I don't think that's the case...
  20. Dufresne

    To support those of us with electromagnetic sensitivity, please act now:

    @Hip this article might be up your alley. It's a bit of a long read, so I'll post the cheeky conclusion here. IR Saunas and 5G: Comparing EMF Exposure Both are forms of radiation and thus sources of EMF exposure. The results of this comparison are counterintuitive and intriguing...
  21. Dufresne

    The Long-Term Persistence of Borrelia burgdorferi Antigens and DNA in the Tissues of a Patient with Lyme Disease

    I'm interested in the Lyme phage test as possibly being the sensitive, incontrovertible answer to getting people diagnosed. But it's going to have to be tested and confirmed by other labs before it's taken seriously. If it does turn out to be solid it might make one wonder about the "next...
  22. Dufresne

    ME/CFS in remission from Mold Avoidance

    Congrats, and thanks for reporting. Lisa Petrison always said that people with ME/CFS often lost their PEM when practicing extreme avoidance. I've yet to see this happen in myself but I can see how it could be possible. I will be getting back to the extreme in the next few weeks to give it...
  23. Dufresne

    Abilify tolerance

    For me it's always the 'holy shit!' treatments that stop working, and usually this happens within a month or so of starting. It's as if little bandaid treatments are allowed but chemical tweaks that go deep into the illness can't be permitted to continue working. The reason for this could be...
  24. Dufresne

    Why this reaction to CALCIUM D GLUCARATE?!?

    A lot of people say ALA is the one you want to use last as it can, in theory, grab mercury from the body and deposit it in the brain.
  25. Dufresne

    Why this reaction to CALCIUM D GLUCARATE?!?

    CDG is getting more and more attention in mycotoxin detoxification circles. It's now thought by some to be the most important detox channel for mycotoxins. It causes me pretty intense fatigue.
  26. Dufresne

    What are the best things against mycotoxins/funghi?

    I would go for the herbs on this one. I'm pretty sure boron has had a strong antifungal effect in me. So strong that I'm going to have to ease my way into it. There's also caprylic acid, oregan oil, GSE, pau d'darco, etc. Detoxing mycotoxins is another matter. There's plenty on the forum about it.
  27. Dufresne

    POLL: Has anyone recovered with the Gupta Program?

    Actually it's mindfulness I have a problem with. It does something to the energy in my brain and this can't be sustained. It may well be doing house cleaning of some sort, but the excitation produces a worsening in my condition. From my experimentation with norepinephrine re-uptake inhibitors...
  28. Dufresne

    POLL: Has anyone recovered with the Gupta Program?

    @Sushi @Mary When you say the Gupta program made you crash, can you pinpoint what aspect of it you think was responsible? I ask because I've been doing Gupta again over the last two weeks and today I started showing signs of the nervous excitation that normally precedes a crash. However this...
  29. Dufresne

    Tips for Finding Reliable Prescription-Free Online Pharmacies

    I'm looking for someone in the US to help me get a package from www.alldaychemist.com, as I've been having problems of late with the re-shipping companies in the US. I'd pay for all costs of shipping and pay for $50 worth of medicines for yourself from that pharmacy; all you'd have to do is...
  30. Dufresne

    The Nightingale March / April Newsletter - Dr Byron Hyde

    Indeed it's important to note that Dr Hyde helped patients in providing legitimacy to their suffering, getting them recognized by government and insurance companies. This was his forte. His focus on enteroviruses was a good one, though I would’ve liked to see him consider that these viruses...