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A 50,000 Foot Overview of Major ME/CFS Theories

Jesse2233

Senior Member
Messages
1,942
Location
Southern California
Hey guys - thought it might be interesting to list out all the major ME/CFS causal theories in one place.

This can act as a primer for newbies, and as a way to look at everything in a comprehensive manner in the hopes of making fresh connections.

I’ve tried to keep each theory to one simple sentence. Let me know if I’ve left out or grossly misstated anything important.

——————————

Enlightened GPs / laypublic - post-infectious non-specific immune dysfunction

Unenlightened GPs / laypublic - psychological construct / wastebasket diagnosis

Melvin Ramsay - polio-like illness following an enterovirus infection

John Chia - chronic non-cytolytic enterovirus infection

Byron Hyde - diffuse lower brain injury following enterovirus infection

Martin Lerner - chronic abortive herpes family infection

Kenny De Meirleir - inflammatory gut dysbiosis following tick-born illness

Jay Goldstein - post-infectious central sensitization of the brain

Jose Montoya - chronic HHV infection of the CNS

Carmen Scheibenbogen - autoimmunity against muscarinic and adrenergic receptors

Robert Naviaux - cell danger response mediated by purinergic signaling

Ron Davis / Fluge + Mella - a large molecule in serum disrupting cellular metabolism

Mark Davis - nonspecific antigen causing inflammatory T-cell dysfunction

Sarah Myhill - multicausal dysfunction of various mitochondrial mechanisms

Neil McGregor / Chris Armstrong - genetic susceptibility to gut dysbiosis causing sepsis-like metabolic state

Ritchie Shoemaker / Joseph Brewer - mold causing immune dysfunction

Jarred Younger - chronic microglial inflammation

Rich Van K / Fred Davis - blockage in glutathione production

Michael Van Elzakker - chronic infection of the vagus nerve

Martin Pall - dysfunction of the nitric oxide cycle

Garth Nicholson - chronic mycoplasma pneumonia infection

Peter Behan - enterovirus driven autoimmunity against ATP translocator

Andy Cutler - chronic heavy metal toxicity

Judy Miktovas - chronic XMRV / HERV infection

William Weir - chronic non-specific retrovirus infection

Cecil Jardin - chronic non-specific bacterial infection

Gupta / Hooper / Neuffer - non-specific autonomic dysfunction

Chalder / White / Wesely / Parker - self-limiting fear based beliefs

The 1980s - Candida

The 1990s - EBV

——————————

Some PR theories

@necessary8 - autoantibody to CD38 causing metabolic dysfunction through eATP

@Jonathan Edwards - 6+ subtypes involving immune sensitization, autoimmunity, and chronic inflammation

@mariovitali - suboptimal liver function leading to immunological / metabolic dysfunction
 
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Countrygirl

Senior Member
Messages
5,427
Location
UK
Hey guys - thought it might be interesting to list out all the major ME/CFS causal theories in one place.

This can act as a primer for newbies, and as a way to look at everything in a comprehensive manner in the hopes of making fresh connections.

I’ve tried to keep each theory to one simple sentence. Let me know if I’ve left out or grossly misstated anything important.

——————————

Enlightened GPs / laypublic - post-infectious non-specific immune dysfunction

Unenlightened GPs / laypublic - psychological construct / wastebasket diagnosis

Melvin Ramsay - polio-like illness following an enterovirus infection

John Chia - chronic non-cytolytic enterovirus infection

Byron Hyde - diffuse lower brain injury following enterovirus infection

Martin Lerner - chronic abortive herpes family infection

Kenny De Meirleir - inflammatory gut dysbiosis following tick-born illness

Jay Goldstein - post-infectious central sensitization of the brain

Jose Montoya - chronic HHV infection of the CNS

Carmen Scheibenbogen - autoimmunity against muscarinic and adrenergic receptors

Robert Naviaux - cell danger response mediated by purinergic signaling

Ron Davis / Fluge + Mella - a large molecule in serum disrupting cellular metabolism

Sarah Myhill - multicausal dysfunction of various mitochondrial mechanisms

Ritchie Shoemaker / Joseph Brewer - mold causing immune dysfunction

Jarred Younger - chronic microglial inflammation

Rich Van K / Fred Davis - blockage in glutathione production

Michael Van Elzakker - chronic infection of the vagus nerve

Martin Pall - dysfunction of the nitric oxide cycle

Garth Nicholson - chronic mycoplasma pneumonia infection

Peter Behan - enterovirus driven autoimmunity against ATP translocator

Andy Cutler - chronic heavy metal toxicity

Judy Miktovas - chronic XMRV / HERV infection

William Weir - chronic non-specific retrovirus infection

Cecil Jardin - chronic non-specific bacterial infection

Gupta / Hooper / Neuffer - non-specific autonomic dysfunction

Chalder / White / Wesely / Parker - self-limiting fear based beliefs

The 1980s - Candida

The 1990s - EBV

No wonder I have felt so wretchedly ill! Sheesh! :ill::aghhh:

Also:

Organochlorine poisoning. (Book written on it by he London Hazard's Centre about 25 years ago of which I have a copy..........somewhere.

Organophasphate poisoning which includes sheep dippers' flu and aerotoxic syndrome.

ME caused by septrin (Uk) .in the 90s compensation was paid to people with ME who had developed ME after courses of the antibiotic. It re-emerged as bactrim in the US.

According to my GP, ME is caused by sleeping on a mattress that is past its best. :rolleyes:
 

garcia

Aristocrat Extraordinaire
Messages
976
Location
UK
I think some may be confusing causal theories / mechanisms with triggers. E.g. Dr Myhill deals extensively with Organophasphate poisoning and aerotoxic syndrome. IMHO those aren't causal theories but triggers (for e.g. mitochondrial dysfunction).
Also I don't think Dr Kerr ever proposed that altered gene expression as the underlying cause? Why is gene expression altered? Also Dr Wright was never wedded to lyme, but followed a "pathogen zoo" approach.
IMHO the list should be kept to genuine hypotheses which cover actual possible causal mechanisms.
 
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Countrygirl

Senior Member
Messages
5,427
Location
UK
I think some may be confusing causal theories / mechanisms with triggers. E.g. Dr Myhill deals extensively with Organophasphate poisoning and aerotoxic syndrome. IMHO those aren't causal theories but triggers (for e.g. mitochondrial dysfunction).
Also I don't think Dr Kerr ever proposed that altered gene expression as the underlying cause? Why is gene expression altered? Also Dr Wright was never wedded to lyme, but followed a "pathogen soup" approach.
IMHO the list should be kept to genuine hypotheses which cover actual possible causal mechanisms.

I agree with this I think it seems that ME is the result of a double whammy, of which OPs play a significant part in recent years in the UK.

Certain vaccinations like Hep B are notorious triggers too.
 

alex3619

Senior Member
Messages
13,810
Location
Logan, Queensland, Australia
The trigger/causation issue is a big problem. There do however appear to be subtypes, at least two, so there might be multiple causative mechanisms ... or not. Then we have risk factors like EDS.

The trigger/causation issue is why we have doubts and theories about post pathogen syndromes like polio, giardia and Lyme. Are they different? Variations? Subgroups? Or just different triggers, with some pathophysiogenic variation due to the different triggers?
 

Gingergrrl

Senior Member
Messages
16,171
Carmen Scheibenbogen - autoimmunity against muscarinic and adrenergic receptors

Ritchie Shoemaker / Joseph Brewer - mold causing immune dysfunction

I know both of these (plus several other auto-antibodies and factors) are a huge part of my own case but whether this is ME/CFS, or I am just a freak of nature remains to be seen... Great work Jesse ;)