Mark Hyman MD article: "Getting to the Root Cause of MS and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome"

[KME]

Dr. Hyman really doesn't understand ME/CFS, does he? How long do we have to endure this public "exercise your way to health" narrative?

And just how much interval training, sports and dancing should bedbound and homebound patients do in order to be "tackling chronic fatigue syndrome"?

The piece you quoted is from the section on MS, not from the section on CFS. The section on "Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Fibromyalgia" does not make the same claims about exercise, although the word "exercise" does appear a couple of times. Scroll down to the second section: http://drhyman.com/blog/2017/05/08/getting-root-cause-ms-chronic-fatigue-syndrome/

 

[me/cfs 27931]

The piece you quoted is from the section on MS, not from the section on CFS. The section on "Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Fibromyalgia" does not make the same claims about exercise, although the word "exercise" does appear a couple of times. Scroll down to the second section: http://drhyman.com/blog/2017/05/08/getting-root-cause-ms-chronic-fatigue-syndrome/

Hyman's blog article has changed significantly.

Now the exercise recommendations are under the Multiple Sclerosis section, but it was under the "tackling chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia" section when I first posted.

Doesn't look like the Wayback Machine archived the old page, so I just have to go from memory here. Perhaps someone screenshotted it?

 

[Valentijn]

Now the exercise recommendations are under the Multiple Sclerosis section, but it was under the "tackling chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia" section when I first posted.

When the link and quote were first posted, that's something I looked for specifically. In addition to the MS exercise recommendation, there was the ME/CFS exercise recommendation exactly as quoted in the first post of this thread.

Though he still vaguely recommends exercise for ME/CFS:

Remember feeling well: When I get off track, I simply remember what it is like to feel great and what I have to do to get there — eat better, sleep more, exercise more, or do nothing more!

I expect he removed it because his intended customer base expressed their displeasure regarding his earlier statements. Now if only he'd stop equating ME/CFS with CF

 

[me/cfs 27931]

I expect he removed it because his intended customer base expressed their displeasure regarding his earlier statements. Now if only he'd stop equating ME/CFS with CF

On the plus side, perhaps this is an indication that a "exercise your way to health" narrative will no longer go unchallenged in public ME/CFS discourse. Wouldn't that be nice.

On the minus side, what a weasel. Not even a mention of the complete blog rewrite. Someone using Facebook might call him out on his stealth exercise recommendation switcheroo.

 

[me/cfs 27931]

I dug up a cached version of the Dr. Hyman original article prior to his rewrite (and also have saved a PDF copy for posterity). I appreciate @KME bringing the article change to my attention.

I've removed the introductory MS section and only copied the "Tackling Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Fibromyalgia" section below. The original blog post was simply 2 reader questions and 2 Dr. Hyman answers -- the first question was from a MS patient and the second was CF(S)/fibro patient.

This is Google's cache of http://drhyman.com/blog/2017/05/08/getting-root-cause-ms-chronic-fatigue-syndrome/. It is a snapshot of the page as it appeared on May 9, 2017 08:25:52 GMT.

(Multiple Sclerosis section goes here)
...

Tackling Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Fibromyalgia

Our next question comes from Margo who asks, “I’ve been diagnosed with chronic fatigue and fibromyalgia, and I’ve tried everything. What can I do?”

This topic is near and dear to my heart. When I was a young doctor, I suddenly got very ill with chronic fatigue syndrome. Every system in my body broke down. I couldn’t even walk up the stairs; I developed intense brain fog; and I was exhausted all the time. This is when I discovered Functional Medicine and created a plan for myself to heal my body of this debilitating syndrome.

Most of us don’t learn how to manage our energy and bodies well. We use drugs – sugar, caffeine, alcohol, adrenalin, or worse – to manage our energy and moods. Most of us don’t connect our behaviors and choices with how we feel every day. We don’t connect what we eat, how much we rest and sleep, how much we exercise, how much time we make for connecting with friends and community, or the kinds of media and news we watch with how we feel every day.

This is what I had to learn when I wanted to heal my body, and these are the steps I took with my own condition.

It all starts with your mitochondria.

Mitochondria are like tiny factories that turn food and oxygen into energy. In each cell, there are hundreds to thousands of these little energy factories. They exist in greater numbers in active organs and tissues, like the muscles, heart and brain. Simply put, the mitochondria are where metabolism happens. The role of your metabolism is to take the oxygen you breathe and the food you eat and process it to make energy, the fuel for life. Along the way, many things can go wrong that may impede your metabolism, making it run less efficiently or practically shutting it down.

The problem? Mitochondria are very sensitive to damage. And when they aren’t working properly, you suffer all the symptoms of low energy — fatigue, memory loss, pain, rapid aging and more. Fatigue is the most common symptom of poorly functioning mitochondria. In fact, the reason we tire more easily as we age is the constant insult and injury we inflict on our mitochondria. But this doesn’t have to happen! We can protect our mitochondria.

The first order of business is to find the things that damage your mitochondria — things like toxins, infections, allergens and stress. The biggest insult over time is eating too much high-calorie, low-nutrient food — in short, too many “empty calories.”

When food is burned or metabolized with oxygen in the mitochondria, your body produces waste in the form of free radicals, which create a chain reaction of rusting, or oxidation. Unless you have enough antioxidants in your diet or you make enough in your body, you can’t protect yourself from the damage to your mitochondria. So when you eat empty calories — such as sugar, flour and processed foods that don’t have the high antioxidant levels of fruits and vegetables — you produce too many free radicals that tip the balance and start a chain reaction of cellular and tissue damage that destroys your mitochondria and, thus, your life force. In short, oxidative stress is a slow, progressive process of deterioration that contributes to practically every known disease. It is part of the inevitable entropy, or chaotic breakdown, that is the basic principle of life.

So now you know what can damage your mitochondria. Here’s how to protect them.

First, address the causes of mitochondrial damage:

1. Minimize your intake of processed food, junk food, sugar, empty calories, artificial sweeteners, artificial colors and other chemical food additives. Their toxic effects can damage your mitochondria and prevent them from producing energy properly.
2. Address inflammation. Chronic, smoldering inflammation slowly destroys our organs and our ability for optimal functioning, and leads to rapid aging.
3. Address hidden issues. Lyme disease, hidden gut infections, heavy metal poisoning and adrenal fatigue are all root causes of chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia. In my case, I had heavy metal poisoning. Work with a Functional Medicine practitioner to get to the bottom of these issues.

Next, boost and protect your mitochondria:

1. Eat food that’s full of antioxidants and phytonutrients. Include 8 to 12 servings of fresh vegetables, fruits, beans, nuts, seeds and whole grains every day.
2. Take mitochondria-protective and energy-boosting nutrients. These include acetyl-L-carnitine, alpha-lipoic acid, coenzyme Q10, n-acetyl-cysteine, resveratrol and magnesium. While not a cure-all, these nutrients, taken in conjunction with a whole-food, plant-based diet, can provide metabolic support for those low on energy.
3. Increase omega-3 fats to help build your mitochondrial membranes. Coldwater fish, such as wild salmon, sardines and herring, are good sources of omega-3 fats, as are flaxseeds and omega-3 eggs. They all help strengthen the fragile cellular membranes that make your mitochondria work the way they’re supposed to.
4. Design fun and play into life: MacDonald’s was good for something — it gave us the ditty “you deserve a break today.” Think of your day as a canvas and think of how you can paint yourself some fun. Learn new things — try yoga, dance or a new sport. I like to get my exercise by having fun and playing, not by going to the gym. In essence, exercising encourages your body to upgrade its energy factories. Interval training, for example, increases the efficiency and function of the mitochondria.
5. Prioritize sleep: We have a second national debt crisis — sleep debt. And there is no way to trick biology and raise this debt ceiling. Get at least 7 to 9 hours of sleep a night. Everything in your life will look and feel better, and you will make better choices when you do this.
6. Avoid drugs: Almost all of us use drugs every day to manage our energy. These include sugar, caffeine, alcohol and more. Think about taking a “drug holiday” for six weeks and see how much better you feel.
7. Remember feeling well: When I get off track, I simply remember what it is like to feel great and what I have to do to get there — eat better, sleep more, exercise more, or do nothing more!

Now I want to hear from you. Are you dealing with MS or Chronic Fatigue Syndrome? Share your thoughts on my Facebook page. If you liked this video, be sure to share it with your friends and family on Facebook and Twitter, and tweet me your questions (@MarkHymanMd). Maybe next week I’ll make a House Call to you!

Wishing you health & happiness,

Mark Hyman, MD

 

[5150]

Dr. Hyman was supposed to be on the Dr.Oz show a couple of years ago when Dr. Lipkin was on, but he didn't show.

http://www.doctoroz.com/episode/it-s-not-chronic-fatigue-new-disease-causing-your-exhaustion

I wonder why. Didn't fit with his 'theory'?

I don't think his b.s. would stand up to Dr. Lipkin, so not wanting to appear a buffoon, Hyman went the opposite direction.

 

[LivingwithFibro]

He even claims to have had CFS. *Face palm*

I left a comment on his video saying that no one really knows the root cause of CFS, and what we actually need is funding for research.

Hopefully he can donate his funds instead of his misleading Bs articles/videos but all he really wants is to make money off desperate & chronically ill patients.