My List of SOME Causes of CFS

[SOC]

Many of the things listed so far don't sound like causes to me. Most of them seem to be:
1) symptoms -- secondary to, or caused by ME/CFS, or
2) conditions in their own right which, if properly treated, would remove the symptoms that are similar to ME/CFS.

Perhaps there's still some confusion between chronic fatigue (the symptom) and ME/CFS (the disease)...? Many conditions cause chronic fatigue. Few of them cause ME/CFS. For a proper diagnosis of ME/CFS, other conditions should be treated. If the ME/CFS-like symptoms do not clear up, then ME/CFS may be the correct diagnosis.

Perhaps we also have here an issue of confusing correlation with causation? Just because something happened at the same time that we noticed ME/CFS symptoms, that doesn't mean it caused the ME/CFS. It may be completely unrelated, or it may have exacerbated the existing ME/CFS. That wouldn't make it a cause. The actual cause of ME/CFS is still unknown.

I doubt many of our top ME/CFS specialists would agree with most of the items listed as causes of ME/CFS. The true cause is probably multifactorial involving a genetic factor (possibly in the immune or HPA-axis arenas) and a physiological stressor such as a virus or injury. My vote is for a genetic immune abnormality plus a virus (which may or may not have been noticed at the time it was starting to screw things up). I consider that to be consistent with an autoimmune view of ME/CFS.

 

[EastTenn]

Not always easy to separate causes from symptoms, it's not that black and white.

Anyhow causes must certainly include

Stress and traumas
Heavy metals, including dental amalgams
Lyme disease and other nasty intracellular infections often misdiagnosed
Parasites
Yeast
Mold

At the alternative nutritional clinic where I'm being treated, it is my understanding that a significant majority of CFS sufferers there have heavy metal toxicity as their core issue (with lyme and other parasites also being somewhat prevalent). In most cases, the heavy metals were undetected by standard medical tests because the metals are so tightly bound to the body.

While dental procedures may be a significant contributor to mercury accumulation, longer-term antibiotic use with no followup with probiotics, is a major reason for heavy metal toxicity. The bad yeast / bacteria remaining in the gut after antibiotic use are extremely heavy metal-philic - holding on tightly to trace amounts of mercury / nickel (normally those would be eliminated through bowel movements). Over time, the heavy metals are released into the body suppressing the immune system. In addition, the fungal overgrowth in the gut proceeds to damage the intestinal track, causing leaky gut syndrome and food sensitivities.

The prevalence of CFS seemingly corresponds to the antibiotic era, with often a 10 or 20 or even 30 year delay in the full-blown outbreak of CFS. Would be curious how many posters here have had a single extended exposure duration (more than two months) to antibiotics years before CFS symptoms began.

 

[Mimi]

I came across something interesting today. Mitochondrial dysregulation is apparently a common feature of both bipolar disorder and ME/CFS. Both illnesses feature ups and downs, and both feature dramatic crashes. What else do they have in common?

- Hypomethylation seems to be a problem in schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, as well as ME/CFS and autism. Genetic variations (SNPs) that affect methylation seem to be involved all around.

- D-lactate- and H2S- producing bacteria cause variable symptoms depending on sugar alcohols (FODMAPs) and related sugars in the diet. D-lactate adversely affects mitochondria function and can cause dramatic-onset neurological problems (emergency room). Food allergens like dairy and gluten also cause neurological problems, and area strongly associated with mental illnesses.

- The Lyme spirochete and its malarial-like coinfections, Babesia and Bartonella, all have periodic cycles and cause neuroimmune illness. They may also be a factor in ME/CFS. Lyme disease has also been linked to psychiatric disorders including bipolar disorder.

- Toxoplasma gondii is a malarial-like protozoa that currently infects over 2 billion people. It causes cyclical fevers like its cousin, malaria. Toxoplasmosis, as a neurological infection, is strongly associated with psychiatric disorders including bipolar disorder. Toxoplasma particularly likes to target the amygdala to affect behavior in its host. Amygdala retraining is a popular treatment for ME/CFS.

- Photosensitivity is a characteristic of ME/CFS. Insomnia, depression, seasonal affective disorder, bipolar disorder and schizophrenia are all strongly associated with light cycles, aka biological clocks/circadian rhythms. Lithium regulates these rhythms.

- Lithium is neuroprotective, antiviral and immunomodulatory. It has been recommended for autism (Yasko), Lyme, and FM. (Note that lithium chloride, the drug, is extremely toxic, but lithium orotate and aspartate, the OTC supplements, are not.)

- Mitochondrial modulators such as the ones we love to take for ME/CFS show promise for treating bipolar depression. One mitochondrial modulator in particular, uridine, in is also very effective for improving brain function (memory!) and energy.

Mimi

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Related articles:

Mitochondrial dysfunction and bipolar disorder:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20833242
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18235426
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14993118

Hypomethylation due to MB COMT SNPs in BD and SCZ:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21820670

Hypomethylation in ME/CFS:
http://iaomt.media.fnf.nu/2/skovde_2011_me_kroniskt_trotthetssyndrom/1/94

H2S, D-Lactate and methylation:
http://phoenixrising.me/wp-content/uploads/H2S1.pdf
http://phoenixrising.me/research-2
http://www.nutritionandmetabolism.com/content/7/1/79/
http://www.prohealth.com/me-cfs/blog/boardDetail.cfm?id=1351932 – comment by Rich Van K
http://bb-cfs.blogspot.com/2010/07/methylation-pathway-regulation.html

D-Lactate and bipolar/schizophrenia:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=d-lactate bipolar

Lyme as a neuropsychiatric illness:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7943444

Martin Pall’s NO theory, toxo:
http://www.thetenthparadigm.org/

Biological clocks and bipolar disorder:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/03/120313103922.htm

Lithium for treating ME/CFS:
http://www.mecfsforums.com/index.php?topic=3190.0
http://www.futurevisionsfoundation.org/Lithium.htm
http://www.futurevisionsfoundation.org/Lithium.htm

Toxoplasmosis, behavior and mental illness – great article and fun reading:
http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2012/03/how-your-cat-is-making-you-crazy/8873/

NAC decreases both inflammation and psychiatric symptoms:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3044191/?tool=pubmed

Mitochondrial modulators proposed for bipolar illness: sound familiar?
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22711881

NAC
SAM-e
Acetyl L-carnitine
CoQ10
ALA
Creatine
Melatonin
(Uridine – see below)

Other nutriceuticals for bipolar illness that may sound familiar:

for mania
a chelated mineral and vitamin formula (d=1.70)
branched-chain amino acids (d=1.60)
L-tryptophan (d=1.47)
magnesium (d=1.44)
NAC (d=1.04)
a chelated mineral formula (d=0.83)
folic acid (d=0.40)
GABA

for depression
omega-3
uridine (see below)

Note: Glutamine – Can trigger mania in people who have no history of this.
SAMe, Inositol and St. John’s wort may also act as triggers in some people.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22017215
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18456339
http://psych.med.nyu.edu/content?ChunkIID=21404

Uridine for bipolar depression:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18540779
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21486171
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21176029

Uridine also improves memory, focus, concentration and energy:
http://www.lef.org/magazine/mag2007/feb2007_report_cognitex_01.htm?source=search&key=uridine
http://www.smart-publications.com/a...ds-new-neurons-and-protect-against-Alzheimers
http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2006/alzheimers.html
http://web.mit.edu/dick/www/pdf/972.pdf
http://www.longecity.org/forum/topic/51802-gpc-choline-uridine-dha/