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Fresh Air and Camping Holidays

What has been the effect of a camping holiday (in a tent) on your ME?

  • Able to increase activity levels a bit

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • No effect

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Made ME a bit worse

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Total voters
    11
As someone with ME (for over 20 years), I have found two-week camping holidays almost always (4 times out of 5) lead to remission from a constant relapse state, allowing significant gradual increase in activity levels over several weeks.
Have you found camping helpful - or not? I am collecting the experiences of ME patients as part of research looking at poisoning - possibly by indoor air pollution - as the cause of ME.
You are welcome to visit mepoisontheory.org.uk for more information.
 

currer

Senior Member
Messages
1,409
I am always better in the garden! I have wondered why I feel better in the natural world.

Could it be a change of immune triggers in a different environment.?
 

*GG*

senior member
Messages
6,389
Location
Concord, NH
I am always better in the garden! I have wondered why I feel better in the natural world.

Could it be a change of immune triggers in a different environment.?

Do you garden barefoot? I wonder if you are "earthing" when you garden also, not just the fresh air.

GG
 

K2 for Hope

ALways Hoping
Messages
271
Location
Jacksonville, FL 32258
Interesting, because I just went camping, but it was in a travel trailer and I was very much invigorated afterwards. Of course, I live in Florida, so tent camping in the summer would be unbearable... :eek:
 

ukxmrv

Senior Member
Messages
4,413
Location
London
A tent holiday hasn't been good for me at all. The extra light, noise and level of discomfort at the living arrangements leaves me much worse off. I've got very bad hayfever so the great outdoors (with the exception of the sea side) hasn't suited me since I got me.

Also tried simple chalets and caravans.

All my family like fresh air in our homes and are known for having the windows open even in very poor weather. Just no cures or improvement to ME in the outdoors or altered living arrangements or different countries or seasons etc

The ME I have is an acute onset Ramsay definition type. Previously well.

You'll find lots of info on the mould connection to CFS if you look David. It been well discussed.

p.s. as a personal request would you please reconsider the link to Action for ME on your page? They have done so much in past to harm genuine PWME.
 

searcher

Senior Member
Messages
567
Location
SF Bay Area
I have found the outdoors to be a big enough boost to my health that I am camping about half the nights now. I have to be in dry air (ideally <20% humidity) and try to be away from large campgrounds, because like ukxmrv I am bothered by extra light and noise. I have found camping near a stream in the mountains with an eye mask to be ideal.

I will look more into your theory. I have been operating under the theory that I am worse off indoors and around outdoor allergens due to overactive mast cells, but that doesn't explain what made the mast cell over-sensitive in the first place. I think mold is a big player but think there are other indoor pollutants causing trouble.

I try to sleep with my windows open when I am indoors but it doesn't help in any significant way.
 

Sherlock

Boswellia for lungs and MC stabllizing
Messages
1,287
Location
k8518704 USA
Interesting, because I just went camping, but it was in a travel trailer and I was very much invigorated afterwards. Of course, I live in Florida, so tent camping in the summer would be unbearable... :eek:
Hi. Did you leave the state, with all its allergens? Did you go to a less humid place?
 

K2 for Hope

ALways Hoping
Messages
271
Location
Jacksonville, FL 32258
no, I just let the tears fall from my eyes, feel my throat swell, the sweat pour and pretended nothing was wrong as I breathed in the hot, humid air...
But, I WAS CAMPING!!!! :D
So, it was the thoughts and feelings that invigorated me... :thumbsup:

(Oh, yeah, and popped the allergy pills)
 

Sherlock

Boswellia for lungs and MC stabllizing
Messages
1,287
Location
k8518704 USA
So, it was the thoughts and feelings that invigorated me... :thumbsup:
In the famous Norwegian rituximab study, one person in the placebo group got much better and stayed that way at least 23 months after getting just the fake drug,.
At the time of submission of this manuscript, two patients in the Rituximab group, and one patient in the Placebo group, have lasting major responses for all CFS-related symptoms without signs of relapse, 32, 30, and 23 months after intervention, respectively.
http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0026358

(Oh, yeah, and popped the allergy pills)
Have you tired quercetin to prevent allergy symptoms?
 

Sherlock

Boswellia for lungs and MC stabllizing
Messages
1,287
Location
k8518704 USA
I always remember the account from a woman on the other forum from last year, who talked about how she went camping in Death Valley and was immediately better - then went home (South Carolina or thereabouts) and was again immediately worse.
 

GracieJ

Senior Member
Messages
772
Location
Utah
I haven't been camping for years, too weak to get everything together and go.

Back when I was camping with family, I would simply revive, no matter how tired from cooking and packing for the excursion. I think it is because here in Utah we camp high up in the mountains, and there is negative ionization going on in the air. When I bought my first ionizer for the house, it reminded me of being in the mountains. You just feel so much better with clean air. If you are not familiar with negative ionization, think how it feels after a good rainstorm. That is the effect.

Out in nature, your body will ground, literally, electrically speaking. You think more clearly and feel better, back in your own skin. At least one American Indian tribe, probably more, traditionally and purposefully walk barefoot on the earth to "ground" spiritually and emotionally.

Another interesting side note to this topic, something I had to be careful of for a long time: In 2003, I traveled from Alaska to Utah to see my children, and took my daughter camping with a church group. Well, I shivered the entire night in perfectly warm air. You cannot go from sea level to 6,000 feet like that and then spend the night. It was an awful experience.
 

antares4141

Senior Member
Messages
576
Location
Truth or consequences, nm
[quote="searcher, post: 296916,

I will look more into your theory. I have been operating under the theory that I am worse off indoors and around outdoor allergens due to overactive mast cells, but that doesn't explain what made the mast cell over-sensitive in the first place. I think mold is a big player but think there are other indoor pollutants causing trouble.

.[/quote]

This has been my theory for quite some time. I took my 94 silvirado with the homemade camper to Raton Nm in Feb 2012 hoping to get snowed in. Thought being if you look on any weather site the pollen count drops almost to zero when there has been heavy snowfall. It went down to 5 degrees every night but almost no snow. Same time Denver got 4'. Frustrating. I think there were a couple of other variables I hadn't accounted for at the time. But didn't do any better than back down here in T or C, NM. Going to try it again this winter. Might go farther north though. Would like to get to a lower altitude but than the chances of significant snow drop. Places in Colorado are expensive. Trips are too. Ten years ago when I was pretty much a newbee wherever I went I did better. Even my dad's moldy house in North Carolina. Moved there and progressively got worse to the point that I was almost too weak to escape. I used to call this phenomenon the honeymoon effect. Now days I'm sick wherever I go but it always seems slightly different symptoms. For instance when I'm on the road I usually do better and surprisingly even on planes.
 

place

Be Strong!
Messages
341
Location
US
I feel amazing in the woods. Not sure if it's the sun shine or only simple purpose of hiking, finding camp and making dinner.