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Membrane lipid replacement for mitochondrial damage - comment by Mady Hornig

Sasha

Fine, thank you
Messages
17,863
Location
UK
Mady Hornig was quoted in The Guardian today:

Guardian said:
At the University of Columbia, Professor Mads Hornig studies the various causes and potential treatments for CFS. “The range of symptoms across CFS patients is extremely diverse,” she says. “In some cases, something has damaged the mitochondria which provide energy for immune cells, brain cells and your muscle cells, and such patients can improve a lot from treatments such as a membrane lipid replacement. For others, viruses or bacteria appear to have induced antibodies that can react against parts of your bodily organs, including your brain and muscle tissue, causing disruption. There’s a group in Norway who have had success using immunotherapy to treat some CFS patients.”

I've never heard of this.

Here's a random web thing on it, which I haven't read yet:

https://thequantifiedbody.net/repair-mitochondria-lipid-replacement-garth-nicolson-phd/

Has anyone heard of this/tried it?

Interesting that Mady Hornig seems to view a mitochondrial-damage group as a distinct subset from the autoimmune group.
 

msf

Senior Member
Messages
3,650
Garth Nicholson has been advocating this for quite a while in Gulf War Syndrome and other chronic illnesses.
 

Sidereal

Senior Member
Messages
4,856
Has anyone heard of this/tried it?

There are probably dozens of threads about this. Phospholipid supplements have been recommended by some doctors for a very long time in this illness. NT Factor helps me personally but it's a very small effect and the high cost is a factor.
 

Sasha

Fine, thank you
Messages
17,863
Location
UK
There are probably dozens of threads about this. Phospholipid supplements have been recommended by some doctors for a very long time in this illness. NT Factor helps me personally but it's a very small effect and the high cost is a factor.

Even a small effect would be great - nothing seems to help me. The high cost is a bummer, though.

Have there been trials in ME/CFS?
 

Sidereal

Senior Member
Messages
4,856
Even a small effect would be great - nothing seems to help me. The high cost is a bummer, though.

Have there been trials in ME/CFS?

I don't know if there have been trials. There are anecdotal reports of benefit. Some reports of harm too. Just like everything else with this illness, you know how it goes.
 

adreno

PR activist
Messages
4,841
Not impressed that Hornig "recommends" this type of therapy. There has been zero quality trials on this modality and even anecdotal reports have been unimpressive. I don't think it has even been proven that taking phospholipids can repair your cell membranes.
 

Marky90

Science breeds knowledge, opinion breeds ignorance
Messages
1,253
I must say I was a bit perplexed by some of Hornigs statements, I kinda prefer the more modest approach by Fluge&Mella. Unless they know something we don`t (as they might), i rather have studies speak for themselves.
 

Sasha

Fine, thank you
Messages
17,863
Location
UK
The guy being interviewed on The Quantified Self is Dr Garth Nicolson, who it says has worked on GWS and CFS.

The name doesn't ring a bell with me - is he well known?
 

aimossy

Senior Member
Messages
1,106
I didn't read anything in this where Dr Hornig recommended a treatment, did I miss something?!
 

Sidereal

Senior Member
Messages
4,856
What product do/did you use? Is it on Amazon UK?

I don't know if it's available on Amazon UK. I get it on iHerb:

http://www.iherb.com/Nutricology-NT-Factor-EnergyLipids-Chewables-60-Chewable-Tablets/49283

I use this particular version of the NT Factor because it doesn't have the added "mitochondrial supplements" which are much too stimulating for me and make me really sick. But it's very expensive + delivery + customs (for those of us in the EU) so I'm not sure if it would be worth your while.
 

Sidereal

Senior Member
Messages
4,856
Not impressed that Hornig "recommends" this type of therapy. There has been zero quality trials on this modality and even anecdotal reports have been unimpressive. I don't think it has even been proven that taking phospholipids can repair your cell membranes.

Plus, clinicians treating ME/CFS patients like Cheney had been using this stuff for years. If it helped a significant portion of patients, we'd know about it.
 

Sasha

Fine, thank you
Messages
17,863
Location
UK
I don't know if it's available on Amazon UK. I get it on iHerb:

http://www.iherb.com/Nutricology-NT-Factor-EnergyLipids-Chewables-60-Chewable-Tablets/49283

I use this particular version of the NT Factor because it doesn't have the added "mitochondrial supplements" which are much too stimulating for me and make me really sick. But it's very expensive + delivery + customs (for those of us in the EU) so I'm not sure if it would be worth your while.

Thanks - I was looking at one on the NT (?) site that had beetroot in it for colouring, which put the knackers on that for me (causes migraines). So much to be careful about!