Problems with major organs resulting from mitochondrial failure
if mitochondria do not work properly, then the energy supplied every cell in the body will be impaired. This includes the heart. Many of the symptoms of CFS could be explained by low cardiac output because the heart muscle cannot work properly. Cardiologist and other doctors are used to dealing with low cardiac output due to poor blood supply to the heart itself. In CFS, the low cardiac output is caused by poor muscle function therefore, strictly speaking, is what is called cardiomyopathy. This means the function of the heart will be very abnormal, but traditional test of heart failure such as ECG, ECHO and angiography will give normal results. The point is that the blood supply to the heart is fine (fuel and oxygen adequate), at the mitochondria cannot convert this to ATP which is the currency of energy for muscle contraction. Research by Dr. Arnold peckerman shows that cardiac output in CFS sufferers is impaired. Furthermore, the level of impairment correlates very closely with the level of disability in patients. Dr. Peckerman was asked by the US National Institutes of Health to develop a test for CFS in order to help them to judge the level of disability in patients claiming Social Security benefits. Peckerman is a cardiologist, and on the basis that people with CFS suffer low blood pressure, low blood volume and perfusion defects, he surmised they’re in low cardiac output state. To test this he came up with what he called “Q scores”.
Q stands for cardiac output in liters per minute, and this can be measured using a totally noninvasive method called impedance cardiology. This allows cardiac output to measured accurately by measuring the electrical impedance across the chest wall that is the opposition a flow in terms of both magnitude and phase. The greater the blood flow the less the impedance. it Is important that this test is done on the patient is lying down and again the upright position. This is because cardiac output in healthy people will vary from 7 L per minute when lying down 5 L per minute when standing. In healthy people this drop is not enough to affect function but in CFS suffers the drop may be from 5 L lying down to 3.5 L standing up, at this level the sufferer has cardiac output which causes borderline organ failure. This explains why CFS sufferers feel much better lying down because like this to have acceptable output P 26 – 27
low cardiac output explains the symptoms of CFS
the heart manages blood pressure, when blood pressure falls organ start to fail. when The heart is working inadequately than the only way blood pressure can be sustained is by shutting down blood supply to organs, these are shutdown in terms of priority: the skin first, then muscles, followed by the liver, gud, brain and finally the heart, lung, and kidneys. As these organ systems shutdown further problems are created for the body in terms of toxic overload and susceptibility to viruses, which damage mitochondria further, thus exacerbating all the problems of CFS sufferers. one result of a low cardiac output status condition called POTs where the sufferer can stand for only short amounts of time without blacking out P 27 – 28
effects of low cardiac output on the skin
if you shutdown the blood supply to the skin, this has two main effects. The first relates the skin being responsible for controlling the temperature of the body CFS sufferer becomes intolerant to heat because the body gets too hot it cannot lose heat through the skin (because it has no blood supply) and the cold temperature increases. The second problem is that if the microcirculation skin is shut down, then the body cannot detoxify. Skin is a major road through which toxins, particularly heavy metals, pesticides, and VOCs are excreted, in sweat. Consequently the CFS suffers body becomes much better at accumulating toxins.
Symptoms of low cardiac output in the muscles
if the blood supply to your muscles is impaired then muscles quickly run out of oxygen when you start to exercise. With no oxygen the muscles cells switchover to anaerobic metabolism which produces lactic acid and it is this that makes muscles ache and fatigue so much. as well as the above problem muscles in CFS sufferer have very poor stamina because the mitochondrial that supply them with energy are malfunctioning when mitochondria go slow they produce more free radicals. Which further damaged tissue through Pro oxidant stress. When John Mclaren-Howard of acumen laboratories does translocator function tests he often finds lactic acid stuck on a mitochondrial membranes where it has no business to be. This illustrates one of the many vicious cycles in CFS if translocator protein is blocked by lactic acid, mitochondria work less efficiently and therefore cells are more likely to switch into anaerobic metabolism and produce more lactic acid.
Symptoms of low cardiac output in liver and gut
poor blood supply to the gut may result in inefficient digestion poor production of digestive juices and leaky gut syndrome. LGS causes many other problems such as hypochlorhydria, allergies, autoimmunity and malabsorption which further compound the problem of CFS if blood supply to the liver circulation is inadequate and this is combined of poor energy delivery to cells generally causing poor mitochondrial function, this will result in poor detoxification, not just of heavy metals, pesticides and volatile organic compounds, but also toxins produced as result of fermentation in the gut, again further poisoning the mitochondria. Be aware that at rest liver consumes 29% of all the energy generated in the body.
Effects of low cardiac output on the brain
Canadian physician Dr. Byron Hyde has performed many functional scans of the brain of CFS sufferers. Looking at them had I not known the diagnosis I would have diagnose strokes. This is because the energy delivery to some areas of the brain were so impaired. The default is temporary and with rest energy delivery is slowly restored.. However this explains the multiplicity of brain symptoms reported, including poor short-term memory, difficulty multitasking and slow mental processing. Neurotransmitters will not work unless they are accompanied by a molecule of ATP. Improve ATP and you improve all aspects of brain function. Improving ATP delivery has to be the best treatment for foggy brain, early dementia symptoms, low mood and depression.
Effects on the heart
01 angina: where there is poor mitochondrial function there is an early switch and anaerobic metabolism with the production of lactic acid in the muscles, including the muscles of the heart. Lactic acid burn in the heart is called angina.
02 dysrhythmia: poor energy delivery at the cellular level, there may be disturbance of the electrical conductivity which causes dysrhythmias (irregular heartbeat) many CFS sufferers complain of palpitations, missed heartbeats or similar. This is particularly the case in patients with poisoning by chemicals, especially heavy metals, since those chemicals are also directly toxic to nerve cells. Increasingly I believe the dysrhythmias are caused by toxic stress.
03 heart valve damage
04 patent foramen ovale (PFO): as pressures drop in the heart because of weak heartbeats the opening between the left and right sides of the heart that is present in the unborn child but closes at birth (the foramen ovale), may be blown open, causing blood to shunt from right to left rather than flow to the lungs to pick up oxygen. Dr. Paul Cheney, an American physician specializing in CFS, estimates over 90% of CFS sufferers have PFO.
Effects on the lungs and kidneys
lungs and kidneys are protected against poor microcirculation because they have the largest renin angiotensin system (hormone system that regulates blood pressure and fluid balance), which keeps the blood pressure up in these vital organs. This means that clinically it is unusual to see a CFS sufferer with kidney failure or pulmonary hypoperfusion. However, I increasingly find low kidney function (low kidney glomerular filtration rate) in CFS, which may be symptomatic of poor mitochondrial function.
Effects on the eyes
the brain requires energy at a rate 10 times higher than the rest of the body. The retina requires energy 10 times faster than the brain that is 100 times faster than the rest of the body. This is because the business of converting photons alighting on the retina to electrical signals in the brain is energy intensive. No wonder CFS suffers have I symptoms they simply cannot convert light into electrical signals. Many are light intolerant for this reason. P 28 – 33
