Thanks for posting this Rich. Very interesting... and encouraging... BUT...
... while I think you've done great work and the methylation defect is real, one of the things that troubles me is how few people out here report positive results and how many of us have struggled with it. Could it be that the Simplified Protocol isn't so simple and requires the direction of a qualified practitioner?
Please note, I'm not criticisizing. I think everyone appreciates your huge efforts here and the methylation defect is obviously a real problem. It just doesn't seem like following the simplified protocol on our own is helping much with this problem. But I could be wrong and would love to hear from anyone who has improved as much as Dr. Nathan's patients seem to, by following the protocol on their own.
Hi, Rockt.
Thanks for your comments. I've noticed the same thing. I think the key is that Dr. Nathan had treated these women for quite a while before they were given the methylation treatment. He had given them treatment for a variety of aspects of ME/CFS, as he described. It's beginning to look as though methylation treatment cannot be regarded as a stand-alone treatment for a person who has not yet been treated for these other aspects.
Here's the picture that I am coming to: The vicious circle mechanism that I've described, involving glutathione depletion, functional B12 deficiency, methylation cycle partial block, and folates draining from the cells via the methyl trap mechanism, is indeed the core of the pathophysiology of ME/CFS. However, a variety of possible factors can lead up to formation of this vicious circle mechanism in various PWCs. Furthermore, after this vicious circle has become established, the resulting dyfunction in the immune system and the detox system allows the buildup of infections and toxins, exacerbating the illness. The digestive system's function can also be degraded by a variety of causes, many of them stemming from the vicious circle mechanism.
When we then consider the state of a person who has been ill with ME/CFS for an extended time, there can be a "tangled web" of things going on, and in treatment, one has to start from where one is. The physicians I hear from who seem to be having the most success like to describe the process of treatment as being similar to "peeling an onion, one layer at a time." A few layers may need to be removed in order to be able to get to the core and treat it, and I still think that the core is this vicious circle mechanism I have described.
Some people seem to be able to treat the methylation cycle problem first, and experience some benefit, and then go on to dealing with other aspects that may still be present. Others seem to need to deal with these additional things first. I suspect that a high body burden of mercury would be in the second category, because mercury can block enzymes in the methylation cycle. But I think that infections that are able to hold glutathione down will also interfere with lifting the partial block and allowing glutathione to come up.
Well, that's where I am at this point on this issue. I had hoped that this would be the "silver bullet," but it looks as though additional "bullets" are needed in most cases.
And I do agree that a person should be under the care of a licensed physician while on methylation-type treatment. One reason is that there can be serious adverse effects, but another reason is what you've suggested: Physicians like Dr. Nathan have a lot of experience with treating the various aspects of ME/CFS, and they know how to patiently slog away at each piece until the person's body is able to come to recovery. What I have heard from some physicians is that their "toughest" cases had been treated for everything they could find in them, and when they learned about the methylation treatment and tried that, it turned out to be the last piece that was needed. So that may be the way we should view it.
Thanks again.
Rich
