So, I wonder what is the current view on Rich's ideas after 10 more years of research studies and N=1 self-studies by members of this forum.
There are far fewer people interested in Rich's ideas these days. And if you look at
this survey, only 3% of patients reported major improvements from the methylation protocol. Although 28% obtained more minor improvements, so it may still be worthwhile trying the methylation protocol.
Note thought that some of the discussion you read about the methylation protocol borders on pseudoscience. For example, people talk about "methylation blockages", and they promote this notion that if you can only just overcome your blockages, you are going to fall into much improved health. So then people spend months or years trying to surmount their mythical methylation blockages.
Yet I have never come across anyone on this forum who initially failed to get any benefits from the standard methylation protocol detailed by Rich, and then only later succeeding in getting it to work after identifying and addressing one of these proverbial "methylation blockages".
But certainly some ME/CFS patients do report benefits from vitamin B12 injections, and/or from active folate. But whether this relates to the effects of these supplements on methylation, or is due to some other metabolic effect the supplements have, is not known.
In my case, if I take methylfolate daily, even doses as low as 100 mcg, I find that after some days it starts to cause an overstimulated mental state (such overstimulation is believed to be a result of overmethylation), as if I had drunk too much coffee. In this overstimulated state, it can seem as if your ME/CFS is better, because the stimulation gives you energy and mental focus.
However, I suspect I would get the same energy and focus from a stimulant drug. So I wonder if some of the benefits that patients report from doing the methylation protocol might simply derive from being mildly overstimulated by overmethylation, rather than increased methylation actually addressing any root causes of ME/CFS.
I also notice brain fog improvements from methylcobalamin, in the form of
Dr Greg Russell-Jones's B12 transdermal oils (which deliver more B12 into the bloodstream than even injections). This is not due to an overstimulation effect. Somehow this B12 improves my brain fog a little.