Can ME cause or initiate mental illness?

[Gingergrrl]

I have a list of microglial activation inhibitors if you are interested.

Hi @Hip I know I've asked you for a million lists at different times but am very curious where your list of microglial activation inhibitors is posted or if you could give a link. Thanks!

 

[xchocoholic]

I certainly agree with what you are saying, @CFS_for_19_years, and in fact I just recently posted here about my experiences with a chronic recurring kidney / urinary tract infection (UTI) greatly increasing my ME/CFS fatigue levels on the days in which this infection flared up.

In fact originally I placed chronic UTIs in the roadmap as a possible factor that might be present in ME/CFS patients, and which might worsen ME/CFS symptoms. But I later removed this, because I could not find any evidence of UTIs being more common in ME/CFS. Though UTIs are well-known to cause fatigue even in the general population.

At present the roadmap contains a section on sinusitis (sinus infection / inflammation) as an exacerbating factor in ME/CFS, and also a section on hidden jaw bone infections being a causal or exacerbating factor of ME/CFS.

You are right that the sinusitis could probably be moved up higher in the roadmap, perhaps placed in round 2, which lists the common comorbidities of ME/CFS. Jaw bone infections I believe are rare, so that's best left in round 4 I think (the 4th round lists the rarer ME/CFS causal or contributory factors).

The roadmap also currently lacks a section on the various causes and appropriate treatments of sinusitis in ME/CFS patients. Just writing such a sinusitis treatment section would be weeks of research and work (everything goes slowly when you brain fog).


What I would like to know is what other type of chronic or recurring infections might be common in ME/CFS patients, which may worsen the ME/CFS symptoms. And what places in the body can host such infections.

The roadmap I try to keep evidence-based, so I'd need links to published studies before I can include anything (or at the very least, a link to some good anecdotal accounts or surveys).

Hi @Hip

I'm not sure how mainstream the info on the connection leaky gut and oxalates is yet but at least since 2007, researchers have been showing a connection between the two. Susan Owens was the main researcher I heard about. I'm not sure where her research has lead her now but the low oxalate diet was the number 1 treatment in 2007.

It's well established that Oxalates bind certain minerals causing kidney stones and kidney stones can cause infections. I typically get infections / elevated white blood cells in urine from these but I know someone who doesn't.

I finally made the connection between mental sluggishness and feeling whiney and having mild uti symptoms. So far self or holistic treating for utis has helped. Kow. Imho I get too many stones to use antibiotics.

Tc ... x

Ps. Imho many of the mental health issues connected to me/cfs are due to lack of proper medical care and abuse by medical professionals. I was shocked at how much better I felt emotionally and mentally when I finally met a doctor with an greater than normal level of intellectual curiosity after being ill for 18 years. It took me a couple of years to relax and undo the wall I'd put up. My integrative doctor actually ran proper tests to see what was causing some of my "me/cfs" symptoms. Doh !

Well this and realizing that the standard American diet was total crap. Lol.

 

[Hip]

Hi @Hip I know I've asked you for a million lists at different times but am very curious where your list of microglial activation inhibitors is posted or if you could give a link. Thanks!

I have just started a new thread on microglial activation inhibitors here:

Chronic Microglial Activation in ME/CFS, And Its Possible Treatment Using Microglial Inhibitors

 

[Hip]

@xchocoholic
I found a couple of studies showing that calcium oxalate monohydrate crystals affect the tight junctions in the kidneys. In the gut, it is dysfunction of the tight junctions that can lead to leaky gut.

Effects of calcium oxalate monohydrate crystals on expression and function of tight junction of renal tubular epithelial cells

p38 MAPK mediates calcium oxalate crystal-induced tight junction disruption in distal renal tubular epithelial cells

I can't find anything that relates oxalate to tight junction dysfunction in the gut though.

 

[taniaaust1]

I forgot to add that there is a relationship between lithium and vitamin b12: Reference needed, " Yasko affirms that those with SHMT and/or MTR/MTRR mutations tend to excrete a lot of lithium in urine tests. That's why she recommends it to these people. And anyone with a great need for B12 according to their SNPs should be on a low dose lithium because it helps B12 [and folate, I believe] to be transported to the blood cells."

Thanks, I have very low lithium on my hair testing. So maybe my MTRR mutations is why that is so. Even with supplementing it for a year, my level of that trace mineral, still wasnt in normal range.

 

[xchocoholic]

@Hip

I googled Susan Owens low oxalate diet and found www.lowoxalate.info where she explains this. I'm not up on her latest research anymore. If I remember correctly she went down this route because of research by the vulvar pain foundation.

The latest research was always posted on the yahoo trying low oxalate board.

Tc .. x