CFS temporarily "cured" during common cold

[JES]

I remember this being discussed before, but couldn't find a thread on it. Two times I have caught a cold during the last four years, two years ago and yesterday. Both times I basically felt cured from my typical CFS symptoms (constant anxiety, brainfog, insomnia, peripheral neuropathy, cold hands and feet). My energy and thinking is back to where it used to be, I feel social and basically every symptom is reduced. It's a much more powerful "healing" than what any supplement can provide me.

If I had to choose between having this mild CFS/ME and a constant mild cold, I would probably choose the latter. While this cold does have some annoying effects (sore muscles, slight fever, mucus build-up) and would also limit my exercise ability, it still allows me to think and feel normal.

Maybe this is a mechanism that should be looked more into in general, because if my body has the ability to heal most symptoms within 24 hours, then it suggests to me not much permanent damage has been done by this disease yet. Maybe CFS could be treated by targeting some of these immune system mechanisms directly, it's something I'll try to read more about now while my brainfog is temporarily cured.

 

[JaimeS]

JES, you're right: we have talked about this in a few places. One is here.

 

[Seven7]

I do get remission during colds and periods I do not get colds very often and if I do lasts about a day or 2 tops and I feel like superwomen those days.

 

[TigerLilea]

I'm down with cold number 3 this year and I feel much worse when I have one. My CFS symptoms certainly don't get better.

 

[Bob]

Anyone reading this thread might also be interested in this thread:

Complete remission of symptoms when I have hay fever
http://forums.phoenixrising.me/inde...-i-have-hay-fever-anyone-else-had-this.27428/
And this post:
http://forums.phoenixrising.me/inde...anyone-else-had-this.27428/page-4#post-716220

 

[Sea]

I always used to get a few days of wonderful energy and clarity of thought when I had a cold. It happened several times a year for many years and no doctor could ever explain why. Sadly it doesn't happen any more, hasn't done that for several years now.

 

[JES]

It's a very interesting phenomenon, never had any remission from hay fever or allergies myself though.

Acute sleep deprivation gives me 30% remission. A virus is 100%

Quote from the linked thread, this is exactly my response as well. I think instead of looking at supplements that seem to produce moderate non-lasting results at best, I will start looking at other no-pill treatments to try to correct this underlying dysfunction (and just to make myself clear, I'm not referring to GET/CBT ).

 

[Richard7]

well the sleep deprivation could work in with Jared younger's ideas re leptin. According to wikipedia leptin levels are lower when you are sleep deprived.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leptin

But this would not explain the virus thing. Which I too have experienced. Indeed if I feel unusually well I expect that a virus will fell me that evening or the following day (and no its not PEM).

One virus that seems to keep doing this leaves a pink spotted rash on my inside wrists (small random papules). I had a full body version of this rash for 2 or 3 days back in 2003, and had it again for three weeks last year. So I assume that the feeling good is somehow associated with the life cycle of the virus, but do not know enough about the science to really understand it.

 

[Hip]

There are two conditions that often dramatically improve when you catch the common cold or some other passing infection and develop a fever, and these are attention deficit disorder (ADD / ADHD) and autism.

There is a phenomenon called the fever effect, where people with ADHD or autism will often experience significant reduction in their symptoms when they have a fever as a result of catching a cold or infection.

The theory is that the fever effect might be due to effects resulting from the activation of the locus coeruleus (LC) in the brain, since the LC controls body temperature during fever.

The LC is found in the brainstem, and brainstem abnormalities have been found in ME/CFS. So conceivably, as the LC becomes activated, as it switches on the fever response, this may modulate brainstem activity in ME/CFS patients, leading to improvements in ME/CFS symptoms.

In particular, note that the LC is part of the reticular activating system (RAS), and the RAS controls conscious awareness in the brain.

So in this way, catching a cold and getting a fever may alter conscious awareness.

 

[Chrisb]

This workshop report is slightly later than, and quotes, the paper mentioned in the above post by @Hip.

https://sfari.org/updates-and-events/workshop-reports/2010/workshop-report-fever-and-autism

It is hard to believe that the effects are not related.

 

[Jill]

Just wanted to chip in with - yep I'm the same . If I ever catch I cold I " feel" great. Moderate CFS or a cold - I'd take the cold any day . I feel like superwoman on the cold days. I even try to catch other people's colds. The only other time I've had remission is post ruptured appendix surgery and I think it was antibiotic related . Specifically flagyl as I think it's a microglial inhibitor .
Ldn has helped with the hang over ME symptom and with some resilience . Still sick though and when I overdo it I'm toast . 35 years now and sick of it. Alan light on utube explains the PEM v well

 

[dannybex]

IMO this is why we have 'chronic' _____________whatever you want to call it. Because we (in general) don't develop 'normal' fevers because of some immune dysfunction or whatever. Fevers that healthy people get when they get sick. Fevers that raise the body temperature sufficiently to kill off the viral/bacterial/fungal infection(s).

Most of the definitions of ME/CFS include the cliche, "Flu-like" illness. Not FLU, but flu-like. Again, because of the low-grade fevers, instead of strong, robust, 'normal' immune responses.

 

[Jill]

Hey @Hip , interesting about adhd. Since having ME a shrink diagnosed me adhd and that's how it feels. I respond to Ritalin but effect wear off and now it only helps if I leave it for long periods then have some .

 

[shannah]

The only other time I've had remission is post ruptured appendix surgery and I think it was antibiotic related . Specifically flagyl as I think it's a microglial inhibitor .

Alan light on utube explains the PEM v well

@Jill

Someone I know, who doesn't have ME but was suffering gastro problems, started Flagyl last month for possible SIBO and is doing remarkably well with it. Life is returning to normal for him.

Do you have a link for Alan Light's presentation by any chance? Can't see one on Youtube when googling.

 

[Horizon]

Im also in the same boat, not remission but if my body has to fight something else it can't focus on two things at once and my CFS improves. It's very odd.

 

[ChrisD]

I've just found this thread as I currently have a bit of a common cold (Sniffle) yet I felt pretty good when I got up this morning energy-wise, clarity-wise and not feeling dizzy-wise! This has happened before last year when I had very mild CFS but strong Fibro, with the cold completely eradicating all Fibromyalgia symptoms - it was a miracle for me! I found myself trying to catch peoples colds in the months after, as if could be a treatment. Since December I have had more moderate CFS, so does this point to ME/CFS being Autoimmune and it is temporarily relieved as the immune system focuses on the virus?

 

[Seven7]

I got Zica 2 times and remission in Both (About 2 Weeks Apart). Now the pain in Zica like 2 days before the rash broke was Same as a ME crash pain. The day the rash broke (before I noticed) I felt so well that I went to karaoke!
The conjunctivitis phase was independently a nightmare.

 

[Lolo]

No improvement for me. It's a double whammy!

 

[antherder]

Interesting. Does anyone know what happens to mTor when someone has a cold or the flu? Do viruses etc activate it?

(Possibly a stupid question, but too tired not to ask it...)

 

[drob31]

There are two conditions that often dramatically improve when you catch the common cold or some other passing infection, and these are attention deficit disorder (ADD / ADHD) and autism.

There is a phenomenon called the fever effect, where people with ADHD or autism will often experience significant reduction in their symptoms when they have a fever as a result of catching a cold or infection.

The theory is that the fever effect might be due to effects resulting from the activation of the locus coeruleus (LC) in the brain, since the LC controls body temperature during fever.

The LC is found in the brainstem, and brainstem abnormalities have been found in ME/CFS. So conceivably, as the LC becomes activated, as it switches on the fever response, this may modulate brainstem activity in ME/CFS patients, leading to improvements in ME/CFS symptoms.

In particular, note that the LC is part of the reticular activating system (RAS), and the RAS controls conscious awareness in the brain.

So in this way, catching a cold and getting a fever may alter conscious awareness.

2) Norepinephrine Plays A Role In Memory and Cognitive Function
Norepinephrine released by the locus coeruleus affects brain function in a number of ways.

It enhances processing of sensory inputs, enhances attention, enhances formation and retrieval of both long-term and working memory, and enhances the ability of the brain to respond to inputs by changing the activity pattern in the prefrontal cortex and other areas (R).

Retrieval is an important step in memory processes during which norepinephrine appears to act.

This retention deficit was rescued by the injection of a precursor of norepinephrine before the test, demonstrating that norepinephrine is necessary for the access to a memory and is important for consolidation and retrieval of some types of memory (R1,R2).

NE is involved in the neurophysiology and the clinical features of cerebral aging and cognitive function slowing down, loss of behavioral adjustment (R).