Woolie
Senior Member
- Messages
- 3,263
Hi there,
This is my first post, although I’ve been following the forum for a few years now. I felt moved to write myself because I’ve noticed something important about my CFS that might be of use to other people.
Here it is: When the pollen is high here in New Zealand in the spring, and my hay fever kicks in, I remain well the entire time till it passes. In fact, during this hay fever period, I can even do quite strenuous exercise (1 hour walks daily). In fact, if not for the hay fever itself (runny nose, drowsiness etc.), I’d even say my health is 100% back to normal. As soon as the hay fever passes, things go back to crap again. If I could only bottle whatever pollen is causing the hay fever, I’d have my own personal cure!
Its as though the hay fever has a some sort of protective effect, as though it induces some change to my immune system that is helpful.
This goes against everything I’ve read about the mechanisms responsible for CFS symptoms (e.g. Th1 underresponsiveness and bias toward Th2 responding). The only stuff I could find to help make sense of it comes from recent stuff about the positive functions of mast cells, which we know are implicated in hay fever: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3343118/. But I’m making a huge jump here, it might not even be about the mast cells.
Has anyone else here noticed an improvement in their CFS symptoms while experiencing seasonal hay fever? Its the last thing any of us would expect, but in my case, I’m absolutely certain of the connection. Perhaps some of you have experienced it, but never thought it was important?
(Superquick summary of my CFS: Began with an unspecified severe acute viral infection in 1990, diagnosed with CFS by specialist physician in Australia in 1993, my CFS follows a relapsing/remitting pattern, with really bad phases (low grade fever, severe flu like symptoms, viral headache, unable to move), interspersed with relatively good ones (light fatigue, have to take care what I do). I tick all the CCC boxes except the neural symptoms, which I don’t get at all).
Woolie
This is my first post, although I’ve been following the forum for a few years now. I felt moved to write myself because I’ve noticed something important about my CFS that might be of use to other people.
Here it is: When the pollen is high here in New Zealand in the spring, and my hay fever kicks in, I remain well the entire time till it passes. In fact, during this hay fever period, I can even do quite strenuous exercise (1 hour walks daily). In fact, if not for the hay fever itself (runny nose, drowsiness etc.), I’d even say my health is 100% back to normal. As soon as the hay fever passes, things go back to crap again. If I could only bottle whatever pollen is causing the hay fever, I’d have my own personal cure!
Its as though the hay fever has a some sort of protective effect, as though it induces some change to my immune system that is helpful.
This goes against everything I’ve read about the mechanisms responsible for CFS symptoms (e.g. Th1 underresponsiveness and bias toward Th2 responding). The only stuff I could find to help make sense of it comes from recent stuff about the positive functions of mast cells, which we know are implicated in hay fever: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3343118/. But I’m making a huge jump here, it might not even be about the mast cells.
Has anyone else here noticed an improvement in their CFS symptoms while experiencing seasonal hay fever? Its the last thing any of us would expect, but in my case, I’m absolutely certain of the connection. Perhaps some of you have experienced it, but never thought it was important?
(Superquick summary of my CFS: Began with an unspecified severe acute viral infection in 1990, diagnosed with CFS by specialist physician in Australia in 1993, my CFS follows a relapsing/remitting pattern, with really bad phases (low grade fever, severe flu like symptoms, viral headache, unable to move), interspersed with relatively good ones (light fatigue, have to take care what I do). I tick all the CCC boxes except the neural symptoms, which I don’t get at all).
Woolie