Dr. Enlander on treating DeFreitas retrovirus

[mojoey]

Dr. Enlander posted the following comment on Mindy's latest blog:

"DeFrietas twenty years ago determined a retrovirus relationship. Attempts to treat this virus were unsuccessful. Retrovirus treatment has improved in the past two decades, so maybe new research maybe productive. Such research should begin with in Vitro lab work, killing the virus in lab tests. However caution should be exercised, the virus or virions may be superimposed and could proliferate due to immune dysfunction. This dysfunction being caused by other factors."

 

[urbantravels]

Exactly what "attempts" are being referred to?

 

[mojoey]

He must mean antiretrovirals, either by him (not sure how long he has treated ME/CFS) or other doctors in cahoots with DeFreitas at the time such as Cheney/Peterson.

 

[Hope123]

Thanks for posting this but I wonder what antiretrovirals they were using. Defreitas published in 1990 and HAART didn't really get going until the mid 1990s and even then, it was only mostly with AZT so I would be cautious about making any conclusions based on past antiretroviral work on CFS.

 

[ukxmrv]

Dr Martin was trying to treat his "stealth virus" and had quite a following with patients back then trying different things. For immune modulators there was Amantadine and people were looking at the supposed viral fighting ability of many common drugs and supplements (with antibiotics and antidepressants being discussed in that context).

There's still some information here


http://www.ccid.org/therapy.htm#

Dr Martin had his own treatment but I can't remember what it was called (Eponovir?)

 

[mojoey]

I'm guessing it was mostly with AZT too. I emailed Dr. Enlander asking directly.

I wasn't advocating anything; just pointing out the previously unknown fact (to most of us I presume) that some CFS physicians did actually act on the DeFreitas findings. I consider any experience, positive or negative, with any drugs that are being considered now experimentally or for clinical trials to be helpful.

 

[Recovery Soon]

This echoes what Dr. Enlander told me recently- he does not believe XMRV is the cause of CFS at this time.