dr myhill, the brain effect, which type are you??

[xchocoholic]

Do you mind sharing your reaction to quinolones?

Jan 2013 - Frozen shoulders and knees were going out on me.
I had to use a motorized cart.

Went thru physical therapy for a few weeks but had to stop due to pem. At first my arms couldn't be raised out to my sides even with my shoulders. I barely made an progess in pt.

Eventually, maybe a year afterwards I could finally wash my back using a washcloth again. My arms couldn't go that far back. I still get sore shoulders from doing laundry, etc. Knees are fine but I walk regularly.

I had almost the exact same problem in 1990. Add ataxia, most of my muscles were in constant spasm. Etc etc. A massage therapist came to my house 3 times a week for a few months but it was futile.

I couldn't lift my head off the bed until 2006-7. Or do any sit ups. I had to roll out of bed. Now sit ups and lifting my head are easy. My weight was/is 130 ish.

I gave up gluten sept 2005. Ataxia vanished sept 2006. ☺

Tc .. x

 

[MeSci]

This thread has gone in a totally different direction to what i thought it was going to go. I initially was interested in what neurotransmitters people thought was driving their personalities and other neurological aspects like sleep, pain and fatigue etc and what they may be deficient in, not the be all and end all. I realise there are many other causes but i started this thread as i thought others might be interested or add something to this that i could learn from. If i have stood on people toes, i would be happy to delete it. Im lost to how it even got to 2 pages??

cheers!!!

I too would have liked to read more people's replies - perhaps it would be good to do a poll with the Myhill page to refer to?

Anyway, I would say I am predominantly acetylcholine, but there are a few things that don't fit - I definitely don't retreat into a dream world but I have aspects of the 'too little' and aspects of the 'too much'. The addiction stuff rings true. Not sure about charismatic though!

I haven't read the stuff very thoroughly as need to get on with practical things (QED?). I do feel better on a diet high in healthy fats and suspect that corticosteroids would help, but don't fancy the side effects so try to boost levels more naturally.

Will come back and read more. Interesting.

 

[xchocoholic]

I would think most people would have problems fitting into a category.

I'm mostly a serotonin tho stuck in a me/cfs body.

I became a programmer analyst (interfaced with users, wrote specs and programs) after working as a computer programmer because I liked interacting with people. In most companies, computer programmers are given specs by analysts who don't know how to write computer programs.

I didn't grow up knowing I liked techie stuff tho. Computers weren't invented back then. I was forced to like cooking, sewing and cleaning. Lol.

Tc. X

 

[MeSci]

I didn't grow up knowing I liked techie stuff tho. Computers weren't invented back then. I was forced to like cooking, sewing and cleaning. Lol.

Tc. X

I didn't grow up expecting to get into science. I went to an all-girls school where the science teaching was uninspiring. I liked biology (loved nature) but was steered away from that to a considerable extent by the compulsory animal abuse, which I would not countenance.

We are indeed shaped a lot by our upbringing and the norms surrounding us, but I never could really fit into the role of domestic goddess, however hard people tried! Rather be up a tree or playing with clockwork trains.

I think that scientist should be added to the career list for acetylcholine types. I'm creative and innovative but not into art or any good at it!

 

[xchocoholic]

I didn't grow up expecting to get into science. I went to an all-girls school where the science teaching was uninspiring. I liked biology (loved nature) but was steered away from that to a considerable extent by the compulsory animal abuse, which I would not countenance.

We are indeed shaped a lot by our upbringing and the norms surrounding us, but I never could really fit into the role of domestic goddess, however hard people tried! Rather be up a tree or playing with clockwork trains.

I think that scientist should be added to the career list for acetylcholine types. I'm creative and innovative but not into art or any good at it!

Same here. I couldn't participate in the animal abuse either. My schooling was public and mixed tho.

My biology class was open book open neighbor even during tests. We weren't expected to care about science.

I aced Math and got into Math classes where the homework took hours. I thought it was fun but what a waste of time for a child. I needed to learn about science, history, etc. LIFE ...

I enjoy arts and crafts but mostly as a spectator. I did macrame when it was cool. I prefer paintings that depict reality. Normal Rockwell, etc. If a painting needs to be explained I'm not interested.

Tc ... x

 

[xchocoholic]

I live near Amen and he's really sold out the past few years. He does infomercials with his wife about ADHD and their program using supplements A few years ago he was doing MRIs and other scans to bolster his research but his questions were specific to ADHD.

I just don't think he's doing anything "special" that could help us. Same old stuff IMO.

Here's his website http://www.amenclinics.com

It also bothers me that he refers to it as Chronic Fatigue, not syndrome, not ME.. shows me he doesn't really understand.

Hi @minkeygirl

I forgot to say that I brought up his name because he's scanning people's brain in order to dx their problems.

I have no idea if his theory is accurate but thought others might know. The only reference I saw in the Washington post to how he uses these scans was to explain to a patient that their brains were on fire. I believed he prescribed the child Adderral and said the scan helps his patients be compliant with taking their meds. Huh ?

I'm not sure that's appropriate. Hopefully he recommends removing toxins including glutamates from his patients diet. Dogtorj has info on glutamates.

It would be interesting to know what Dr Perlmutter, the renegade neurologist, thinks of this.

Tc .. x

 

[Leopardtail]

I think the one thing that can take us along time to realise is accepting we have me/cfs and understand our limits. I think if we had a very driven personality it makes it alot harder to accept. I still struggle to accept.
As for couch potatoes, i wonder if because they are functioning at a low level all the time it maybe harder for them to tell if they had me/cfs, mild cases anyway, more severe cases they would as they would have other symptoms like pain , insomnia etc.

I think instead of guessing with drugs like ad's etc i think better testing and a broader range of different meds/hormones etc i think its possible to improve different symptoms.

I have thought that for some time. You make ME worse (trigger it if you like) by repeatedly inducing and worsening PEM. If you quickly recognise fatigue and rest (low drive) then full blown ME seems less probable.

 

[MeSci]

thanks for posting...i feel horrible ive not been able to come on alot i use to like helping others and talking with others with understand...but saw your post and it looks os interesting...i dont feel like reading now...too tired but hopefully will remmeber or run across it and read.

You can 'watch' a thread so that you can find it again and be notified when there are new messages. No way would I be able to keep track if I didn't do that.

 

[MeSci]

Fraid not, the same metabolites are produced in different locations for different purposes and sometimes at different times. Many cannot pass the blood brain barrier hence brain scans.
The issues with those are cost and hardware availability.

If you are interested the book is well worth a read.

PS there has been research into Neurotransmitters however (with the exception of Glutamate) it's been done by the psychiatric lobbyists hence the 'sample set' had an inherent bias towards depression / mental disorders.

Some papers citing neurotransmitters in ME/CFS found in ME Research UK Database (search term 'neurotransmitter'):

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20656623
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/nbm.1512/abstract
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17945348
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17561689
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16934791
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16934791

searched to page 821 then too tired to do any more!

 

[xchocoholic]

I have thought that for some time. You make ME worse (trigger it if you like) by repeatedly inducing and worsening PEM. If you quickly recognise fatigue and rest (low drive) then full blown ME seems less probable.

Hi @Leopardtail

Maybe not. But I started out with full ME.

My DD was 2 when I became ill in 1990 so I wasn't able to rest as needed and kept up by using caffeine, pain pills, etc.

I'm not recommending this but that was 24 years ago and I actually recovered a bit in the last 9 years via diet and finally sleeping regularly.

Sure I'll probably never get well but I feel better now than I did for the first 16 years before giving up gluten, etc.

I only responded because some people can't slow down.

Tc .. x

 

[MeSci]

Following @beaverfury's post #30: Sorry if this has already been said, but I understand that serotonin (and other neurotransmitters?) production is at least partly dependent on the gut and, I think, the gut flora and diet. I forgot the exact details but do a search for tryptophan (or serotonin) and kynurenine/kynurenic acid (spelling corrected).

A number of us have found that we have improved our mental status (notably reduced anxiety) through a leaky gut diet and supplements, which supports the gut-neurotransmitter info.

On a slightly different topic, I find that anticholinergic antihistamines are very calming, and beneficial for sleep, supporting the view that I have too much acetylcholinergic (is that a word?) activity.

 

[MeSci]

[text cut for brevity]

In case anyone missed this bit (as I did but had concluded anyway):

REMEMBER WE ARE ALL A MIX OF ALL THE ABOVE AND IT IS ATTENTION TO ALL AREAS WHICH GIVES THE RESULTS!

 

[lansbergen]

Following @beaverfury'On a slightly different topic, I find that anticholinergic antihistamines are very calming, and beneficial for sleep, supporting the view that I have too much acetylcholinergic (is that a word?) activity.

I do the opposite. I stimulate the a7 nicotine system. Usely it is only relaxing but sometimes after I have taken the med I get a real deep relaxation. Now I have improved enough I sleep like a baby.

 

[Leopardtail]

Strange one that heaps - I was working in the health field (elderly - looking after) - now has ME changed me - not much except missing my work so much enjoyed. Ummm - compassion there before ME.

ENID - the original book discusses both 'inborn' personality independent of the effect of illness, and current illness to identify any deficits. He identifies physiological and dietary requirements that address your natural needs. It also discusses how deficits in Neurotransmitters can cause (for example) constipation. Neurotransmitters are required by every organ of the body that has nerves going into it. Dopamine for example regulates blood flow between heart and lungs.

Bear in mind that our physical ailments can rob our bodies of vital nutrients without which our bodies cannot function well, and the lack of neurotransmitters - this book allowed me to identify that a close friend have severe dopamine deficiency and L-dopa produced major improvement in his health.

This is entirely about physical health, no psychological twaddle whatsoever.

 

[Leopardtail]

For what it's worth, I thought it was an interesting read, and I will likely make use of the information.

I didn't see it as in any way implying that our personalities were causing or contributing to our illness, or anything remotely related to that. I do think that this illness can mess with the normal functioning of various body systems, including most definitely our neurotransmitter balance. I can see those changes in myself quite distinctly. And this was a nice additional perspective on what might be to blame for different changes. So if I'm feeling extra unusually hesitant and in need of affection one day (in a strong and unusual way that is out of character), I may explore whether I might have a bit too much serotonin that day. It's about the illness messing with your normal personality in ways that are unusual for you rather than your normal personality affecting the illness.

Not sure how much I buy into the personality traits being connected with certain neurotransmitters part, but it's fun to read like a Myers-Briggs or other personality test would be. For what it's worth, on that front I'm a very clear Acetylcholine predominant. ...Though my acetylcholine seems to be more balanced than some of the others according to their descriptions.

I found some more on this here:
http://www.formula7.com.tr/images/nutrinews/772296077.pdf
including some additional physical symptoms of deficiencies in the four neurotransmitters and more suggestions of what to do about them.

Unfortunately, my biggest problem seems to be serotonin that's too high (which makes sense given my genetics), which seems to be a tougher fix. Adding supplements is generally easier for me than figuring out how to avoid things.

Being Dopamine deficient can increase serotonin production. Too little GABA would increase its effects.

 

[manasi12]

@heapsreal.. Old thread but I find it very interesting. I think I was always GABA predominant . it matches my personality and predicted profession too. My symptoms started over a long time period. That has certainly originated with GABA deficiency. Epilepsy and anxiety were main problems. First valproate and then xanax (both GABA agonists) are the only things that ever helped. Now of course, everything became very complicated with Sjogren's.

Dr Myhill suggests LDN, may be I'll try if get it prescribed. Thanks for your post.

 

[heapsreal]

@heapsreal.. Old thread but I find it very interesting. I think I was always GABA predominant . it matches my personality and predicted profession too. My symptoms started over a long time period. That has certainly originated with GABA deficiency. Epilepsy and anxiety were main problems. First valproate and then xanax (both GABA agonists) are the only things that ever helped. Now of course, everything became very complicated with Sjogren's.

Dr Myhill suggests LDN, may be I'll try if get it prescribed. Thanks for your post.

Not my oldest post lol. Ive probably noticed lyrica helps alot when i get that fuzzy brain feeling like it's overcooked after a long day. LDN is worth a shot, many have benefited from it. I think many treatments for cfs are just pure trial and error.