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Dr. Ron Davis Presents ME/CFS Research at the 2018 IIMEC Conference

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40
Thanks for posting. I did watch it. I am blown away at his brilliance and his commitment to CFS. I had tears of joy after watching this video. So impressive. I did a little summary, from what I gleaned. It is very complex, so I may not have gotten everything right, but this is the best I could do with CFS brain :) I have real hope for the future of CFS.


Notes from Dr. Ron Davis

-3 Nobel Laureates and 6 Academy of Science Members working on the research. Bringing in many people to collaborate
-His son is severely ill with CFS (his son cannot talk or read now) :(
-Coming up with 5 potential tests for CFS that patients would be able to do in-office to identify whether they have the disease (looking at red blood cells, white blood cells, and several other factors). He is actually creating the devices to do the testing. He is considering affordability for CFS testing, one test will cost 5 cents to make, another $1.
-Studying data from severely ill patients (going to their home to collect a multitude of data)
-Making observations with this disease and basing hypotheses and testing on the observations (Says NIH is doing it wrong!)
-A very severe illness, worse than many other diseases which are given a lot more funding... not just "feeling kind of tired"
-Testing for many viruses, like EBV, HHV-6. They actually do not seem to be implicated, antivirals likely not a treatment, can actually cause harm to mitocondria, which may already be compromised in CFS (he explains this better in the video)
-Analyzed 95,000 biomarkers, seems to follow tryponosome (a possible cause) or a parasite
-possibility that it is still an unknown virus
-Those severely ill are low in essential metals, like copper. 60% of US deficient in copper
-High Mercury is associated with low selenium (an antioxidant, very bad to be low in selenium because there is a lot of oxidative damage in CFS)
-Some had high mercury and high levels of lead. Almost all with high mercury were eating too much fish
-Alot of changes in gene expression in immune system
-Severe cytokines (elevated)
-T- cells scan the cell for pathogen if they find it they make large numbers of t-cells. CFS has large t-cell expansion (doing more research and studies into this). Lyme & MS look very similar to this (in regards to t-cells). Question becomes: What do the T-Cells see in the body that is a pathogen?
-Whole Genome Sequencing - found a gene that is 100x more prevalent in CFS than healthy controls. Also genes associated with Natural Killer cells
-Metabolomics associates CFS with other disesases-metabolic phenotype most similar to inflammatory, neurological, and immunological diseases and autism.

Activation of immune system, genetic changes, and metabolic changes

Putting everything together - looking for a metabolic trap
Because of genetics & inflammation pathways get altered into a not functional state.
He Predicts - Something triggers it (infection), so you go to sleep & wake up with disease. Nothing you do, gets you out of it. This is good news, no new drugs! A drug will likely NOT fix it!
It will be VERY EASY TO FIX. Won't be something any one has tried. we will have to manipulate the metabolism
Inexpensive treatment and a FEW DAYS TO GET YOU OUT OF IT.
He's VERY OPTIMISTIC THAT HE'S RIGHT!!!
Researchers trying to figure out WHATS REALLY GOING ON & HOW TO FIX IT.
Figure out WHAT IT IS.
He doesn't think it's "that complicated" in the sense that it's "permanently wrong with the body"
You've just "fallen into a trap" (a metabolic trap) and don't know how to get out, but by understanding you can get out.
He is hoping to know in several months to a year!
 

anne_likes_red

Senior Member
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1,103
What I took away from the mercury and selenium discussion is that he feels being low in selenium is more of a problem than being high in mercury.
 

anne_likes_red

Senior Member
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1,103
That's not a quote, it's a synthesis of what he said a couple of places and what I found looking further. 42.30 he mentions the prevalence. :) I think I blew up the slide and looked into the gene...
 
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40
Another thing I forgot to mention was that he said that sometimes people feel better after getting sick. Some have thought it was the antibiotics or fever, but he thinks it could be the bacteria of the infection? Very interesting.
I am not sure about the gene, definitely something I would like to learn more about.
I am going to add selenium. I've heard brazil nuts are a good source.
 

Seven7

Seven
Messages
3,444
Location
USA
Poeple feel better like me due to the infection unrelated to the actual cause.
Now to make this interesting, in my case I get remission w viruses ( zica, cold, flu)...
I go worsts with bacterial infections ( strep) so I could predict I had a bacterial infection based on not getting in remission when I got sick!!!
 

perrier

Senior Member
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1,254
Any sense of a timeline for all this?

Yes, Dr Davis is one of the most extraordinary people walking this earth.
 
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Hello Omar
I am suffering from this disease now for 4 years ivwant to know how are yoy feeling..my whole family has been infected with this chinese virus but it has very similar symphtoms to morgellons disease.