Equilibrant Failures: Possible Causes

[aaron_c]

I would like to try Equilibrant (again). Before I start modulating my immune system, however, I'd like to do as much as possible to "get my house in order." Last I heard, Equilibrant is only miraculous 30% of the time, and that probably only applies to people whose history and/or bloodwork has convinced Dr Chia that they would be appropriate candidates in the first place. Dr Chia has also said that younger patients and/or patients who have been sick for a shorter period of time are more likely to benefit greatly from Equilibrant. This makes me think that there might be other chronic infections or toxic loads that ME patients might acquire over time that might interfere with Equilibrant. So before I start taking Equilibrant I'd like to do all I can to ensure its success by addressing these issues.


Steps Already Taken:

In one thread I saw a suggestion that some mycotoxins might interfere with the immune response Equilibrant is designed to elicit. To that end I'm pursuing the Johnson / Petrison "Extreme" or "Effective" Avoidance techniques. So far so good.


Other Ideas:

But I also wonder about candida overgrowth--which I seem to have. I found one research paper (ncbi seems to be down today, perhaps I'll like later) that seemed to say that candida stimulated the release of TGF-beta in some cells. This might explain the persistence of my seemingly-high TGF-beta in spite of the relative success of my mold avoidance efforts thus far (Shoemaker says that once you're clear of mycotoxins your TGF-beta should go down...though the mycotoxins I'm trying to avoid are not ones that Shoemaker necessarily recognizes).

One reason I'm thinking of going after candida before enterovirus in spite of the fact that enterovirus would presumably be more central to my illness is that if candida increases TGF-beta, high TGF-beta would put me at higher risk for autoimmune disease--and Chia doesn't allow people with high risk of autoimmune disease to take Equilibrant. Though I don't know that he uses TGF-beta as a yardstick for that.

I also wonder if there are other issues that perhaps should be addressed prior to taking Equilibrant.

@Hip I know you've followed Dr Chia's work fairly closely, do you have any thoughts?

 

[Hip]

I imagine it would be a good idea to address co-infections like for example mycoplasma if planning to try oxymatrine. Have you been diagnosed by a doctor as having Candida? Alternative medical practitioners may diagnose Candida based on what they believe are the symptoms of Candida, which is not a reliable diagnosis.

 

[aaron_c]

@Hip

I recall testing positive for high levels of candida in stool tests. I'm not sure what the most recent one would have been, but I do seem to have some sort of fungal overgrowth as I have had chronic jock itch and athlete's foot for some time now (I keep them under control with a borax foot soak and splashing borax water around my crotch daily, but it's never eliminated it).

What would this be, if not candida?

Also, any reason you mentioned mycoplasma in particular?

 

[Hip]

I recall testing positive for high levels of candida in stool tests.

OK, if that's an objective test, it should be fine.

Also, any reason you mentioned mycoplasma in particular?

No reason, just an example. Though 60% of ME/CFS patients have this infection, and it's treatable with antibiotics, so it's an infection that you can do something about. Although I do not recall any cases of great benefit arising from treating mycoplasma.