Howard Bloom talks about recovering from MECFS
- Thread starter cigana
- Start date
Dakota15
Senior Member
- Messages
- 337
- Location
- Midwest, USA
I see the interview is over 2 hours long, is there a certain timeframe on there where he references his condition / treatment? If you don't know then no worries.
It's about the first 20 minutes.
bthompsonjr1993
Senior Member
- Messages
- 177
This is FREAKING incredible. This is the best CFS recovery that I have ever heard of. My jaw is still on the floor. Gives me such great hope.
Yes, it is remarkable. How sick was he? Anyone know?
Our family member took oxytocin injections for a long time and there was no result.
My sense is he was on a raft of medications, hard to figure out exactly what he took.
Who was his doctor?
The article below gives more details of his meds and life. Not easy
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/05/...-and-former-publicist-spends-his-sundays.html
Our family member took oxytocin injections for a long time and there was no result.
My sense is he was on a raft of medications, hard to figure out exactly what he took.
Who was his doctor?
The article below gives more details of his meds and life. Not easy
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/05/...-and-former-publicist-spends-his-sundays.html
Last edited:
MEPatient345
Guest
- Messages
- 479
He is intolerable to listen to. But yeah, interesting he recovered so well after being very severe.
bthompsonjr1993
Senior Member
- Messages
- 177
He is living out my dream recovery. Age 75 and still fit as hell, doing what he loves, with a life totally tailored to him like you said
Kenshin
Senior Member
- Messages
- 161
According to the NYtimes article he's on 30 pills a day, so it's not just gabapentin and Oxytocin.
Im interested in trying Oxytocin but have no idea what type I'm supposed to take or where to get it.
Im interested in trying Oxytocin but have no idea what type I'm supposed to take or where to get it.
An extensive article about:
https://www.selfhacked.com/blog/the-social-chilled-out-and-empathetic-genes-oxytocin-receptor-snps/
@cigana, thanks for posting this. I'm looking forward to listening to it later. I feel that zinc and vitamin D increase my oxytocin somewhat, but it's difficult to keep a consistently high level. I think there's something else needed for oxytocin production or release that I'm missing. I have my eye on cysteine as it's necessary for the disulfide bonds. I'm stumbling across sulfur (and usually cysteine in particular) a lot lately. Disulfide bonds everywhere, making proteins and peptide hormones functional, cysteine to make glutathione, cysteine for cytochrome... I would love to know if zinc is heavily dependent on sulfur in human metabolism the way iron seems to be. Hmm, who knows? Suppose I should watch the video first, but that will have to wait until after I take my statistics final exam. 
thanks... I didn't know about all the other genes (just the main one) ..
Everyone in my family is very introverted, independent and solitary, including me, but when I take zinc and vitamin D, I have a very noticeable increase in my interest in other people. I seek out human interaction, I have much more interest in the opposite gender, I feel inclined to do my hair and makeup and dress nicely, I wave at children and stop to pet other peoples' dogs. In short, I become a much more personable person. When not on zinc and vit D, I'm 3000% more introverted and avoid people and social interactions. It's a very stark contrast for me.
There is a peptide hormone called vasopressin that is nearly a twin to oxytocin, so I don't know how much of this response is due to oxytocin and how much is due to vasopressin. For example, vasopressin prevents nocturia, allowing people to sleep through the night without needing to empty their bladder. I used to get up 2-6 times per night to go to the bathroom, and now I can finally sleep through the night.
I think it's extremely likely that increasing oxytocin will also increase vasopressin. And perhaps, I'm accidentally improving pituitary function or something?
I don't think oxytocin will be magical by itself, but my approach to conquering this illness has been to seek out nutrient deficiencies and fix them, and there is clearly something oxytocin- or pituitary-related that needs to be fixed for me. (I've had extremely poor appetite and low food intake since I was a toddler; my earliest life memory is telling my mother that I didn't want to eat. So there a lot of things that have helped me that may not be helpful to a better nourished person.)
There is a peptide hormone called vasopressin that is nearly a twin to oxytocin, so I don't know how much of this response is due to oxytocin and how much is due to vasopressin. For example, vasopressin prevents nocturia, allowing people to sleep through the night without needing to empty their bladder. I used to get up 2-6 times per night to go to the bathroom, and now I can finally sleep through the night.
I think it's extremely likely that increasing oxytocin will also increase vasopressin. And perhaps, I'm accidentally improving pituitary function or something?
I don't think oxytocin will be magical by itself, but my approach to conquering this illness has been to seek out nutrient deficiencies and fix them, and there is clearly something oxytocin- or pituitary-related that needs to be fixed for me. (I've had extremely poor appetite and low food intake since I was a toddler; my earliest life memory is telling my mother that I didn't want to eat. So there a lot of things that have helped me that may not be helpful to a better nourished person.)
Jackb23
Senior Member
- Messages
- 293
- Location
- Columbus, Ohio
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/28259722/
Oxytocin mitigated the depressive-like behaviors of maternal separation stress through modulating mitochondrial function and neuroinflammation
In addition, our molecular findings revealed that MS is capable of inducing abnormal mitochondrial function and immune-inflammatory response in the hippocampus. Further, we observed that treating stressed animals with OT (intracerebroventricular, i.c.v. injection) attenuated the MS-induced depressive-like behaviors through improving mitochondrial function and decreasing the hippocampal expression of immune-inflammatory genes.
Oxytocin mitigated the depressive-like behaviors of maternal separation stress through modulating mitochondrial function and neuroinflammation
In addition, our molecular findings revealed that MS is capable of inducing abnormal mitochondrial function and immune-inflammatory response in the hippocampus. Further, we observed that treating stressed animals with OT (intracerebroventricular, i.c.v. injection) attenuated the MS-induced depressive-like behaviors through improving mitochondrial function and decreasing the hippocampal expression of immune-inflammatory genes.
Nightingale
Chronically Cool
- Messages
- 61
Hello! I found this article on increasing oxytocin through behaviours, and I thought some people may be interested. Enjoy!
https://www.psychologytoday.com/au/...le/201311/the-top-10-ways-boost-good-feelings
https://www.psychologytoday.com/au/...le/201311/the-top-10-ways-boost-good-feelings
Some potential mechanisms in MECFS:
Oxytocin inhibits LPS-induced inflammation in microglial cells in mice
Link: https://jneuroinflammation.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12974-016-0541-7
"the present study demonstrated that oxytocin possesses anti-neuroinflammatory activity"
Oxytocin alleviates the neuroendocrine and cytokine response to bacterial endotoxin in healthy men
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18593851
"Oxytocin might be a candidate for the therapy of inflammatory diseases"
Oxytocin affects nitric oxide and cytokine production by sepsis-sensitized macrophages
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23183119
"Oxytocin......by decreasing the proinflammatory response and oxidative stress"
Oxytocin inhibits LPS-induced inflammation in microglial cells in mice
Link: https://jneuroinflammation.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12974-016-0541-7
"the present study demonstrated that oxytocin possesses anti-neuroinflammatory activity"
Oxytocin alleviates the neuroendocrine and cytokine response to bacterial endotoxin in healthy men
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18593851
"Oxytocin might be a candidate for the therapy of inflammatory diseases"
Oxytocin affects nitric oxide and cytokine production by sepsis-sensitized macrophages
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23183119
"Oxytocin......by decreasing the proinflammatory response and oxidative stress"
- Messages
- 67
His claims should be taken with a pinch of salt. He's been called unreliable by many.
That said, I'm on intranasal oxytocin spray, along with amitriptyline (both of which he mentions). Couldn't stand gabapentin, but these two drugs (and many others) have helped me.
It's easy enough to get the nasal spray via eBay.
I'm also on double doses of zinc and cysteine (both of which I've tested low for), and was on high dose vitamin D3.
That said, I'm on intranasal oxytocin spray, along with amitriptyline (both of which he mentions). Couldn't stand gabapentin, but these two drugs (and many others) have helped me.
It's easy enough to get the nasal spray via eBay.
I'm also on double doses of zinc and cysteine (both of which I've tested low for), and was on high dose vitamin D3.
Tally
Senior Member
- Messages
- 367
I don't trust anyone with anecdotal stories, and am waiting for research before deciding what to try, but it's unfair to say he has been called unreliable, because he hasn't. People commented on his overconfident personality, they commented that he is self-centered, and things like that but no one knows if he is reliable or not.
When you say "he has been called unreliable by many" it sounds like you are talking about people who know him and who have experience with him.
We are all outside observers who have no idea which part of what he says is true and which is not.
As I said, I am not going to do what he recommends because I don't trust people to be objective and unbiased, but I don't like this unfounded personal attack.