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Re : Norway Patent for ME/CFS treatment using Oxalate

mariovitali

Senior Member
Messages
1,214
I am posting some thoughts here because i did not want to derail the original thread :

https://forums.phoenixrising.me/ind...eatment-by-victoria-bohne-in-norwegian.44871/

cc : @Frenchguy @Janet Dafoe (Rose49) @Hip @perrier @JES @pattismith

Regarding the patent itself : I do not understand how one is able to practically patent a mixture of compounds that can be easily found by anyone. In order to patent something you must explicitly state the ingredients and the exact composition that comprises the solution. If you do this with easy-to find ingredients then anyone can just follow the instructions and prepare the solution for themselves.

Moving on now to the ingredients comprising the patent : I saw Spinach being mentioned and also ALA, Thiamine, Biotin, Niacin.

My understanding is that the inventors are using Oxalates to inhibit Lactate Dehydrogenase :

The conjugate base of oxalic acid is the hydrogenoxalate anion, and its conjugate base (oxalate) is a competitive inhibitor of the lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) enzyme.[26]LDH catalyses the conversion of pyruvate to lactic acid (end product of the fermentation (anaerobic) process) oxidising the coenzyme NADH to NAD+ and H+ concurrently. Restoring NAD+ levels is essential to the continuation of anaerobic energy metabolism through glycolysis. As cancer cells preferentially use anaerobic metabolism (see Warburg effect) inhibition of LDH has been shown to inhibit tumor formation and growth,[27] thus is an interesting potential course of cancer treatment.

As discussed, Liver Disease can be a potential reason for increased lactate levels :


The serum lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) of 16 normal subjects was inhibited by 55 to 68% by the incorporation into the reaction mixture of 0.2 mM-oxalate. Oxalate inhibited the serum LDH of 17 out of 19 patients with myocardial infarction to a greater extent, and that of 16 out of 18 patients with liver disease to a lesser extent than that of the controls. The serum LDH of all 16 patients with liver disease was inhibited by 2 M-urea to a greater degree and that of eight out of nine patients with myocardial infarction to a lesser extent than that of the normal controls (45-62%).

Source : https://www.semanticscholar.org/pap...nson/b9ab0b17a45c1f2e1b65b0c8417392a6045a28b6

The use of Spinach deserves a closer look : Spinach is not only loaded with Oxalates, but is also rich in Vitamin K (100 g = 460% RDA) and a substance called Dolichol.

Here is a snapshot from a user called "Trynottoworry" who first speaks about the Unfolded Protein Response, N-Linked Glycosylation back in 2011 and talks about "The Spinach" Diet. Source is from a forum called propeciahelp.com, a site for people who took Finasteride and ended up with "Post-Finasteride Syndrome" a syndrome with several overlaping symptoms as with ME/CFS :


dolichol.png


Note also the mention of a gene called GPT :

  • This gene encodes cytosolic alanine aminotransaminase 1 (ALT1); also known as glutamate-pyruvate transaminase 1. This enzyme catalyzes the reversible transamination between alanine and 2-oxoglutarate to generate pyruvate and glutamate and, therefore, plays a key role in the intermediary metabolism of glucose and amino acids. Serum activity levels of this enzyme are routinely used as a biomarker of liver injury caused by drug toxicity, infection, alcohol, and steatosis. A related gene on chromosome 16 encodes a putative mitochondrial alanine aminotransaminase.[provided by RefSeq, Nov 2009]

The inventors state that their patent may be useful for Liver Disease. I previously discussed that Spinach contains Vitamin K and also Dolichol.

Interestingly, a soilution called Ropren (which i tried) uses a patented solution to treat Liver Disease and Chronic Hepatitis ;

In 2007, Ropren (Bioeffective ® R) was approved by the Russian Ministry of Health for entry into the Russian Pharmacopoeia as a hepatoprotector for use in treating chronic hepatitis and hepatobiliary dysfunction - with monographs for both the active raw material (“Ropren® substance”) and the finished product (“Ropren® drops”), a solution of Bioeffective® R in a pharmaceutical grade oil.

<SNIP>

These polyprenols are naturally occurring analogues and precursors of dolichol, and play an important role in all vital functions and are essential in cellular biosynthesis of glycopeptides (glycoproteins).

Source : http://www.solagran.com/ropren.html


I have previously expressed my concerns for Niacin for people with Liver Disease. Vitamin K metabolism has been discussed (see discussion here) as an important component on the treatment of ME/CFS (hypothesis) and has been communicated to both Professor Ron Davis and Dr Phair.
 
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Frenchguy

Senior Member
Messages
119
Location
France
@mariovitali

I think they deposed a patent because there is no existing pill or complement which have the desired concentration of oxalate and others.
The fact that people have to prepare the mixture each day is great deal because oxalate at high dose can kill. They fear that people experiment at home.

They proposed to give the project for free but no one is interested. They were in contact with a pharmaceutical company named Pfizer but they declined because they have others projects.
Not suprising for me because I was in contact with Roche at time and they tell me they haven't interest in treating ME CFS.

According to the inventor Bohne, there is a problem because earth doesn't have the necesserary ressources to treat all people (about spinach I think).

Ex : 150000 patients in france and they need 100g spinach each day so we need 15 tons each day. Impossible.

If it works after all, it can help scientists to understand the disease and find a alternative.
As Ron Davis said, we maybe need just 2/3 days treatments so oxalates are probably not the best and quick method to treat ME, but can represent a treatment now.

When i see the components list, I think just ascorbic acid, sugar , potassium, magnésium, iron, calcium and for sure oxalates are the main components. Others relate to the fruits/vegetables in the composition.

A thing I looked is the fact they treated severe patients and they recover. The girl i know was at 5% and now 70% (she can drive, go to a party, take care of this son etc). The 70% in not objective but the 5% with the photo.

After all, this is in the right track with these fact that R.Davis can correct the signal when adding ATP or pyruvate.
Others scientists like Fluge and Mella have demonstrated excess lactic acid in muscles of patient after short walk, and lactic acid surrounding the brain
 
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ChrisD

Senior Member
Messages
472
Location
East Sussex
Eating Spinach worsens my condition ten-fold, probably because of Oxalates or Histamine. It leaves me with bad air hunger, chest pain, worsened muscle cramps and joint problems.
 

Hip

Senior Member
Messages
17,824
I few years ago a family member gave us a lot of rhubarb which she had grown herself; and so in one week I had rhubarb dessert perhaps 3 or 4 times. That seemed to trigger a bout of depression and a state of generally feeling worse, so ever since then I have viewed high doses of oxalate as something that may be detrimental for me.

Of course, in some ME/CFS treatments, you can feel worse before you getter better.
 

Learner1

Senior Member
Messages
6,305
Location
Pacific Northwest
@mariovitali I have high oxalates and they sure haven't cured me. I also take ALA, Thiamine, Biotin, and Niacin. Niacin is needed to make NAD which makes ATP, so staying away from it is not the answer.

Oxalates crystals can get into one's tissues and cause pain. They can cause sulfate dumping, leaving the body short of sulfate needed for critical tasks. And they can cause loss of calcium, causing osteoporosisis.

Being deficient in B6, and having gut dysbiosis, and/or poor gall bladder function can encourage the development of oxalates.

http://www.beyondmthfr.com/side-high-oxalates-problems-sulfate-b6-gut-methylation/
 

mariovitali

Senior Member
Messages
1,214
I believe that I should make a clarification : I am not trying to suggest that Oxalates can cure ME/CFS. I wanted to present a hypothesis on how Vitamin K and / or Dolichol may be of help to some patients apart from Oxalates if this patented solution did have a positive effect and if Spinach is used as part of this regimen.

Speaking for myself , Supplementing with K2 is one of the Vitamins that keeps me symptom free. I found this through several attempts of stopping It and noticing my symptoms.
 

Frenchguy

Senior Member
Messages
119
Location
France
I believe that I should make a clarification : I am not trying to suggest that Oxalates can cure ME/CFS. I wanted to present a hypothesis on how Vitamin K and / or Dolichol may be of help to some patients apart from Oxalates if this patented solution did have a positive effect and if Spinach is used as part of this regimen.

Speaking for myself , Supplementing with K2 is one of the Vitamins that keeps me symptom free. I found this through several attempts of stopping It and noticing my symptoms.

@mariovitali

Yes Mario. But i think many diseases are in the umbrella of ME/CFS. We have members like you, others with "post chemo fatigue syndrome", others potentially related to chronic intracellular infections, others with well know post viral fatigue, etc etc.

Oxalate are maybe only for those who have abnormal lactate build up which can be measured by lactate blood level before / after exercise.

I am very interested because for my case after many treatments which does nothing and my labtest, this theory fit well.

As long i am lying down, my face look well. If I exercise, I have rapid lactic acid build up in muscle and head which give me face swelling and severe headache which don't respond to pain killer.
Only rest and water which contain bicarbonate like Vichy, Saint Yorre ease the pain and speed up the "recovery".

At the beginning of the disease when doctors said me "you are depressed, exercice and you will be fine", I pushed myself to work at my home with my father and I had severe sweat but with a very bad odor. I had to change sweatshirts every 2 hours. Unexplainable, but now I wonder if the lactic acid build up was the cause of this very bad odor.

When i see the pain sensation of lactic build up in muscle, it seem concevable to me that lactic acid build up around the brain can cause severe pain and cognitive distrurbance.

I don't say it's true for all, just a theroy based on my case
 

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Learner1

Senior Member
Messages
6,305
Location
Pacific Northwest
I believe that I should make a clarification : I am not trying to suggest that Oxalates can cure ME/CFS. I wanted to present a hypothesis on how Vitamin K and / or Dolichol may be of help to some patients apart from Oxalates if this patented solution did have a positive effect and if Spinach is used as part of this regimen.
Perhaps, then, you can title your thread differently to reflect the hypothesis you are presenting, and not misdirect readers with something else. Oxalates can do some very bad things and people may get the idea that they are helpful.
Speaking for myself , Supplementing with K2 is one of the Vitamins that keeps me symptom free. I found this through several attempts of stopping It and noticing my symptoms.
Again, I take plenty of K2, and though it may be beneficial, it hasn't cured me or done much for my symptoms.

This is a complex, multiorgan system disease, involving a plethora of metabolomics abnormalities. Focusing in on one or two biochemicals may be very tempting, but is unlikely to cure us. It's getting the entire symphony playing together which is what many of us need...
 

JES

Senior Member
Messages
1,320
Perhaps, then, you can title your thread differently to reflect the hypothesis you are presenting, and not misdirect readers with something else. Oxalates can do some very bad things and people may get the idea that they are helpful.

Again, I take plenty of K2, and though it may be beneficial, it hasn't cured me or done much for my symptoms.

This is a complex, multiorgan system disease, involving a plethora of metabolomics abnormalities. Focusing in on one or two biochemicals may be very tempting, but is unlikely to cure us. It's getting the entire symphony playing together which is what many of us need...

It is unlikely (or almost impossible I'd say) to cure everyone with one treatment as there are believed to be subgroups. The patent description contained remarkable improvements documented for patients. They also used a placebo drink (added calcium carbonate to remove effect of oxalates), which didn't produce the same effects. But even if there was a placebo effect present in the results, the improvement in those few severe patients was so large that it's very hard to attribute it to placebo.

Regarding oxalates, I think it's too simplistic to say that oxalates do bad things. Oxalates are present in a plethora of foods and most people never experience any issues processing them. According to a source, only 20-40% of the oxalates in our blood comes from the food we eat, they can e.g. also be created from amino acids in the liver. Dosage is of course the key, that's why rhubarb leaves for example are considered toxic.

I think the dosage of oxalates that is suggested isn't really the big issue, the bigger issue is what the mix contained and how to achieve the desired ratio of oxalates.
 

Wonkmonk

Senior Member
Messages
1,006
Location
Germany
Yes, I now see that France produce a lot of of spinach and can cover the eventual need.

But others country ?

I think any country with any agricultural production wouldn't have a problem producing a few 1000 tons of spinach. It could also be imported. Or it might possibly work in freeze-dried and/or powder form or pasteurized smoothie (not juice because of low solvability of oxalate), too, then it could be imported as a supplement/neutraceutical. It would also be rather cheap.

If it actually helps, that would be very good news for everyone, especially in lower-income nations who can't afford more expensive medications. But from what I have seen in this and the other thread, I am rather sceptical.
 

perrier

Senior Member
Messages
1,254
@mariovitali

I think they deposed a patent because there is no existing pill or complement which have the desired concentration of oxalate and others.
The fact that people have to prepare the mixture each day is great deal because oxalate at high dose can kill. They fear that people experiment at home.

They proposed to give the project for free but no one is interested. They were in contact with a pharmaceutical company named Pfizer but they declined because they have others projects.
Not suprising for me because I was in contact with Roche at time and they tell me they haven't interest in treating ME CFS.

According to the inventor Bohne, there is a problem because earth doesn't have the necesserary ressources to treat all people (about spinach I think).

Ex : 150000 patients in france and they need 100g spinach each day so we need 15 tons each day. Impossible.

If it works after all, it can help scientists to understand the disease and find a alternative.
As Ron Davis said, we maybe need just 2/3 days treatments so oxalates are probably not the best and quick method to treat ME, but can represent a treatment now.

When i see the components list, I think just ascorbic acid, sugar , potassium, magnésium, iron, calcium and for sure oxalates are the main components. Others relate to the fruits/vegetables in the composition.

A thing I looked is the fact they treated severe patients and they recover. The girl i know was at 5% and now 70% (she can drive, go to a party, take care of this son etc). The 70% in not objective but the 5% with the photo.

After all, this is in the right track with these fact that R.Davis can correct the signal when adding ATP or pyruvate.
Others scientists like Fluge and Mella have demonstrated excess lactic acid in muscles of patient after short walk, and lactic acid surrounding the brain
Hello, bonjour
You say the Bohne team treated various people, and you know one. How does one even get them to treat anyone?

Secondly, aside from spinach other greens have high oxalate. So, this concern about availability seems a touch odd. The priority should be in helping people. Spinach grows quickly and very easily, as we all know.
 

Frenchguy

Senior Member
Messages
119
Location
France
@perrier

Apparently, they treat 13 or 15 people. Bohne prepare the solution for them.
The big problem seem to be the legislation in Norway. The treatment has to be accepted by the government before prescription can be authorized if I understand correctly.
Given we have the list of necessary components, I think à campounding pharmacy can make the preparation. It doesn't seem difficult to prepare at home but we haven't the entire list of ingredients needed.

Like @Wonkmonk said, the availability of spinach doesn't seem to be a problem given the actual production.

After re speaking with this person, i am now pretty convinced she had ME (she had symptoms which sound specific for me like head pressure, brain fog, no strength in arm or leg, sounds and light sensisivity, sore throat, low body temp, constant cold feet and hand).

When I see the very septic reaction of some people (which I understand because before speaking with her I was very septic), I can understand that inventors fail to found support for their work. Scientist are very septic until there is a good evidence that a treatment works after blinded trial. Like many ME people, I am very septic when I see a post with 600 responses and people say they improve with one vitamin.
Given oxalate can interact with lactic acid production, pyruvate and ATP, i am much less septic than others threads.

The first difficulty is to see if there is a financial interest and it doesn't seem to me, the second is to see if people have "traditional ME". We all see people who get miraculously better in few months and years after non sense treatment. Does they have "ME/CFS" ? (What is ME/CFS?).

When I see inventors in photographs, and the fact that they do not know where to go, I do not think they are businessmen.

Anyone know if Ron Davis manifest interest ?
 
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mariovitali

Senior Member
Messages
1,214
cc : @Janet Dafoe (Rose49)

I just completed another round of analysis using Machine Learning. Lactate was not part of the Medical topics being looked at and so i added it to the software to see its relevance to ME/CFS.


In previous runs, Liver Disease was the most relevant topic, followed by Sepsis and Norepinephrine. To my amazement, Lactate has risen to the top-5 positions. Here is a snapshot from the run :

lactate.png


Note that -by far-, the most relevant topic is Liver Disease.


A second type of analysis, tries to identify associations between Medical Topics. I therefore added Lactate to see what the software would come up with. In other words the question here is "which potentially relevant Medical Topics to ME/CFS are associated with Lactate ?" Here is the snapshot :



featureselection.png


PDHC is Pyruvate Dehydrogenase Complex. NDUFS7 has been discussed in Phoenix Rising as well , where a user talks about elevated Lactate levels :

https://forums.phoenixrising.me/ind...utations-in-ndufs7-what-does-this-mean.30516/
 

mariovitali

Senior Member
Messages
1,214
@mariovitali

Interesting Mario, the machine learning use pubmed data ?

The software analyzes millions of relevant PUBMED articles and then generates hypotheses as to which Medical Topics are likely to hold the solution to ME/CFS.

To achieve this it uses a number of analytical techniques including Machine Learning, Network Analysis, Natural Language Understanding, Root Cause Analysis and others.