The Ultimate Cure

[spindrift]

I am sooooooooooo going to try this protocol:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-484996/Chocolate-cure-chronic-fatigue-syndrome.html


Anyone know how this could effect XMRV?:tear:

 

[thefreeprisoner]

Actually, my best friend in school (who had ME as well as me... which is pretty interesting in and of itself) said that dark chocolate was what kick-started her recovery.
It was all the excuse I needed to try it. You have to eat a LOT and it has to be really dark, over 80% which is not to everybody's taste.
It didn't work for me, but what could be a better prescription than the yummy stuff?!

Thanks for posting...

Rachel xx

 

[spindrift]

It is high in magnesium and has a lot of antioxidants.

But I'll happily take any excuse to eat chocolate

 

[Andrew]

I there any kind of dark chocolate that is not bitter and doesn't have sugar or artificial sweetener.

 

[starryeyes]

Be careful with dark chocolate. It contains a lot more caffeine than milk chocolate and can be very bad for our hearts.

 

[thefreeprisoner]

Andrew, Hotel Chocolat are your place to go. I don't know if they exist in the US but over here in the UK they make some very very tasty non-bitter 80-90% dark chocolate that manages to taste lovely and smooth. The only problem is that it is a tad on the expensive side.

Rachel xx

 

[IamME]

An inverse test for ME. If it cures = wasn't ME. (well duh)

Dark chocolate's also very bad for migraines, which a subgroup of pwME suffer from (maybe the same subgroup as the heart subgroup, as migraine has been linked to cardiac problems?) I don't think caffeine is the problem with the heart, as it only has a tiny amount compared to theobromine. There are lots of naturally occurring phytochemicals in chocolate that haven't been studied yet = good investment for confectionary companies.

Why do people keep coming up with this insulting, simplistic drivel? Has anyone tried curing cancer with toothpaste yet?

 

[HowToEscape?]

I there any kind of dark chocolate that is not bitter and doesn't have sugar or artificial sweetener.

Depends on your taste in bitter, and how dark. If by bitter you mean 'not sweet', then you don't like dark chocolate. If you mean 'not nasty' then you can easily find palatable bars up to about 90% and above that with difficulty. Past about 75% cocoa, chocolate has to be of high quality to taste good while below 65% the sugar makes junk sorta palatable.
Just go to a shop which has a variety of brands and get an armful from 70-98% dark. Most of the latter are not eaten like food - dissolve a bit slowly like hard candy instead. A very few 98-100% can be eaten like the usual stuff.
Cocoa is naturally bitter; with rare exceptions its unpalatable without some sort of sweetener.

A few brands
Lindt. Cheap and available everyhere. 70, 85, 90 and 99%. Their 99% is a bargain but too sharp to eat it like food, see above. It was a terrific accent added into oatmeal or slowly tasted as above.
Vivani is a good bite for the $, but hard to find.
Vahlrona. Their bulk choclates seem to be better than their bars, at least that I've tried. I don't recall if they have an 85-95%.
ScharffenBerger Darkest below 100% is 82. I liked them better before they were bought by Hershey's. It's junk, does have a distinct flavor.
Green & Black 85% Very mild flavor.
Trader Joe's: Some good, some junk.
Some WholeFoods have a 92 which is tasty though not remotely sweet, don't recall the label. It's not their store brand and not cheap, about $5/100g.

Watch the sugar and total food intake; you can restrict the sugar by using 90% or darker chocalate. Dunno about you, but my metabolism dropped about 80% between CF and being forced to stop working out.

I would caution against large amounts of chocolate as a permanent component of one's diet. Too dense, theobromine will keep you awake if eaten to excess and below the darkest grades the sugar can add up. It might be a worthwhile experiment but set an end date on it. Small amounts - less than one ounce a day - are no concern.

 

[spindrift]

I there any kind of dark chocolate that is not bitter and doesn't have sugar or artificial sweetener.

I buy Ghirardelli pure cocoa powder and mix it into yoghurt or milk, then sweeten it with stevia.

 

[spindrift]

An inverse test for ME. If it cures = wasn't ME. (well duh)

<snip>

Why do people keep coming up with this insulting, simplistic drivel? Has anyone tried curing cancer with toothpaste yet?

I think we all agree that it won't cure ME, but it is the most palatable remedy anyone has come up with so far IMHO. I don't think I would try toothpaste:tongue:

 

[Carrigon]

If this were the cure, I'd be cured ten times over by now. I was a chocoholic before I got sick and did spend many years after still eating it. I can't have it much anymore because of the acid reflux. And I have found that when I don't have chocolate, it does cut the acid reflux down. If I didn't have acid reflux, I'd be eating chocolate every day.

 

[maryb]

Tried it - cured - see you all..........

 

[wciarci]

You can buy raw cao cao (sp?), I mix it in with yogurt. I won't eat sugar or refined carbs. Hasn't cured me yet but worth a try.

Wendy

 

[jace]

I've always loved dark (72 - 85%) chocolate, eaten it regularly, before ME and since. It's lovely, but seems not to impact on my illness, one way or the other.