Testing For Mercury & Other Heavy Metals
Other information about Mercury Toxicity
Testing For Mercury & Other Heavy Metals
Overview
The following strategy suggests ways to test for mercury and other heavy metals such as Arsenic, Lead, Cadmium, Tin, Barium, and Nickel. Mercury tends to be the biggest problem, since there is a great deal of it in fish and dental amalgam -- both of which are ingested. If mercury is found, please click here for comments on how to detoxify. Please do at least Steps #1 through #5 below. If all are negative, it is likely you do not have a heavy metal issue. For details on CFS/FMS medical tests, please click here. For information on how to locate a CFS/FMS Doc, click here.
How many CFS cases are caused by heavy metals?
Dr. Ali, a famous CFS/FMS doctor found excess heavy metals in about 25% of his CFS cases. It is possible that more where affected by heavy metals since the tests that Ali ran would not have seen all cases, since the metal molecules can stick to the inside of cells and not show up in urine or blood. Liver and Colon biopsy testing for heavy metals would be one way to measure levels of metals stuck-in-cells, yet Docs are hesitant to do invasive tests after seeing no metal in urine. It is well understood that heavy metals can definitely cause fatigue by binding to the internal biochemistry and inactivating internal processes. A study to look at heavy metals in biopsies, and compare this with other heavy metal tests would be very helpful at assessing how many cfs patients are affected by metals, and how many cases are the hard to see stuck-in-cell variety. For more comments on this research concept, please click here.
Organic And Inorganic Mercury
There are two kinds of mercury. The simple one atom (Hg is the chemical symbol) mercury is called "Inorganic Mercury". The other type of mercury is called "Organic Mercury". The Organic mercury is more dangerous since it can easily penetrate cell walls, is easily absorbed in fatty tissues, and is easily absorbed into nerve and brain cells. For this reason, some feel Organic mercury is 100 times more dangerous than Inorganic mercury. The word "organic" refers to something that connects well to life.
The Organic Mercury is a mercury atom attached to a CH3 molecule (carbon + 2 hydrogen atoms). CH3 is called a "methyl group". The mercury from fish is Organic mercury and it's chemical symbol is CH3HgCH3. Another kind of Organic mercury is one that is produced in the body by mixing Thiolmethyl Transferase (an enzyme, abbreviated THT), H2S (gas fermented in gut), a methyl donor (someone who donates CH3) to get CH3SH; and then the CH3SH mixes with Inorganic Mercury (Hg) to get CH3SHgSH3C, which is a form of Inorganic mercury. The THT enzyme steps is actually needed to detoxify the poisonous H2S gas to get it out of the body. When the Hg picks up the CH3 to become Organic, it is said to have been "methylated". In this example, the H2S gut gas "methylated" the mercury. Mercury in the body is usually "methylated" in the colon, since that is where it picks up the chemistry to do it. And, since the H2S originates from bad gut bacteria or fungi, one could say that these indirectly methylate mercury -- just one more another reason to heal your gut. Also, it is possible that one can have inorganic mercury from amalgam in their body for many years without symptoms, and only get into trouble when their gut starts to produce H2S gas from bad bacteria or fungi, and subsequently starts to methylate the Hg into the CH3 Organic form of mercury.
Other Heavy Metals
Other heavy metals such as Arsenic, Lead, Cadmium, Mercury, Tin, Barium, and Nickel are extremely dangerous if not more dangerous than mercury; subsequently it is recommended that one test for all heavy metals when they do the DMSA challenge and the Hair Analysis tests. One may think they don't have arsenic, for example, because that was in a movie based on a play and it is unlikely someone fed them a poison. It turns out that Arsenic can be found in cigarettes, brake fluids, auto exhaust, diesel fumes, and paint. In fact, many heavy metals can be found in paint.
1) Read About Mercury & Heavy Metals
Click here to read about how Mercury can cause CFS/FMS. For more information on mercury, please see the below references. The first few are available online, and the others are books. The http://www.algonet.se/~leif site is the best online site. If you want to read just one book, the ABC book by Hanson is probably the best. If you need your amalgams removed, the Detox book by Ziff is excellent. The Störtebecker book is helpful if you want to read about other mercury cases.
Mercury Information On the Internet
http://www.algonet.se/~leif/AmFAQk00.html
Bo Walhjalt's Mercury Site
http://vest.gu.se/~bosse/Mercury/default.html
List of Many Mercury Resources
http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/pcsol/homepage.htm
List of Many Medical Resources
http://www.dakotacom.net/~bear/
List of Mercury Books
http://www.bioprobe.com/shopping/products.asp?cat_num=1
ABC's of Mercury Poisoning from Dental Amalgam Fillings
Handbook for victims of mercury poisoning by Mats Hanson, Ph.D.
http://www.bioprobe.com/shopping/product_description.asp?sku_num=B44&d=1
Dental Mercury Detox by Sam Ziff, Michael F. Ziff, D.S. and Mats Hanson, Ph.D.
http://www.bioprobe.com/shopping/product_description.asp?sku_num=B26&d=1
Chronic Fatigue - Poisoned By The Mercury In Your Mouth?
by Annika and John McClintock and Christer Malmström DDS
http://www.bioprobe.com/shopping/product_description.asp?sku_num=B92&d=1
Defense Against Mystery Syndromes - Revealing the Mystery of ''Silver'' Fillings by Mary Davis with Shari Pacer, Annette Baudhuin, Murlene Brake
http://www.bioprobe.com/shopping/product_description.asp?sku_num=B45&d=1
Mercury Poisoning from Dental Amalgam - A Hazard to Human Brain
by Patrick Störtebecker, M.D., Ph.D.
http://www.bioprobe.com/shopping/product_description.asp?sku_num=B20&d=9
2) Do a Porphyrin Test
The best way to see mercury that was absorbed into the cells in the past is a Porphyrin Analysis test. This involves sending a urine sample to a lab. If Coproporphyria III is high, this indicates mercury had been there. For an example of such a test, please click here. For more information on these kinds of tests, please contact Mayo Medical Labs, TEL 800-533-1710. For Professor James Wood's evidence that Porphyrin Analysis can detect past mercury exposures, please click here REFERENCE #5. To get this test, you will need to work with a Doc that has an account with a lab that does this test (e.g. Mayo Medical Labs) and who is willing to run this test. Your local Doc may not be willing to do this unless you print out the Professor James Woods study and place it in front of your Doc and tell him you'll pay for it (most Doc's know nothing about all this). If your Doc does not work with you, it is recommended that you work through an Internet Doc that specializes in CFS/FMS. For a list of these, click here. Signs of high Copro II in severe cases would be: reddish colored urine, and pain one inch to the right of the belly button (ileocal value). The Porphyrin test will see both inorganic (Amalgam) and organic (Fish) mercury that is inside the liver cells. It will also show the levels of several enzymes used to manufacture blood. These enzymes can be disabled from things like Lead, Arsenic, Alcohol, Cadmium, Nickel, H2S (hydrogen sulfide), and other poisonous chemicals.
3) Do Dr.'s Data Inc Stool Test For Heavy Metals
This approximately $100 test requires an Rx from your Doc, and is purchased from Dr.'s Data Inc. They send you a test kit, you take a stool sample, send the sample to the test lab, and then they send a report to your doctor. It measures the micrograms (ug) of heavy metals per kilogram (kg) of stool and shows how much metal you are exposed to on a daily basis. This test is helpful at seeing metals that are not seen in urine. An example of a metal that does not pass through liver and kidney is organic mercury.
4) Do a DMSA Challenge Test
This involves taking a drug called DMSA that binds to heavy metals that are then urinated out the body, collected, and metal levels are measured. This test involves taking 300mg to 1000mg of DMSA and collecting urine before and after the drug. Since the DMSA can damage the liver and/or kidneys if one has a great deal of metal in their body, it is recommended that one first take 50mg and wait 1 week and if it is well tolerated (i.e. not much pain), then take 250mg and wait a 1 week and if that is well tolerated, and then go to the 1000mg that is required for the test. The DMSA can pull mercury out of the tissues and cause acute porphyria (enzymes used to make blood become inhibited) for a couple of days, and this can lead to pain of the ileocal value (one inch to right of belly button). The main danger with DMSA is it can cause a large chunk of heavy metal to hit the liver leading to liver impairments and possible damage. DMSA is a powerful drug and must be used with caution if one is heavily loaded with heavy metals. If you do the 50mg - 250mg - 1000mg safety protocol, you should be ok. This protocol is strongly recommended for those that are very ill.
The DMSA challenge test can easily see the mercury from amalgam (inorganic mercury), yet not fish (inorganic Hg). MetaMetrix Labs (www.metametrix.com) offers a DMSA challenge test. Also, Dr.'s Data Inc and http://www.gsdl.com/ offer tests that measure metals in urine, and these can be used with DMSA.
5) Check for Heavy Metals In Hair
A hair test shows metals that are excreted out of your hair follicle. This is good at seeing organic mercury (e.g. from fish or amalgam mercury plus CH3) since the organic CH3 brand of mercury enter the hair follicle nicely. For an example of such a test, please click here. For more information on these kinds of tests, click here. The Great Smokies Lab (they are in the Great Smokies mountains) sells a $60 hair tests to the general public without the need of a Doc -- for details, click here (this is a good deal). Dr's Data is another company that does hair tests yet requires an Rx. Keep in mind that you will only see excess mercury here if you had received your mercury within the last several months or so. If you see some mercury here (for example, you see >2ug/ml, when normal is <0.9ug/ml), then one might suspect that mercury is an issue. If you see <0.9ug/ml, then the probability that mercury is an issue is less, yet is still a possibility due to an exposure >6mths ago or an exposure from amalgam inorganic mercury without the presence of B12. Testing a hair sample when you first came down with your fatigue would be best. If you don't test your hair, yet recently contracted your fatigue, it is suggested that you capture a bunch of hair into a zip lock bag next time you get your hair cut, and label the bag with your name and date. Another similar test is to look for mercury in the nails. Hair testing is very easy. It involves cutting a little hair off the head and sending it to a lab.
Take a Break and Look At Your Data
If the above tests are negative, you probably do not have a heavy metal issue and should not continue . If you get a positive on all 3, you probably have a mercury issue. If Copro III is positive yet the stool and DMSA are negative, this would suggest that you have mercury, yet mostly Organic mercury (e.g. fish). Do you eat a lot of salt water fish, such as tuna and salmon? Careful.
Other Things that Indicates A Mercury Problem
Below is a list of things that indicate mercury is affecting one's internal biochemistry. Each of these is not conclusive, yet only indicative.
a) Liver Phase I Impairment
Mercury in the tissues often causes the liver to not detoxify the blood properly. One can see this in a Liver Detox Test (i.e. send a urine sample to a lab) where it shows the Phase I Caffeine Clearance as high if the effect from the mercury is not too severe and the liver is trying to rid the mercury from the body or low if the liver has become impaired due to the mercury (more severe situation).
b) Compromised Immunity System
Mercury compromises the immunity system, therefore, if immunity tests show this, it increases the likelihood that you have a mercury problem. To look for a compromised immunity system, one can:
i) Mercury causes the Neutrophils count to be low (number of Neutrophils cells in blood). This is included in a common CBC differential test.
ii) In a severe mercury case, lymphocyte function is suppressed; and in non-severe mercury cases, lymphocyte function is upregulated. This can be tested by www.immunoscience.com via their lymphocyte function test with 5 mitogen stimulants.
iii) Mercury causes T-Cell Autoreactivity (called "CD26" or "TA1") to increase. This can be tested by www.immunoscience.com.
iv) Mercury causes Neutrophils Function to be impaired. For details on how to test this, please see REFERENCE #1. This is a fairly obscure test and involves testing a blood sample several hours after taking it (i.e. you need to draw blood near the testing lab). Neutrophils is a part of the immunity system that fights fungi, and is inactivated with mercury as noted in REFERENCE #2. This test is only done by a few university labs, and is therefore very difficult to do.
v) Mercury impairs the body's ability to fight fungi, therefore, if one sees fungi, this increases the likelihood that you have a mercury problem. Checking for antibodies to fungi (e.g. 10 IgG and 10 IgE measured in blood), looking for fungi in a CDSA (i.e. stool sample), or trying an antifungal treatment for 45days are affective methods for looking for fungi. For details on battling fungi, click here.
c) High Lactic Acid or High Purytic Acid
In severe mercury cases, Lactic Acid and Purytic Acid are high, as seen in the Organic Acids Analysis. For an example Organic Acids test, click here.
Detoxify Mercury if Found
For information on how to detoxify mercury if it is found, please click here.
Below is a recommended approach in the even that you have evidence of a mercury problem:
1) Read More About Mercury
Please click here to see a list of mercury related references. For the best online reference on mercury detoxification, please click here.
2) Remove Dental Amalgams
Remove your dental amalgams, so that you can stop one of the sources of mercury. This can be done by a dentist trained in amalgam removal without the mercury going down your throat (e.g. through the use of something called a dental damn he/she can minimize this). For a referral to a dentist trained in this procedure, please call 800-331-2303 (this is the Clinic where Dr. Hal Huggins used to work) and ask for an amalgam removal dentist referral in your area. This may involve 1 to 3 visits to the dentist and cost you $500 to $1500. It doesn't hurt too bad, due to lots of novocaine. Two non-metal dental filling materials with reputations for being very hard are "Diamond" by Kemdent or Jelenko; and "Heliomolar" by Vivadent. For details on amalgam removal, click here.
3) Stop Eating Salt Water Based Food
Salt water fish absorb mercury from ocean water like a sponge. Therefore, if you have a mercury problem, you must stop consuming these foods completely. This includes shrimp, scallops, lobster, tuna, salmon and all things that live in the ocean. Fresh water fish is fine (e.g. fresh water trout). Farm raised salt water fish is no good since the farms are actually netted off areas of the ocean. For information on salt water fish, click here, and for fresh water fish, click here.
4) Pull Mercury Out of Your Soft Tissues with Powerful Rx Meds
As noted in the above literature, there are a number of ways to pull mercury out of the soft tissues. Several Rx methods are discussed below:
a) DMSA
This is an Rx drug chelator (binds to mercury and then pulls it out of the body). If you use DMSA, it is recommended that you work with a Doc that has used it with more than 20 patients in the past and it is recommended that you first take several small test doses to make sure you can tolerate it (e.g. 20mg 1st time, 100mg 2nd time, 500mg 3rd time; and wait 2wks between each test). An example LONG TERM treatment approach is to take 100mg a day for 3days and then wait 3weeks, and then repeat the cycle; and do this for a year or so. And while doing this, take a zinc/copper tablet each day (e.g. 25mg zinc, 2.5mg copper; the 10:1 ratio is important). DMSA is sometimes coupled with Lipoate (e.g. from Jomarlabs); however, if one has multiple sclerosis (MS), DMSA is to be used with caution since those with MS are at a greater risk of a bad reaction. Also, if one has high levels of methyl-mercury (inorganic mercury from fish), the Lipoate can hurt as well.
This web site does not recommend that you take medium or large amounts of DMSA, since this is a powerful drug with side effects (e.g. pain next to your belly button) and there are other items that you can take that will help you detoxify mercury with less side effects and invasion. However, small quantities of DMSA, over longer periods of time, have been useful in a number of cases.
This protocol, and the recommendation that you favor non-DMSA approaches, was developed by R.A. Saarela.
b) DMPS
This is a mercury chelator, like DMSA, yet is more dangerous since it can pull other useful metals out of the body (e.g. zinc and copper) and it can dump much mercury into the kidney and liver, and permanently damage them. If you use DMPS, it is recommended that you work with a Doc that has used it with more than 20 patients in the past and that you first take several small test doses to make sure you can tolerate it (e.g. 10mg 1st time, 50mg 2nd time, 250mg 3rd time; and wait 2wks between each test). This web site recommends that you NOT take DMPS unless you have a very compelling reason to do so, since it is very dangerous and has damaged many people. This safety protocol was developed by R.A. Saarela.
5) Pull Mercury Out of Your Soft Tissues with Supplements
Below is a list of supplements that pull mercury out of the soft tissues. These are available at your local health food store, and have minimal side effects.
a) NAC, Milk Thistle, Cilantro, C, E and B
NAC, Milk Thistle, Cilantro extract are natural chelators and the C, E and B vitamins as supporters of this chelating glutathione system. A typical vitamin C regime is to take 1000mg of the time release version (releases over 12hrs) twice a day.
CAUTION #1: NAC doses should be kept low if one wants to reduce the risk of side-effects. If one has Cystinyria or Cystinosis (a rare inherited disease) they should not take cystine. Also, one should not take NAC if one has high glutathione.
CAUTION #2: Lipoic acid is is only recommended for inorganic mercury (amalgams) and should not be taken if one has methyl-mercury (salt water fish) problems. Typical Lipoic acid doses are 25 mg per day at first and then, 50 mg per day if one tolerates it well.
b) Livaplex (available from Standard Process Inc, Palmyra, WI)
This helps the liver move mercury out of the body (especially inorganic mercury from fish). It is recommend that you take 1 to 2 capsules a day at meals for at least several months.
c) Antronex (available from Standard Process Inc, Palmyra, WI)
This helps the liver move mercury out of the body (especially inorganic mercury from fish). It is recommend that you take 1 tablet a day for at least several months.
d) Chlorella
This binds to mercury and helps remove it from the soft tissues, especially the colon. Some people take 3 tablets a day for several months; however, if one has high levels of cysteine, the Chlorella can hurt (due it's sulfites); therefore, one might consider favoring other approaches, unless they know the cysteine is ok.
e) Garlic
This binds to mercury and helps remove it from the soft tissues, especially the colon. Some people take 3 tablets a day at meals for several months; however, if one has high levels of cysteine, the Garlic can hurt (due it's sulfites); therefore, one might consider favoring other approaches, unless they know the cysteine is ok. The liquid form of Garlic has proven to be affective at removing methyl-mercury from the liver with normal cysteine, and it is safer due to containing less sulfites.
6) Pull Mercury Out of The Insides of Your Nerve Cells
This is where one can get stuck. Pulling mercury out of the blood and soft tissues is relatively easy. Pulling it out of the insides of your brain cells is not so easy. It is here than the mercury can effect the ability of the nerve cells to communicate, for example, by clogging the noradrenaline alpha-1 receptors. DMSA, yet not DMPS, can chelate neural mercury. And the half life (time to reduce level 50%) of mercury in nerves is 15 or so years. If you do the Long Term DMSA regime noted above (300mg every 3wks) continually, you might be able to reduce this half life to 3 to 5yrs. The world needs a chelator for neural mercury for two reasons:
i) Help measure the amount of neural mercury in one's body by using it in a challenge test. One could take the chelator challenge pill, collect urine and then measure level of excreted mercury + chelator to get a fix on how much is sitting in the cells).
ii) Treatment approach for neural mercury removal.
7) Consume Brain Chemistry Meds as Needed
The maintenance approach to neural mercury is to consume drugs like Wellbutrin SR and Provigil or other brain chemistry meds that counterbalance the effect of the mercury to bring the patient into the asymptomatic range. Maintenance on such meds may be required for the duration of one's lifetime. Also, they may be necessary if the mercury had inactivated several of the internal biochemical processes used to regulate one's brain chemistry.
8) Treat All Found Pathologies
If you find that mercury has inactivated a system within your body (e.g. liver, immunity system) and you can counteract it with supplements, then you must do so, and wait for the mercury to slowly exit the body. This can take months for some areas of the body, and many years for others. In some cases, mercury permanently damages some of the internal enzymes and there is no known way to bring them back, at this time.
In our example case, George is asymptomatic, yet takes supplements to counteract the affects of the mercury. These include items that help the liver filter the blood, help chelate mercury out of the body via supplements, help the immunity system, and help maintain a normal level of noradrenaline.
To Get a Test, You Need A Rx From a Medical Practitioner
Medical tests require an Rx (i.e. a prescription) from someone certified to Rx the particular test (e.g a Doctor of Medicine). Acquiring a medical test is sometimes like at 16 year old kid getting alcohol. Each time, they need to figure out how to get it, being creative, and doing whatever they can to achieve their goal, sometimes using one method, sometimes using another. Most Docs are taught they should not Rx a test unless they understand the test, understand what is being done with it, and have evidence there is a somewhat decent probability of seeing a positive. Many of the CFS/FMS tests, as noted previously, are not understood by the typical Docs, and for this reason, the typical Doc will not help you take many of the tests mentioned at this web site. In fact, they'll probably tell you that you are crazy and may suggest you see a psychiatrist. On one hand, one could argue that sending a sample to a lab cannot hurt the patient (we are just collecting data here), and therefore should be supported by the traditional Doc whenever the patient requests the test, provided the patient is willing to cover the cost and assumes responsibility for spending money when the probability of a positive is low. Some argue that non-invasive (does not require entering the person's body) tests should not require an Rx. Yet most Traditional Doc's are trained to cut costs independent of who is footing the bill and they are trained to not involve themselves with something they do not understand. If they don't understand something, they are taught to tell the patient this, and to refer the patient to someone that does understand. Unfortunately, most HMO/Insurance programs do not cover the expensive, "lets comprehensively analyze a person's internal biochemistry" approach used by CFS/FMS Docs.
#1 Get Test Kit, #2 Collect Sample, #3 Send to Lab
Running a medical test first requires getting a test kit. This is a little box or envelop that contains collection containers, instructions for collection and an envelope to send the sample to a lab somewhere in the country. You can trust these labs to be real, since they tend to be large, they are used by MD's, and if they where not for real, the MD's would not use them.
Running a medical test typically involves collecting sample(s) of urine, stool, saliva, hair or blood. The first four are easy. The last one, blood, requires assistance from someone who knows how to draw blood. Many clinics/labs will collect blood if you have an Rx for the test. In many cases, you can walk into a clinic with an Rx, with empty tubes, with instructions on how to do the collection; and they will extract the blood from your arm and fill your tubes, in the manner described on the instructions that you hand them. And then, you can send the blood to the lab. It is great if your primary Doc is willing to fill tubes for you at his/her clinic, even if he/she does not have a clue as to what you are doing with the blood. Also, if you want to switch Docs, you can ask prospective doc's, "will you fill tubes for tests which I acquire and manage.". In some cased, you need to refrain from certain foods for several days. Also, some tests require a challenge. This is where you consume something before the test (e.g. aspirin, a small caffeine pill, a little sugar).
Samples are often sent to labs via Emery Express, Airborne, or FedEx. If sent overnight, and sent on a Mon through Thurs, the lab will get them within 24hrs, and on a day they can process the sample (Tuesday through Friday). Many test kits include an overnight courier form, already filled out with the proper address, and the cost of the shipping is often built into the total cost of the test; therefore, all you need to do is call the 800 number on the address label and tell them to send over a courier to pick up the package. Then, 3 to 30 days later, you should get the result, often by mail.
How To Find a CFS/FMS Doc that will get you Tests
Click here for different ways to locate a CFS/FMS Doc that will get you the tests and the treatment you need.
This describes theoretically how a tiny bit of mercury can be a root cause to CFS/FMS.
1) Low Level Mercury Enters Body
The little mercury molecule is close to the bottom of the periodic table, which means it is very heavy, with 80 protons and neutrons in it's nucleus. This molecule is considered a poison by the Center for Disease Control and by the FDA. It is poisonous because it binds to other things in the body, and then inactivates or changes what they were doing. This molecule enters the body from 2 sources. One is dental amalgam (metal cavity filling in teeth), as noted in REFERENCE #7 and the other is from saltwater fish, which absorb it from water pollution.
The mercury dental amalgam is 200,000 ppm (parts per million) mercury, whereas the FDA says that more than 1 ppm mercury in food is no good. And the dental amalgam wears out and disappears over time, therefore requiring refilling of the cavity. And since our oceans are full of mercury from dumping waste products into the ocean, mercury is known to be in fish. Mercury can easily be measured using scientific instruments, and can therefore be detected in tissues, liquids, and solids; including things like urine, and organs from dead bodies. And this instrumentation can easily measure levels of mercury in fish (i.e. number of micrograms of mercury for each gram of fish), and is more often than not seen in saltwater fish (freshwater is ok).
An interesting study was done by Dr. Lorscheider who placed mercury fillings in sheep and in monkey, and then let them chew on them for several weeks. He then ground up the organs of these sheep and some control sheep that did not receive the amalgam (after sacrificing the animals), and found mercury molecules in almost every organ. For details, please see REFERENCE #7. He proved to the world that mercury molecules to can enter the organs from dental fillings.
2) Mercury Impairs The Immune System
Mercury molecules inactive a part of the immune system called Neutrophils. These are responsible for killing fungi inside the body (i.e. blood and soft tissues) that originate from places like the small intestine REFERENCE #1. Measuring Neutrophils function is very difficult, since a blood sample must be analyzed several hours after being drawn. Subsequently, very few Docs measure this. REFERENCE #2 shows how mercury can impair leukocytes, another part of the immune system that fights fungi. In our example case involving George, an immune test showed decrease leukocytes function. For details, click here.
3) With an Impaired Immune System, Fungi Grow Internally
It is well known in medicine that fungi cannot activate unless the immune system is impaired in some way (e.g. leukemia), and if someone does not have an obviously impaired immune system, then the traditional Doc will not think fungi. This is why Docs have not focused more on fungi. They are taught, if the patient does not have obvious external signs of fungi or does not have an impaired immune system (e.g. low white blood cell count, AIDS), then they should not think fungi.
One way to see fungi internally is a fungi antibody test, which shows soldiers in the blood that attack a specific type of fungi. Antibody tests have many false negatives, since they only test for a handful of specific fungi, and there are many possible types of fungi that can enter a body. This compounds the difficulty in implicating fungi in disease. In our example case, George had a very high antibody level to a fungi called Pullaria Pullans, as noted here.
4) Fungi Affix to Tissues And are Attacked By Immune System
Fungi, once in the blood, can go anywhere including soft tissues and joints. They can then be attacked by the immune system causing inflammation and pain. A good way to test for internal inflammation is a Sedimentation blood test.
5) Mercury Encourages Leaky Gut
Mercury can also inactivate enzymes in the liver, inhibiting it's ability to filter the blood. When this occurs, more waste products build within the body (the liver's job is to filter the natural waste products secreted by the body's cells), and the immune system becomes more sensitive, causing it to attack things which are not harmful (i.e. allergies). And when allergies develop to foods, the gut can be attacked by the immune system, and the person can develop Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS). And then the small intestine wall inflames and becomes permeable to the large bacteria and fungi molecules in the gut, which leak into the blood, challenging the immune system further, making one more allergic, and inducing Fibromyalgia pain after they affix to joints and soft tissues.
6) Mercury Impairs The Manufacture of Blood
A study by Dr. James Woods published in the Journal of Toxicology 1993 REFERENCE #5 showed that mercury can inactivate the liver enzymes that are used in the manufacture of a precursor to blood called HEME, and this disrupts one's ability to generate energy. More specifically he showed that mercury can disrupt the Coproporphyrin III Porphyrin step. In our example case, George's Coproporphyrin III level was out of range, as shown here. There are very few things that cause this abnormal range yet do not affect other porphyrins (there are a total of 9 of them); therefore, this test is sometimes viewed as a biomarker for mercury. In other words, one an run this test and see if mercury had been in the body in the past, to the extent that it was able to disrupt this enzyme. If so, it probably did other deeds as well. For more information on how mercury can affect the blood, search "woods AND mercury" or "Aposhian AND mercury" at www.infotrieve.com/freemedline.
7) Mercury Impairs DBH, used to make Noradrenaline
There is evidence that mercury can block the dopamine-beta-hydroxylase (DBH) enzyme as noted in REFERENCE #8. DBH is used to make the noradrenaline (NA) neurotransmitter and low NA can cause fatigue and depression. Mercury molecules can block all copper catalyzed dithiolane oxidases, such as coproporphyrin oxidase (resulting in low copro III seen w/ Porphyrin Analysis) and dopamine-beta-hydroxylase (DBH). Low VMA, a by-product of NA, can be seen with a 24hr Organic Acids test. A low VMA level implicates low NA, which implicates low DBH, which implicates mercury (just implications, not conclusions, since other things can cause problems here as well). In our example case, George's VMA was close to 0, as shown here. Mercury can also clog the NA alpha-1 receptors, which reduces NA communication, and results in fatigue. Additionally, mercury can clog seratonin 5-HT2 receptors, impair astrocytic dopamine uptake, impair acetylcholine estererase, and impair cholinergic metabolism.
8) Heavy Metals Can Disrupt Sleep The Cycle
The Melatonin hormone controls the sleep/no sleep states. If Melatonin is on in the day, one will feels tired. If it is off at night, one cannot sleep (it should be the other way around). Too much noradrenaline (NA) at night can also inhibit the sleep state. A chemical called SAMe reduces the level of NA at night; yet mercury, lead, arsenic, cadmium and a variety of other chemicals can bind to SAMe and make it less affective at reducing the night-time NA. If this is the case, supplementing with SAMe, available from health food stores, can help one sleep. In our example case, George's Melatonin was off at night, and on during the day, which is the opposite of what one would want. Those with mercury induced autoimmune problems can worsen from Melatonin supplements, and therefore Melatonin supplementation is not recommended for people with mercury issues.
H2S Is Similar To Mercury
H2S (hydrogen sulfide) is very similar to mercury, in that it can bind to many of the things that mercury binds to. In other words, all the bad things that mercury can do, as described above, H2S can do. H2S is a toxin that is created when sugar is fermented in the small intestine due to harmful bacteria or yeast. Therefore, a problem in the gut can cause problems similar to that caused by mercury.
The Root Cause of
CFS/FMS Is Typically "Bad" Molecules
CFS/FMS is typically caused by "bad" molecules that bind to good
molecules inside the body and subsequently inhibit their function.
Sounds simple? It is very simple conceptually. However, there are
many bad and many good molecules, and tracking them is hard work.
This is not for the faint of heart. We define "bad molecule" rather
loosely as a molecule that can take an internal biochemical system
down. The good molecules typically involve:
* enzymes (chemical that converts one chemical to another chemical)
* neurotransmitters (sends a message from one nerve to another)
* neurotransmitter receptors (the area of a nerve that receives
message)
* hormones (chemical used to control a processes within the body)
* cofactors (ingredient used to make a chemical)
* cells in the immune system (when these go down; bacteria, virus,
and fungi go up)
* cells and parts of cells such as the cell membrane and
mitochondria
The bad molecules are typically:
* heavy metals such as lead, mercury, cadmium, nickel, silver, tin
and barium
* natural and synthetic chemicals and poisons (e.g. carbon monoxide,
drugs)
* pesticides (e.g. DDT)
* natural toxins such as
H2S (i.e. hydrogen sulfide,
that results when fungi and bad bacteria in gut ferment sugar).
* toxins resulting from natural waste products produced by the body
that are not filtered out properly (e.g. free radicals that cause
"oxidation" of "good" molecules).
Damage to enzymes due to bad molecules is a MAJOR issue since
enzymes are used to regulate and synthesize MANY processes in the
body. If a tiny bad molecule binds to a big enzyme molecule, it can
take it down. Enzymes have a defense system to guard against this
from occurring (e.g. thiols), yet if those defenses go down for a
short period of time, the enzyme can go down, and sometimes
permanently. Enzymatic damage is a BIG issue with CFS/FMS.
Problems caused by genes (i.e. a pathology that runs in a family)
are similar. Each gene produces a protein (all genes do this). And a
bad gene (one that messes you up) typically binds to something good
and alters its function, in a manner similar to that which is done
by a bad molecule such as a heavy metal or a pesticide.
Systems That Go Down Because of Bad Molecules
We begin with bad molecules that goof good molecules. These good
molecules implement important systems in the body, and when these
support molecules go down, the system goes down.
Below is a short list of systems that can go down, due to bad
molecules.
* ATP energy generation impairments
* noradrenaline brain neurotransmitter disregulation
* sulfite sensitivity due to impair sulfite oxidase
* sugar regulation (hypoglycemia)
* digestive system
* immunity system
* fungi defense system
* thyroid regulation
* adrenal gland regulations
Neurological and Metabolic fatigue
There are two big systems that involve fatigue. One is the
NA/Dopamine neurotransmitter communication system. When this goes
down, one experiences "Neurological" fatigue. Another system is that
which produces ATP energy in the body. When this goes down, one
experiences "Metabolic" fatigue. The customer of these molecules may
not be able to differentiate where the fatigue is coming from unless
they test for specific inhibited processes. All they know is the are
tired and do not feel right.
Fatigue Vs. Time Over 24hrs
A big issue is how one feels over the course of a day. If they feel
good during part of the day, this is a huge clue in itself. Also, it
is encouraging, since it proves that body does have what it takes to
feel good. If this is the case, one can try to correlate this with a
biochemical parameter in the body to get a better idea as to the
specific pathology. For example, if feeling good is proportional to
blood sugar level, then sugar regulation is a major issue. If one is
tired during the day and their Melatonin (hormone that puts one into
the sleep state) is on at that time, which it should not be, then
Melatonin regulation may be a major issue. If one feels tired after
eating foods (such as sugar, fast carbo, meat) that ferment in the
gut to produce a gas which inhibits ATP energy synthesis, then gut
ecology is a major issue. Have you ever wondered what is in that gas
that you pass after eating? It is often not oxygen.
Get To Know Your Fatigue
As you battle your fatigue, you must become acutely aware of how
it changes over time, how it responds to medications, and how a
pathology on a test is related. Ideally, you want to know exactly
where the fatigue is coming from, in addition to understanding the
host of other pathologies that you find in your tests that are
adversely affecting your body.
Some Examples
At the 1999 Sydney CFS Research Conference (please see
REFERENCE #15 for details),
it was found that folks with CFS tend to have high levels of
tyrosine (p<0.04) and 3-methyl histidine (p<0.03) in urine. This
could be caused by impairment of the tyrosine hydroxylase enzyme. If
this enzyme does not use the tyrosine, tyrosine gets dumped into the
urine. What could cause this? Bad molecules such as mercury, excess
methionine, and
H2S,
and SO3 (these are poisons) that bind to tyrosine hydroxylase. The
study also found that folks with CFS typically have low levels of
succinic acid (p<0.0003) in urine. What could cause this? Anything
that impairs succinate synthesis, which could be anything that
depletes magnesium and/or anything that depletes succinyl-CoASh.
What can do this? Bad molecules such as mercury. What happens when
tyrosine goes down? The noradrenaline neurotransmitter goes down.
What happens when the noradrenaline neurotransmitter goes down? Many
things, including the regulation of energy in the body, which can
result in fatigue. How does one test for this? They can increase
their noradrenaline with an Rx drug for a short period of time, and
see if they feel better.
Bad Molecules and Good Molecules -- it is that simple.
Syndrome Theory
CFS/FMS/GWS are syndromes. A syndrome refers to a specific set or
cluster of symptoms, as opposed to a disease with a specific cause.
And there can be many different causes of a syndrome's symptoms.
Fatigue is the main symptom in CFS, and soft tissue pain is the main
symptom in FMS. There could be 50 different disorders that cause
fatigue. And we may already know about 30 of these (e.g. Celiac
disease, underactive thyroid, Lyme disease). So at first, a patient
may be labeled 'CFS', and then later, when a 'cause' is found, are
relabeled with that specific disorder. Notice that this implies that
someone labeled CFS may have any one of the 30 known things that
cause fatigue, and unless they are tested for each, they will not
know if they have each. This is why CFS is difficult to deal with --
here are so many different things that can cause fatigue and testing
for each can be costly and laborious. For example, an underproducing
adrenal gland can cause fatigue, and to adequately test the adrenal
hormone ACTH, which may be necessary in order to implicate the
adrenal, one must drink sugar in the morning and collect blood at
1Hr intervals for 4hrs. All of which is costly and time consuming.
When one has a syndrome, they can assume that one of the following
is true:
1) You have a well understood disorder that has not yet been
identified due to not testing for it. Have you ever heard someone
say, 'I was sick for X years before I was diagnosed properly?'. This
may be you in the future.
2) You have a disorder that the scientists understand yet we do
not have a good test for it, and your Doc has never diagnosed it in
his/her lifetime.
3) You have a disorder that has yet to be understood.
Cases #1 and #2 are the most common; whereas #3 is quite unusual.
Gulf War Syndrome
Click
here to learn about Gulf War Syndrome.
Hard to See Disorders
It is always possible that the patient has a disorder that is
understood, yet a test to see it does not exist. Lets say a patient
is exposed to a poison (e.g. heavy metal, pesticide, chemical) that
disables internal enzymes. An Enzyme is a molecule that converts one
chemical into another. Most medical doctors, scientist and health
care professionals know that in large quantities there are many
substances that cause serious problems. However when the quantities
are small scientists are less likely to have physical evidence that
a real problem exists. To complicate things further, it is possible
for one to be exposed to a poison (e.g. heavy metal, pesticide, GW
chemical) several years ago, the offending molecules stick to the
inside of the cells, the person excretes the remaining offending
molecules until they are gone from blood, the person is then tested
for these molecules in blood, hair and urine; the test is negative
since they have already been excreted, yet they still exist, inside
the cells, bound to enzymes, causing problems. Imagine that a heavy
metal atom is affixed to an enzyme molecule and has disabled it's
function, and there are also free heavy metal molecules in the blood
that are not doing harm. To see this problem, you would want to
measure the number of atoms that are doing harm, yet merely
measuring the total number of atoms in blood would not be
significant.
There exists much research on the affects and diagnostics of high
levels of harmful molecules (e.g. 50x times the recommended safe
level), where the patient is very sick and one can see a high dose
in the urine, yet very little research on the affects of lower
levels (between 3x and 20x above safe levels in urine), especially
when it is very difficult to detect their binding to internal
biochemistry.
Many CFS/FMS Patients Often Feel Discouraged
Sick individuals tend to have limited ability to cope with the
physical aspects of their illness and tend to exhibit a low
frustration tolerance for difficult situations. Many have difficulty
staying on task without much support, or assistance especially when
the "establishment" invalidates their concerns and offers limited
hope and or concern for their recovery. Many, frankly do not have
the energy to sustain a persistent search for a solution. It is easy
to understand how discouraged one might feel when test results do
not support the existence of illness, or when a medication did not
work well, or the medicine produces serious undesirable effects.
Frequently when this happens a health care professional has been
known to say something like, 'it is all in your head' and comments
like this further the level of frustration and isolation that many
feel when they are faced with the consistent lack of support
including the realization that a health care professional is saying
in so many words, "You are physically fine, as the tests don't
indicate any evidence of illness. What you really need is a
psychiatrist.".
Battling CFS/FMS is grueling work. There are several factors that
contribute to the battle. Physically the person is not at their best
to say the least. There is the associated poor concentration, and
the poor energy. There is the physical pain associated with the
illness. There is the mental exhaustion, the lack of support, the
humiliation of feeling so debilitated and beaten down, there is the
medicine side effects and on and on.
To Delegate is To Wait
If the sufferer of CFS/FMS simply delegates the recovery process to
the HMO/insurance company then it is a matter of time of hoping,
waiting and suffering. Some people, for whatever reason, are unable
to act on certain information and some others will be unable to
follow up on recommendations. Recovery from CFS/FMS takes courage
and conviction, and it is the hope of this web site to provide hope
and encouragement to promote change and health for all those
suffering with this illness. What do you have to lose? EVERYTHING!!
Here at BeatFmsAndCfs.org, we hope the sufferer of CFS/FMS will
be moved to act toward their own recovery, to take responsibility
for their own well being and happiness and to one day be free of the
symptoms of CFS/FMS.
It seems that the individuals who are able to commit to their
recovery do show remarkable improvements. If you are unable to take
serious steps to manage your own illness, you may need more time to
suffer and to have other people manage your pain, and suffering.
Hopefully there will come a time when you will be sick and tired of
this debilitating illness and you will become willing to act in a
responsible way toward your recovery. If you are not interested in
becoming more responsible for your recovery then maybe you should
click off now, and read no further. It is not necessary. If you are
unable to take this illness seriously then it will take you. If you
are able to move into the next phase of recovery, then get to work
and expect to spend 1 to 3 hours a day on this for the next 90 days
or so, and then 1Hr a day or so for a year or two. This web site is
not advocating that it is easy, because it is not. In fact, it may
be so complex, time consuming, aggravating and expensive; one may
find themselves doing nothing. Many have fought and won before you,
and we encourage you to learn from them, to search for known
conditions, to look for clues of known pathologies that are
difficult to identify with tests, and to treat all pathologies
found.
What Happens If I Don't Have Health Care
Those without health insurance who are unable to private pay for
their health care may feel they are in a precarious circumstance.
However, they should note that many with HMO/healthcare support have
made little progress. So what good is it anyway?
We Provide You with a Very Detailed Recovery Case
This web site talks about how one can fight the battle described
above, and shows an example of how one individual, whom we refer to
as George, overcame CFS/FMS, despite the obstacles. To communicate
exactly what happened, over 100 pages of George's medical test
results are published at this site. For details, click
here. George purchased over
100 books on medicine, spent $7K on medical tests, spent $3K on
vitamins and drugs, and worked about 2hrs each day for a year.
Another example of someone who beat their CFS, in a similar manner
as George, is Dr. Michael G. Samuels who worked at it for 2yrs. For
his story, click
here. For Melissa Smith's
recovery story, click
here.
This is not easy work. If one wants to track down a difficult to see
medical issue, it can cost between $1K to $30K ($2K to $8K is
typical). Generally, one must weigh the cost of being sick (e.g.
lost wages, reduced quality of life) against the cost of making
oneself well, minus the risk of spending money that does not provide
benefit. If one is loosing $30K a year due to their illness and has
30 years of a career ahead of them, then spending $10K will actually
gain them money. Like $30K * 30 — 10K = $890K money. If however, one
is still working, has meds that help alleviate symptoms, and has
little extra money, then that individual may be less inclined to
fight a several thousand dollar battle. This web site is about
fighting a major battle, because that is what it takes to beat CFS/FMS
(unfortunately).
CFS/FMS Booklist
We refer to the following as the Site's Primary CFS/FMS books:
* "Digestive Wellness", by Lipski
* "America Exhausted", by Conley
* "The Road To Immunity", by Bock and Sabin
* "Total Wellness", by Pizzorno
And the following books are helpful as well, yet not as
important.
* "Chronic Fatigue, Fibromyalgia and Environmental Illness", by
Goldberg
* "The Canary and Chronic Fatigue", by Majid Ali
* "Power Healing", by Dr. Leo Galland (Galland is one of the
America's best docs)
Specific Disorders
For an overview of some things that can cause fatigue, click
here. For a more extensive
list, one can read the above books, get out a pad of paper, place
two vertical lines on each page to divide it into thirds, and write
down each disorder that you see on the left, the test for it in the
middle, and the treatment on the right. For the most part, it is as
simple as this. Simple in strategy. Enormous amounts of time and
money in implementation. And who has the stamina to fight such a
battle? Certainly not the HMO that averages spending $3K per person
per year. And most of that goes to you in your last several years of
life (i.e. that is when you start to pull some real bills). So the
HMO may need to average $1K per year per person (this is an average)
for people who are not at the end of the road. You may feel like you
are at the end of your rope, yet that still does not qualify you for
the big money. For big money, you need something like heart disease,
cancer, a gun shot wound, or a stroke. Something that is life
threatening, and something that the Doc's can see.
Money and Doctors
Money and health care are closely related. In a sense, they are the
same thing. The more money you spend, the more health care you get.
The $3K per person per year that you give to the HMO/insurance
company gets you $3K/yr on average of medical care over your
lifetime. The people that you give this money to cannot spend more,
on average. They don't have the money to spend more. And they have
protocols (rules) that determine how far a Doc can dig (i.e. how
many tests they can run) given certain situations. And the rule
system (referred to as "protocol") corresponds to the $3K/person/yr
budget. They know, for each rule system, how much it will cost them,
given a large population of patients. There is nothing wrong with
this. You get out what you put in. This is life. Complaining about
it will get you nowhere.
$3K and $30K per-year-per-person Medicine Are Different
Additionally, the Docs are not familiar with practicing medicine
where more money than $3K/person/yr on average is spent. The
$30K/person/yr practitioner would be running 10 times the number of
tests, and would be very familiar w/ what happens when one digs deep
into one's internal biochemistry after testing many subtle
parameters. This is why so many Doc's shrug their shoulders when the
patient says, "My body feels sore.", or "I'm tired during much of
the day.". Dealing with those issues involves digging deep, running
many tests, and spending much money — which is something they do not
have experience with. In order words, they do not know how to do it.
The tests that one runs in the $3K to $30K/person/yr range are
different than the tests that are done in the <$3K/person/yr range.
The $3K to $30K/person/yr tests look at subtleties in the internal
biochemistry. They give you relatively little pieces of information
per dollar, and identify non-catastrophic problems (e.g. slightly
depressed level of Human Growth Hormone, causing slightly depressed
level of adrenal activity, decreasing the body's ability to
metabolize food, decreasing the nutrients which supply the organs,
which reduces their effectiveness…). Many of the tests that are
referenced at this web site and many that are mentioned in the
primary books described above,
mention tests that have never been performed by the typical primary
care physician. This is part of the problem. When the typical CFS/FMS
person talks to the typical Doc, they are often not talking to
someone that understands this level of medicine. And yet those Docs
are the ones that patients are delegating to solve their problem.
This is like having the brakes on your car replaced by someone who
does not know how to do it, and has never done it. The brakes are
constantly not working, and the customer keeps going back to the
same mechanic, or mechanics of similar skill. There do exists
Mechanics that know brakes, yet the customer does not know how to
locate them, or identify them when they are standing in front of
them. The system is confusing and difficult to deal with for the
unsuspecting customer.
The Different Forms of Medicine
There are several different forms of medicine that are not well
defined in our society. What does "homeopathic" medicine actually
refer to? If one is allergic to milk, and the homeopathic says stay
away from milk, is that homeopathic medicine? What if the
traditional Doc says the same? This site suggests that you be aware
of two forms of medicine. One is refereed to as "Traditional" and
the other "Integrated". Traditional is practiced by your typical
primary care physician. This medicine is based on outstanding
scientific evidence that appears in the premier medical journals. It
is limited by what has been published, and an enormous amount has
not been published. The Traditional will not be involved in a
procedure unless a well documented study is associated with it. The
Traditional does not want to make a mistake. If they follow these
studies, they are not acting foolishly, even if the patient has a
bad reaction. Traditional is wonderful if the following 4 things are
true:
* the biochemical theory, test, and treatment for your condition
is well documented and measured by these premier studies
* there exists a good test to identify the condition
* funding exists for the test
* the test is done
Yet if any of these 4 are false, the patient gets stuck, and the
health care industry concludes, "yes this patient is stuck and there
is not much we can do about it". This is where Integrated medicine
comes in. Integrated is practiced by the CFS/FMS Docs. Integrated
involves doing whatever is necessary to make the person well.
Integrated is often not supported by HMO/Insurance companies due to
it's cost. Integrated typically must be covered out of pocket. If
the condition is not well documented in studies, the Integrated Doc
proceeds ahead anyway. The Traditional drops the ball at this point.
Too risky. Could make a mistake. The Integrated works with studies
in lesser publications (there are a 1000 or so of these worldwide).
And these studies may be only indirectly related (e.g. they involve
test tube or animal experiments, instead of human). And the
Integrated Doc draws on his/her knowledge of biochemistry and uses
theory (i.e. they guess) as to what is occurring. And then they test
their theory with an experiment (this is exactly what a scientist in
a lab does). YOU are the experiment. YOU are the lab. For example,
"Try garlic to kill fungus in your gut for 60days and tell me how
you feel in 2mths.". The Integrated will draw on studies, protocols,
and treatments done outside the USA. Integrated will use Rx meds,
over the counter meds, herbal meds, vitamins, supplements (IV and
oral) and whatever they believe "might" be helpful. Notice the word
"might". The Traditional will not do "might", the Integrated will.
Integrated Docs are MD's, who have a fine appreciation of science,
biochemistry, and all research that has been done worldwide. This
site recommends that one first give the Traditional an opportunity
to solve the problem, and if they fail, go to the Integrated. And if
one has been sick for more than a year, it may be time to switch.
In Search Of The "Root Cause"
There is something in medicine that is referred to as a "root
cause". This is one item that is the direct cause of all the
problems. It is often difficult to find the Root Cause. In most
cases, many issues are interrelated, and sometimes circular. For
example, an upregulated immune system (one that is working harder to
fight invaders) increases incidence of allergies (immune system
becomes more sensitive), allergic reactions in gut lead to
inflammation of gut wall, leading to more upregulation of the immune
system due to bacteria/fungi leaking from gut to blood (more
invaders to fight). Tests may show multiple problems in a vicious
cycle. Yet what started it all? What is the root cause? Very
difficult to tell. How would one fix this issue? Treat all
pathologies found, simultaneously.
Helpful Resources
For a list of helpful books and web sites, please click
here.
On Line Practitioners
For a list of CFS/FMS clinics and people who advertise themselves as
on line practitioners (e.g. MD's) who can help you acquire medical
tests, please click
here.
Are You Ready For Battle?
If you are ready to begin this battle, please Click
Here.
Research
This site suggests several research studies that would provide
evidence to traditional Doc's on how to proceed with CFS/FMS
patients. These would help move the CFS/FMS battle from Integrated
to Traditional (Traditional is based on double-blind studies), which
is the bulk of the nation's Docs. If you have been hit with CFS/FMS
and are very wealthy, you might consider printing out
this list of research
studies, calling up the major medical organization or university in
your area (or CFS/FMS clinic), asking for an appointment with the
person in charge of Research and Development, get the appointment,
walk into their office, place the printout on their desk, and ask
them how much it would cost to do the studies. Expect numbers
between $100K and $5M, depending on how many subjects you want in
YOUR study. This would help the world, help yourself by connecting
with medical researchers, help you compare results of your own tests
with others, and help you make decisions about your own treatment by
observing how others respond. And, you may actually enjoy being
involved in tracking down the cause of a terrible condition that
effects 500,000 people, according to the Center For Disease Control.
So if you are wealthy, please consider this.
If you would like to discuss Research with our Directory of
Research, Ray Saarela, please email Research@BeatCfsAndFms.org and
place "BeatCfsAndFms Research" in the subject field. Ray is
responsible for researching the more complex biochemical issues
discussed at this website.
To Contact this Site
Unfortunately, the authors of this site are not in a position to
respond to many inquiries, due to being very busy researching CFS,
FMS and GWS. We apologize if this is of inconvenience. However, if
you really want to interact, please email Support@BeatCfsAndFms.org
and place "BeatCfsAndFms Support" in the subject area.
No Conflicts of Interest
This site suggests that one spend money with various testing
companies, medical practitioners, vitamin suppliers, drug companies,
books, and researchers. This site is not involved in anyway with
suppliers of goods and services. To demonstrate this independence,
we list at least 2 or more of each supplier.
Disclaimer
This site is in no way providing medical advice. In order to obtain
medical tests and meds, one must interact with an individual that is
authorized to provide these items, and they in turn become
responsible for your use of such items.
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