CHRONIC FATIGUE SYNDROME / M.E.
This is a condition which has interested me significantly in recent years. It is actually very common and affects up to 3% of the U.S. population. It is frequently but not always associated with a viral infection and should only be diagnosed when significant fatigue is present for at least 6 months. Other symptoms may include impaired memory, sore throat, tender glands, muscle pain, multi-joint pain, new headaches, unrefreshing sleep and post-exercise malaise.
My treatment for it has been to use low-dose naltrexone and fish oil . In April 2012 I attended a meeting in Dublin where we were told it is likely to be related to a thyroid gland condition. Checking the TSH, T3 and T4 may show a low T3 and that hormone can be prescribed by a doctor, typically in a dose of 10-60 microgram daily.It is common to start on 10 microgram and move up slowly, perhaps by 10 micrograms per week. Reduce dose if side effects are significant. Coenzyme Q10 may help too in a dose of 200-500mg daily.Some benefit from a magnesium plus lignocaine (lidocaine) infusion. Some get relief with frequent injections of vit, B12 and magnesium.
For those who have fibromyalgia, a severely painful condition that is often associated with chronic fatigue, the results are sometimes good with the above combination but again it takes time. I have seen some of them well enough to stop taking analgesics entirely where before even opiates were not very effective. Incidentally it is posible to have the level of fish oil and evening primrose oil in the body measured. The results of this essential fatty acids test shows that most patients I see in Dublin have low levels of fish oil and quite often low levels of GLA, the active chemical in evening primrose oil.
Useful websites incluse www.vegepa.com , www.lowdosenaltrexone.org and www.hammersmithpress.co.uk , the publisher. Incidentally low dose naltrexone is useful in a whole range of conditions and it may be worthwhile to have look at it. I notice that my contribution to a Norwegian TV progem on lowdosenaltrexone is now on the front page of the American site www.lowdosenaltrexone.org. LDN as we often call it is useful for over 100 conditions! If you do not have a problem it is likely that it will be useful for somebody you know so have a look at it.
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Fish oil and bypass surgrery
Fish oil given to patients having bypass surgery reduces the amount of irregular heart beats known as atrial fibrillation from 33% to 15% according to Journal of American College of Cardiology May 05. On the other hand fish oil has no benefical effect on those who have implanted defibrillators and may even have a marginal negative effect in another report I read recently. Incidentally less cardiac surgery is being done over the past few years because little tubes called stents can be placed in the arteries of the heart.
