Solutions for Fatigue and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome There's something in this report for everyone

▪ Nickel we often see blocking biological enzymes (from stainless steel saucepans, jewelry)

▪ Vaccinations are a particularly pernicious mixture of heavy metals with viral/bacterial particles and are good at triggering CFS

▪ Lead, cadmium antimony, arsenic

▪ Depleted uranium in the Gulf War Veterans

Prescription Drugs

Many prescription drugs inhibiting mitochondria directly – the best example are beta blockers – nearly all my CFS patients are made worse by these.

Statins I particularly hate. They inhibit the body’s own production of co enzyme Q 10 – the most important anti-oxidant in mitochondria.

Many drugs are metabolised in the liver and this imposes extra strains on liver detox, so for example many CFS sufferers are made ill by “normal” doses of antidepressants.

Chemicals created or released from within the body

From immune activity – the way that the immune system kills bugs is by shooting free radicals at them. These free radicals have to be mopped up by a good anti-oxidant system otherwise the body is damaged by “friendly fire”. Free radicals damage mitochondria. Indeed it is possible this is the mechanism by which viruses switch on chronic fatigue syndromes.

From gut fermentation – food should be digested. In CFSs we often see a fermenting gut. This produces toxins such as alcohols, right handed sugars (eg D-lactate), noxious gases (eg hydrogen sulphide) all of which have to be detoxified in the liver. If liver detos is impaired, these toxins spill over and poison, amongst other things, mitochondria.

Neurotransmitters and hormones – many have to be detoxified in the liver with a view to recycling. When we do detoxification regimes! In the short term, the body can “hide” toxins by dumping them in fat. As we detox we mobilisise these into the blood stream andthis causes acute poisoning. Levels in fat are 100-1,000 times higher than those in blood.

Social toxins

▪ Alcohol – this is consumed in gram amounts and places a heavy burden on the liver. Most CFSs do not tolerate alcohol and this probably reflects the fact that their liver detox is already overwhelmed by the above factors.

▪ Artificial sweeteners can be particularly toxic. Aspartame for example is broken down in the liver to formaldehyde – a known neurotoxin.

▪ Nicotine

▪ Caffeine

The above chemicals are known as persistent organic pollutants or POPs.

Silicone

This is in a league of its own. With silicone I am not just looking for the obvious breast implant or silicone injections - many other prostheses have biologically active materials. Examples include testicular implants, lens implants, Norplant contraceptive device (silicone rods), TMJ work, facial contouring, meshes for hernia repairs etc. In the veterinary world reactions to suture materials are well documented – not so in the medical world.

Silicone itself is pretty inert. The trouble is that it “out-gasses” from implants, is picked up by the white cells and spreads into the rest of the body. In susceptible people it acts as an immune adjuvant and switches on the immune system causing widespread inflammation wherever is ends up. It cannot be stripped out by the usual detoxification techniques.

IN PRACTICE IT IS OFTEN A COMBINATION OF THE ABOVE TOXINS AND/OR VIRAL STRESSES WHICH TIP THE BALANCE AND TRIGGER THE CFS

How do chemicals damage the body?

▪ By overwhelming the liver’s P450 detox system causing a release of pro-inflammatory free radicals which inhibit mitochondria and mess up cell metabolism generally.

▪ By inhibiting mitochondria directly. For example organophosphates inhibit oxidative phosphorylation for obvious biochemical reasons.

▪ Blocking translocator protein function so ATP and ADP cannot be moved in and out of mitochondria

▪ Sticking onto DNA so genes cannot be used to make new molecules

▪ Sticking on to DNA, interfering with growth control mechanisms and switching on cancers.

▪ Sticking on to DNA to cause birth defects

▪ By mimicking body hormones and neurotransmitters. Organochlorines are oestrogen mimics and cause gender bending, breast cancer and birth defects.

▪ By blocking the action of hormones and neurotransmitters. So for example we know that persistent organic pollutants (POPs) cause insulin resistance and contribute to our current epidemic of hypoglycaemia and diabetes.

▪ By interfering with communication between normal immune cells so switching on allergy and autoimmunity.

▪ Heavy metals “mimic” essential trace elements and replace them in enzyme systems which then malfunctions. Nickel for example may displace zinc. This situation is made worse where there is zinc deficiency.

▪ Sticking onto proteins and distorting them - indeed there is evidence that many prion disorders result from poisoning with heavy metals and pesticides. Prion disorders include Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, motor neurone disease and CJD.

▪ By interfering with normal healing and repair – we know organophosphates cause osteoporosis, as does heavy metal poisoning.

▪ And many other possibilities as yet unidentified!

Therefore chemicals are implicated in many diseases of “civilised” Man who eats modern diets and live with 21st century technology!

The clinical picture of chemical poisoning

If there is acute poisoning there may be acute symptoms such as streaming eyes, nose, cough, wheeze, vomiting, diarrhoea, sweating – all attempts by the body to get rid of the toxin. In severe cases, loss of conciousness and death. In moderate poisoning – some of the above symptoms followed by a flu like illness which may persist for days.

In chronic “low dose” poisoning, chronic fatigue syndrome develops as mitochondria go slow.

In the long term, there is an acceleration of the normal ageing process and sufferers get diseases before their time and die prematurely. Poisoning is like throwing a handful of sand in a finely tuned engine!

Clinically we see

▪ Chronic fatigue syndrome because of mitochondrial failure

▪ Organ failures (such as low cardiac output resulting in POTS) secondary to mitochondrial failure

▪ Hormone resistance with increased risk of diabetes (insulin resistance)

▪ Damage to the heart – particularly the electrical conduction system producing dysrhythmias

▪ Damage to nerves – Central nervous system (psychological problems, psychiatric, sleep, brain fog etc) autonomic nervous system (sweating, temperature control, hyperventilation, etc) and peripheral nervous system (numbness, tingling etc).

▪ Gut damage – poor digestive function

▪ Damage to muscles – stiff muscles and painful muscles

▪ Damage to bones – osteoporosis

▪ Damage to the immune system – allergies, autoimmune disorders and multiple chemical sensitivity. Tests often show immune damage.

▪ Damage to the endocrine system – abnormalities of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, thyroid damage, adrenal fatigue, sex hormones low with loss of libido

▪ Probable damage to the liver

▪ Cancer, birth defects (damage to the unborn baby), and damage to sperm causing low sperm counts and infertility.

▪ Increase in prion disorders

How to test for chemicals

Most of the below are available thanks to the skill of John McLaren Howard working at Acumen.

Fat biopsy for pesticide and volatile organic compounds – this is a very easy test – one just has to push a hollow needle (as used for taking blood) into the fat and the amount contained within the bore is sufficient.

ATP studies – tell us if oxidative phosphorylation and translocator protein are blocked (in addition to other information)

Miro-respirometry studies – a closer look at oxidative phosphorylation – it could be uncoupled by chemicals so energy demand does not match energy supply and mitochondria work very inefficiently.

Translocator protein function – looks at what is stuck onto mitochondrial membranes

Gene studies – part of the testing for SODase looks to see if the genes coding for SODase are blocked,

DNA adducts - looks at how such chemicals and/or heavy metals have stuck to DNA. Levels of toxic metals can be measured in blood or sweat. Hair analysis not very reliable. Kelmer test – measures heavy metals in urine before and after a chelating agent

Lymphocyte sensitivity tests – these look at whether white cells have been sensitised to particular chemicals. This occurs when they have been poisoned and represents immune memory of such a poisoning. Thus chemical sensitivity and poisoning are found together. These tests can be done for almost any substance.

Gut fermentation tests – look for alcohols, D lactate, hydrogen sulphide ie abnormal chemicals from the gut.

Principles of treatment of chemical poisoning and MCS

In order of priority:

AVOID further exposures of the offending chemical REDUCE LOAD – of all chemicals

IMPROVE NUTRITIONAL STATUS – so the body copes better with chemicals DETOXIFICATION by as many different methods that can be done. My preference is for FIR saunaing.

DESENSITISATION

Also see handouts: CHEMICAL POISONING – GENERAL PRINCIPLES - DIAGNOSIS, INVESTIGATION and TREATMENT, MULTIPLE CHEMICAL SENSITIVITY and CHEMICAL POISONING - TREATMENT, DETOXIFICATION, EPD - ENZYME POTENTIATED DESENSITISATION. ORGANOPHOSPHATE POISONING, AEROTOXIC SYNDROME, GULF WAR SYNDROME, DENTAL AMALGAM AND MERCURY TOXICITY.

What can you expect from your GP?

The problem with GPs is that they are not trained to look for toxicological (poisoning) as a cause of illness. You may be referred to the Poisons Units (now called Medical Toxicology Units). The Poisons units have not made a single diagnosis of chronic organophosphate poisoning in the last ten years, I suspect because funding for the Poisons Units comes from the chemical companies. This is an issue I have written about in the Journal of Nutritional and Environmental Medicine, which the Poisons Units have failed to refute.

You can expect your GP to do a series of blood tests and tell you there is nothing abnormal and therefore nothing wrong. The next step might be referral to a neurologist, who again will trot out the party line – “chronic chemical poisoning does not exist”. The next port of call is usually the psychiatrists who do not have a “toxicological” diagnostic pigeonhole and will squeeze you into the next nearest fit, ie chronic depression. The treatment of this, namely anti-depressants, will make the poor sufferer, worse, he will refuse to take them and be discharged as an uncooperative patient. The OP afflicted farmer is left to sort out his life as best as he can and usually ends up with declining health, having to sell his farm or rent out his fields. His marriage usually founders because he can’t pull his weight. No wonder that a significant proportion commit suicide.

Fortunately most people are intelligent and realise the above state of affairs. But the lack of street credibility and help from Government Agencies make chronic chemical poisoning a social and financial disaster area.

Step 3 : ELIMINATE

Do you have wrinkles above your lips but you never smoked? You may have parasites in you large intestine. Do you have wrinkles on the bridge of your nose (when you’re not furrowing your eyebrows)? That could be caused by SIBO or candida because it’s a sign that your pancreas is working overtime. Do you have cold sores or warts? This could point to underlying viral pathogens. Lysine helps with cold sores when they’re not active.

Antoine Beauchamp discovered bacteria in 1883. His contemporary, Louis Pasteur, published Antoine Beauchamp’s findings and took credit for them while he promoted what he called the “Germ Theory,” which is based on the idea that illness is caused when the body is invaded and attacked by germs from the outside. Beauchamp actually said that illness was not caused by germs, but rather in order for germs to proliferate, they needed a medium that is conducive to their growth. In other words, Beauchamp believed germs don’t cause disease but rather take advantage of the vulnerable state of the sick person by using them as a place to grow and multiply. On his death-bed, Pasteur admitted that Beauchamp was right all along.

Unfortunately most people have never heard the last part of that story! Most people today truly believe that germs cause disease. This is why people feel the need to pasteurize everything (heating up a food product to a temperature that is high enough to kill any pathogens in it). This has led to a lack of focus on strengthening people’s immune system and terrain.

Far too many people believe the more bacteria we can kill the better. Along with pasteurization, our love for everything “antibacterial” like soap, cosmetics, toothpaste, fabric, etc. is creating a terrible problem. This practice causes our immune systems to never create the antibodies needed to fight off the germs and pathogens, and therefore leaves us undefended like sitting ducks.

The Antibacterial, Antibiotic, and Pasteurization Craze

It has never been easier to find antibacterial soap, antibacterial hand sanitizer, and other antibacterial products.155

However, the FDA recently stated that antibacterial hand soaps and body washes might not be any more effective at preventing the spread of germs than plain soap. Likewise, long-term exposure to the active ingredients in these products (e.g., triclosan) could pose risks for bacterial resistance or hormonal problems. The agency has proposed a rule that would require manufacturers to either demonstrate the long-term safety and efficacy of such products or reformulate and rebrand them.156

Triclosan is a dangerous chemical that was originally registered as a pesticide by the EPA in 1969. Research has shown that triclosan disrupts hormone regulation. The study showed a change in estrogen mediated responses and showed that triclosan negatively affected thyroid hormones in the animals being tested.157 Moreover, triclosan has been shown to be a liver cancer promoter.158

When cleaning your hands, I recommend you gently scrub them using warm water and plain, old fashioned soap (not anti-bacterial).

Beyond pasteurization and the use of antibacterial products, the third favorite modern germ killer Americans love is antibiotics. 30 million pounds of antibiotics are used in the United States each year! Of those 30 million pounds, 25 million pounds (83%) are used on animals. This is done to try to prevent disease and promote growth.159

As we look at America and our stance on bugs, it’s safe to say that we are a “kill all bugs” society. However, the popular use and abuse of antibiotics on humans and by farmers on animals, has created super bugs that are literally resistant to a giant army of chemicals and products. Research shows that the risk of developing cancer, such as prostate, breast, lung, colon and others increases as the amount of antibiotics being used increases.

Antibiotics do not destroy all bacteria in the body because there is just too much bacteria for them to handle. The bacteria in our bodies outnumber our cells 10 to 1!160 Even the really strong antibiotics that areadministered intravenously will only kill 85% of bacteria at best. This leaves the other 15% of the bacteria alive and antibioticresistant.161 Research also shows that bacteria is able to spontaneously mutate around an antibiotic within the first 20 minutes of treatment.162

_______ Antibiotics do not destroy all bacteria in the body because there

are too many of them. The bacteria in our bodies outnumber our cells 10 to 1!

_______

A recent study on 11,532 babies found that treating them with antibiotics before they were 6-months old caused them to be predisposed to becoming obese. It also found that infants between the ages of 6-14 months who had been given antibiotics had a significantly higher body mass.163 And this doesn’t even get into how hard antibiotics are on the digestive tract! Health practitioners know this and many do whatever they can to avoid using antibiotics themselves or prescribing them to family and clients.

To sum it up, using antibacterial chemicals in everything, attempting to kill everything with antibiotics, and pasteurizing our food are not ways to protect ourselves from getting sick because these methods DO NOT destroy all the bacteria and do nothing to bolster our immune systems!

Today, probiotics (good bacteria) is getting a lot of attention. Many practitioners see them as a magic antidote for any and all intestinal problems, but it isn’t that simple. When someone is suffering from digestive issues, there tends to be a lot of bad bacteria in their intestines. I call these bad bacteria “squatters.” They won’t leave just because good bacteria are pumped in. This is why Step 3: Eliminate is so important! By using what I call the “bug bomb” we make room for the good bacteria, which we will introduce in the next step. The best part is that my 5 Steps to Restoring Health Protocol™ doesn’t just eliminate pathogens in the digestive tract; this protocol will cleanse your entire body.

It is absolutely necessary to decrease the bad bacteria and increase the good bacteria in order to improve your health and vitality. Step 3 is all bacteria and pathogens. It Hippocrates who coined the phrase, “All disease begins in the gut.” I believe this is the truth. I currently offer seven different food and supplementation templates for Step 3 that I choose from depending on the client’s specific situation. That’s why Step 1 is so important! Once I have determined the best template, I personalize it even further to meet the needs of my client. A few of the templates I use are specifically designed for small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO).

about decreasing unhealthy

is believed that it was

_______ The best part is that my 5 Steps to Restoring Health Protocol™ doesn’t just eliminate pathogens in the digestive tract; this protocol will cleanse

your entire body. _______ Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth (SIBO)

Research was done on 42 people suffering with fibromyalgia and it was found that 100% of them had SIBO.164 That statistic just blows me away! SIBO is a new epidemic that has appeared since the popularization of probiotics (good bacteria). The majority of the good bacteria in the digestive tract should be located in the large intestine (specifically the first two-thirds of the colon). Small intestinal bacterial overgrowth occurs when too much bacteria stays in the small intestine. Unfortunately, taking probiotics or eating fermented foods will only feed this bacteria in the wrong area. That is why eliminating pathogens before replacing them with good bacteria is vitally important!

Food is a Powerful Tool

Bone broth or what is referred to as “stock” has been used in cooking for thousands of years, but has somehow gotten lost in our modern culture. Many of my food and supplementation templates utilize bone broth because I truly believe it is a secret weapon for helping the body heal. Bone broth specifically helps to starve all bacteria (good and bad). Bone broth protects muscle and provides type-2 collagen, minerals, and essential amino acids (proline and glycine). Glycine supports detoxification and proline supports tightening of collagen, connective tissue, and patches up a leaky gut. Collagen is important for healing cells and cell regeneration because it is the base material of our cells. It also helps with skin health and reduces cellulite. More importantly consuming bone broth is a fantastic way to give immediate relief to an inflamed and sensitive digestive tract.

_______ It is absolutely necessary to decrease the bad bacteria and increase the good bacteria in order to improve your health and vitality.

_______

When making bone broth, I do not recommend using fish bones because it appears that most toxins (like heavy metals) are stored up deep in their bones.

Bone broth can be made from beef, chicken, lamb, bison, or turkey bones. The most important thing is to find good quality bones, such as bones from a 100% grass-fed cow (beef) or bones from a free-range organic chicken. Part of finding a good quality bone involves making sure the animal was weight-bearing. Animals raised in a factory farm setting are not even able to stand on their own legs. This affects the quality of their bone strength as well as the amount of gelatin that is present in their bones. Once you have the bones, they can be reused many times, which makes this a perfect healing food tool: effective, inexpensive, and easy to prepare and make! Chicken stock (bone broth) is great for healing leaky gut and supports the adrenal glands. Beef stock strengthens the kidneys and the lymphatic system.

Bacteriophages

Bacteriophages (phages) are powerful weapons in this Elimination Step. Phages are viruses that infect and kill only bad and pathogenic bacteria. That was not a misprint: there are healthy viruses that kill bad bacteria. The name was formed from “bacteria” and “phagein” (to eat or devour, in Greek) and is meant to imply that phages “eat or devour” bacteria. There are millions of phages found in nature and they come naturally in fermented foods. Each phage has one specific bacteria that it targets and does not affect any others. For instance, “bacteriophage T4” is a phage that will only kill E. coli. The best part is that unlike what happens with antibiotics, bacteria cannot become resistant to phages! Most phages that are out so far are in a capsule, but phages are most stable and best in a liquid form.

This is another way that our dependence on antibiotics has hurt us. While this is an exciting area of study concerning digestive tract dysfunction, phages were first discovered by Ernest Hankin in 1896. They were rediscovered in 1915 by d’Herelle and seven phages were being produced in the 1940’s that targeted staphylococci, streptococci, Escherichia coli, and other bacterial pathogens. However, the use of bacteriophages faded when antibiotics hit the market. Until recently, all commercial production of therapeutic phages stopped in the Western world.

_______ Phages are viruses that infect and kill only bad and pathogenic bacteria. And unlike what happens with antibiotics, bacteria cannot become resistant to phages!

_______

Supplements

Herbs are a great tool when used in the right amounts and there is synergy in the treatment protocol. This means you have to use herbs that work together to eliminate the bad pathogens but leave the good bacteria. Some fantastic herbs are: golden seal, echinacea, black wild carrot (leptotaenia), black radish, oregano oil, ashwaganda, schizandra, clove, wintergreen, spearmint oil, aloe, lion’s mane and pau d’arco (commonly known as lapacho). Again, the key is to use them in the right amounts together. This is why going to a trained health professional is so important when putting together a proper plan.

Examples of Pathogens:

Bacteria

Parasites

Viruses

Fungi

Borrelia burdorferi (Lyme disease), Mycoplasma, Rickettsial type infections such as: Ehrlichia (Anaplasma), Coxiella (Q Fever), Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, Typhus, Bartonella (Cat Scratch Fever), Treponema, Leptospira, Tularemia (Rabbit Fever, Deerfly Fever, and Ohara’s Fever), Brucella, Chlamydia pneumonia, Babesia, Toxoplasmosis, Helminths (parasitic worms), Cytomegalovirus (CMV), Human Herpesvirus (HHV-6), Herpes Simplex Virus 1 and 2 (HSV-1 & HSV-2), Coxsackie A virus (CAV), Human Papillomavirus (HPV), Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV), Human Herpesvirus 4 (HHV-4), West Nile Virus (WNV)

Pathogenic Biofilms

Biofilms are basically interconnected groups of microbes that gather together and attach to a surface.194 They much prefer to be anchored to a surface than to freely float around in the body.195 Think of a biofilm as a blanket that is spread out on top of a bunch of microbes. This biofilm is typically composed of calcium, magnesium, iron, mercury, lead, copper, and other trace metals.196 To get rid of the microbes, you have to take off the blanket holding them together (remove the biofilm). Chelating agents degrade biofilm by binding the metals that are required for pathogen aggregation and exopolymer cross-linkage. Enzymes may be combined with chelating agents for a synergistic antibiofilm effect. Biofilm matrix of gram-negative bacteria are typically anionic and bind cations such as calcium and magnesium. This leads to polymer cross-linking and increased strength.197