Researchers at MIT’s Lincoln Lab have developed technology that may someday cure the common cold, influenza, and other ailments; the researchers tested their drug against fifteen viruses, and found it was effective against all of them — including rhinoviruses that cause the common cold, H1N1 influenza, a stomach virus, a polio virus, dengue fever, and several other types of hemorrhagic fever. Most bacterial infections can be treated with antibiotics such as penicillin, discovered decades ago. Such drugs, however, are useless against viral infections, including influenza, the common cold and deadly hemorrhagic fevers such as Ebola. The drug works by targeting a type of RNA produced only in cells that have been infected by viruses. “In theory, it should work against all viruses,” says Todd Rider, a senior staff scientist in Lincoln Laboratory’s Chemical, Biological, and Nanoscale Technologies Group who invented the new technology. Because the technology is so broad-spectrum, it could potentially also be used to combat outbreaks of new viruses, such as the 2003 SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) outbreak, Rider said.  Source

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Recently received back my ACTH stimulation test results and wanted to share (below).  Ideally, I would have done a repeat of the Adrenal saliva panel I had done 8 months ago, but that is not an option right now due to my financial situation.  Doctor says everything looks good (within the ranges), and suggested that maybe the symptoms of fatigue, low stress tolerance, etc. are not hormonal, but possibly some type of ongoing infection; he has referred me to an infectious disease doctor.

Not sure if others have seen similar results, or been able to correlate their ACTH stimulation results to their saliva results, or have ever seen the test show results for adrenal insufficiency vs. failure.

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Like many folks on the site, I am healing exclusively with the aid of OTC vitamins and supplements.  Although the healing response is often much slower than with prescription drugs, and there is more experimentation necessary, I consider it a much safer alternative that I feel I have much more control over.  The big downside of course,  is that one can end up with a laundry list of supplements to research, purchase, take correct dosages of, and track responses to.  This can become very overwhelming, especially if you are unsure whether a particular supplement is really providing any benefit, or if it is just burning a big hole in your pocket.  

Wanted to share with folks here a reminder to do your best to track your supplements and the progress you make on them.  Recently, I have done I poorer job than usual at this, and it has led to some reemergence of my symptoms and frustration.  Hoping to recount some tips and details below.

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Multiple Chemical Sensitivity (MCS) is estimated to affect up to 15% of the population in the US and other industrialised nations (1), yet research into why people develop this hypersensitivity to chemicals is sorely lacking. Currently we have mainly animal testing and studies involving small numbers of participants diagnosed with MCS to go on.

One leading theory suggests the development of a hypersensitivity to chemical stimuli in an area of the brain known as the limbic system which controls a variety of functions including emotion, behaviour, long term memory, and olfaction (our sense of smell). Animals studies have shown that both large acute exposures and low-level chronic exposures to certain organic chemicals can result in hypersensitivity of the limbic system to subsequent minute exposures to the same, or similar chemicals (2). Perhaps the most complete theory of the pathophysiology of MCS thus far has been proposed by Martin Pall, Professor Emeritus of Biochemistry and Basic Medical Sciences at Washington State University. Pall believes the symptoms are the result of a trigger (primarily chemical exposures) that results in the body getting locked into a cycle involving elevated levels of nitric oxide, increased free radical production (oxidative stress), chronic inflammation, and again, excessive sensitivity of the brain and central nervous system to "normal" stimuli (mediated by the NMDA receptor) (3).

What all current biomedical research points to is that excessive exposures to chemicals that exceed the the body's detoxification capacity, may result in the development of MCS in susceptible individuals. This is true whether the exposure is acute and obvious or is more insidious, occuring at a low-level over a prolonged period of time.

For some who develop MCS it is obvious what initially caused their illness. Acute exposure to such things as organophosphate/organochlorine pesticides, formaldehyde, or various powerful industrial solvents are obvious examples.

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Suffering with environmental illness is a huge struggle, not only in terms of dealing with the dibilitating symptoms themselves but also the lack of healthcare provision and the way we are regarding with suspicion by doctors and even our friends and family. Finding ourselves in this situation though does have its up side...it has a way of opening our minds to possibilities we may not otherwise have considered.

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Thought I would let you all know the ONE THING that has helped me with living with chronic fatigue that I learned from one of my customers/patients.  I own a small medical company that services assisted livings and nursing homes in Portland,  Oregon.  Her name is "T" and she died of terminal cancer a few years back.  I asked her one day how did she get through the day knowing she had a terrible illness.  Her response was I look forward to watching Seinfeld re- runs every night.  There are days where I have severe fatigue and that One Thing that I focus on is getting home after work and walking my black lab.  I know it sounds cheesy, but thought I would throw that out for people struggling with this illness.  Pick One Thing everyday that you enjoy and can look forward to.

Scott

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In 1991 I was diagnosed with Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (M.E.) following a two day stay in hospital for a battery of tests. The diagnosis of M.E. was given by my GP and hospital specialists. It's funny then that the latest guidelines to doctors from the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) here in the UK blatantly dismisses the very existence of this illness - referring to M.E. as a "colloquial" term. Rather odd when this is a true medical name which had been in use for decades, in contrast to 'chronic fatigue syndrome' or 'CFS' - the all encompassing term with which anyone suffering from a single symptom of mild chronic fatigue to what we used to know as severe M.E. is now branded.

Unlike those who pull the strings at the RCGP, and despite my 20 years of illness, I can be objective and like to give credit where credit is due. I have been pleased to note during this period that my GPs have become much more supportive. After my initial diagnosis aged 12 I was given no and told nothing could be done and both myself and my parents were made to feel like we were in the wrong - I apparently was a young hypochondriac with a dislike for school - and my parents were, well, bad parents for raising such a child (both polar opposites of the truth!). Nowadays however, I have a GP who not only is understanding and empathetic - believing ME/CFS patients are suffering the same ignorance as those with multiple sclerosis (MS) once did before its pathophysiology was elucidated - but also willing to entertain my requests for testing and biomedical interventions. I am hugely appreciative of this even though official guidelines and restrictions mean it is most often impossible to fulfill these requests. It is just nice to have a doctor working with me rather than against me!

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Tom Insel, Director of the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) is quoted in his recent blog entry titled 'Autism Spring' as saying about autism "The answers — and there will be answers — will no doubt merge genetic risk and environmental exposure to help us reach the far side of the complexity of ASD". Whilst to many this sentence has made sense for many years, it is indeed a 'game-changer' when the Head of the one of National Institutes of Health makes such a bold statement. One might even suggest that his words define a new era in autism research where genetics share the throne with environment rather than environment somehow being seen as the distant cousin.

What might lead Dr Insel to make such bold claims? Could it be that 2011 might just be the year when the worm turns. Indeed, 2011 has witnessed several interesting findings in relation to research into autism spectrum conditions, some of which I will include here.

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Considering the fact that most people spend at least half their day confined inside their homes, it is very important to have an allergen-free environment. Allergens are unhealthy for everyone and can be particularly harsh on those suffering from respiratory ailments like asthma or emphysema. Microscopic airborne contaminants not only make it harder to breathe, they also can cause coughs, sore throats, nasal problems and watery eyes. Chances are very good that if you always feel weak and tired, allergens in your home are at least partly responsible.

Homeowners can employ a number of different allergen control strategies that can help keep the air that you breathe as clean as possible. There is no such thing as 100% pure air in any house, but the following steps can certainly make a big improvement in the overall quality of the air you breathe every day.

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The other day I was contacted by new EiR member Emfsafety100 about the potential dangers the electromagnetic fields (EMFs) from our modern technology, such as power lines, wireless internet and cell/mobile phones, pose to human health and also to wildlife.

Emfsafety100 reported coming across the global non-profit organisation Avaaz, who have a simple democratic mission: “to close the gap between the world we have and the world most people everywhere want”. If you aren’t familiar with this organization, their campaigns typically address environmental issues, corruption and human rights.

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