EiR Blog

 As someone who has suffered from chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), multiple chemical sensitivity (MCS), irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), adrenal fatigue (AF) and a host of related concerns for almost 19 years now, since the age of 12, I am acutely aware of the need to pace myself. I know I should not take on too much at once and allow myself time to relax and recuperate, at least to some small degree, yet after all these years I still find this extremely difficult. ME/CFS patients have often been reported to be disproportionately Type A personalities as a group. This study refers to the "action-proneness" of patients i.e. our need to always be on the go and engaged in activity of some kind, whether physical or mental. I can certainly relate to that. Here I am so many years after becoming ill and I am singlehandedly running this website (which is...

A study conducted at the Mayo Clinic and published this week in the January issue of The American Journal of Gastroenterology has found that the popular antidepressant herbal supplement St. John's wort is unhelpful for those suffering from irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). In a press release the lead researcher on the study, Yuri Saito, M.D., M.P.H., said that "Several of the chemical neurotransmitters that are in the brain are also in the colon. Therefore, it's been thought that antidepressants may affect sensation in the colon in a similar way to how they affect sensation in the brain. Our goal was to evaluate the usefulness of St John's wort in treating IBS." In discussing the outcome of the study Saito said "Because people tend to struggle with IBS for several years, patients are really looking for inexpensive, over-the-counter treatments such as St. John's wort. Unfortunately, our study showed that St. John's...

 Once upon a time Facebook was the domain of students who used the social networking site to keep track of friends and share their academic and non-academic exploits. However, since Facebook opened its cyber-doors to the the online community at large it has grown into much more and believe it or not it now has much to offer people who are struggling with what we call 'environmental illnesses' on this site, but may also be termed 'unexplained chronic illnesses' or 'invisible illnesses'. We're talking chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), fibromyalgia, multiple chemical sensitivity (MCS), irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and others. On Facebook you will now find a multitude of interactive pages and groups devoted to these illnesses that both provide information and act as support and advocacy groups. Since many suffering from these illnesses are housebound these are ideal as an alternative to support groups in the real world where you might...

I was delighted to learn this week of funding for research into the link between chronic fatigue syndrome, disturbed gut flora and leaky gut syndrome.   The CFIDS association of America launched their 'Accelerate CFS Research Initiative' - the largest chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) research initiative to date. After a sustained year long fundraising campaign the association allocated over $600,000 of an estimated $1 million kitty to six research groups in the US and Canada. This is fantastic news for anyone suffering from this life altering illness and their families. ME/CFS has for too long been shunned by both medical researchers and sources of funding including governments, charitable bodies, and pharmaceutical/biotech firms. This despite the fact that ME/CFS is estimated to affect around 2% of the population in countries including the US, Canada and UK. People including myself who have been affected by this highly debilitating illness suffer greatly and are provided...

As I suffer from IBS and gut dysbiosis that give me quite a few troublesome gastrointestinal symptoms a close relative recently recommended I try a supplement containing an extract from the plaintain banana plant. Plaintains are large bananas found in the tropics which have to be cooked before being eating.  I have to admit I had never even heard of this supplement but my relative has had quite severe digestive upsets for most of her life and now swears by it, saying it's the most effective treatment she's ever found. So, before trying it for myself I thought I'd use this week's blog to explore this banana plant extract and the rationale for its use in digestive disorders. The extract is made from the non-fruiting stem of the plaintain banana plant and if you look at medical studies it might be referred to by its botanical name, Musa paradisiaca, or as dried...