469 CFS – the Cover-Up [30 April 2018]

Last week I explained how Dr. Judy Mikovits discovered a likely viral cause for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS), and I hinted at a cover-up. What happened and why?

Shortly after the publication of her 2009 Science paper, Dr. Mikovits turned her attention to autism. She became curious about a possible connection between CFS and autism when her preliminary data found a higher than expected number of children with autism among CFS patients and families. She speculated (publicly) that if children were asymptomatic carriers of the XMRV virus, a vaccination could trigger the sudden development of the disease. Retroviruses like to hide in the B and T lymphocytes, the very cells that vaccinations are designed to stimulate. This effect is well known for the HIV virus – babies born to HIV positive mothers must be treated with anti-viral drugs before their first vaccination.

In September 2011 Mikovits was suddenly fired from her position as Research Director at Whittemore Peterson Institute. A few weeks later she was arrested and her home searched (without a warrant), accused of stealing her research notebooks (which she was required by federal law to maintain and protect). She was held for five days in jail without bail or a formal charge ever being laid.

The Science study was retracted in September 2011 and an editorial was published discrediting her work (which included the police mugshot from her arrest). The CDC quickly initiated a follow-up study to confirm her findings. Mikovits protested that it was deliberately designed – in choice of subjects, handling of blood samples, and in the narrow control standard – to avoid finding a retrovirus in CFS patients. The best way to test for contamination would be to retest the same patients using her meticulous methodology, but this was not done. She was disappointed but not surprised when the studies found no correlation and concluded (erroneously she believes) that her previous study samples were contaminated. Another study had already confirmed her findings but it too was discredited and later retracted.

This raises the question: why would research institutions not want to find a viral cause of CFS? Possibly fear of public panic or class action lawsuits. But I suspect the reason is that it offers a plausible explanation for the connection between vaccinations and autism. What happened to Dr. Mikovits was, in her own words, “… a clear message to anyone in research who dared stand by data that revealed an inconvenient truth about corruption in public health.”

Sources

Book: Plague – One Scientist’s Intrepid Search for the Truth about Human Retroviruses and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS), Autism, and Other Diseases. Kent Heckenlively and Judy Mikovits, 2014

Hillary Johnson, Discover magazine March 2013 Chasing the Shadow Virus

For more information on this or other natural health topics, stop in and talk to Stan; for medical advice consult your licensed health practitioner.

468 A Viral Cause for CFS? [23 Apr 2018]

Last week I described chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) and wrote that officially there is no known cause or cure. But is that true?

In their 2014 book Plague – One Scientist’s Intrepid Search for the Truth about Human Retroviruses and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS), Autism, and Other Diseases, Kent Heckenlively and Judy Mikovits tell the story of the discovery and cover-up of a possible cause (and cure) for chronic fatigue syndrome.

In 2006 Judy Mikovits, a virus research scientist with 30 years’ experience in studying HIV/AIDS, accepted a position in Nevada to study chronic fatigue syndrome. She immediately noticed several similarities between CFS and AIDS and began to suspect a viral cause. In both diseases an impaired immune system allows a wide variety of “opportunistic” infections; both have a high incidence of normally rare cancers; and both show abnormal brain scans and have similar biomarkers such as high cytokine production. Mikovits discovered a retrovirus infection in 67% of CFS sufferers and in 4% of healthy controls. She published her findings in 2009 in the prestigious journal Science.

This particular virus, called XMRV, is a mouse retrovirus, meaning that it originated in mice but had mutated and could now infect humans. XMRV had been associated with prostate cancer since 2006 (but has since been dismissed as a causative factor). The first CFS outbreak in the USA occurred in 1934-5 among the doctors and staff of the Los Angeles County Hospital after receiving a polio vaccine grown on mouse tissue. In the late 1970’s and early ’80’s pockets of CFS began showing up in cities across the country and then around the world. Today an estimated 20 million people world-wide suffer from the condition.

Patients and their families were hopeful that this discovery would lead to a cure or at least a more effective treatment. Alas this was not to be. For various reasons (to be covered next week) the medical research community turned on Mikovits, discredited her and her research, and reverted to the “no known cause” for CFS. The situation has not changed since, leaving at least one more generation of CFS patients to suffer needlessly.

For more information on this or other natural health topics, stop in and talk to Stan; for medical advice consult your licensed health practitioner.

467 Chronic Fatigue Syndrome [16 Apr 2018]

Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), or myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME), is a complex disorder involving extreme fatigue. There is no definitive test for CFS – it is diagnosed by eliminating all other possible causes.

CFS can be very debilitating. One researcher compared it to end stage AIDS or advanced cancer, except that the victims can survive for years or even decades. Because they don’t die as quickly as in AIDS or cancer (and they have no energy to promote their cause), CFS research has not received the same attention. The majority of victims are female which may contribute to the dismissal of CFS by many government health organizations as psychological (“all in your head”).

The main symptoms and signs of CFS include:
• Extreme fatigue which does not improve with rest
• Even mild exercise worsens fatigue for more than 24 hours
• Brain fog – loss of memory and/or concentration
• Poor sleep quality
• Muscle and joint pain; headaches

Some characteristics of CFS that suggest an infectious not psychological cause:
• It appeared suddenly in the late 1970s, previously unrecorded
• Appears in clusters at different locations and times
• Sore throat and enlarged lymph nodes
• Opportunistic infections indicating an impaired immune system
• Much higher than normal incidence of certain rare cancers
• Abnormal brain scans resembling AIDS related dementia

CFS is much more widespread than one would expect given its low priority for research. Hillary Johnson writes “ME is now the most common chronic disease most people have never heard of until they acquire it.” CFS affects an estimated 20 million world-wide with more than 2 million in the USA (more than breast and lung cancer, AIDS, and MS combined).

The cause of CFS is officially “unknown”; a combination of factors is suspected possibly including genetic, viral/microbial, social and psychological. There is no known cure; treatment focuses on symptom relief.

Next week: XMRV – the cause of CFS?

Sources:
Mayo Clinic website
Health Canada website
book Plague – One Scientist’s Intrepid Search for the Truth about Human Retroviruses and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS), Autism, and Other Diseases. Kent Heckenlively and Judy Mikovits, 2014

For more information on this or other natural health topics, stop in and talk to Stan; for medical advice consult your licensed health practitioner.

466 Live Longer with K2 [9 Apr 2018]

In the heart health protocol discussed in #464 last month, an important nutrient was left out – vitamin K2.

I previously described the importance of K2 for moving calcium into the bone instead of our arteries and joints, thus preventing both osteoporosis and arterial calcification. Everyone taking a calcium supplement should be taking vitamin K2 and vitamin D (better calcium supplements have both included in the formula). But recent research is finding that vitamin K does more – it also reduces our risk of diabetes and certain cancers, helping us to live longer.

A 2014 study published in J Nutr of over 7,000 adults over 4-5 years concluded “An increase in dietary intake of vitamin K is associated with a reduced risk of cardiovascular [57%], cancer [28%], or all-cause [26%] mortality in a Mediterranean population at high cardiovascular disease risk.”

Both vitamins K1 and K2 have been found to reduce the risk of diabetes. The K2 dependent protein osteocalcin, which moves calcium into the bones, also increases insulin sensitivity. One study found that K2 reduced the risk of type 2 diabetes by7% for each 10 mcg increased intake.

Recent research has found vitamin K2 strongly protects against liver, prostate and colon cancer. Vitamin K2 induces cancer cell death in several ways and suppresses tumor growth. In a 2006 study of liver cancer patients, 45 mcg daily of vitamin K2 after 3 years reduced the recurrence rate from 91% to 64% and increased the survival rate from 64% to 87%, compared to the control group.

Back in June 2015 [#323] I showed that taking statin drugs for lowering cholesterol also inhibits the synthesis of vitamin K2. I just learned that some anticoagulant drugs such as Coumadin (Warfarin) also inhibit the action of K2, resulting in increased calcification of arteries. Adding a low dose of K2 to the program – under your doctor’s supervision – may reduce this side effect while maintaining the anticoagulant effect. Your doctor will need to adjust the dosage of the drug to compensate.

Vitamin K2 will not only keep your bones strong and your arteries clean but will protect you from diabetes and cancer, helping you live a longer healthier life.

For more information on this or other natural health topics, stop in and talk to Stan; for medical advice consult your licensed health practitioner.

465 Black Seed Oil [2 April 2018]

Black Seed is a desert plant Nigella sativa, related to cumin (essential for tasty chili!). It has a long tradition of medicinal use in Egypt and India. Muhammad said of black seed that “it cures all diseases except death itself”. While that may be a bit of an exaggeration, black seed has been shown to benefit our health in many ways.

Of the many beneficial compounds found in black seed, thymoquinone (TQ) is probably the most important. TQ:
• Acts as a bronchodilator which provides relief for many lung conditions including asthma, COPD and emphysema;
• Relaxes smooth muscle lowering high blood pressure and relieving arterial spasms;
• Relieves spasms of the digestive tract from the esophagus to the colon;
• Protects the brain and heart from oxidative damage (our two most valuable organs!);
• Improves mitochondrial function in the muscle cells of the heart and in the brain;
• Supports liver, gallbladder and kidney function by preserving intracellular glutathione;
• Improves the outcome and reduces toxicity of chemotherapy in cancer treatment.

A related compound found in black seed is thymohydroquinone (THQ). THQ increases the time that the neurotransmitter acetylcholine remains active in the brain (drugs designed for this function are used in the treatment of neurodegenerative conditions including autism, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s).

A third compound, Thymol (also found in thyme and oregano), has strong anti-viral properties. It is commonly used in treating tuberculosis.

TQ, THQ, and thymol, along with other beneficial compounds in black seed:
• show promise in fighting antibiotic-resistant pathogens including MRSA;
• improve glucose levels in Type 2 Diabetes as well as Metformin but with low toxicity;
• reverse hair loss by strengthening hair roots;
• improve skin conditions such as eczema with black seed cream.

Natural health advocate Cass Ingram, author of The Black Seed Miracle, recommends starting black seed while you are still healthy to prevent illness. With daily use (it’s a food after all!), black seed will support the health of your brain, heart, blood vessels, lungs, liver, kidneys, digestive system, immune system, and more. It is available in liquid oil and capsules.

Sources and links to more information:
Cass Ingram, interview with Dr. Ward Bond
Dr Josh Axe Black Seed Oil Benefits
GreenMedInfo.com The Remedy for Everything but Death
Dr Joseph Mercola Black Cumin Seed Benefits
Self-Hacked Top 28 Scientific Benefits of Nigella sativa

For more information on this or other natural health topics, stop in and talk to Stan; for medical advice consult your licensed health practitioner.