Information compiled by Dr. Ellen Goudsmit.Not to be reproduced without permission.NOTICE BOARD |
|
Candida
update |
|
Magnesium
update For British patients It's not just American specialists who regard magnesium glycinate as the oral Mg supplement of choice. I've also found a British expert who advocates this formulation. Available from practitioners only. Incidentally, several companies are currently working on a Mg solution, which may be better still. Watch this space! |
|
St.
John's Wort: not without side-effects. While acknowledging the benefits of the herb St. John's Wort, a leader in the Lancet (1999, 354, 2014-16) has challenged claims that it's relatively risk free and virtually without side-effects. St. John's Wort (hypericum) works like other anti-depressants which reduce the reuptake of serotonin. In a sense, it's a herbal version of a class of drugs known as SSRIs, the most famous of which is Prozac. The leader makes two important points. Firstly, reports from various sources have indicated that it may interact with and reduce the effectiveness of other medications (including the pill). Secondly, taking it at the same time as prescribed antidepressants may lead to an excess of serotonin, causing tremors, headaches, myalgia, restlessness, and gastrointestinal upsets ('serotonin syndrome'). In the past, these side-effects may have been underreported or the practitioners simply avoided prescribing other medications at the same time. The leader, written by a respected expert Prof. Ernst, suggests that patients taking St. John's Wort, should inform their doctor. However, if a (complementary) practitioner recommends a course, please don't use the warnings as an excuse not to try it. Just be aware of the possibility of side-effects, especially if you're taking other drugs. I haven't seen any reports indicating that the herb causes serious harm, but the message is that it's not risk free. |
|
Allergies
versus adverse reactions. Many people with ME have been told that nausea and other symptoms which occurs after a meal may be due to food intolerances or even an allergy. However, that's not always the case. Eating is a physical activity and the body may be responding to that in the same way it responds to other forms of exertion. If you think you may have developed a sensitivity to a certain food, test it earlier in the day, when the body has more energy to spare. Or try preparing the food differently. For instance, meat may be better tolerated if it is grilled or poached rather than fried, and you may be able to eat white bread when you have difficulties with brown. In short, adverse reactions may not always represent an allergy or intolerance. (Source: various practitioners). |
|
Tips
for eating when in relapse Avoid
or if you can't, limit your intake of red meat, fried foods, fatty
foods and white sugar. Eat little and often as opposed to three main
meals. Reduce coffee
and other stimulants. (You probably need less stimulation, rather
than more, so why not try a cup of relaxing camomile tea instead of
your normal brew.) By the way, coffee can make you feel jittery
about two-three hours after drinking. If you're a coffee drinker and
you suffer from anxiety attacks for no apparent reason, then leave
it out for three days and see if that makes a difference. Chocolate
is another stimulant which may be contributing to your problems so
restrict yourself to minimal amounts of a good quality (e.g. 70%
solids) product. (Source: various practitioners). |
|
Expert
dismissed value of live yoghurt Regular
listeners to Michael van Straaten's programme on LBC radio may have
heard Dr. John Hunter from Cambridge University dismissing the
claims about live yoghurts. This well-respected gastroenterologist
believes that the body reacts to probiotics in yoghurt in exactly
the same way it responds to other foreign invaders. He said that the
immune system simply rejects them. Apparently, the only useful bugs
are those inherited from your mother. However, does this mean that
all probiotics are useless? Well,
not according to a review in the Western Journal of Medicine (1999,
171, 187-191, reprinted from the BMJ). In this highly readable
paper, Macfarlane (from the University of Dundee) and Cummings (from
the MRC Dunn clinical Nutrition Centre in Cambridge) looked at some
of the benefits of probiotics and prebiotics (e.g.
fructo-oligosaccharides). They described research showing not only
that certain probiotics ARE useful, but that a few have a positive
effect on immune functioning. For instance, bifidobacteria induce
the formation of large amounts of IgA (which helps fight cold and
flu viruses). L
acidophilus and B bifidum given in capsule form to elderly people
led to appreciable
changes in their inflammatory and immunological responses.
Personally,
I have not seen any evidence that live yoghurts are particularly
effective in CFS. Moreover,
if you're suffering from a 'leaky gut', then it may be worth trying
to sort that problem out before you start taking prebiotics or
probiotics (source: Prof. Cheney).
That's why I recommend that patients seek the advice of a
qualified specialist in ME, CFS and environmental medicine.
Experimenting with probiotics etc may not do you harm, but it's
better to do the relevant tests and see what you need, rather than
guess! |
|
Natural
progesterone and bones Suggestions that natural progesterone cream may be as effective as HRT in preventing osteoporosis have been put to the test by researchers in the States. 102 healthy post-menopausal women were given a daily dose of either Progest (progesterone cream) or a placebo. Results after a year showed that there was a small reduction in bone mineral density in both groups of women but a significant improvement in hot flushes and sweats in the women using the active cream. Dr. Gill Pearson is doing a similar study in the UK with a grant from the National Osteoporosis Society. Until the results from that research is known, the evidence indicates that women should not rely on progesterone cream to prevent osteoporosis. (Source: Osteoporosis News). |