ME/CFS Treatments & Blog Updates

It probably seems like I haven't been posting much here on the blog lately, but I have been working hard behind the scenes to update older posts - mostly those about treatments for ME/CFS, since they are the most popular - and to make it easier to find what you need when you visit the blog. Here's a quick recap.

I added two new pages to the blog - those are the tabs that run across the top of the page, just below the title and description of the blog, and are always there, no matter what posts you navigate to (there are also pages for TV and Movie Reviews, for fun!).

• Our Story - a brief essay describing our own story, how first I got ME/CFS and then my two sons also got it two years later, and our challenges and progress through to today, with links to more information where appropriate.
• ME/CFS Treatments - this is mostly a reprinting (with some updates) of one of my most popular posts. It provides an overview of ALL the treatments that have most helped my sons and I over the past 15 years, with links to more detailed blog posts within each topic. You can use this page as a roadmap for your own treatment, using the tips there and making sure you are treating all aspects of ME/CFS. Thanks to these treatments, my oldest son and I now live active, almost-normal lives again (my younger son recovered fully from ME/CFS after 10 years of mild illness).

I have also spent a lot of time updating older treatment posts, again focusing on those that have been most popular over the years. I started this blog in 2006, so a lot has changed in that time! Sometimes I rewrote the post to update the information or explain it better and sometimes - if the post was still accurate - I added an addendum to the end with any new developments and an update on our own use of that treatment. Here are some of the posts I have updated:

• Orthostatic Intolerance and ME/CFS - OI is an integral part of ME/CFS and all patients have some form of it - this post explains what it is and how to diagnose and treat it. It is very treatable and often dramatically improves all ME/CFS symptoms!
• Heart Rate and Post-Exertional Crashes in ME/CFS - a topic closely related to OI, this post explains how you can track your heart rate and use that information to avoid post-exertional crashes.
• The Methylation Cycle: Central to ME/CFS - an essential topic for all those with ME/CFS, about how to improve methylation, a process related to energy production, brain function, hormone production, and ability to detox that is dysfunctional in those with ME/CFS. Lots of ideas here on improving methylation, and many of them you can try on your own.
• Vitamin B12 and ME/CFS - this topic is a part of improving methylation but is complex enough that it needed a separate post! I explain why we all need B12 supplementation and the various options available.
• Treating CFS Sleep Dysfunction - one of my oldest treatment posts, and one of the critical steps to treat first. This is about how to actually correct the sleep dysfunction at its root so that your sleep is normal, natural, and refreshing every night, not about using sedatives to mask the problem.
• Immune System Abnormalities in ME/CFS - not updated recently (because the information is still up-to-date), but an essential one to read first so you will understand the following treatments for immune system dysfunction, which are absolutely critical to improving with ME/CFS since it is at the heart of the disease.
• Low-Dose Naltrexone Update and Dosing - one of several simple, inexpensive treatments available to help normalize your immune system.
• Imunovir Update and Inosine - another cheap immune system modulator that has greatly improved everything for us - inosine is sold as a supplement, so you can even try this on your own.
• Increasing Glutathione in ME/CFS and Related Illnesses - another thing that helps to normalize the immune system, but it is also essential for energy production, detox, and more. It's a naturally occurring compound in our bodies, but people with ME/CFS just don't make enough of it. Post includes lots of options for increasing glutathione and was just updated this week with news of a new nasal spray!
• Treating Yeast Overgrowth/Candida - a common problem in ME/CFS patients because of our immune dysfunction, this can make you feel terrible though you may be completely unaware that you have it! Lots and lots of options for treating.

Those are just the posts that I have updated most recently. For a full overview of all the treatments that have helped us and how they fit into the bigger picture, visit that new tab, ME/CFS Treatments.

Thanks for your patience as I try to keep everything up-to-date here and make it easier to use. It's been 12 years and 1269 blog posts, so that's a lot to keep up with!