Top Ten Blog Posts of 2021

It still seems weird that it's 2022 now, doesn't it?  Sounds like science fiction! Plus I've had COVID for the past three weeks (caught from my father-in-law's nursing home, in spite of all my precautions), so this has not been a typical January for me! I still need to take a look back at my own personal health year, but in the meantime, I thought I'd share the most popular posts on my blog for the past year.

As is pretty typical here on the blog (which I started in 2006), 6 of the Top 10 posts last year were ME/CFS treatment posts. There is just so little information out in the world--and especially in the medical community--about how to effectively treat our disease that anytime I share our treatment successes, there is a lot of interest from patients and caregivers. It's also no surprise that 3 of the Top 10 posts last year were about COVID vaccines and ME/CFS, which is still a hot topic. And the 10th post is just a head-scratcher!

Here are the Top 10 Posts from the blog in 2021, in order from most popular:

1. Heart Rate and Post-Exertional Crashes in ME/CFS - over the past few years, I've seen this topic attract more and more interest from patients, as different kinds of heart rate monitors have become more common. Monitoring heart rate is a great way to quantify your limits, know when you're doing too much, and help to prevent post-exertional crashes. The post includes how and why it works, how to estimate your own limits, and tips on finding the right heart monitor.
2. Opinions and Editorials on the New Name and Criteria - this one is the head-scratcher! It's a post from 2015 that is really not very relevant anymore, yet it continues to attract a lot of visitors. There must be a link to it somewhere that keeps bringing readers to it, though the new name never caught on.
3. Orthostatic Intolerance (OI) and ME/CFS - This post is from 2010, but I still constantly share it with people. OI (POTS is one type) is an integral part of ME/CFS and often a part of fibro, EDS, MS, Lyme, and other diseases. The good news is that treating OI often improves all symptoms and allows you to be more active without crashing, so this post deserves its spot in the Top 3! It's one of several treatments that have quite literally been life-changing for my sons and I.
4. Prep for ME/CFS Patients Getting a COVID Vaccine - This post was actually #3 in a 3-part series (the other two are below and linked at the start of this post), so you might want to read them in order. In this post, I review different kinds of treatments that can help to improve your immune system and reduce the chances of an adverse reaction from any vaccine, including advice from the experts. Note that the treatments in this post will help to improve your overall condition, whether you're preparing for a vaccine or not!
5. ME/CFS and the COVID-19 Vaccines - This was the first post in the 3-part vaccine series, describing the specific kinds of immune dysfunction common in ME/CFS, how vaccines work, and our past experience with other vaccines.
6. Increasing Glutathione in ME/CFS and Related Illnesses - Glutathione is a naturally occurring antioxidant in the human body that people with ME/CFS (and many related illnesses) just don't make enough of. Increasing your glutathione will help with energy, detox, and most importantly, improving immune function. There are many ways to increase glutathione (some that you can try on your own cheaply and without a prescription). Increasing glutathione has greatly improved immune function in my son and I, taking us both from 4-5 bouts of bronchitis a year to maybe once every two years, plus improving our daily ability to function.
   
7. Imunovir and Inosine for Treating ME/CFS - Inosine is another treatment that helps to normalize the immune system and has had a huge positive impact on my son and I, providing massive improvements in all symptoms, our quality of life, and allowing us to be more active without crashing. And in most places, it is available as a supplement, without a prescription, and is cheap!
8. Treating ME/CFS Sleep Dysfunction - This was one of my first treatment posts, and it's still one of the most important! My own primary care doctor, after first diagnosing me with ME/CFS, said, "The first thing we need to do is fix your sleep--that will make everything better!" (Yes, I am very lucky to have found this doctor.) She was right! Correcting sleep dysfunction and getting good quality sleep every night improves all symptoms, in a domino effect (better sleep improves endocrine function, immune function, etc.). By the way, this post is about actually correcting sleep dysfunction and restoring normal, natural sleep, not knocking yourself out with sedatives.
9. COVID Vaccine Experience of ME/CFS Patients - This was the 2nd post in that 3-part series on COVID vaccines, covering patient experience to date, including where you can go to read about others' experiences.
10. The Methylation Cycle: Central to ME/CFS - Another area of treatment that can yield great improvements. Almost everyone with ME/CFS (and many related illnesses) has dysfunctional methylation, and improving it can improve all symptoms and also allow you to try other treatments. If you can't tolerate even small doses of medications and supplements, this is why! Start with methylation--many of the treatments for it are readily available and inexpensive.

That's it! The Top Ten posts from this blog in 2021--and, coincidentally, an excellent outline of simple, inexpensive treatnents that can greatly improve your condition.