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Chronic fatigue syndrome affects some, is ignored in those who have anything-at-all wrong, might be accepted with a shrug and a pat on the back for the otherwise healthy, and is otherwise unknown. Until now, no one has had anything to go on — but now, there's a way to show that seemingly healthy people are, in fact, affected by something. Well, it's a start.
Using a test to judge the stress of the immune system, researchers at Stanford have now identified those symptomatically diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome as having a condition that is not identified in a control group. While this is very little to go on, it is more than nothing to go on, and so could start a search for a treatment for an otherwise clueless grab at nothing. The simple fact that there is now a distinction is itself news, but also that the research uses a lab-on-a-chip to assess change in current of a sample of immune cells, giving them an indicator of the health (or stress) of the sample is an example of a technology that hasn't been considered until the last few years — and a hint at advances offered by even simple, routine advances of technology.
As a shameless plug, I consulted a trusted holistic health friend (note: whole-health/holistic, not homeopathic/pretend) about CFS, and she mentioned that she feels it's a general toxicity problem. The immune system does play a role in clearing various toxins from the body, so perhaps another clue for researchers to pursue. (Tip: up until 1990, lead-based solder was used in household plumbing. How much that matters, perhaps not a whole lot.)
(Score: 2) by DeathMonkey on Tuesday May 07 2019, @05:44PM (5 children)
Chelation is pretty rare these days and only used for very severe metals poisoning.
OSHA talks about it in their lead standard. [osha.gov]
(Score: 2) by JoeMerchant on Tuesday May 07 2019, @06:22PM (4 children)
Depends on your social circles... they messed up quite a few kids with it 15-20 years ago, but some bad ideas never seem to die.
🌻🌻 [google.com]
(Score: 2) by DeathMonkey on Tuesday May 07 2019, @06:39PM (3 children)
Whelp, I roll with the science-based occupational health and safety posse, then!
(Score: 2) by JoeMerchant on Tuesday May 07 2019, @08:04PM (2 children)
Boring! and also quite unhelpful for many conditions.
I have done science-based medical research for work. It's quite depressing how many safe and effective therapies for serious - even life threatening - conditions exist, are known, but will not be developed into clinically available treatments or be positively endorsed by doctors, even the doctors who developed them, due to the system we have in place.
Chelation is not among these safe nor effective treatments for the many conditions that are anecdotally attributed to long-term low-level heavy metal poisoning. But, from the perspective of the caregivers, they have essentially nothing to lose, so...
🌻🌻 [google.com]
(Score: 1) by Acabatag on Tuesday May 07 2019, @11:59PM (1 child)
Medical device companies always ask early in the idea phase "what is the reimbursement model."
I am certain drug companies ask that question as well.
(Score: 2) by JoeMerchant on Wednesday May 08 2019, @02:01AM
Even among researchers who don't ask about the reimbursement model, the people who fund their research do...
🌻🌻 [google.com]