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Article: Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Viruses, and the Innate Immune System

Discussion in 'ME/CFS research news' started by John Mac, Jun 22, 2020.

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  1. John Mac

    John Mac Senior Member (Voting Rights)

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    An article on Psychiatry Advisor by an MD Theodore Henderson.
    He seems convinced that viruses are to blame for CFS/ME but whether he's right or not seeing this published on a psychiatry website is good to see.

    https://www.psychiatryadvisor.com/h...yndrome-viruses-and-the-innate-immune-system/
     
    Dolphin, boolybooly, Hoopoe and 9 others like this.
  2. Jonathan Edwards

    Jonathan Edwards Senior Member (Voting Rights)

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    I am less enthusiastic. This looks like a site where doctors advertise for business. The biopsychosocial people are very happy to throw in a bit of bio to spice up the narrative. For my money what matters IS whether he is likely to be right or not and I doubt it.
     
  3. rvallee

    rvallee Senior Member (Voting Rights)

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    This feels like a paradigm shift is slowing growing. It's also happening on the tail end of a growing evidence base that pathogens may play a far larger role than previously known in all sorts of diseases, psychiatric and otherwise. The only clear thing is that far more research is needed and that medicine has no choice but to finally explore the "Here be dragons" part of the map.

    The article touches on many topics, including Prusty's recent paper on HHV-6, but the summary points in the general direction of a need to write a new chapter to the germ theory of disease, which may begin to look more like the germ theory of health, given that germs play both a positive role and a potentially harmful one in a finely tuned balanced that is constantly challenged by exposure to more pathogens.
    Thoughts this was interesting on the broader issue of a potential pathogenic cause to common psychiatric disorders:
    The elephant in the room is only getting larger with time. Turns out it may have been made of quintillions (give or take a few) of tiny germs all along.
     
    boolybooly, Simbindi, EzzieD and 10 others like this.
  4. Sean

    Sean Moderator Staff Member

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    :D
     
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  5. Kalliope

    Kalliope Senior Member (Voting Rights)

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    Webdog and Kitty like this.
  6. Mithriel

    Mithriel Senior Member (Voting Rights)

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    Infections were downgraded in society for years to the point where people complained about it being someone's fault if a relative became seriously ill with an infection.

    This attitude also became prevalent in medicine with teaching about infections making up far less of the curriculum.

    Now it is becoming apparent that infections actually are a big deal and we don't have the control over them we thought we did.
     
    boolybooly, EzzieD, Sean and 2 others like this.
  7. Hoopoe

    Hoopoe Senior Member (Voting Rights)

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    We don't know what the unknown soluble factor is. Prusty thinks it's a signal for cells to hunker down and protect themselves from viruses and maybe other things. That seems reasonable but there's not good evidence for that yet.

    I have to admit I'm fascinated by the explanation Henderson proposes.

    Maybe it will turn out to be right. I wish there was a greater effort to identify the unknown soluble factor. We could learn so much from knowing what it is.
     
    Last edited: Jul 9, 2020
    boolybooly and wigglethemouse like this.

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