The Born Free Protocol
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- joshua leisk
Peter T
Senior Member (Voting Rights)
If six percent of people with ME/CFS do recover, what percentage of them go on to develop a marketable treatment package which becomes a major source of income?
Given the enormous range of backgrounds of these evangelical recoverees, and the equally large variation in their ‘treatment’ protocols, are the only commonalities between them are that they had sufficient activity levels to invest in their preferred approach and they experience recovery? So we can conclude that no specific approach is necessary to develop a marketable treatment, but that recovery is a sufficient and necessary precursor?
Sellers of these packages urge us to look at recovery stories, but is the only reasonable conclusion of such variety that the only thing they all have in common is recovery? Then surely the only reasonable conclusion is not that package x or package y or package z causes recovery, but that recovery enables individuals to develop their chosen package.
Given the enormous range of backgrounds of these evangelical recoverees, and the equally large variation in their ‘treatment’ protocols, are the only commonalities between them are that they had sufficient activity levels to invest in their preferred approach and they experience recovery? So we can conclude that no specific approach is necessary to develop a marketable treatment, but that recovery is a sufficient and necessary precursor?
Sellers of these packages urge us to look at recovery stories, but is the only reasonable conclusion of such variety that the only thing they all have in common is recovery? Then surely the only reasonable conclusion is not that package x or package y or package z causes recovery, but that recovery enables individuals to develop their chosen package.
Jonathan Edwards
Senior Member (Voting Rights)
So the recovery causes the treatment, not the treatment causes the recovery.
Sasha
Senior Member (Voting Rights)
Personal experience is a powerful thing. People don't think in statistical terms. (That's what we're here for.)
Peter T
Senior Member (Voting Rights)
If someone is experiencing an ongoing steady recovery, but early on in that starts an ‘intervention’, then as they continue to improve they are more able to double down on the intervention. So their commitment to the intervention is associated with further improvement, so it is understandable that cause and effect become confused.
Yann04
Senior Member (Voting Rights)
Good detective work. I wonder what’s best way to use this information.
InitialConditions
Senior Member (Voting Rights)
This should come as a suprise to no one.
I was googling this protocol and came upon this thread. I saw Whitney Dafoe released a new video this week where he's had major improvement in his condition (considering the starting point at least) and is talking again which is incredible. He mentions in the post that he thinks his improvement could be down to this protocol so could there be something in it somewhere?
Utsikt
Senior Member (Voting Rights)
Hi and welcome!
ME/CFS often fluctuates naturally, like most diseases do. I know a person that was about as sick as Whitney, improved to better than mild and got back down to the same level again. That’s an extreme example, but it illustrates that changes in severity doesn’t have to be cause by something you did.
Even so, people have a tendency to attribute improvements or deterioration to whatever they did at the time, because we seek explanations. And it’s nice to think that we have some kind of control over this horrible disease.
Unless they are able to present robust data, there is little reason to believe that they’ve found the needle in the haystack. We’ve seem countless examples of protocols before that have failed (and eventually gone out of fashion), and we will continue to see more of them until we finally get a better understanding of what’s going on.
Keep in mind that Whitney has been constantly trying something for many many years. So you’re bound to have something line up with natural improvements, and therefore look like it was the cause of the improvement.
rvallee
Senior Member (Voting Rights)
- Gets flu
- Days pass
- Puts potato in socks at night to treat ongoing flu-that-won't-go-away
- More days pass
- No longer has flu
- Sock potato works!
InitialConditions
Senior Member (Voting Rights)
Not to mention that Whitney has been slowly improving for years. The first improvement was attributed to Ativan and/or Abilify if I recall correctly.
Yann04
Senior Member (Voting Rights)
I don’t think whitney is that comparable he’s still (very?) severe. And while he shouldn’t be promoting quackery like this, especially with the reach he has. It’s not like he’s particularly worse than the average pwME who believes in similar supplement treatments and the like.
I obviously think he shouldn’t be promoting what he’s promoting. But I wouldn’t go as far as comparing him to Paul Garner.
MrMagoo
Senior Member (Voting Rights)
The point being for every person who claims they found the cure, these are some of the most famous/recent ones
Yann04
Senior Member (Voting Rights)
I agree in a sense but I don’t think whitney is claiming cure more just “this helped”?
Anyways it’s not a particularly important thing to clarify.
I agree that survivorship bias and reach means people who improve get way more attention to like spread whatever magical placebo they tried.
ME/CFS Science Blog
Senior Member (Voting Rights)
ChronicallyOverIt
Senior Member (Voting Rights)
List of what this protocol “treats” absolutely wild(pulled from the website borne free today):
Really got every base covered don’t we!
Really got every base covered don’t we!
| Myalgic Encephalomyelitis / Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) | Long COVID, Post-Vaccine Syndrome | Viral / Post-Viral Chronic Fatigue |
| Post-Exertional Malaise (PEM) | “Floxed” | Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS) |
| Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome (CIRS) | Breathlessness | Hypoxia |
| Acidosis / Alkalosis / pH Dysregulation | Dysregulated Cortisol | Dyslipidemia |
| Post Finasteride Syndrome (PFS) | Post SSRI Sexual Dysfunction (PSSD) | Post Accutane Syndrome |
| Small Fibre Peripheral Neuropathy (SFPN) | Mast Cell Activation Syndrome (MCAS) | Diamine Oxidase (DAO) Deficiency |
| Stiff Person Syndrome | Gut Fermentation Syndrome | Glycogen Storage Disease (functional) |
| Histamine intolerance | Brain Fog | Sleep disorders |
| Anxiety | Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS) | Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) |
| Fibromyalgia | Dysautonomia | Frequent Urination |
| GI Disorders | “Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth” (SIBO) | Vitamin B6 Toxicity |
| Vitamin A Toxicity | Candidiasis | Aspergillosis |
| Ehlers Danlos Syndrome (EDS) | Joint Pain | Connective Tissue Disorders |
| Macular Degeneration | Multiple Sclerosis (MS) | Parkinson's Disease (PD) |
| Tinnitus | Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) | Erectile Dysfunction |
| Elevated Cholesterols / Fasting Glucose / D-Dimer | Hashimotos | Alopecia |
| Major and other types of Depression | Cataracts | Migraines |
Yann04
Senior Member (Voting Rights)
I think just on the basis of including both
“autism” and “GI disorders” (all of them!?) you can tell its absolute BS ahah.
If it even worked 1/10th of his claims he would be nobel prize winner.