Similarly, some people with ME/CFS may fear pain from triggering or exacerbating existing metabolic symptoms such as mast cell activation syndrome (MCAS), post-exertional malaise (PEM), inflammation, sleep deprivation, etc, leading them to increasingly avoid foods, supplements and people, along with physical and mental activities. This avoidance can result in severe deconditioning, increased isolation, and a greater severity of symptoms, perpetuating a closed-loop / cycle of fear and avoidance.
This figure will look strikingly familiar to anyone who’s read much BPS ME/CFS research.Repeated experiences of PEM, MCAS, etc., can result in a conditioned, phobic response to certain triggers. This means that the brain starts to associate specific activities - such as physical exertion or even mental tasks - with symptom exacerbation, leading to an increased fear response. The brain, in a state of chronic stress or "under siege", may misinterpret normal sensations as threats, reinforcing feelings of vulnerability and the development of phobic responses to a wide range of stimuli.

There is a section of 9 mantras. Utterly clueless:Understanding the powerful connection between the mind and body is crucial. Unregulated fear can perpetuate symptoms, so addressing these emotions is an essential part of recovery. Graded stressor exposure with interoceptive control to reduce salience-hypothalamus coupling to the cue. Expect the transient innate lymphoid cell signature to normalise as exposure succeeds. […] Gradually increasing exposure to normal activities and day-to-day life, along with appropriate pacing, can help desensitize the nervous system and break the fear-avoidance cycle.
8. "I am safe, even when I experience symptoms."
This mantra directly addresses the fear response, offering a powerful message of reassurance. It emphasizes the distinction between experiencing a sensation and being in actual danger. It is particularly helpful in breaking the cycle of fear and avoidance. By repeating this affirmation, people can begin to retrain their nervous systems to associate symptoms with safety rather than threat.
But this same guy endorses this (in his Twitter bio), which is also full of bogus stuff.
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“It’s often said that there’s no biomarker for ME/CFS, Long Covid, Post Vaccine Syndrome, PSSD, Lyme Disease, etc.
I strongly disagree. However, it helps to have the right data and tools to visualise it.
To help people explore the Born Free disease model and better understand the connections between the minerals deficiencies, metal toxicities and disease model processes, I've added 10 random example pairs of Oligoscan (corrected, skin minerals + toxic metals) + Theriome Aristotle Plus data (296 metabolites) to the Metabolic Pathway Overlay tool.
bornfree.life/learn/metaboli…
On page 152?where are all the cured people?
It won’t surprise you to learn that he and Leisk get on fantastically. Leisk suggests MetalsBrah may find his work relevant, MetalsBrah responds that he’s aware of it and is a fan, and the two agree to chat via DM about making a time to exchange ideas.I am currently running a large mineral balancing for autism program with about 30 children with my colleague. An interesting observation that’s being made is that there are several parents in this cohort with kids who are unvaccinated, yet still diagnosed with autism. And you wonder about these cases because the common dogma in the alt health space is that “vaccines cause autism.” And while there is a large nugget of truth to this affirmation it’s not precisely true. Aluminum, and other metals, in the brain, in the developmental window (0-5 years of age), beyond a certain threshold, is what actually “causes” autism. And vaccines are but one significant exposure vector for aluminum especially, but the other metals like mercury as well.
I think self interest compels him to avoid saying it outright, but it’s pretty clear to me what he’s getting at. But this isn’t new—Leisk has stated anti-vax views before and more explicitly. It’s what he says next that I wanted to make record of (bolding mine):The model I’m describing is a maternally heritable “landscape” of disturbed minerals, metals and microbiome that is 1) already at or near a metabolic threshold where it cannot efficiently chelate and remove the existing metals, 2) causing the system to be susceptible to additional burden. Oral absorption of minerals and metals are somewhat blocked by protective transporter behaviour in the duodenum, especially where the inflammatory cascade is present. Routes that bypass this transporter logic, eg. sublingual, transdermal, liposomal, inhalation and injections can be highly effective at increasing systemic levels of both minerals and metals.
It’s all unsubtle and rather ridiculous. Then again, Leisk saw fit to photoshop himself into a lab coat and make that his Twitter profile picture.< tin foil hat mode> Strangely, I was reading that silver also turns up as a common contaminant in commercial jet fuel systems, as silver oxide, which will only fuel Internet speculation: [citation]. I also read that aluminium has been used as a pyrotechnic to disperse silver iodate / iodide in commercial cloud seeding programs, going back to the late 1970s: [citation]. I don’t know quite what to make of all that, but I’m sure the internet will enjoy exploring another rabbit hole. I’m almost certain someone will suggest jet fuel is being deliberately contaminated with toxic compounds for nefarious purposes instead of late stage capitalism, like all of the other places toxic metals turn up, eg. deodorant, antacids, cookware, drink bottles, cans, food colouring, face masks, medical interventions. </tin foil hat mode>