Study finds gut bacteria key to treating chronic fatigue syndrome

Could this be the answer to chronic fatigue syndrome?

It wasn’t all that long ago that chronic fatigue syndrome was called the “yuppie flu,” even “mass hysteria.”

Actually, it wasn’t until the late 1980s that the CDC even formed a “working group” to discuss the ailment. But about all it decided on was that chronic fatigue syndrome would be a good name.

So, it’s not surprising that so little has been done to try and learn more about what causes this incapacitating condition and how to best treat it. Some refer to CFS as an “orphan illness,” one that receives little, if any, research funding.

That’s why recent research that has uncovered a common denominator in those who have been felled by CFS is big news. And just maybe it will give sufferers new hope that an effective treatment is easily available.

Searching for answers
Science writer Brian Vastag’s journey through the maze of CFS started five years ago. He spiked a fever and says he immediately felt “foggy in the head,” like a hangover.

Little did he know that day would begin a long, winding journey to doctor after doctor, including top-rated neurologists.

After ruling out numerous illnesses and diseases, as he was having dozens of blood vials drawn by a doctor at the National Institutes of Health, Vastag said that he believed he was suffering from CFS.

“That might be true,” the doctor said, but “what can be done about it?”

Well, maybe now there’s something that can be done.

Researchers at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Health have confirmed earlier findings showing that those with CFS have a very specific imbalance in gut bacteria with abnormal levels of certain microbes.

It’s known that nearly 90 percent of those who have the condition also have irritable bowel syndrome. And considering that IBS has previously been “definitively linked” to a gut bacterial imbalance, these findings make a lot of sense.

This new research, however, specifically isolated seven bacterial types that, when found in abundance, are very likely to identify someone with CFS. And that’s big. Because for what seems like forever, CFS patients such as Brian Vastag have gone from one doctor to another for answers — and were lucky to NOT be told that they were just imagining their symptoms.

This Columbia University study confirms research we told you about last year out of Cornell, which had very similar findings. Both groups of researchers said that by simply analyzing gut bacteria, they can quickly diagnose CFS in the majority of cases.

Currently, to get an “official” diagnosis, a patient has to clear so many hurdles they might as well be in the Olympics! Documented “unexplained persistent fatigue” for at least six months, along with four or more symptoms such as joint pain, headaches and enlarged lymph nodes.

And then, even if you are diagnosed, expect to be presented with enough prescriptions to paper your walls. Shockingly, the drugs given out most often for the condition are antidepressants! One survey done in the UK found that CFS patients had tried not just one, but nine different antidepressants.

Moving down the list, anticonvulsants, sleeping pills, muscle relaxers and narcotics are also prescribed.

Which brings me to the best part of these new studies — what the researchers believe is a possible treatment.

It’s not a drug, but simply a high-quality probiotic. The previous findings also led right to that same recommendation, but with the addition of prebiotics, which are simply dietary fiber that also “feeds” beneficial gut bacteria.

Other ways to incorporate more probiotics into your diet include, of course, yogurt (without aspartame or artificial sweeteners!), kefir, which is a yogurt-like drink that contains even more beneficial bacteria, sauerkraut, pickled vegetables, a cultured soy dish called tempeh, and a Japanese medicinal mainstay — miso soup.

Currently the NIH funding for studying CFS is less than what it allocates for researching hay fever. So it’s pretty obvious that the mainstream isn’t very interested in looking for answers.

But perhaps the most promising answer of all has already been uncovered.

“Another study just linked chronic fatigue syndrome to gut bacteria” Fiona MacDonald, April 27, 2017, Science Alert, sciencealert.com