Author Archives: lassesen

Unknown's avatar lassesen 5:56 am on November 29, 2016  

Coffee and the Microbiome

In fairness, I should disclose that I do work for Starbucks….

I thought it was time that I look at coffee. Typical alternative medicine recommendation are no coffee, lots of yogurt containing Lactobacillus Acidophilus. I know that the latter is wrong advice for CFS/IBS. What about the former — coffee?

  • “The results showed a direct association between the intake of red wine, a source of stilbenes, and the relative abundance of Bacteroides, and between the intake of coffee, rich in phenolic acids, and the abundance of Clostridium, Lactococcus and Lactobacillus genera.” [2016]
  • “Although unequivocal epidemiologic evidence indicates that the risk of Parkinson’s Disease is lower in smokers and coffee drinkers, explanations for these findings remain controversial[134,135]…. 30% lower among coffee drinkers than among non-drinkers[136]…. Both cigarette and coffee consumption can alter the composition of the gut microbiota in a way that mitigates intestinal inflammation. …It has been also shown that consumption of coffee in both mice and humans induces a significant increase in the number of Bifidobacteria, which exert anti-inflammatory properties” [2015]
  • “Coffee is a relatively rich source of chlorogenic acids (CGA),…Similarly, an equivalent quantity of CGA (80·8 mg, matched with that in high-CGA coffee) induced a significant increase in the growth of Bifidobacterium spp. (P<0·05). CGA alone also induced a significant increase in the growth of the Clostridium coccoides-Eubacterium rectale group (P<0·05). [2015]
  • “Coffee consumption attenuated the increase in Firmicutes (F)-to-Bacteroidetes (B) ratio and Clostridium Cluster XI normally associated with high-fat feeding but also resulted in augmented levels of Enterobacteria.”[2014]
  • “Our results show that the consumption of the coffee preparation resulting from water co-extraction of green and roasted coffee beans produce an increase in the metabolic activity and/or numbers of the Bifidobacterium spp. population, a bacterial group of reputed beneficial effects, without major impact on the dominant microbiota.”[2009]
  • On the negative side: “In some studies restriction in consumption of fermented carbohydrates [usually Lactobacillus species], coffee and alcohol, as well as diet with elimination IgG-sensed food was also shown to be effective in irritable bowel syndrome.” [2013]

Bottom Line

If you have CFS, coffee may be good for your microbiome!

Unknown's avatar lassesen 4:00 pm on November 27, 2016  

Medical Tests and CFS

A reader sent me some lab results that she wanted me to look at. I am not a MD — I am a statistician and I think logically (with a working brain).

When I receive lab results, I have only one question that I will look at:

  • Are these results typical of those of CFS/IBS?

If they are — end of story.  If not, then I will raise concerns about misdiagnosis.

Example

The following is a “cookbook” analysis that people can do for themselves (or have a signficant other do for them). You do not need to understand the biology — we are just looking for pattern matches!

To understand some of the biology, click on the measure, this will take you to PubMed Health which provide simple short explanation.

Bottom Line

All of the measures outside of the normal range are those see with CFS/IBS. In short, the lab results are normal for a CFS/IBS patient.

How to correct them? That is what MDs and researchers have been trying to do for 30 years without clear success. My model says these are byproducts of the microbiome shift. Many of the above are infection responses. I suspect that the problem has been assuming that the infection is in the blood or tissue instead of the microbiome. Metabolites (chemicals) from the bad microbiome bacteria crosses over into the body and triggers the body’s response. One example showing how a prebiotic can change one of the above high measures

  • “Baseline C-reactive protein was reduced following prebiotic Bimuno-galactooligosaccharide” [2016]
Unknown's avatar lassesen 12:04 am on November 27, 2016  

Dark-Field Microscopy and CFS/Lyme

A reader asked about this – is it helpful? is it worth the cost? Being a former general science teacher, there is really nothing to it. I taught it in my high school science classes. In fact, an ancestor was a favorite lens grinder for the early dutch microscope inventors. See wikipedia or Rice University page (where I borrowed the microscope image below from).

The main thing is that most MDs have stopped using microscopes and using one for dark-field is a bit of an alternative-fad.

  • “ME Medical Advisor Dr Andy Wright takes a look at new technology enabling ‘live’ blood analysis and asks ‘Could this help ME patients?” [Prohealth 2000] like 200 years new!
  • Below is a darkfield micrograph taken in 1910 [source]
    syphilisdarkfieldmicrograph1910a

There are two ways that a specimen can be viewed in a normal microscope:

  • Light passes thru the specimen
  • Light is shone on the sample — often from the side.

highmagdf

Video of what it takes to make an ordinary microscope into a dark field microscope

Dark Field and CFS

On the web you will find links to articles about using dark field with CFS. So exactly what did they find?

  • “this is certainly not a diagnostic tool for any one condition.’” [Prohealth 2000]
  • “Using Dark field microscopy you see the red blood cells of these people clumping together. This reduces the oxygen that they can supply to the tissues of the body.” [site] – Low oxygen is a known for CFS patients  (hyper-coagulation)
  • “Bradford also claimed that the microscope was especially useful in detecting the spirochete that causes Lyme disease. Bradford promoted these methods through several publications as well as through symposia for medical doctors. Neither the device nor the three products had FDA approval, so they were not legal to market in interstate commerce..and admitted they were part of a conspiracy to commit mail fraud and to introduce misbranded drugs into interstate commerce. .” [devicewatch]

Bottom Line

Dark field microscopy is still used by medicine for certain conditions. It has been around for hundred of years (literally). Dark field video can produce an impressive presentation for a CFS patient when presented by a health professional well , “confirming a physical cause”. IMHO — it has no direct or indirect impact on remission. For the microbiome, dark field is not done — there are just two many species (over 2000 usually), many of which will die quickly when expose to oxygen. You cannot tell a bad strain from a good strain visually (or even identify the strain!)

If you look at the video below, which describes a healthy system and then imagine a dialog describing everything as evidence of infection and bacteria – you would be impressed and be a believer!

Does it have any apparent benefit to a CFS patient? None that I can identify- except reducing their savings.

Does it help with treatment?

A test helps with treatment only if it swings the decision to do a certain treatment from the normal default treatment. I can find no evidence that this alters (or authorizes) treatment. A Lyme tests known to produce false positives (because of reactivated EBV) does authorize/justify the use of antibiotics in CFS patients. This is now the system works.

Does it help with insurance and other claims?

If it is not accepted by traditional medical science, then it will be very unlikely to be significant for an insurance or benefit claim. If anything, it may cause the claim to be more critically (negatively) reviewed.

 

 

 

 

Unknown's avatar lassesen 5:27 pm on November 26, 2016  

Probiotics: Mercola Complete Probiotics

A healthy individual response to probiotics is different than a person with CFS etc. What helps one may hurt the other. Dr. Mercola is well respected but does not focus on CFS, Crohn’s Disease or other autoimmune diseases.

This probiotic blend only specifies one specific strain, the rest are described at the family level (which means that we do not know exactly what their effects could be).

  • Lactobacillus acidophilus DDS-1

There were just 9 PubMed articles on this strain

Bottom Line

Do not take this probiotic because it will likely increase any symptoms associated with the increased TNF-alpha and interleukin-1 that is typical with CFS  patients.

Crohn’s Disease

This applies to likely all autoimmune conditions, for example:

  • “These consistently raised TNF-alpha, IL-1 beta and IL-6 secretions by normal appearing mucosa from patients with Crohn‘s disease provide evidence for a sustained immune stimulation in Crohn‘s disease even in the absence of patent inflammation.” [1996]

 

Unknown's avatar lassesen 12:10 am on November 26, 2016  

Probiotic Survey #2

Recently there has been some additional candidate probiotics. While these may be good in theory — the reality with human patients may be different. Human (with CFS) experience is needed, hence a new survey:

You will see the talleys when you do the survey.

Early results:

  • Prescript Assist Pro Better 75% Worst 0%
  •  Kyo Dophilus 9  Better: 50% Worst 0%
  • Kyo Dophilus  Better: 50% Worst 0%

If you are adventuresome, you may wish to try one of the probiotics that no one has reported on. These are all ones that in theory should be good for CFS in general, the following could be problematic for those that are histamine sensitive:

  • Perfect Pass

  • MegaSpore Biotic

  • Just Thrive