Digestive Wellness: Strengthen the Immune System and Prevent Disease Through Healthy Digestion, Fourth Edition (134 page)

Try lysine.
Often people with CFIDS also have herpes infections. Some people find good results with a general amino acid supplement, which supplies carnitine, lysine, and methionine as well as other amino acids. Take 1 to 2 grams lysine daily at the first sign of an outbreak; 500 mg daily for prevention.

Try malic acid.
Malic acid comes from apples and is important in energy production at a cellular level. Several physicians have found malic acid supplementation reduces fatigue and pain of fibromyalgia. Take 6 to 12 tablets daily, decreasing dosage over time. Each tablet contains 300 mg malic acid–magnesium hydroxide.

Use immune-modulating herbs and mushrooms.
Echinacea, goldenseal, astragalus, phytolacca (pokeweed), licorice, and lomatium all have immune-stimulating properties. Also eat immune-balancing mushrooms, such as maitake, shiitake, or reishi. They can help prevent secondary infections while you are in a susceptible state. Take them preventively or therapeutically as directed.

Provide adrenal support.
People with CFIDS often need adrenal support. Think first about rest and nurture. Then also consider supplements, such as adrenal glandular supplements or herbal supplements, such as licorice and Siberian ginseng. Vitamin C and pantothenic acid (vitamin B
₅
) are also needed for proper adrenal function. If your blood pressure is low, you can use whole licorice; if not, use DGL, which will not affect blood pressure. It’s best to take adrenal support in the morning and at lunch. If taken too late in the day, adrenal support can stimulate energy when you want to be winding down.

Consider nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD).
In a study monitoring the effect NAD has on people with CFIDS, 26 subjects were given the reduced form of it for four weeks and a placebo for an additional four weeks. Thirty-one percent showed improvement when on NAD, while only 8 percent improved when taking the placebo. Subjects were less fatigued and had improvement in quality of life. NAD is integral to the citric acid cycle of energy production. Once again, we are reminded that each person has unique needs. While most
people did not benefit, NAD may be a useful treatment for some people. More research needs to be done to see if 10 mg daily, the amount given in the study, is the proper dosage; if a longer treatment program would be of additional benefit; and what, if any, the long-term benefits are.

Try Meyer’s cocktail.
IV nutrients, given by a physician, can quickly help revitalize your nutrient status. Nutrients can be absorbed and used at higher concentrations. Meyer’s cocktail is a combination of magnesium, calcium, vitamins B
₁₂
and B
₆
, pantothenic acid, and vitamin C. It has been used successfully in people with a variety of ailments.

Exercise.
People with CFIDS find exercise to be totally exhausting and draining. It is common for one period of exercise to be followed within 6 to 24 hours by 2 to 14 days of exhaustion and muscle aches. Paradoxically, exercise is helpful for restoring function in people with CFIDS, so it’s advisable to begin with simple walking, swimming, or biking for five minutes daily. If you can, increase by one or two minutes a day each week. If you feel that you are at your maximum, maintain your present length of exercise time until your fatigue decreases. Don’t push yourself hard. Slow and steady wins the race. Studies have shown that two-thirds of people with CFIDS benefit through exercise, although it is critical to not overdo.

A new hypothesis suggests that those with CFIDS are functioning in an anaerobic state, so light anaerobic exercise may be most beneficial. Working with light weights, leg lifts, and use of weight machines to your capacity without causing fatigue may be more beneficial than aerobic exercise. As you begin to feel better, incorporate aerobic exercise—walking, biking, swimming, and dancing. Prioritize, so you have energy for what’s most important. Be patient, kind, and loving to yourself.

Practice stress-management skills.
Development of strong support systems is vital. People with CFIDS often have the illness for a long time and can greatly benefit from support groups. Exchange of information and dialogue with others who understand what you are going through can expedite recovery. Take time for yourself, rest, and relax.

Eczema, or atopic dermatitis, is a chronic skin condition characterized by redness, itching, and sometimes oozing, crusting, and scaling. The itch makes us scratch, which causes redness and inflammation. It affects 15 million Americans. Approximately 0.5 to 1 percent of the population has eczema, and it affects 10 to 20 percent of all infants. Fifty percent of children outgrow it by age 15; the rest may have mild to severe eczema throughout their lives. It can first appear at any age but most often during the first year of life. Babies can have eczema on their faces, scalp, bottom, hands, and feet. In children and adults, it may be more localized. Eczema is on the rise in industrialized countries. The causes are multifactorial and include imbalanced intestinal flora; leaky gut syndrome; food allergies; environmental contaminants, such as air pollution and tobacco smoke; and genetic predisposition.

The red patches are itchy, scaly, and dry, which encourages people to use lotions and creams to which they are often allergic. This complicates the problem further. Eczema varies over time, flaring up and calming down, at times better and worse. Emotional stress, heat, increase in humidity, bacterial skin infections, sweat, pets, hormone fluctuations, dust, molds, pollens, toiletries, cosmetics, and wool clothing commonly aggravate eczema. As children age, they may continue to have eczema; it may disappear; or they may develop other allergies, including asthma. People with eczema have high levels of IgE, secretory IgA, and eosinophils, all allergy signs.

Strong connections exist between eczema and food, microbial, and inhalant allergies. The word
atopy
, which is often used by physicians synonymously for allergy, refers to inflammations of the skin, nasal passages, and lungs. People with eczema often have allergies to dust, mold, dander, pollens, and foods.

Food allergies diagnosed through IgE and skin testing are apparent in most children with eczema. In a study of 165 children between the ages of 4 months and 22 years, researchers found that 60 percent had at least one positive skin-prick test for food allergies. When they challenged these results with a double-blind, placebo-controlled study, 39 of 64 subjects had a positive test, with milk, egg, peanut, soy, wheat, codfish, catfish, and cashews accounting for 89 percent of the positive food-allergy challenges. Undoubtedly, many more would be borne out by IgG, IgA, and IgM testing. Another study of children with eczema showed that eczema improved in 49 out of 66 children after elimination of the particular foods. Foods that aggravated eczema in this particular study, in descending order, were eggs, cow’s milk, food coloring, tomatoes, fish, goat’s milk, cheese, chocolate, and wheat.