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The books that informed my diagnosis and treatment of CFS/ME

Blog post by Dr Sarah Myhill, author of several HHB works including ‘The Energy Equation’, ‘The Infection Game’, ‘Ecological Medicine’ and ‘Diagnosis and Treatment of CFS/ME’.

 

Medical practice is called such for good reasons – doctors do not know all the answers and are practising! The patients present daily with medical dilemmas and the good doctor interposes her/himself between the theory of science and the art of treatment. As the famous physician, Sir William Osler, put it: He who studies medicine without books sails an uncharted sea, but he who studies medicine without patients does not go to sea at all.

So, what books do I take to sea with me? I determine the worth of such by the extent to which a book impacts on my clinical practice. There are two common ways – the first is to supply the intellectual imperative to put in place the necessary changes. This is vital as lifestyle changes are difficult and if I cannot inspire my patients with good science then they will not change their ways. After that it is about the road map. For me, since the 1980s the great challenge has been the treatment of patients with chronic fatigue syndrome and ME. There was no doubt they were pathologically ill, but why? What were the mechanisms? Could the pathology be biochemical and so not ‘seen’ by pathologists? Could there be something wrong with energy generation within cells?

What doctors learn about mitochondria

Medical students learn about those cellular energy generators – namely, mitochondria – during the ‘theory’ years. I was one of them. I mugged up the subject the night before, courtesy of black coffee and chocolate biscuits, regurgitated those short term memories onto the exam paper next morning and forgot. The reason to forget was simply that mitochondria appeared to have no application to the ‘practical’ years which ensued.

Power, Sex, Suicide by Nick Lane | Waterstones

 

Professor Nick Lane’s book

How wrong was that?! It is now difficult to find a pathology in which mitochondria are not involved. Professor Nick Lane’s Power Sex Suicide: Mitochondria and the meaning of life detailed the what, why and how of the role of mitochondria in the natural world. They supply energy to all living organisms such that the difference between life and death is mitochondria. No energy means no life. Lane’s book reads like a detective thriller – a real page-turner which had me enthralled as so much pathology suddenly fell into place.

 

The Sinatra Solution

 

 

Dr Stephen Sinatra’s book

The Sinatra Solution: metabolic cardiology then provided the practical reality of how to treat mitochondrial pathology. Stephen Sinatra was a traditional cardiologist using the conventional tools of drugs, pacemakers and surgery to treat heart disease, but none of these tools addressed the underlying pathology which progressed unremittingly. Sinatra now works by identifying the underlying causes of heart disease, and starts by treating the mitochondrial lesions. In doing so he has reversed pathology and cured patients. Great news for patients, bad news for Big Pharma whose mantra is: ‘A patient cured is a customer lost.’ By applying the Sinatra Solution to my CFS patients, I started to reverse their pathology. I watched their symptoms melt away. I began to see patients really recover. Not just recover but go on to live well. The really good news is that I can now also tell my patients that their best years are ahead of them – once recovered by addressing the mitochondrial lesions they are further protected against not just heart disease but cancer and dementia.

 

Look after your mitochondria and they will look after you.

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A sneak preview from upcoming release ‘Green Mother’

We have something a little different but equally as visually stimulating for you on our blog. A sneak preview of some beautiful illustrations from upcoming release ‘Green Mother’ by Dr Sarah Myhill and Michelle McCullagh with Craig Robinson. Launching later this year.

A family watering the garden
A mother breastfeeding
Children splashing in a puddle
A child splashing
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Coronavirus – what you need to know

coronavirus

By Dr Sarah Myhill

Introduction

It now seems inevitable that sooner or later we will all be exposed to coronavirus. This is because people can be carriers of this new virus without showing any symptoms. The strategy to slow and treat therefore is FIRST slow the rate at which the epidemic grows so that medical services are better able to cope. SECOND, reduce the loading dose of infection so that the viral numbers take longer to build up in the body and so not overwhelm the immune defences. THIRD, start to improve the body’s immune defences now before you are exposed to the virus. FOURTH, kill the virus directly with vitamin C (well known for its antimicrobial actions as it is used widely as a food preservative) and iodine (a disinfectant with long pedigree)

We know that coronavirus, like the flu virus, will kill some people. However, the vast majority will live – survival is determined by good immune defences. So:

  • Act NOW to improve the body’s immune defences (our standing army)
  • STOCK UP NOW with ascorbic acid 500 grams (at least), Lugol’s Iodine 15% (30 ml) and salt pipe

Before you show any signs or symptoms of illness

The severity of any infection partly depends on the loading dose of infection. Take action to keep this loading dose low so that it takes longer for the numbers of viral particles to build up in the body. This gives the immune system time to generate an effective immune response. At this stage do not suppress symptoms with medication since this inhibits inflammation – the very tool the immune system needs to fight infection.

Make sure you have this package in place:

What Why
Eat a low carbohydrate diet, ideally paleo-ketogenic High blood sugar encourages all infections (diabetics are especially susceptible to infection)
Take a good multivitamin/mineral supplement The immune system cannot function without raw materials
Vitamin D at least 5,000 iu, ideally 10,000iu daily We get more infections in winter because we are at our most deficient then
Vitamin C at least 5 grams daily This vitamin contact-kills all viruses – the key is the dose – you have to take heaps!

For more detail see– ‘Groundhog basic’ in my book The Infection Game: life is an arms race

If there is any hint of possible exposure, keep the infectious load down with:

  • Good hygiene – wash hands regularly. After washing rub iodine oil into your hands. You can make an iodine oil yourself using 10 parts of coconut oil to 1 part of Lugol’s iodine 15%. Iodine contact-kills all microbes, as I have said; it is the best disinfectant – ask any surgeon – this is what is used before surgical incision and to prevent post-operative wound infections. Yes, your hands will be stained slightly yellow but then you will know the iodine is there.
  • Sniff and inhale Lugol’s iodine 15% 2-3 times a day using a salt pipe. I suggest 2 drops in a salt pipe sniffed up into the nose and inhaled 15-20 times. Iodine is an effective topical disinfectant. It is also volatile so when inhaled kills or substantially reduces the numbers of all microbes threatening to enter the airways.
  • And/or …possibly use a face mask, drizzle 2-4 drops of Lugol’s iodine 15% on to the lining. for the same reasons as above. Re-apply Lugol’s three times a day.
  • And/or …smear iodine oil (made as above) round the nose and upper lip three times a day. Yes, it does stain the skin yellow temporarily but it slowly evaporates from the skin to generate a disinfectant cloud of iodine. This is good for kids who may not be able to use a salt pipe or tolerate a mask.

For much more detail see my book The Infection Game: life is an arms race

At the first sign of any infection (runny nose, sore throat, cough… you know!):

Strike early and strike hard with…

What Why
Take 10 grams of vitamin C (as ascorbic acid powder) in 500 ml of water every hour until you get diarrhoea – this is called ‘bowel tolerance’ This is of proven benefit – see references below.

You must take enough vitamin C – you can only fail by under-dosing. Vitamin C is completely safe and you can do no harm with it. As one of my comic patients put it ‘Premature crapping is preferable to premature croaking.’

Inhale Lugol’s iodine every two hours. I suggest 2 drops in a salt pipe sniffed up into the nose and inhaled – this may slightly stain the inside of your nose – but then you know the iodine is present. You will know the iodine is in the right place because you can smell it. Iodine is non-toxic to humans and all mammals (but if you are allergic to iodine then you should not use it)
Good nursing care – go to bed, wrap up warm and allow the body to run a fever Heat kills all microbes
Tell everyone that you are ill so that… …they can put in place all the above to reduce their loading dose and deal effectively with the virus
To quote the poet Dylan Thomas ‘Do not go gentle into that good night….’ Fight hard and stay alive!

For more detail, see ‘Groundhog acute’ in my book The Infection Game: life is an arms race

Advice for children

  • The principles are exactly the same.
  • And no-one has ever had serious side effects from vitamin C – perhaps use 5 grams every hour to bowel tolerance – or less depending on size.
  • Use vitamin D at proportionate body weight – use the 10,000 iu but perhaps every other day or every third day – the capsule can be chewed in the mouth.
  • Really important to use topical iodine oil over the nose and upper lip as this reduces the infectious load when inhaling and exhaling
  • What is interesting is that the Chinese babies whose mothers have had coronavirus have survived fine. I suspect this is about the immune system – with very high viral loads, the immune system over-reacts and it is this over-reaction that kills. It is called a cytokine storm. This is why the very sick patients are treated with anti-inflammatory drugs such as paracetamol, NSAIs and steroids (which you would think counterintuitive. There is a place for these drugs but not with mild symptoms). My guess is these Chinese babies do not have the immune reserves for a cytokine storm and so have survived well.

Very sick patients

Very sick patients will of course need hospital treatment with anti-inflammatories (for the cytokine storm), oxygen and respiratory support (for respiratory failure). The Chinese doctors are currently treating severe cases of covid-19 with additional intravenous vitamin C and seeing excellent results.

Support for the use of high doses of vitamin C

Follow the links below for more information about the science and clinical experience behind using high-dose vitamin C:

From 1943 through 1947, Dr Klenner reported successful treatment of 42 cases of viral pneumonia using therapeutic doses of vitamin C. This was administered by mouth, intravenously and intramuscularly. See:

And there is lots more good science and practical detail at Ascorbate Web

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Vote in The People’s Book Prize

People's book prize

Recently, the People’s Book Prize announced 36 finalists in three categories: fiction, non-fiction and children’s books. The annual awards, now in its 10th year, celebrates the best in each category as voted on by readers. This year, we are extremely pleased to have three of our authors nominated in the non-fiction category:

The winners in each category are determined by votes. The People’s Book Prize is a great opportunity for us and our authors to seek the support of our many readers and to be judged by the actual readers of our books.

In the last awards, Hammersmith Health Books received the Best Publisher Award, which was a huge boost for a small independent like us. The glass trophy stands proudly in the office and encourages us to keep challenging received wisdom in relation to health and wellbeing.

The awards rely on your votes. If you already voted in the first round, you can vote again so please head over to the People’s Book Prize website and pick your favourites in each category. Here’s how to vote:

Voting is open now until the end of the month and the winners will be announced at a special, black-tie event in early May. The evening will also see the presentation of the Beryl Bainbridge Award for First time Author, the People’s Book Prize for Best Publisher, and the People’s Book Prize for Best Achievement.

We wish Lynn Crilly, Clarissa Foster, Dr Sarah Myhill and Craig Robinson the best of luck in this year’s awards.