New research suggests that statins might have a very helpful antiviral effect at high dose, and they may even hold promise as an effective new therapy for CFS and fibromyalgia if special (and simple) precautions are added in. The new theory I will present today also offers new possibilities for helpful and easy testing and therapy, while offering an understanding of a large new piece of the CFS/FMS puzzle.

Although time will tell how big a role this new concept will play in CFS, it offers simple testing and therapy that can be helpful NOW!

Bowel symptoms are a routine part of chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia and ME (myalgic encephalomyelitis). These are caused by many problems including numerous bowel infections and autonomic nervous system dysfunction. The autonomic nervous system is what controls contractions that move food in the proper direction going from your stomach toward the colon and anus.

In medicine, we have a bad habit. If a doctor cannot figure out what is wrong with the patient, the doctor brands that patient a "turkey." Imagine calling an electrician because your lights do not work. The electrician checks all the wiring, can't find the problem, and says, "You're crazy. There's nothing wrong with your lights." You flip the switches and they still do not work, but the electrician just says, "I've looked. There's no problem here," and walks out the door. This is analogous to what many CFS patients experience. I apologize for the medical profession's calling you crazy just because we cannot determine the cause of your problem. It is inappropriate and cruel.

I suspect that the words "methylation protocol" are, at first glance, intimidating. But if you will hang in with me for a few paragraphs, I would like to make this both understandable and useful. First of all, what is most important is that we have recently shown that the use of tiny doses of very specific combinations of vitamin B-12 and folic acid, has resulted in significant improvement in patients with fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue. That's the bottom line.