MEDICAL MATTERS
- Medical Matters features questions asked by Members of the ME Association on health-related topics.
- Dr Charles Shepherd and the ME Association’s other advisers answer these questions by sharing their expert knowledge.
- Medical Matters is based on the popular ‘Ask the Doctor’ series in ME Essential magazine.
- It is a free resource that supplements the detailed information contained in the full range of literature that can be found in the website shop.
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Questions in the Category: Energy
Mitochondrial dysfunction
I keep reading about research into what is called mitochondrial dysfunction in ME/CFS and how this may help to explain why people with ME/CFS have a constantly flat energy battery. So what are mitochondria? And are any of the researchers looking at treatments that could improve mitochondrial function?
Acetylcysteine
Please could you tell me whether there is any value in taking an N-acetylcysteine supplement? A friend with ME has told me that this is a drug that helps with brain fog. But I’d like to know if there is any actual science behind these claims.
Treatments: Taurine supplement
I’ve just been reading some new research findings from a group in Canada who have found low levels of a chemical called taurine in people with Long Covid.
I’ve checked on the internet and found that taurine is being promoted as a treatment for fatigue and that you can purchase taurine supplements quite cheaply.
Could you explain what taurine is and does in the body and whether it could be a ‘breakthrough treatment ’for people with Long Covid and ME/CFS.
Symptoms: Post-Exertional Malaise (PEM)
What is Post-Exertional Malaise and how can it best be managed?
Care and Support Plans
I very much welcome the recommendation in the new NICE guideline that everyone with ME/ CFS should have a personalised care and support plan. But is this actually happening in practice anywhere? I have been under the care of both my (very good) GP and a hospital-based ME/ CFS service for several years. But nobody has ever offered to prepare such a plan. And if I did have a care and support plan, who would prepare it and what would it consist of?
Post-Viral Fatigue Syndrome, Myalgic Encephalomyelitis or Encephalopathy, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, and Long Covid
Please can you define what PVFS, ME/CFS, and Long Covid mean. I am having difficulty determining if they are the same disease or different. Thank you!
Treatment: Coenzyme Q10
My nutritionist has advised me to start taking a supplement called coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) which, she says, will boost my energy levels and improve my memory problems. What is CoQ10 and is this claim justified? Are there any side-effects? Can I take it with prescription-only medicines?
Management: Swimming
Like some people with ME/CFS I’ve made a significant degree of improvement over a number of years. I’m fairly stable, mobile, able go for longish walks, and manage to do some part-time work. A well-intentioned friend who goes wild water swimming has suggested that I ‘give it a try’. She claims it can have all kinds of health benefits, including “resetting body clocks that have gone wrong”. She even pointed me to some research about the benefits of cold water swimming for conditions such as arthritis. I’m very open-minded about trying anything that might work. But I’m concerned that this could actually make ME/CFS worse.
Functional Limitations: Energy
I have a diagnosis of both ME/CFS and fibromyalgia. For the last couple of months I get a weird thing happening. I can be fine one minute but the next I struggle to keep my eyes open. It’s as though someone has drained all the energy out of my body and I usually end up falling asleep for a few hours. I don’t even have to have done anything but just sitting in my chair. Is this normal for ME/CFS? Or is it something else?
Diet and Nutrition: Malnutrition
I ask because there is a great deal of positive discussion on internet forums about the benefits of unproven special diets, restrictive and exclusion diets, and dietary supplements. At the same time, very little attention is paid to the dangers of cutting out or reducing the intake of specific food groups such as dairy or wheat. And people with more severe ME may have significant problems in obtaining groceries, preparing meals and even eating a full meal. All of which could be having an adverse effect on their overall health. So, do we need to start looking at diet and nutritional status in ME from both a clinical and research point of view?
Dr Charles Shepherd
Dr Shepherd has been Trustee and Hon. Medical Adviser to the ME Association for more than 40 years. He is integral to the charity’s activities and provides information and support based on his professional knowledge, personal experience as a doctor with ME/CFS, and the understanding gained from helping many thousands of people with the condition. He was a member of the comittee responsible for the 2021 NICE Clinical Guideline and is a recognised expert on ME/CFS in the UK. His knowledge extends to Post-Viral Fatigue Syndromes (PVFS), Myalgic Encephalopathy/Encephalomyelitis (ME), Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS), and Post-Acute Sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection (PASC) or Long Covid.
If you have questions about ME/CFS or Long Covid, you can:
- Review the free information in the What is ME/CFS section of the website, and the free Covid-19 and Long Covid information in the website shop.
- Review the largest range of literature covering all aspects of living with ME/CFS. Download detailed information about symptoms, diagnosis, management, co-mordidities, employment, education, related health conditions, The 2021 NICE Clinical Guideline, welfare benefits etc.
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Medical Matters is based on the popular ‘Ask the Doctor‘ series featured in the highly-regarded member’s magazine, ME Essential, and in the healthcare professional magazine, ME Medical. Both are produced by the ME Association and published as hard-copy magazines every 3 months and sent to members and healthcare professionals by post to home or business addresses.
If you are a Health Care Professional you can sign-up to receive ME Medical magazine (people with ME/CFS can also nominate their HCP by completing the sign-up form).