Understanding Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
(How CFS is typically seen on the Hair Tissue Mineral Analysis)
"Hi Gary,
Here’s some of my latest results HbA1c -31 mol/mol. (TSH-5.41 mU/L) free thyroxine-16.9pmol/l. (Free T3 - 3.3pmol/l) iron binding47 unilateral/l. (Iron sat. 53). The interesting one was back in Feb. Plasma insulin 289 pmol/l. My doc said it’s not unusual for thyroid people to become type 2 diabetic but I’m hoping with my good diet I can prevent this happening. Also, I’ve just started intermittent fasting by extending overnight fast to 16 hrs. Not really sure if this is good with CFS. My current meds include thyroxine and T3. HRT. And Mestinon which is off label but has good results for CFS it calms my sympathetic system so my heart doesn’t race. Overall I’m functioning better but still completely unable to exert myself with payback. Foggy head being the main problem. Sorry, lots of info. "
(permission was obtained to reproduce this correspondence and to use the following HTMA )
(Note: this is an essay by Gary Moller, reflecting upon what he has observed when applying the HTMA in the Clinic, including the unique patterns on the HTMA that are often common to a specific health condition. This is not to diagnose a health problem, nor are there any treatment recommendations. The intention here is to help guide nutrition and lifestyle support).
A female patient walks into the surgery and sits before the doctor sitting at a large desk. The doctor has a parrot on his shoulder.
"Doc, I'm constantly tired," she says. "I'm so tired I must sleep after just a few hours of doing virtually nothing during the day. I can barely keep my head up because my muscles are so weak. What is the matter with me?
The parrot speaks, "I know what you have; you have CFS - Chronic Fatigue Syndrome!"
The bird is parroting back to the patient exactly what she was saying to the doctor and his pet bird. CFS is not a diagnosis but merely a rewording of what this woman is saying. CFS is a ridiculous term because it says nothing about the possible root causes of what this poor woman is suffering from.
None of the medications that she has been prescribed will cure anything because they are targeting symptoms and not the underlying causes of her weakness and fatigue. One drug, the off-label Mestinon, is associated with Gulf War Syndrome, which is basically CFS! Mestinon is also known as pyridostigmine bromide. Bromide? The halides, bromine, chlorine and fluoride are potent blockers of thyroid function! I wonder why this is prescribed to a patient who has been diagnosed with a thyroid condition an on thyroid medication? It does not make sense to me.
How CFS usually presents on the HTMA
The following three HTMA show patterns which are present in about 80% of the NZ women we have tested. The same patterns are present in men but about 60%. Most adult Kiwis are tired whether they realise it or not, most will eventually suffer some degree of cardiovascular disease, including dementia, most will have weakening bones as they get old, most will develop some degree of osteoarthritis and most will have gradually increasing insulin resistance which may eventually lead to diabetes and all of the complications that go with it.
This may come across as depressing. It is only if we do nothing about it other than taking the drugs!
Here is her HTMA
Here is another patient with CFS
Here is another example of a woman with CFS:
(They are all the same!)
High Ca to K ratio
Calcium is a sedative mineral. When it is elevated relative to K, this is a strong pattern for fatigue.
Elevated Mg
When Mg is elevated, this is consistent with a loss of Mg in response to calcium loss and stress. This is associated with fatigue, cramps, headaches and diabetes.
High Ca and elevated Sr
This is consistent with bone loss. If not corrected this will eventually lead to osteopenia and then osteoporosis and arthritis.
Low Na and K overall or low relative to Ca
This is the pattern for adrenal fatigue. You can assess your level of adrenal fatigue with this questionnaire here. https://www.adrenalfatigue.co.nz/dr-wilsons-adrenal-fatigue-questionnaire/. Send me the summary of your results and I'll comment on them if you like.
High Cu or patterns for the accumulation of bio unavailable copper
Copper depresses adrenal and thyroid function and is associated with liver dysfunction. All three of these women have "copper toxicity".
High Zn to Mo ratio
This pattern is consistent with "systemic inflammation", sometimes diagnosed as "Pyroluria" which is associated with nervous exhaustion.
The presence of Toxic Elements such as Hg (mercury)
The third HTMA above has excessively high levels of Hg. Mercury is one of the most toxic elements imaginable and even the tiniest amount can wreak havoc on just about any measure of health. In her case, it is probably from eating tuna and salmon. No therapy will be successful if toxic elements are not removed.
The Quiet Epidemic
New Zealand has a quiet epidemic of thyroid disease which no medicine is able to cure. Nor is there a medicine that will cure chronic fatigue. All three of these women have either clinical or sub-clinical thyroid issues (note the common patterns in their HTMA).
Thyroid disease is a symptom of deeper things that are amiss within the body. Recovery comes from identifying and correcting the "Root Causes", not by medication. In most cases, these are multiple mineral and other nutrient imbalances, including vitamins, minerals, fats and protein, that may be caused by a wide range of things including:
Glandular Fever, Hepatitis or another severe viral infection, often during one's early years. Think of "Tapanui Flu" and "Post-Viral Fatigue".
Sub-clinical liver damage from medications to combat fever and pain, sometimes when a child.
Dietary nutrient excesses and deficiencies, in these cases a high calcium diet is contraindicated until calcium is brought under control. All three of these women will benefit a low-carb, high protein, high fat and nutrient-dense diet. All three need to be on a longterm regime of carefully selected vitamins and minerals, supported by regular HTMA testing.
Toxins such as mercury, cadmium, arsenic, many food additives and environmental toxins such as pesticides and herbicides.
Fluoridation of water supplies (this is a big one!), chlorine and bromine which are all disrupters of iodine (thyroxine). Read the evidence for yourself and make up your mind one way or the other.
These HTMA patterns and the diseases associated with them are deeply embedded and highly resistant to therapy. These patterns may have been inherited from the mother (epigenetics?) as is shown in the two HTMA below.
Here is the HTMA of an extremely talented 19 year-old-athlete who broke down (note the patterns which are remarkably like the earlier three HTMA:
Wondering where this dramatic pattern came from in such a young and very fit and health-conscious young woman, we tested her mother. As you can see, they are almost identical. We determined that what shoved our young woman over the cliff was a contraceptive implant inserted several months earlier to control heavy periods, a symptom of high copper, by the way (she is very well nowadays). The contraceptive is assumed to have caused catastrophic elevation of copper (look at their copper levels, 15.1 and 7.4 respectively).
These deep imbalances can be overcome and most are successful but not those who dabble. It takes years, rather than months to get on top of and only by consistent effort. It is a bit like training for the Olympics. It is a challenging and drawn-out exercise but the rewards of improving good health along the way make it well worth the effort!
What is the non-medical therapy for CFS?
As much as I'd like to outline what non-medical therapy might be for CFS, I can not be seen to be giving advice over the internet. Besides, to be effective, the therapy needs to be individualised and based on accurate testing and detailed health history.
By coincidence, when you are looking at the dietary recommendations online for conditions like copper toxicity and Pyroluria, you will see that they are similar to what I have outlined here for resisting viral infections: