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by researcher11 3384 days ago
AFAIK the latest on CFS is that it is autoimmune. Also thyroid conditions often goes into remission so negative tests don't necessarily mean there is was nothing there. And yes both can be triggered by stress (as in my case of fixed Graves and current CFS) but I don't think lifestyle and lower stress is necessarily sufficient for everyone to improve. Effectively retiring wasnt sufficient for me. I think there is a multifaceted brain / microbiota axis but I'm still researching and experimenting. LDN will be my next experiment.
1 comments

>AFAIK the latest on CFS is that it is autoimmune

No, that's not true at all. Lots of research going on now, but nothing found yet. There has actually been research for years showing autoimmune dysfunction in CFS, but there's no evidence it is causal.

Stress has been shown to trigger autoimmunity, and is known to cause the immune abnormalities seen in CFS. Basically stress causes a shift to Th1-like immunity, which makes it more likely the body will attack healthy cells, as well as impaired NK function.

>I don't think lifestyle and lower stress is necessarily sufficient for everyone to improve

Anecdotal, but I have completely recovered 100% (zero symptoms for 17 years). I've also talked to lots of other people who have recovered. If you're still experiencing CFS, I would say reducing stress (including quitting a stressful job if you're in one), and dealing with any emotional stressors, is the main thing to concentrate on. After that, increase pleasurable physical and mental activities. There's no current drugs or supplements that will help at all (other than perhaps reducing some symptoms).