• Welcome to Phoenix Rising!

    Created in 2008, Phoenix Rising is the largest and oldest forum dedicated to furthering the understanding of and finding treatments for complex chronic illnesses such as chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), fibromyalgia (FM), long COVID, postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS), mast cell activation syndrome (MCAS), and allied diseases.

    To become a member, simply click the Register button at the top right.

Poll: Sudden Onset - What Time of Year?

If you had a SUDDEN ONSET, in which MONTH did you FIRST become ill?

  • January

    Votes: 3 10.0%
  • February

    Votes: 2 6.7%
  • March

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • April

    Votes: 4 13.3%
  • May

    Votes: 1 3.3%
  • June

    Votes: 1 3.3%
  • July

    Votes: 4 13.3%
  • August

    Votes: 2 6.7%
  • September

    Votes: 3 10.0%
  • October

    Votes: 5 16.7%
  • November

    Votes: 2 6.7%
  • December

    Votes: 2 6.7%
  • Cannot remember

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Did not have a sudden onset

    Votes: 1 3.3%

  • Total voters
    30

CBS

Senior Member
Messages
1,522
Sudden Onset - What Time of Year?

It is often repeated that ME(CFS) patients with a sudden onset of illness can remember the date and often the exact time that they got sick. For myself it was April 17th, 1994. According to the following summary, Dr. Chia believes that flu is rare in the summer and spring, the exact time that enterovirus infections are most common. So for those who had a sudden onset, when did you first get sick?

Taken from Dr. Lapp's summary of the IACFS/ME conference (and prompted by a post by Andrew (http://phoenixrising.me/forums/show...-of-Oxymatrine&p=212597&viewfull=1#post212597) - thanks! - as well as a recent visit with Dr. Chia):

John Chia MD ( Torrance, California) has long maintained that he and his son contracted ME/CFS from an enterovirus infection. Enteroviruses (which include the coxsackie and polio viruses) usually cause flu-like symptoms in the Summer months (atypical for influenza, which occurs in the late Fall and Winter). At the last conference in 2009 Chia reported success treating himself, his son, as well as numerous patients who had stomach biopsies positive for enteroviral protein VP1. Treated subjects were given up to 600mg per day of oxymatrine for 3 to 6 months. 52% of the treated subjects improved on a 7-point scale (much better to unchanged to much worse), while only 6% of controls improved. In this years account, Chia reports an enhanced response when the antibiotic rifampin (300mg twice daily for 7 days) is given concurrently with oxymatrine. Of 48 subjects treated, 32 (67%) responded to such therapy. Two-thirds had a febrile response and transient worsening of symptoms, however, when rifampin was added. Oxymatrine (with or without rifampin) appears to be an effective therapy in a subset of PWCs with evidence of enteroviral infection in the gut.

[Ed. note: Oxymatrine is a traditional herbal Chinese medication used for the treatment of viral hepatitis, viral myocarditis, some skin disorders, and even cancer. It is thought to inhibit the pro-inflammatory cytokines TNF-alpha and IL6. It may also inhibit Substance P (a neurotransmitter partly responsible for fibropain) and antagonizes opioid receptors. Chia currently uses the Equilibrant brand, starting at 1 pill twice daily, then 2 twice daily, then 3 twice daily (available from equilibranthealth.com). The maintenance dose is 1 pill twice daily. Adverse effects include hyperkalemia or hypertension in 1% of cases, and 10% of subjects discontinued the herb due to intolerable side effects. Chia follows patient response by measuring coxsackie B3 antibody titers, TNF?, and the IL12/IL10 ratio.]

Source: http://drlapp.com/news/iacfs-2011-summary/

ETA: I just realized that this poll as written is only meaningful if everyone responding is from the same hemisphere (northern or southern). Given that this site is hosted in the US, please respond as if you are in the northern hemisphere. Eg., If you are in the southern hemisphere (a big "g'day" to all our friends in NZ and Australia, etc.), I would suggest that you add six months to your actual onset month (September would actually = "March," July would mean a response of "January" and then feel free to write me a note telling me you did so or reminding me to not be so US-centric! And thanks for once again accommodating us "Yanks."