My CFS Theory

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: The Honey Badger Theory

I postulate that Chronic Fatigue Syndrome is an incredibly serious multi-stage illness caused by the second and third order effects of excessive antibiotic exposure. I believe that it looks something like this:

Stage 1: Devastation of the Microbiome

Stage 1 of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome begins when enough antibiotic exposure (without counteractive measures to restore the microbiome) has been sustained to deplete the body of friendly bacteria. While the human microbiome of a healthy individual is a symbiosis of friendly bacteria and yeasts, the microbiome of someone with Stage 1 CFS is primarily yeast. Without bacteria to keep them in check, the yeasts quickly grow out of control, resulting in candida overgrowth in the intestines and pityrosporum folliculitis on the skin.

Stage 1 manifests primarily as poor immunity. Without a healthy population of friendly bacteria to discourage invaders, viruses and pathogens have infinite real estate to multiply and flourish. This causes the host to catch viruses and infections very easily. The illnesses are often intense and last for a long time.

Stage 2: Leaky Gut & Invasive Candidiasis

Unfortunately, this poor immunity means that the host is very likely to be hit with antibiotics again and again. Eventually, further antibiotic exposure -- specifically, prolonged exposure, exposure during times of stress, and/or exposure during surgery, without restorative countermeasures -- causes damage to the organs, leading to Stage 2 CFS. The liver becomes damaged, resulting in weight gain and urine (ammonia) scented sweat. The muscles and tendons may be damaged, resulting in tendonitis, burst tendons, frozen shoulder, and/or muscle tears. But most significantly, the intestinal lining is damaged, resulting in leaky gut.

Candida begins to slowly trickle out of the gut into the bloodstream, and invasive candidiasis begins. The invaders at this point are small enough in number that the immune cells can quelch them. However, the leaky gut faucet never turns off, so the immune cells remain locked in a never-ending battle against the candida invaders. This constant additional burden on the immune system signifies a critical danger to the host, and triggers a fight or flight response from the body.

With a dissemination of fight or flight hormones, digestion is slowed. Sphincters begin malfunctioning, to include the lower esophageal sphincter (LES) that usually opens and closes in response to eating. The sexual response is disabled. Menstruation is no longer supported by the appropriate hormones, so the uterine muscles must now generate hard contractions to initiate the menstrual flow, resulting in painful cramping.

While the fight or flight response to an external threat (like being attacked by a bear) is acute and passes as soon as the threat is gone, this fight or flight response is a reaction to an internal threat that never leaves, thus becomes chronic. The host is suspended indefinitely in this state, resulting in lazy bowel, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), long-term loss of libido, and -- for women -- intensely painful menstrual cycles.

The other implication of Stage 2 CFS is neurotoxins. Candida release neurotoxins when they die, so the never-ending cycle of candida trickling out of the gut and getting quelched by immune cells results in a continuous extra load of neurotoxins in the body. The neurotoxins aggravate the central nervous system, resulting in mild fatigue.

The liver, which has already been damaged by antibiotics and is having a hard time eliminating toxins from the body, is now also overburdened. It cannot handle the continuous extra toxic load. The neurotoxins that don't get eliminated float around the body for a while, eventually settling into the extremities of the body. From this point on, vigorous exercise will shake up the neurotoxins and aggravate a histamine response similar to an allergen, manifesting as exercise-induced allergies.

The neurotoxins settle into the joint tissues of the hands and feet. Since the liver has failed to remove these harmful substances, the immune system steps in as a second line of defense. The immune system recognizes the neurotoxins as a threat and starts attacking the joint tissues, resulting in Rheumatoid Arthritis. While Rheumatoid Arthritis is classified as an autoimmune disease in which the body attacks itself, the truth is that the body is actually attacking the neurotoxins...the neurotoxins just happen to be nestled all up in the joints. The immune system isn't equipped to eliminate such a substance as a neurotoxin, but keeps trying anyway, damaging the joint tissue in the process. The Rheumatoid Arthritis in Stage 2 manifests as chronic inflammation, sporadic decreased range of motion, and delayed wound healing in the hands and/or feet. It may also be accompanied by ganglion cysts, which signify a general trauma to the wrist tissues.

Just like Stage 1, a person may remain in Stage 2 CFS for years.

Stage 3: Candidemia & Chronic Fatigue

The transition to Stage 3 is made when another hit of antibiotics (again -- prolonged exposure, exposure during times of stress, or exposure during surgery, without restorative countermeasures) causes additional damage to the intestinal wall. With the increase in intestinal permeability, the candida that was previously trickling out is now gushing like an open faucet. There is now so much candida in the bloodstream that the immune cells are outnumbered. The candida reaches the heart, manifesting as a heart arrhythmia. It reaches the brain, resulting in brain fog and headaches. It reaches the eyes, resulting in bloodshot eyes. It reaches the bones, causing first bone and tooth aches, and eventually osteoporosis.

When the candida reaches these organs, it immediately begins colonizing them in cyclical mass reproductions. During these mass replications, a heavy load of neurotoxins is released into the body, and the organs face the trauma of struggling to operate at full efficiency while being starved and smothered. This results in a "run over by a truck" sensation, which includes severe fatigue, headaches, body aches, and an indescribable sense of trauma, and leaves the host unable to get out of bed or perform any function at all for 1-3 days. The candida behaves opportunistically, choosing to replicate when the host is run down by physical exertion or when its favorite foods (refined flour and sugar) are available. However, even without these triggers, the mass replication and resulting "run over by a truck" sensation occurs cyclically (about once a week).

The increase of candida in the bloodstream in Stage 3 CFS also causes the fight or flight response to escalate. An increased state of alertness is induced, which manifests as insomnia and tachycardia. Urinary patterns become abnormal, and when the response peaks there may be periods of no urination at all. The lazy bowel slows down even further and may stop moving completely.

The body prepares itself to flee by tightening the calf muscles. Since the muscles are being controlled by the fight or flight response, they are unable to loosen and recover from physical exertion, so from this point on running will result in painful seizing of the calf muscles that will last up to a week. Even in the absence of running, this chronic state of tightened muscles preparing to flee eventually results in severe muscle fatigue, rendering the host unable to perform basic movements and tasks.

The heavy load of bloodborne candida also leads to further reduction in immunity. While the poor immunity in Stage 1 is a result of the lack of friendly bacteria in the body, the poor immunity in Stage 3 is a result of the immune system being overwhelmed. The body is already spending all its resources in a losing battle against candidemia, and does not have the resources to fight invading viruses and pathogens as well. At this point, the host incredibly susceptible to viruses, rashes, and infections, and may catch them as frequently as every two weeks.

As the replication cycles continue, the buildup of neurotoxins in the body slowly and steadily increases. They neurotoxins continue to settle into the joints in extremities of the body, causing the rheumatoid arthritis to escalate. Deformities and destruction of joint tissue in the affected areas start to appear. The neurotoxins also aggravate the skin of the affected areas, resulting in dermatitis and dark skin spots that both increase in severity and number over time. Canker sores may also be present on the mouth at this point.

The neurotoxins also start settling into the scalp, causing damage and trauma to the hair follicles. This results in dry, brittle hair and alopecia.

As the neurotoxins accumulate, the mild fatigue that had begun in Stage 2 slowly escalates into chronic fatigue. As time goes on, the neurotoxin load steadily increases and the fatigue becomes more and more debilitating. The host is less and less able to perform normal activities, such as cooking, showering, exercising, going to work, or making social commitments. In time, the host has increased difficulty staying awake or getting out of bed at all.

Stage 4: Multiple Organ Failure

Left unchecked, Stage 3 eventually leads to Stage 4 CFS, which is multiple organ failure. At this point, there are three potential failure modes. The neurotoxic load in the body may lead to a coma and/or failure of the central nervous system. The heart may be completely suffocated by candida, leading to heart failure. Or the same may happen to the brain. Any one or combination of these paths will lead to multiple organ failure.