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#2. Aldehyde Dehydrogenase This page is about chronic fatigue syndrome and aldehyde dehydrogenase deficiency, and is category two (2) of the following five1 possible categories that I think chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) sufferers may fall into: 1.
People
that have an already recognized (orthodox) disorder that remains undiagnosed.
This page is based upon a book which I read in 2001 by David Eather called "The Cause of Chronic fatigue Syndrome, Light at the End of the Tunnel". David Eather's web site is no longer present, but the book is still available (confirmed to me by David Eather) through the international online distributor Golden Glow (www.goldenglow.com.au) (Latest information, 28. Oct. 2003: The book may no longer be available through Golden Glow. I have yet to confirm this. Please see the .pdf files below that relate to the book and which have been kindly sent to me by David Eather) I have found the suggestions in this book very helpful for some (the full regime works for 10% max. of the patients I see). I would, however, recommend David Eather's book to any CFS sufferer as it gives a good background to basic CFS issues as well as presenting his main idea about the possible cause. The evidence that this is the cause for some sufferers is significant. The hypothesis in the book is that CFS is caused by the malfunction or reduction of a certain muscle enzyme (aldehyde dehydrogenase) that causes a build up of the chemical acetaldehyde. Acetaldehyde (called "aldehyde" for short in the rest of this article) is a nasty chemical that, when once triggered, can theoretically set off a vicious cycle within the muscles that results in more aldehyde buildup whenever the sufferer exercises. What triggers off this vicious cycle? The theory is that in people with a low level of the critical enzyme, prolonged exertion or exposure to industrial chemicals produces enough unprocessed aldehyde to damage the muscle mitochondria and so set the thing going. A good clue to the possibility of you having this problem is severe alcohol intolerance. Alcohol causes a lot of aldehyde formation in people with this problem. Excess aldehyde can cause all kinds of problems for the human body including all the multi-system complaints found in the typical CFS sufferer. The treatment regime suggested in David Eather's book is simple and not very expensive. It is based on supplements to treat the excess aldehyde, an exercise program and advise to normalise weight. If you want to try the regime it is essential, in my opinion, for you to get the book. However, since for sufferers of this problem, it is important to get onto treatment as soon as possible I will mention the basic supplement regime here (roughly in order of importance):
The exercise program involves careful attention to gradual improvement in anaerobic muscle health. The aerobic muscle is where the acetaldehyde (aldehyde) problem occurs. Anaerobic exercises involves moving parts of the body slowly against a weight. CFS sufferers with this problem are advised to avoid paracetamol and flagyl (metronidazole) as much as possible as it tends to exacerbate the problem. They should use alternative types of analgesia. PDF Files from David Eather relating to his Book. Footnotes. 1. There is a sixth possible category called "the unknown disorder". But I have not included this as I cannot write anything about it! I guess there must still be some undiscovered disorders out there that could cause all the problems of CFS, but I don't think there would be many who fall completely into this category. Disclaimer: These notes are not intended to provide personal medical advice. Such advice should be obtained personally from a qualified health professional. If you have fibromyalgia or CFS I do not advise following any of the suggestions contained herein without first consulting a suitably qualified health professional. The contents of this web page may be freely copied and distributed on the condition that it is copied and distributed in its entirety. Please ask if you want to use just part of it. |
