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Comment by __z | Hacker News Reader

Do you honestly believe that people who are suffering with CFS for decades don't try diet and lifestyle interventions?

Jackass.

Please don't be rude.

I think the issue is figuring out the correct "lifestyle" treatment, as that word is quite broad. Research shows that an abnormally low HPA axis is associated with CFS, and in my case what worked was doing things to reverse this. This appears to be the case for other patients who have recovered.

I responded to rudeness with rudeness. Perhaps not constructive but my knee jerk reaction.

I don't have CFS but I can imagine they get an endless barrage of unsolicited comments such as "you need to eat more/less protein/carbs/fat/meat/vegetables/gluten/preserves/alcohol/fad-of-the-month and you'll be cured." I'm sure that people suffering from something as terrible and debilitating as CFS has tried all of that and more. Its the holier-than-thou attitude that gets under my skin.

We know (in general) humans can both survive and thrive on a wide variety of diets.

Sharing your personal experiences and what worked for you is helpful. Writing off research in medication with "why? you just need to change your diet" is not. Especially to those still suffering. It discounts real people who are really suffering and are still looking for answers.

I was by no means intending to be rude. Simply suggesting an alternative solution. I apologize that you took it as me being rude.

I have personally reversed CFS & an auto-immune disease with crazy high anti-bodies by sticking with a very strict diet and changing my life-style. Only after being directed into many black-holes by multiple doctors telling me nothing was wrong or trying to prescribe me anti-anxiety drugs.

So yeah I guess I am a jackass!

Well, probably you did. Or you might have just been sick for a year or two and coincidentally gotten better at the same time as the diet and lifestyle changes. The odds are small, but given that you're a sample size of one it might well prove it to you, but not to others.

I was sick for a long-time and was getting progressively worse. I understand that what works for me may not work for others. I am simply suggesting we look for the root cause and possibly look for alternatives other than drugs. For some people there may be no alternatives and I understand that.

What was the diet?

I was on the autoimmune protocol for about a year and slowly introduced things after that. The first month on the diet sucked. I felt worse. After that though, things really started to turn around. I was also on vit supplements due to a lot of my levels being extremely low (Vit D & Iron) and am still supplementing because my body has a hard time holding onto these things.

I also take a 20 min fast walk each morning when I wake up and do my best to eliminate stress (I know easier said than done).

I had very high antibodies and now have none. I wasn't able to make it past 1pm without crashing and now have no problems making it through the day.

3 years later I am still on a strict diet but not nearly as strict as it once was. There are certain foods that still make me crash (sugar, beer, etc) but overall I got my life back :)

I am not saying this will work for everyone but it has worked for me and others like me.

> I had very high antibodies and now have none.

No you don't.

Okay??

If you had no antibodies you'd be dead. We can test for specific ones, but "very high antibodies" could describe any number of different test results, some of which would clear up on their own in time.

If doctors tried giving you anti-anxiety meds, strict lifestyle and diet changes could well help with some anxiety-causing disorders.

In short, I'm a little skeptical that you've got the correlation/causation correct.

I have Hashimoto's which is an autoimmune disease. My TPO antibodies were very high. Took 3 years to get them in check. Another doctor tried giving me anxiety drugs because he had no idea what was wrong with me and that was his answer. Thankfully I found a great doctor that specializes in autoimmune diseases who put me on the right path.

Yes, I am curious too. The reason for my curiosity is I have been successful via diet as well, so it's to see if we're doing the same thing.

See my comment above. I would love to hear about what you have done too.

In a nutshell, non-fat (or very low fat) vegan. A good resource for this is drmcdougall.com. Though I find McDougall a bit off-putting with his style, IMHO he's on the money, and the diet is what my doctor recommends.

See, this is what makes diet suggestions so difficult. I think this is practically the opposite of what you did.

Interesting. I agree, different diets work for different situations & people. I think sometimes its a lot of trial and error. I am happy your diet is working for you. I plan to do some reading up on it.

You can share your experiences in a helpful way without being condescending. You were condescending.

People do sometimes post comments that seem condescending, but that doesn't make it ok to be mean. Instead, please follow the HN guidelines. The rule here is to post civilly and substantively, or not at all.

https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html

Sorry you feel that way. That was not my intention.

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