Has the “Reptilian Brain” Gone Haywire in ME/CFS? Back to the Brainstem We Go.
The most primitive part of the brain, the brainstem – a part of “the reptilian brain” – doesn’t get much respect in medical research. VanElzakker pointed out that most brain scan studies focus on the upper, more highly developed parts of...
What “Phantom Nasal Congestion” May Tell Us About ME/CFS and Fibromyalgia
When you have a systemic disease, any part of your body can provide a clue – even your nose. Over 15 years from 1998 to 2012, James Baraniuk, a longtime ME/CFS and GWI researcher at Georgetown University, became the first and thus far the last person to try and...
Jennifer Brea’s Amazing ME/CFS Recovering Story: the Spinal Series – Pt. II
I can hardly believe it myself. My ME is in remission. Jen Brea She ditched her wheelchair seven weeks ago. Her POTS disappeared in March. The sensitivities to sound, light, vibration and touch are gone. So is the muscle twitching, the air hunger, the restless legs,...
The Brainstem, Vagus Nerve, Neuroinflammation and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: The VanElzakker Way
Jeff’s amazing craniocervical instability story indicated that a damaged brainstem can produce all the symptoms of ME/CFS/FM/POTS. He’s not the first to believe that. Michael VanElzakker, the author of the Vagus Nerve Hypothesis, has believed that for...
Neuroinflammation and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: The VanElzakker Way
In 2013, Michael VanElzakker produced one of the most intriguing hypotheses to date in ME/CFS. His Vagus Nerve Hypothesis proposed that an infection/inflammation near the vagus nerve was causing it to send an unending stream of messages to the brain, telling it to...StudyME
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