From bloating to belching to constipation to pain, gut symptoms are common in chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalia.  The role the gut plays in ME/CFS/FM is unclear but increasing evidence suggests it can play a mighty role in health and  disease.

General Information on Gut Flora and Health

• Some of My Best Friends Are Germs -wonderful overview of current thinking on the importance of the gut microbiome from the New York times
• The Human Microbiome- the Importance of a Healthy Gut  – excellent review by an undergraduate (with a good future ahead of him)
• Human nutrition, the gut microbiome, and immune system: envisioning the future – General scientific overview found in the Nature journal
• Microbes Maketh Man – short and readable overview from the Economist

Blogs

• The Gut, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Fibromyalgia – the Emerging Story  – Part I of a two-part series examining how medical attitudes to the gut have changed over time
• The Gut in Fatigue, Pain, Mood and ME/CFS/FM: Part II – The Emerging Story – In Part II we look at theories suggesting bad gut flora can contribute to pain, fatigue and depression and come up to date on gut research
• The Gut-Wrenching Effects of Exercise: Could Exercise Be Wiping Out the Gut in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome?  – Exercise can have surprisingly strong effects on gut composition; with the CAA about to report on their gut exercise study, we ask whether gut issues play a role in post-exertional malaise
• The Role of the Gut Microbiome in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome – Dr. Suzanne Vernon reviews the results of the CFIDS Associations Webinar on the effects of exercise on gut flora in ME/CFS.

Ken Lassesen’s Gut Series on Health Rising

• A Person with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Recovers and….a Gut Series Begins  – Ken Lassesen has recovered from ME/CFS three times. By the third time he’d become convinced that his problems originated in his gut. In this series of blogs he explains why…
• Blood, Guts and Germs : The Gut Microbiome in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) –Ken reintroduces an old theory and come up with a surprisingly and somewhat unsettling connection between infection, the gut and the blood.

Overviews of Gut Conditions Common in ME/CFS/FM

Small Intestinal Bowel Overgrowth (SIBO)

• Dr. Teitelbaum on how to recognize and treat SIBO. Check Dr. Logan’s talk below as well.

Irritable Bowel Syndrome

• IBS Meet CFS:  The Link Between Irritable Bowel and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

ME/CFS/FM DOCTORS ON THE GUT

Dr. Myhill

• A very extensive page on gut issues, testing and treatment
• Probiotics – to use them or not to use them? An emphatic yes – use them from Dr. Myhill

Dr. Alan Logan

• Dr. Logan on H2S, Fiber and the Gut – Cort Johnson talks with noted gut expert – Dr. Alan Logan – about gut flora, antibiotics, probiotics, H2S, D-lactate and more

Dr. DeMeirleir

• Wings of Hope WPI Lecture

VIDEO’S

Dr. De Meirleir: ME and Gastrointestinal Problems