Food Implications in Central Sensitization Syndromes, 2020, Aguilar-Aguilar

Open access, https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0383/9/12/4106/htm

 

hmm, judging by the amount of talk about food on this forum I find this hard to believe.

 

"Current indications show that dietary modifications may vastly improve the patients’ quality of life at a low cost."

Stopped reading at that point!

 

Never mind the content - can we really state with such absolute confidence that ME, CFS & FM are "Central Sensitization Syndromes"? I think not.

As for food.......you can waffle on all you like but the basic starting points for looking at food & nutrition in an illness like ME have to be-

1. Can the patient afford to buy the food they need?
2. Can the patient acquire the food needed - if they are capable of online shopping that doesn't mean they can get up and answer the door and put their delivered groceries away.
3. Can the patient prepare the food? Even if they can afford to buy and acquire the food they simply may mot be able to prepare it & to have any nutrition at all they may have to rely on foods that aren't ideal from a nutritional point of view.
4. Severe/very severe ME patients and those with certain comorbidities may be unable to eat, swallow or digest food - even if they have adequate support to fulfil the first 3 points. This is another but equally important issue.

Until the first 3 points are addressed then the rest is largely patient blaming as far as I'm concerned.

Those ME patients I know who are well enough to go trying to better their diet do their level best to do that quite early on.

Changing my diet, with expert help, did improve my life as my IBS disappeared but made zero difference to my ME.

 

I was considered 'malnourished' because I was depleted in proteins, fats and minerals. I ate a healthy diet, but had serious malabsorption problems at the time. Many chronic illnesses have gut issues so there's that too.

 

To which the nutritionalist who believes diet can cure all including cancer, would respond ‘in our society we are over fed but under nourished’.

I agree people with ME would benefit from appropriate support in relation to their diet, but because of all the practical issues raised by @Invisible Woman and to a lesser extend to identify and help those needing to address the food sensitivities associated with such as ME. This should not be seen as treatment, but rather practical support and symptom management.

 

Babble and Squeak.

 

“Central sensitization syndromes (CSSs) or functional somatic syndromes include different chronic and acquired disorders related to an unknown etiology, such as fibromyalgia (FM), chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), multiple chemical sensitivity (MCS) and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).”

Cannot get past this.

 

Because they said so. (Sigh)