Guest guest Posted December 2, 2005 Report Share Posted December 2, 2005 Fight off that constant exhaustion Dr. Pall's research focuses on one cause for four chronic and controversial illnesses SHANNON BARTLETT(Bio) CONTRIBUTING WRITER A WSU professor's research focuses on one cause for four chronic and controversial illnesses. Bartlett Daily Evergreen staff Ever felt exhausted after pulling an all-nighter or anxious after an upsetting event? Ever felt stiff and sore after a tough workout or stifled in a smoky bar? Now imagine feeling exhausted, anxious, sore or stifled 24 hours a day, seven days a week. You'd be experiencing the same thing people with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), fibromyalgia (FM), or multiple chemical sensitivity (MCS) experience. Chip Halverson, chair of the Washington Education Association Indoor Environmental Quality work group and a teacher who suffered from severe MCS, struggled for years. " At one point, I was allergic to the world, " Halverson said. Annie Shillinger, a former school librarian living in Renton, deals with her CFS and MCS daily. " At one point, my life [consisted of] two things: Drag yourself off to work in the morning, come back and go to bed, " Shillinger said. However, Pall, WSU biochemistry and biophysics professor, may have help for Halverson, Shillinger and the 20 to 25 million others affected by one or more of these diseases. Pall believes he's found the cause of not one but all four of the chronic illnesses. Using his biochemistry knowledge, Pall began researching the illnesses after he had a bout of CFS. " I had a perspective that I thought was useful, " he said. Pall noticed FM, MCS and PTSD had symptoms similar to CFS, such as fatigue and memory problems. In fact, the diseases can be co-morbid, meaning many people develop more than one illness. " All of these illnesses tend to be initiated by short-term stressors, most commonly infection, physical trauma, psychological trauma and/or chemical exposure, " Pall said. Both Halverson and Shillinger's illnesses developed after they were exposed to severe mold (and chemicals, in Halverson's case) in their workplaces, fitting Pall's profile. Often, people with FM and PTSD develop the diseases after car accidents. CFS and FM can show up after someone gets mononucleosis. Pall found the diseases affected the body as a whole and remained after the short-term stressor was gone. He researched the biochemicals produced after the initial stressor and saw a link. " The common biochemical response [to these stressors] is an increase in nitric oxide, " he said. Nitric oxide increases the release of glutamate, a neurotransmitter, which binds to the N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor in the nervous system. In people with these four illnesses, NO and the NMDA receptor appear to continue a back-and-forth stimulation beyond normal activity, even after the initial stressor disappears. This increased stimulation can produce, among other chemicals, peroxynitrite (ONOO), a " potent oxidant " which creates free radicals and causes oxidative damage in the body, Pall said. " The [chemical] cycle propagates itself, " Pall said, " [People with these illnesses] no longer have the original cause at that point – they just have the cycle. " Pall refers to this as the " No! Oh no! " cycle, a play on " NO " and " ONOO. " " Here we've got an explanation that explains the whole bunch of them, " Pall said, " The mechanisms I propose not only explain why [the diseases are] co-morbid with each other but they occur with other more common diseases. " All four diseases can occur with depression, for example. Shillinger also said of the CFS/MCS-causing mold exposure, " People get cancer because so much cell damage occurs. " Pall hopes his research will help develop " biomarkers " (definitive diagnostic tests) for all four illnesses. He has also worked a doctor in developing a treatment protocol, involving nutritional supplements. Pall's research could also dispel, once and for all, the psychosomatic theory – " it's all in your head " – as many physicians once believed. " When you think about how these illnesses affect biochemistry, the immune system, the brain, the neuroendocrine system, the circulatory system – all of these things are things you have to explain. " " This work is amazing with big implications, " Halverson said, of the research. " If I am right about these illnesses, and there is very substantial evidence supporting this view, then the NO/ONOO-cycle is a major new paradigm of human disease, " Pall said Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 29, 2005 Report Share Posted December 29, 2005 Just came across this article. Any more info to be had - In , " erikmoldwarrior " <erikmoldwarrior@e...> wrote: > > > Fight off that constant exhaustion > Dr. Pall's research focuses on one cause for four chronic and > controversial illnesses > SHANNON BARTLETT(Bio) > CONTRIBUTING WRITER > > > A WSU professor's research focuses on one cause for four chronic and > controversial illnesses. > > Bartlett > > Daily Evergreen staff > > Ever felt exhausted after pulling an all-nighter or anxious after an > upsetting event? Ever felt stiff and sore after a tough workout or > stifled in a smoky bar? > > Now imagine feeling exhausted, anxious, sore or stifled 24 hours a > day, seven days a week. You'd be experiencing the same thing people > with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), post-traumatic stress disorder > (PTSD), fibromyalgia (FM), or multiple chemical sensitivity (MCS) > experience. > > Chip Halverson, chair of the Washington Education Association Indoor > Environmental Quality work group and a teacher who suffered from > severe MCS, struggled for years. > > " At one point, I was allergic to the world, " Halverson said. > > Annie Shillinger, a former school librarian living in Renton, deals > with her CFS and MCS daily. " At one point, my life [consisted of] > two things: Drag yourself off to work in the morning, come back and > go to bed, " Shillinger said. > > However, Pall, WSU biochemistry and biophysics professor, may > have help for Halverson, Shillinger and the 20 to 25 million others > affected by one or more of these diseases. Pall believes he's found > the cause of not one but all four of the chronic illnesses. > > Using his biochemistry knowledge, Pall began researching the > illnesses after he had a bout of CFS. " I had a perspective that I > thought was useful, " he said. > > Pall noticed FM, MCS and PTSD had symptoms similar to CFS, such as > fatigue and memory problems. In fact, the diseases can be co- morbid, > meaning many people develop more than one illness. > > " All of these illnesses tend to be initiated by short-term > stressors, most commonly infection, physical trauma, psychological > trauma and/or chemical exposure, " Pall said. > > Both Halverson and Shillinger's illnesses developed after they were > exposed to severe mold (and chemicals, in Halverson's case) in their > workplaces, fitting Pall's profile. Often, people with FM and PTSD > develop the diseases after car accidents. CFS and FM can show up > after someone gets mononucleosis. > > Pall found the diseases affected the body as a whole and remained > after the short-term stressor was gone. He researched the > biochemicals produced after the initial stressor and saw a link. > > " The common biochemical response [to these stressors] is an increase > in nitric oxide, " he said. > > Nitric oxide increases the release of glutamate, a neurotransmitter, > which binds to the N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor in the > nervous system. > > In people with these four illnesses, NO and the NMDA receptor appear > to continue a back-and-forth stimulation beyond normal activity, > even after the initial stressor disappears. > > This increased stimulation can produce, among other chemicals, > peroxynitrite (ONOO), a " potent oxidant " which creates free radicals > and causes oxidative damage in the body, Pall said. > > " The [chemical] cycle propagates itself, " Pall said, " [People with > these illnesses] no longer have the original cause at that point – > they just have the cycle. " Pall refers to this as the " No! Oh no! " > cycle, a play on " NO " and " ONOO. " > > " Here we've got an explanation that explains the whole bunch of > them, " Pall said, " The mechanisms I propose not only explain why > [the diseases are] co-morbid with each other but they occur with > other more common diseases. " All four diseases can occur with > depression, for example. > > Shillinger also said of the CFS/MCS-causing mold exposure, " People > get cancer because so much cell damage occurs. " > > Pall hopes his research will help develop " biomarkers " (definitive > diagnostic tests) for all four illnesses. He has also worked a > doctor in developing a treatment protocol, involving nutritional > supplements. > > Pall's research could also dispel, once and for all, the > psychosomatic theory – " it's all in your head " – as many physicians > once believed. > > " When you think about how these illnesses affect biochemistry, the > immune system, the brain, the neuroendocrine system, the circulatory > system – all of these things are things you have to explain. " > > " This work is amazing with big implications, " Halverson said, of the > research. > > " If I am right about these illnesses, and there is very substantial > evidence supporting this view, then the NO/ONOO-cycle is a major new > paradigm of human disease, " Pall said > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 1, 2008 Report Share Posted September 1, 2008 I think I've discussed his theory in past newsletters. Try a search for " martin pall " or " nitric oxide " at http://www.fms-help.com/newsletters.htm Dom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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