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Research
Below are selected items from my study of the connection between Hydrogen Sulfide (H2S) and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (CFS/ME or ME/CFS). Please contact me if you would like more information.
"Redox imbalance links COVID-19 and myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome", 2021
“Hypothesis: Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Mitochondrial
Hypo-function, and Hydrogen Sulfide”, 2007
Earlier work
This paper was written after I developed the hypothesis that chronic fatigue syndrome might represent something akin to a form of "hibernation" induced by the gas hydrogen sulfide. The possibility of hydrogen sulfide inducing a hypometabolic state of decreased energy production as a protective mechanism in CFS/ME was a new field of study; no one had looked at ME/CFS from this perspective before. At the time, only a handful of researchers around the world were studying hydrogen sulfide. The First International Conference on Hydrogen Sulfide in Biology was held in China in 2009, two years after I wrote this paper. The paper received widespread distribution in the ME/CFS and related communities. I was guided in this work by the inestimable Carl Peck, M.D., Ph.D., and former U.S. Assistant Surgeon General.
Testimony to the Department of Health and Human Services Chronic Fatigue Advisory Committee, October 28, 2008
I took a deep breath before delivering this testimony. Conveying the notion that people with ME/CFS could possibly be in a state of
suspended animation or something resembling hibernation was difficult enough, but suggesting that one of the deadliest gases known to man might have something to do with the illness—and that it could possibly be protective—was an even taller order. I had to make a strong connection between the deep sea origins of anaerobic bacteria which were able to chemically synthesize this gas instead of oxygen for energy and the fact that the energy-producing power plants of our cells, the mitochondria, might also use this gas under certain conditions. Who would have thought that our bodies could use both? (Hint: not all bacteria in our guts use oxygen; some use H2S instead.) To put this in a historical perspective, the Human Microbiome Project had not been completed and most people were still unaware of the importance of the bacteria in our bodies.
“Hypothesis: Chronic fatigue syndrome is caused by dysregulation of hydrogen sulfide metabolism”, Journal of Medical Hypotheses. doi: 10.1016/j.mehy2008.08.003 January 2009
The first jounal I approached, Medical Hypotheses, known for its willingness to consider theories outside the boundaries of conventional thinking, readily accepted my hypothesis. I was given 700 words and space for up to ten references. The short hypothesis was e-published ahead of print in September 2008 and officially published in January 2009. It became very popular with ME/CFS patients around the world and was translated into a number of languages.
“Chronic Fatigue and...Hydrogen Sulfide (H2S)?" Poster presented at the International Association of Chronic Fatigue/Myalgic Encephalamyelitis (IACFS/ME) Conference. Reno, Nevada March 2009
A poster is intended to convey ideas and research results in a concise and visual way. My apologies for the wrinkled corners; it is an old poster.
"Understanding ME/CFS through the systemic actions of the bioenergetics mediator hydrogen sulfide" Poster presented at International Association of Chronic Fatigue/Myalgic Encephalamyelitis (IACFS/ME) Conference. Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, October 2016
This poster has received a lot of interest from researchers who have begun to makes connections between hydrogen sulfide and the work that they are doing.
Comparison of keywords in ME/CFS research outcomes with related explanatory findings in hydrogen sulfide research.
Taken from "Understanding ME/CFS through the systemic actions of the bioenergetics mediator hydrogen sulfide." Poster presented at International Association of Chronic Fatigue/Myalgic Encephalamyelitis (IACFS/ME) Conference. Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, October 2016
This chart is extracted from the center portion of the 2016 IACFS/ME poster and contains references that are meant to spark creative associations between areas of research. For your convenience, it can be printed as a pdf.
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