Herbal Treatment of Mitochondrial Dysfunction

In case this hasn’t been posted yet, Buhner came up with an herbal formula for mitochondrial dysfunction, particularly as a result of long CV’d. Here it us: https://www.stephenharrodbuhner.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/treatment-of-mitochondrial-dysfunction.pdf

It includes inhaled melatonin, so those interested in that might want to look at this.

i take pretty much everything in that protocol for mitochondria damage as most parts are the same as the lyme protocol - with the main exception being the melatonin by inhalation

it may have helped me as i am moving forward in terms of fatigue over the time i have been taking it - albeit very gradually - and along side many other treatments.

i do take 1mg of melatonin orally per night as part of my focus on getting improved sleep - but have always been a little concerned about long term melatonin use - especially at higher doses - based on the fact that
- it is banned from sale in many countries without a prescription - for some reason
- its is an important part of the sleep/wake cycle regulation - and excess melatonin in the body is associated with SAD syndrome - which can be a very damaging and difficult to correct condition - and possibly the reason for the above ban.

ref the mechanisms of and definition of mitochondrial dysfunction
there is a CFS doctor in teh UK called Dr Sarah Myhill who has published several books and also scientific papers on the subject in peer reviewed journals

she has worked with researchers to develop blood tests for mitochondril dysfunction and seems to be able to identify the root cause in many cases
often foreign substances bound into mitochondrial membranes disrupting their function

her overall theory is that there is a viscous cycle effect that once instigated perpetuates the process of mitochondrial dysfunction.
from memory - and in summary - some insult - of chemical toxicity - like a pesticide, mold, chemical exposure - or inflammatory event - like allergies, a virus, lyme etc triggers this by using up all the glutathione ( the antioxidant used to protect mitochondria from damaging themselves while they burn fuel for energy) resulting in damaged mitochondria which burn fuel much less efficiently - causing more free radicals, for which there is not enough glutathione to deal with, and therefore leads to more damage and so the cycle goes.

this makes a good deal of sense to me - and also helps explain PEM ( post exertional malaise)

she is a major proponent of the ketogenic diet as a treatment for fatigue / mitochondrial dysfunction
reason being that ketones when used a fuel produce more ATP (the energy molecule made in the mitochondria ) with less free radicals than does glucose/carbohydrates

my overall symptoms decreased by the largest step of all the treatments i have tried when i switched to a ketogenic diet - and my partner recovered to 90% within a short time of switching to a full ketogenic diet - so our experiences seem to fit with her theory.
i really did not want to change to keto - i had eaten a sports nutrition type diet with high complex carbs all my life and done very well on it - but once i saw the change in my partner i could not deny its benefits.

so my working theory is that fatigue in Lyme / bart etc is caused or worsened by inflammation driven mitochondrial dysfunction.
if a person get post exertional malaise - this is a hallmark of the above - and is a good indicator that they will benefit from mitochondrial based approaches


she has a website with a good deal of free info
her book was also worth a read
https://www.drmyhill.co.uk/

Yes my reply is gone. Strange.