A Letter to The CFIDS Chronicle -Aug 1998

Lindsay Kamm

3732 Omao Road

Koloa Hawaii 96756

August 1, 1998

Readers' Forum
The CFIDS Chronicle
P. 0. Box 220398
Charlotte, NC 28222

To the Forum:

1 am writing to share the story of my daughter's recovery from CFIDS and to encourage others who are suffering from this disease to pursue a similar course.

My daughter Noel became ill in 1995 when she was 14. She was diagnosed with CFIDS in June of 1996 after missing half the school days of spring semester, seeing several doctors and attempting trials of Prozac and Elavil. She did not attend school at all during her sophomore year and tried at least a dozen different therapies from blood pressure medication following a tilt-table test to super blue-green algae. During that time 1 discovered the CFIDS Association of America, subscribed to this publication and read every book 1 could find on the subject. Our experiences of confusion, frustration, disappointment and despair have been matched by many others and there is no need to recount them here.

With the help of a nutritionist who ordered lab work at Great Smokies Diagnostic Laboratory, we found that Noel had an overgrowth of Candida yeast and a number of food allergies. Our doctor prescribed Nystatin and Diflucan for the yeast and Noel followed an anti-yeast diet of no sugar, no simple carbohydrates and no fermented foods. She also began to avoid the foods to which she was most allergic - wheat, dairy, eggs - and to develop the self-discipline to eat according to this plan. After a few months, she was feeling somewhat better, but it was apparent that complete recovery would take years at the rate she was improving. 1 continued to research CFIDS and found help on the Internet. Dr. Nash Petrovic in South Africa (www.yebo.co.za/longvita/ or www.CFIDShealth.com) works exclusively with CFIDS patients and has developed a regimen of micronutrients and antioxidants that aids in recovery. Noel has taken his supplements - as many as 100 per day for the first few months - since October of 1997. She is now functioning as a fully active teenager with a seemingly endless supply of energy.

There was a long period of time during which we were afraid our daughter would not complete school, would never go to college or be self-supporting. Those days are over; she is now 17 and has a bright future ahead. 1 am sorry only that we followed so many prescriptions from doctors who had no true understanding of CFIDS.

Following a restricted diet and providing the body with the correct nutrients were the keys to Noel's recovery. This knowledge is not widespread in the United States, but it is available and 1 encourage everyone suffering from CFIDS to renew their research efforts and to try this approach.

Lindsay Kamm

Koloa, Hawaii