i $s@ SOMA IINLLTH ASSOCIATION OF AUSTRALIA LIMITED UNDER-INVESTIGATION OF SYMPTOMS IN CHRONIC FATIGITE SYNDROMB (CFS) AND MULTTPLE CTmMTCAL SENSrrnVrrY SYNDROMB (MCSS). Statement by Dr C M Reading: B.Sc., Dip.Ag.Sci.,MBB.S.,F.R.A.N.Z.C.P.,A.C.N.E.M. Since 1980I have treated over two,thousand patients for CHRONIC FATIGUE SYNDROME and well over a hundred for MULTIPLE CHEMICAL SENSITIVITY. All these patients, when thoroughly investigated, showed food and chemical sensitivitiet / intolerances on the CYTOTOXIC TEST, especially to cow's milk, gluten-containing grains, legumes and beans, all of which can cause severe malabsorption state for vitamins, minerals, amino acids, etc. These patients tend to have severe nutrient deficiencies due to malabsorption, and are usually low in Vits. BL, 82rB6, C, A, Folic Acid and, less often, B 1"2. They often have anaemia due to the above deficiencies but may hav,e sideropaenia - low iron without anaemia. Many have low serum zinc, and hair analysis shows low calciurn, magnesium, manganese, molybdenum, iron, chromium, zinc, selenium and cobalt, raised copper and aluminum, and unsatisfactory lead, mercury and nickel levels. (The Cytotoxic Test is accepted by the LANCET, Letter, January 24,1987.) The glare/photophobia so often observed in CFS patients indicates low iron, low Retinol A and low Zinc - hence white dots in nails often, despite a normal haemoglobin/fiIm, and thus not anaemia. Many patients also have raised IgE and a host of inhalant allergies to pollens (grass, weeds, trees - pollinosis), moulds, mites, etc., as well as food allergies, and are sensitive to fumes, chemicals, perfumes, petrol, etc. Most CFS patients have missed coeliac disease (nine out of ten in a row, diagnosed as CFS by a leading Sydney hospital - POW) and missed because most psychiatrists do not routinely have measurements done of Endomysiat IgA, Gluten IgA and ltgG or alpha-gliadin IgA and IgG, reticulin antibodies and IgM to see if these are raised, nor do they look for low C3, C4 and raised immune complexes as seen in coeliac disease, IgM can be raised-to-low also in coeliac disease. An extremely high percentage of CFS/MCSS patients are MISSED COELIACS and about 5To TTeMISSED SLB -which is not usually even considered. AII CFS patients should be tested for ANF and, if positive, then do dsDNA; and, if not raised (diagnosing SLE), then ENA screen, C3, C4 complements, immune complexes, anti-lymphocyte antibodies, immunoglobulins (IgA, IgM, IgG) and if any of the above are abnormal (despite a negative ENA screen) then a skin biopsy on unexposed skin with immunofluorescent technique to confirm/diagnose SLE. Many patients with CFS show white dots in their nails which is" associated with low 86, zinc and pyroluria with kryptopyrroles in the urine, and if these levels are high there is high risk for acute intermittent poryphyria, especially if reacting to drugs , chemicals, fumes, perfumes and chlorpyrifos/pesticides and herbicides which can cause a flare-up of porphyria, as also can barbiturates, sulphnamides, neuroleptics, etc. Most CFS/MCSS patients have severe autoimmune disease (as seen with SLE, coeliac disease, and show gastritis, thyroidiotis, ,cholangitis, vasculitis, autoimmune neuritis,etc.) and need a gluten-free diet or a diet design to reverse SLE. Thbse patients, in my experience, have severe cow's milk alpha-casein, +/- alpha-lactalbumin, */- beta-lactalbumin, sensitivity/intolerance when antibodies to these peptides of cow's milk are measured - as well over a thousand patients since 1980. (cont.)