07 May, 2024

Griffith University Researchers To Trial Naltrexone On Long COVID Patients

Jayden Donald went from a fit and healthy teenager who rode his horses almost every day, to being so sick he could hardly sit up after his second bout of COVID-19. A year later, the 19-year-old talented equestrian has only recently returned to university and to the competitive dressage arena after being diagnosed with long COVID. "I was flat out walking," the University of Southern Queensland engineering student says at his family's picturesque property at Haigslea, about 50 kilometres west of Brisbane. "You go from going to uni every day, seeing your mates, having a bit of fun, and saying, 'oh I want to go for dinner at the pub one night' to 'oh, I can't, I'm stuck at home'.'"

07 May, 2024

Mediterranean Diet Improves Pain, QoL In Patients With Fibromyalgia

Patients with fibromyalgia receiving a personalized Mediterranean diet reported improvements in both pain and quality of life, according to a study published in Pain and Therapy. Conversely, those who ate fewer calories but chose more inflammatory foods and/or foods with an imbalanced nutritional content did not experience these benefits. “Diet can cause inflammation,” wrote a team of investigators led by Ilenia Casini, PhD, associated with the Department of Medicine, Surgery and Neuroscience, University of Siena, Italy. “Inflammatory conditions of the digestive system can trigger the release of cytokines, which can have effects on the central nervous system…Dietary interventions are used to treat many diseases, as a healthy diet improves physical fitness, mental health and cognitive abilities.”

06 May, 2024

Avindra Nath – Demystifying exhaustion

Dr. Avindra Nath, clinical director of the U.S. National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, has always been interested in viruses. He completed his neurology training during the AIDS epidemic, a formative experience that left him fascinated by how viruses interact with the nervous system. This year, that interest yielded a historic study—perhaps the most extensive ever conducted—on a long-ignored and mysterious condition: myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS).