A conversation with MCS researcher, Martin Pall, PhD

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A conversation with MCS researcher, Martin Pall, PhD

http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0ISW/is_265-266/ai_n15622556/print

 

 

Linda Powers

 

Dr. Pall is Professor of Biochemistry and Basic Medical Sciences at

Washington State University. He is currently writing a book called Explaining

" Unexplained Illnesses. "

 

* How did you become interested in researching this group of illnesses--MCS,

Chronic Fatigue, Fibromyalgia, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder?

 

I came down with a case of chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) in the summer of

1997. Unlike most CFS sufferers, I had a complete recovery, over a period of

about a year and a half. I decided to dedicate the rest of my scientific career

to understanding the mechanisms causing this group of illnesses.

 

* Who is at-risk for developing MCS? Is a genetic pre-disposition necessary?

Is early exposure to toxic chemicals in pesticides and solvents critical?

 

There is evidence for an important genetic role in determining one's tendency

to get each of these related illnesses. For MCS, the evidence so far

implicates genes involved in chemical metabolism, as well as a gene that helps

determine the activity of the NMDA receptors in the brain, receptors that I

believe

are central to the mechanism of MCS. I would expect that a number of vitamins,

magnesium, selenium and a variety of antioxidants may well have a role in

preventing MCS. I think that in some individuals, early life stressors may well

make them more susceptible to MCS, but in others this will not be a factor.

 

There are multiple short term stressors that are implicated in this whole

group of illnesses, including pesticides and volatile organic solvents,

particularly in MCS, infection, particularly in CFS, both infection and physical

trauma

(particularly head and neck trauma) in fibromyalgia and severe psychological

stress in posttraumatic stress disorder. All of these stressors can produce

increases in nitric oxide and I have proposed that they may trigger a common

biochemical/physiological response that is responsible for these illnesses.

 

* Why is there so much variation of symptoms from one individual to another

within this group of illnesses?

 

One can explain many of the symptoms as being produced by impact on different

regions of the brain, as well as different parts of the rest of the body. For

example, some people with MCS have lower lung, asthma-like sensitivities,

sometimes abbreviated RADS and some do not--and those who have this have tissue

impact in the lower lungs. So a specific tissue when impacted by this

biochemistry produces a specific response.

 

* Describe the focus of your work with these illnesses and the

grants/funding sought

 

Most of my work, over the past seven years or so has been trying to master

large areas of the scientific literature to develop the best possible theory of

the etiologic (causal) mechanism of these illnesses. This does not require any

outside funding and fortunately, my university has been satisfied to have me

do this and has not " bugged " me to seek more grant funding.

 

This is the type of work that nobody does. The reason for that is two-fold.

Firstly, you cannot get research funding to do this type of work. Secondly it

is damn hard work and most people do not have either the breadth of background

or the interest in pursuing it. This is despite the fact that some very

prominent scientists have commented that this is just the type of work that we

most

need in the biomedical area. We are inundated by experimental results in many

areas of biomedical science (not on MCS, however) but have little time to

integrate these results into understandable conceptual frameworks.

 

I did have a small grant on CFS, which allowed me to publish two experimental

papers providing support for my theory. I also tried to get funding for two

similar trials, one for CFS treatment and second for fibromyalgia treatment.

The two foundations that I went to for funding both had the same response. They

felt that if the trial worked, we would not know why it worked because there

were so many components involved in the trial, and so the foundations were not

interested in it. I guess I'd like them to try to convince the sufferers that

an effective treatment would not be worth supporting even if one cannot

determine exactly how it works.

 

* You've developed a treatment protocol that has a nutritional focus.

Describe it.

 

First, let me remind you that I am a PhD, not an MD, so nothing I write

should be interpreted as a recommendation or as medical advice. I have been

interested in therapy issues ever since I got involved with this group of

illnesses.

I think that any etiologic (causal) theory has got to show its value through

its ability to suggest effective therapeutic approaches.

 

Dr. Grace Ziem asked me to come up with a treatment protocol. She had my

protocol compounded by a compounding pharmacy and is trying it on her MCS

patients. She reports it seems to be substantially more effective than her

previous

treatment approaches.

 

The approach that I have taken is based on the use of nutritional supplements

rather than conventional pharmaceuticals, and this approach was taken for two

reasons. One is that there are not a lot of conventional pharmaceuticals that

are attractive candidates for therapy. Secondly, Dr. Ziem wanted us to use as

natural an approach as possible, one that might give the injured body

(including brain, of course) an opportunity to heal itself.

 

Most of the nutritional supplements we are using are already being sold to

people with these illnesses, so individually they are of limited effectiveness.

If any one of them was a magic bullet, we would know about it. The goal is to

come up with a series of over a dozen such compounds expected to act

synergistically with each other to lower the biochemistry and physiology that

maintains

these illnesses.

 

We have used a large number of antioxidants (over a dozen of these alone),

several minerals and some odd compounds, such as the amino acid betaine.

 

Among the specific goals is to try to improve energy metabolism and lower the

activity of the NMDA receptors in the brain and other parts of the body, as

well as to lower the synthesis of and effects of nitric oxide and

peroxynitrite.

 

 

* Describe the human clinical research you'd like to do, and explain why

placebo-controlled trials are important.

 

What is known as a double-blind, placebo controlled trial is considered to be

the " gold standard " of trials and such an approach is needed to convince

people of possible effectiveness. The idea is that if an individual in the trial

does not know whether he/she is receiving the active material or a placebo,

that comparing a substantial number of individuals in each of the two groups

will

allow one to determine whether the treatment is effective and to quantify how

effective it may be. We may end up with two types of tablets, a gel cap and

an inhalant and if this is the final approach, we will need four different

placebos, one for each.

 

 

* How much funding is needed for this research?

 

Dr. Ziem estimates that it will take about $50,000 for the trial. I will be

donating my time to it. This is for a trial containing a group of 30 for

treatment and 30 for the placebo.

 

 

* If the funding did come through, how would participants in the trials be

chosen?

 

Dr. Ziem has a large backlog of patients. If that is insufficient, we can

contact support groups near her (she is located in rural Maryland). She will

have

to examine potential participants to determine if they fit the appropriate

case definition.

 

Each participant will have a small blood sample taken before starting the

trial and two times after the initiation of the trial so that I can measure some

biochemical parameters that may be a measure of treatment response. Response

to the trial will also be measured through the use of a previously validated

questionnaire. After the placebo-controlled part of the trial is completed, the

placebo group will be offered the opportunity to try the active supplements,

so everyone will have the opportunity to see how well the therapy works in

their case.

 

* Can interested individuals donate to your research?

 

They can make a tax deductible contribution through the WSU foundation by

including a note with a check indicating it is to support the Martin Pall

research fund, sent to:

 

Carol Sayles-Rydbom

Assistant Director of Development

College of Sciences

Morrill Hall 144B

P.O. Box 643520

Pullman, Washington 99164-3520 USA

 

 

 

COPYRIGHT 2005 The Townsend Letter Group

COPYRIGHT 2005 Gale Group

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http://www.haworthpress.com/store/PDFFiles/ForReps/Pall-Explaining.pdf

 

Martin L. Pall, PhD, BA

Professor, Biochemistry and Basic Medical Sciences,

Washington State University, Pullman

 

complete contents for Explaining “Unexplained Illnesses†Start treating the

causes of these baffling diseases, instead of the symptoms:

 

 

• Acknowledgments

• Chapter 1. The NO/ONOO- Cycle and the Cause of Chronic Fatigue

Syndrome,

Multiple Chemical Sensitivity, Fibromyalgia, and Post-traumatic Stress

Disorder

• Chapter 2. Important Components and Their Properties

• Chapter 3. Generation of Symptoms and Signs of Multisystem Illness

• Chapter 4. The Local versus Systemic Nature of the NO/ONOO- Cycle

Mechanism and Its Implications for Nomenclature and Treatment

• Chapter 5. Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

• Chapter 6. Agents That Lower Nitric Oxide Levels Are Useful in the

Treatment of Multisystem Illnesses

• Chapter 7. Multiple Chemical Sensitivity

• Chapter 8. Fibromyalgia

• Chapter 9. Post-traumatic Stress Disorder

• Chapter 10. Gulf War Syndrome: A Combination of All Four

• Chapter 11. The Toll of Multisystem Illnesses

• Chapter 12. Overall Evidence: What Else Is Needed?

• Chapter 13. What About Those Who Say It Is All in Your Head?

• Chapter 14. A Major New Paradigm of Human Disease?

• Chapter 15. Therapy

•  Chapter 16. Conclusions

• References

• Index

 

 

 

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Martin L. Pall, Ph.D.

Professor of Biochemistry and Basic Medical Sciences

Washington State University

Pullman, WA 99164-4234 USA

509-335-1246

martin_pall

 

Novel Disease Paradigm Produces Explanations for a Whole Group of Illnesses

A Common Causal (Etiologic) Mechanism for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Multiple

Chemical Sensitivity, Fibromyalgia and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder

http://molecular.biosciences.wsu.edu/Faculty/pall/pall_main.htm

 

Multiple Chemical Sensitivity: Towards the End of Controversy

http://www.ei-resource.org/articles/mcs-art09.asp

see this article in pdf format at:

http://www.mcs-america.org/pall.pdf

 

Multiple Chemical Sensitivity (MCS)

http://molecular.biosciences.wsu.edu/Faculty/pall/pall_mcs.htm

 

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome as a NO/ONOO- Cycle Disease

http://molecular.biosciences.wsu.edu/Faculty/pall/pall_cfs.htm

 

Fibromyalgia

http://molecular.biosciences.wsu.edu/Faculty/pall/pall_fibro.htm

 

Fibromyalgia, Excessive Nitric Oxide/Peroxynitrite and Excessive NMDA

Activity

http://www.ei-resource.org/articles/fibro-art08.asp