Dr. Cheney Goes His Own Way: the Virginia 2009 Lecture

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Dr. Cheney Goes His Own Way: the Virginia 2009 Lecture

_http://aboutmecfs.org/blog/_ (http://aboutmecfs.org/blog/)

 

 

by cort on May 2, 2009

 

Dr. Cheney gave a lecture on ME/CFS (chronic fatigue syndrome) on April

25th, courtesy of the Northern Virginia CFS/ME/FM and OI Support group.

According to a report of the talk posted by Chris on _CFSFMExperimental

_

(http://us.mc1103.mail./mc/showMessage?pSize=25 & sMid=48 & fid=Inbox & sort=\

date & order=down & startMid=25 & filterBy= & .rand=759358085 & midIndex=23 &

mid=1_356306_AMwIw0MAAA4jSfYCnwDXxjgH8oQ & m=1_359987_AMkIw0MAAL4jSfY/nwuj8WEo

j9g,1_359241_ANAIw0MAATLhSfY+/Qt1RwwcXo4,1_358502_AM4Iw0MAAMWxSfYYZwcDm0kL4j

U,1_357066_ANQIw0MAAH8ESfYHWQn9hwPsN+E,1_357961_AMsIw0MAANb4SfYOuwnzW0tRqy4,

1_356306_AMwIw0MAAA4jSfYCnwDXxjgH8oQ,1_353566_ANcIw0MAAHHgSfX4oAFJoBPMPoU,)

on April 27th, Dr. Cheney, a creative physician and provocative speaker,

did not disappoint. In a three hour non-stop, often extemporaneous lecture,

populated with power-point slides, Dr. Cheney continued to plough new

ground.

Still the Heart of the Matter - Dr. Cheney shocked the patient community

five years ago when, shortly after his own heart transplant operation, he

announced that ME/CFS patients were in ‘heart failure’ and that energetic

problems with the heart were at the core of this disease. His two abstracts

at the recent IACFS/ME conference asserted that **oxygen toxicity**

problems in the heart were fundamental and that cell signaling factors may be

helpful.

Chris reported that Dr. Cheney believes oxygen toxicity is the ‘control

point’ around which this disease revolves. (Interestingly according to his

IACFS/ME abstract ‘oxygen toxicity’ is not uncommon with 65% of his healthy

controls (and 100% of his ME/CFS patients) testing positive for it. This

suggests that it’s the degree rather than the presence of oxygen toxicity

that Dr. Cheney believes is unique to ME/CFS.

Dr. Cheney is apparently using something he calls ECHO Terrain mapping to

assess the effectiveness of his treatments. This appears to involve

placing a substance on the patients skin and then measuring their IVRT (speed

with which the heart expands during diastole). Substances which increase IVRT

are believed to have negative effects. This has lead him to some

surprising findings.

* Glutathione, a key aspect of his treatment protocol for many

years, is actually harmful for many patients. Dr. Cheney that pioneered the

use

of whey powder to increase glutathione levels about 10 years ago and

glutathione depletion has long played a core role in his model of chronic

fatigue syndrome. In 1999, declaring that glutathione had potent antiviral

effects he reported that of eight patients taking denatured whey five improved

and one had so much energy that he had to lower his dose. He stated that

denatured whey powder supplementation resulted in increased well-being,

reduced free radical activity, increased immune functioning and reduced viral

load.The ME/CFS community took note and the soon everyone was buying expensive

cans of this designer whey protein product. Not long after that the

specialty whey protein field took off with brand after brand hitting the

market.

As of 2005 Dr. Cheney was still referring to **the power of undenatured

whey** and glutathione. Dr. Cheney’s statements are still used by several

whey manufacturers to advertise their products.

But that is over. Dr. Cheney now believes that glutathione - far from

being helpful - is actually harmful. So interestingly enough, so is COQ10 -

another important leg of his 2005 treatment protocol.

* Methyl B12 and folapro - two features of Rich Van Konynenburg’s

Simple Methylation protocol - are, as well, at least according to the ECHO

terrain maps - harmful to the heart as well.

* Vitamin D3 is toxic.

* D-Ribose, a product used by congestive heart failure patients and

reportedly used extensively by Dr. Cheney in 2007, is harmful as well.

ECHO Terrain Mapping - Fact or Fiction? - _Rich Van Konynenburg argues_

(http://us.mc1103.mail./mc/showMessage?pSize=25 & sMid=25 & fid=Inbox & sort=

date & order=down & startMid=25 & filterBy= & .rand=759358085 & midIndex=0 & mid=1_37827

2_ANQIw0MAAW3lSfdTFgjOGFq6USM & m=1_378272_ANQIw0MAAW3lSfdTFgjOGFq6USM,1_37090

5_AMoIw0MAAUFhSfb6Twri9iIswtU,1_377374_ANQIw0MAAV9DSfdS3AnE1Ci9PWw,1_370267_

ANMIw0MAAOMsSfbx+gmX7RxceYM,1_376404_ANcIw0MAAQJOSfdS1weF7DRN9lQ,1_371738_AM

oIw0MAAUSdSfb6hgMc+Q/+KdM,) that short-term ECHO terrain tests - which

measure IVRT’s immediately following exposure to a substance may not reflect

longer term results

Current Treatment Protocol: With his high hourly rates and at times

enormous protocols Dr. Cheney has been known as the Cadillac of ME/CFS

physicians. The ECHO Terrain mapping procedure, appears, however, to have put a

real

dent in the size of his protocol. Two years ago Dr. Cheney was focused on

reducing nitric oxide and increasing uric acid levels. Dr Cheney now

advises patients to back off supplements if they*re not bringing noticeable

benefits.

Chris reported that Dr. Cheney focuses on just four treatment types now;

1. Artesunate - an anti-malarial drug

2. Cell signaling factors

3. Gut dysbiosis – probiotics, digestive enzymes, diet

4. Stem cell infusion.

Interestingly while Dr. Cheney remains focused on heart he*s also

convinced - in line with several other physicians - that the gut plays a

critical

role in this disorder - stating that unless the gut is fixed nothing else

will be.

Artesunate - an antiviral and redox factor used to treat malaria - is

reportedly a key factor which has allowed Dr. Cheney to double his cure rate.

(Malaria medication! - a testament to Dr. Cheney’s seemingly ceaseless

search to find treatments that fit his model of ME/CFS)

Cell-Signaling Factors - Dr. Cheney has pioneered the use of

**cell-signaling factors** in this disease. Interestingly he reports that

adrenal and

thymus cell-signaling factors reduce patients energy and heart while brain

and liver CSF’s increase energy levels and cited the significant

improvements patient experienced on them. Dr Cheney’s IACFS/ME abstract does

report

significant improvement but it was hardly earth-shattering; patients improved

an average of 10 points on the Karnofsky scale of functioning (0-100

range). Their stroke volume and IVRT (a measurement of diastolic functioning)

also improved.

Stem Cell Infusions - are used in non-responders which tend to be people

over 40. In order to reduce costs they*re been done in Costa Rica and

Panama. They take six months to evaluate but Chris reports that Dr. Cheney says

that they *obliterate oxygen toxicity* and patients have been *transformed*.

Dr. Cheney is may be our most creative physician. He is constantly

scouring the medical field for new treatment possibilities and regularly

introducing new treatment options. Whether he’s on the right track, is of

course,

unclear. The fact that he now believes that significant portions of his

former protocol are not only not helpful but actually harmful is eye-brow

raising to be sure and one wonders why that wasn*t this evident before. The

*significant* but still quite limited progress of his recent patients indicates

that ME/CFS treatment under Dr. Cheney - and every physician - is still,

after 25 years on the job - a work in progress.

Dr. Cheney is opening two websites; one devoted to the clinic and one to

his research. You can sign up for newsletters at cheneyclinic. com, and

cheneyresearch. com. Video*s of the talk will be available at some point on

the CFS and FM Support Group of Dallas _http://www.dfwcfids.org/index.shtml_

(http://www.dfwcfids.org/index.shtml)