Asking questions - seeking answers. About undiagnosed and rare illnesses.
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For much of 2025, South Australia’s extraordinary harmful algal bloom was primarily described as an ecological catastrophe. Fish, octopuses and other marine animals washed ashore dead, while large areas of coastline were affected by discoloured water and foam. Yet some of the earliest warning signs were not confined to the sea. People visiting affected beaches reported coughing, sore throats,…
Herbal medicine has a long history of use in supporting health and relieving symptoms. Some herbal preparations contain biologically active compounds that may have anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, soothing, or other effects. However, there is an important point at which supportive herbal treatment may no longer be sufficient. This becomes particularly important with bacterial and viral infections…
The paper says both COVID infection and, much more rarely, vaccination have been temporally associated with kidney disorders, but the kidney risk from actual COVID infection is considerably greater, and current evidence often cannot establish that vaccination caused an individual kidney disorder. This distinction is central to understanding the scientific evidence. Reports of kidney disease…
Thyroid hormones are chemical messengers produced by the thyroid gland that circulate through the bloodstream and influence cells throughout the body. Their primary role is the regulation of metabolism, but thyroid hormones also affect brain function, mood, cognition, and behavior. The Brain–Pituitary–Thyroid Axis Thyroid function is regulated through a three-step hormonal system known as the…
Focused summary. The combination of thin or fragile skin, easy bruising and slow wound healing is compatible with chronic glucocorticoid effects on skin. Dryness, wrinkles and sagging can occur in the same clinical picture, but they are less specific because aging, sun exposure, psoriasis and impaired skin-barrier function can produce similar changes. The key question is therefore not whether…
Abstract Phototoxic dermatitis is a non-immunologic inflammatory reaction that occurs when photosensitizing substances interact with ultraviolet A (UV-A) radiation. It differs fundamentally from an allergic drug reaction, which is immune-mediated and may present with life-threatening symptoms such as airway swelling, difficulty breathing, or generalized urticaria requiring immediate medical…
Low adenosine triphosphate (ATP) is a major cause of ischemic white matter injury. ATP depletion deprives axons and oligodendrocytes of the energy needed to maintain ionic gradients, leading to ion pump failure, calcium toxicity, demyelination, and ultimately cell death. Mechanisms of Injury Na⁺/K⁺-ATPase failure: ATP depletion disables sodium-potassium pumps, causing sodium and water to…
In 2022, I proposed that impaired cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) dynamics might play a central role in ME/CFS . At the time, this idea received little attention. Now, a major new study of more than 45,000 people highlights the importance of the choroid plexus —the brain tissue that produces CSF and regulates immune signaling—as an early predictor of cognitive decline and dementia. The findings don't…
Iron deficiency without anemia (IDWA), also called non-anemic iron deficiency or latent iron deficiency , is a common but frequently overlooked condition. It occurs when your body's iron stores become depleted while your hemoglobin levels remain within the normal range. Because standard blood tests often focus only on hemoglobin, many people are told their iron levels are "normal" even though…
How Chiari malformation, C3 disease, T11–T12 abnormalities, L4–L5 stenosis, Tarlov cysts, and brachial neuritis do, and do not, fit together The central message Arm weakness plus new or worsening shortness of breath is a localization problem before it is a diagnosis. Several disorders can produce this combination, but abnormalities seen at different spinal levels should not automatically be woven…
