The topic of functional medicine is a burgeoning one not only in the chronic health landscape, but in the wider medical community as people crave answers they don’t always obtain from the mainstream medical system. In our circles, we have either ourselves, or heard the tales of others feeling the dread and sudden sinking of the heart when facing a doctor and being told that ‘your tests are fine’ or ‘there’s nothing we can really do’ or ‘hopefully this other person can help you.’

It is from the depths of despair that people have begun hearing about the functional medicine paradigm – a systems based style medicine which at its core attempts to address the root causes underpinning an oftentimes complex and interwoven set of symptoms. Instead of drilling down on a label and looking at blanket approaches to treatment, the functional medicine approach attempts to peel back the layers of the diagnosis and rather looks at the fundamental systems of the body which are out of balance. Whether it be deficiencies in nutrients, social relationships or structural integrity, all the way to an excess of stress or certain toxins garnered from our environment, we are fundamentally looking to correct these, restore balance and ultimately homeostasis.

In my case, as a 10-year sufferer of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, a condition I was told I would need to live with by people who were regarded as specialists in the condition, at least in mainstream medical circles, I immediately turned to alternative and complimentary medicine as a means of restoring my vitality and my life. 

The lengthy list of interventions included vitamin C intravenous drips, ozone therapy, acupuncture, cupping, emotional freedom technique, visualisations, homeopathy, matrix re-imprinting, amygdala retraining, qi gong, restrictive diets, restorative yoga, chiropractic and osteopathic care, hypnotherapy, graded exercise therapy, massage and bioresonance therapy. My symptoms would occasionally improve but for the most part, I received no true relief from the CFS blanket that weighed me down. These treatments are all meritorious and have provided individuals with symptom relief and healing from many conditions, but in my case, I learned that I needed to dig deeper.

It was in mid-2020 that I received the wake-up call I needed. From being able to partially function to being largely house bound once again, I soon adopted the functional medicine principle which was to ‘test, not guess.’ Having discovered from my own research the roles that environmental pollutants and chemicals play, I underwent a provoked heavy metal test (with a chelating agent) and mycotoxin test, in addition to undergoing a bacterial and fungal sinus swab to find what was at the root of my symptoms. And I was successful. 

To my surprise and somewhat relief at the time, I returned a very high reading for mercury and lead. These are central nervous system disruptors, and importantly in the context of fatigue, cause mitochondrial dysfunction. Our mitochondria are little organelles in our cells responsible for the production of ATP, the energy currency of our cells, and when they are thwarted and prevented from functioning, we oftentimes lag with physical and mental fatigue.

In addition, I tested positive for a mycotoxin. Mycotoxins, the toxins produced by mould, have an immune suppressing effect and can lead to chronic fatigue. As a result of this, I engaged a building biologist who identified that I was being exposed to a split system cooler riddled with mould, which I sat under every day during the first few months of the Covid-19 pandemic lockdowns. 

Finally, I tested positive for MARCoNS, short for multiple antibiotic resistant coagulase negative staph. This is essentially a type of staph which resides in the sinuses that is proven to be resistant to treatment from various antibiotics. This would go on to explain my chronic fatigue symptoms and crushing brain fog due to the proximity of the sinuses to the brain and the impact of the constant inflammation in the part of my body.

Now that I had all the data, I had learned that my immune system was completely overwhelmed and poorly functioning. It was time to remove what was thwarting it from performing, to allow it to come back online again. 

I quickly learned about the delicate process that is detoxification in order to remove the heavy metals and mycotoxins that were plaguing me. Contrary to fad diets, three day fasts or juice cleanses, true cellular detoxification takes time and requires a complete approach. In a naive and in retrospect, foolish, attempt to speed up the recovery process, I took things into my own hands and began incorporating various detoxifying agents with zero guidance or support. Before I knew it, I began feeling worse and knew I could not do this alone, but needed the wisdom of a practitioner who knew the gentle art of detoxification.

Before we can begin encouraging the extraction of toxins that may have resided in our bodies for years or even decades, we need to open up our ‘drainage’ organs. Focusing on optimising our lymphatic system, liver, kidneys, skin and colon are essential in the leadup to any detoxification program. 

Under the tutelage of Dr Christopher Manton at Optimum Health Essentials, who is well versed in detoxification, I began the two-year process by supporting these systems before incorporating what are known as binders. These are agents which, as the name would suggest, bind to various toxins in the body and help escort them out via the colon. Certain binders have an affinity for different toxins, whether they be chemicals, heavy metals or mycotoxins. The process was systematic and structured, with dedicated backing off time at regular intervals being required to allow the key organs to have some well earned rest after the heavy work they were engaging in. 

I was concurrently undergoing the then recognised treatment for MARCoNS, that of a BEG spray – a combination of the antibiotics Bactroban and Gentamycin and a biofilm disrupting agent, EDTA. I diligently followed the 30-day protocol and later discovered treatment had failed post retesting. It was then in a desperate search to rid myself of the suffocating brain fog that I came across the protocol of the American based practitioner, Dr John Lieurance, who formulated a protocol for his own recovery from the condition. After importing the various sprays and liquids from the USA, I underwent the protocol and to my delight, returned a negative result from my MARCoNS culture. 

I was in the meantime continuing my gentle detoxification journey and began experiencing better days for the first time in years. Those better days began outnumbering the fatigue days and the exponential progress continued.

In 2022, I began to feel the best I had since being diagnosed with the condition. I began reengaging in sport and outdoor activities, while working full time. I even got married. I also subsequently discovered I had a tooth infection, which after removal brought about relief within 24 hours from the remaining small amount of residual fatigue I experienced. By that stage, I had done it. I had truly recovered from the insidious condition that is chronic fatigue syndrome.

More importantly though, I had learned so much along the way, and now I believe it is my duty to share this knowledge with the world and help put an end to the suffering that so many people are enduring with this condition. With the right approach, the body can begin to heal and regenerate to a place of health and vitality – it sometimes just needs the appropriate supports to do so.

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