I would love for some scientist to contact Dr Donald Staines and have a chat to him about his theory and maybe grab a copy of his book titles "Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and vasoactive neuropeptide autoimmunity" I've read it a couple of time and flicked through it many other times it's a fascinating theory to say the least and even though Dr Donald Staines is not employed by the Bond University he's involved in a research study into Chronic Fatigue Syndrome at the Bond University on the Gold Coast in Queensland Australia, he's been working in with Associate Professor Sonia Marshal. What's puzzling me the most is that nobody talks about his hypothesis despite it explains every aspect of ME/CFS in detail. Only thing I don’t feel comfortable with is that this hypothesis is too good to be true almost fitting like a glove but he explains almost everything with scientific facts.  I suppose I'm one who believes his hypothesis should be taken seriously even by the likes of the WPI and Judy Mikovits etc...lack of Vasoactive Neuropeptide (VNs) Autoimmunity awareness might well be compromising an understanding of why all of these very diverse and bizarre symptoms happen without any evidence of why.  I see the uniqueness of Dr Staines’ position. He is employed by Qld Government, so he is not making living on ME/CFS. Probably he doesn’t have time for advocating ME/CFS. Maybe, he has restrictions against speaking only about ME/CFS. I am a little disappointed that his in-depth knowledge and understandings of ME/CFS is not being utilised for helping people with ME/CFS. Maybe, publishing intelligent papers about VNs Autoimmunity and ME/CFS is his hobby.  Please don’t take me wrong. I’ve met Dr Staines and he seemed to be a down-to-earth kind of person and he seemed caring about people with ME/CFS.  His book is full of medical terms, so my understanding is limited to grasping a little more than a general idea.  Basically what it says is that VNs is a relatively newly discovered type of neurotransmitter that regulates and protects our body system. Dr Staines told us it is a newly discovered neurotransmitter, therefore it is not in Neurologists’ text book yet. He called it “master key”. It is a commander who controls everything. Obviously working very closely with other things I'm sure.  I’m sure you know about autoimmunity. It is a condition with over-acting immune system. It attacks and damages healthy cell because it confused it as alien invading to the system.  Once VN's (vasoactive neuropeptides) are damaged or compromised as he puts it, everything in our systems goes wrong, sleep cycle & quality, hormonal regulation, central nervous system, gut and bowel function, cognitive function, balance, and etc. That explains multi functional problems and even delayed response in our system. He explained how damaged VN's mimics psychological conditions as well. (Just an absolute fascinating read and a must for any scientist who's serious about cracking this nut)  In the research I’m participating , they looking at various things such as pesticide etc... to VNs Autoimmunity. However, in the book, he suspects any stress or trauma can trigger it; viral infection, bacteria infection, car accident, PTSD, prolonged stress, heat stress, and the list can keep going on.  He also explains the “hit and run” nature of ME/CFS. The cause or pathological evidence for VNs Autoimmunity may disappears quickly so that the body is left with damages without measurable pathological proof.  It is possible that VNs Autoimmunity can link to other fatigue related illnesses such as Gulf War syndrome, MS, Parkinson’s disease, Diabetes, and more. I think I also noticed its possible link to SIDS and autism as well.  I've read this this book several times and have flicked through various sections over and over. I’m can't begin to express how fascinated I am by Dr Staines's hypothesis and how I'd love for others in this field of science to take a very good look at it, who knows Dr Donald Staines may just be on the money. (I have no doubt this "money" is what has hindered his theory and the fact that he's employed outside this area and does not really rely on this as a source of income)
Last fall, researchers made a big announcement for sufferers of chronic fatigue syndrome, or CFS. They had examined the blood of 101 patients and 218 healthy people -- and found more than half of the people with CFS had evidence of a retrovirus known as XMRV. Only 8 of the healthy people did. If true, the finding suggested a possible cause of CFS, and a first step toward a treatment and a vaccine. What happened next is a study in contrasts. The scientific community went to work to verify the original findings, and five teams came up empty. Deliberative and requiring...