Very interesting, thanks for sharing. I used to get coldsores a lot when I had iron deficiency anemia and repeated sinus infections. Since being treated with iron infusions (the last 10 years) I rarely get coldsores or sinus infections. Anyone else ever get coldsores? I also have major G.I. problems, ileitis, ibs, gerd I have had an acidic stomach since I was a child, I could never drink orange juice!

That's so interesting, Emily....thank you for posting. The cytokine level that was mentioned in this article was also talked about in another article posted here. Maybe they're now on to something!

I used to have IBS, but since taking pain meds, my problem is constipation. I don't remember having a problem with cold sores, but I do have chronic gastritis. Hmm....

About COLD SORES. My hubby used to get them a few times a year.

Now AS SOON AS HE FEELS HIS LIPS TINGLING he takes 4 acidophilus tablets. Then he takes 4 tablets every four hours for about three days. Yes, that's 16 or 20 tablets a day for three days.

The cold sores never come out if he catches them as soon as he feels the tingling...before the sores appear.

I advised him to take acidophilus every day...but he won't listen to me about that for some strange reason. I do think if he took acidophius each day, the lesions wouldn't appear. I'm not positive but it makes sense to me.

I'm a bit confused - are they saying that the herpes simplex virus causes fibromyalgia? Kind of a problem if you don't have herpes simplex, which I don't.

The ongoing research into cytokines is more interesting.

I always say any research is good research. Even if they don't find what they're looking for they learn things that might prove to be valuable later.

I came down with fibro after having a cold (virus) every two weeks for a year. And I started having IBS after having a cold (virus) for a week.

My daughter doesn't have fibro, but started having IBS symptoms after having something flu-like last summer.

This is exciting research! Hope it works out for the good of us all.

Thank you for sharing. It is very interesting.

PeaceN2you, as I understand it, they think it's a virus similar to the herpes virus. Here is a Much better article.

http://research.ua.edu/2012/08/going-viral-surgeon-professor-team-in-new-approach-to-pain-treatment/

What I want to know is where are the 10 sites where they will be testing this treatment because 90 percent effective is UNHEARD OF in medicine. LOL With odds like that, I will move.

Not to get carried away. Every new research finding is MAJOR and then when they test it carefully, it 's nowhere as good. But still...One can hope

As I said, I believe all research is good research. I just get twitchy when I hear words like "investors."

I'm kinda sick of being a "market."

I am pretty sure mine is hereditary. There are several people in my family with autoimmune issues from Crohn's, polymyositis, RA, and fibro.

PeaceN2you. I totally agree with your concerns about the investors issue. No one wants to be a market. Issue is that those trials are very expensive. In addition to the cost of the medicines, they have to hire a lot of people at a lot of sites to run it. I would feel a lot more comfortable if it were funded by the National Institite of Health or some other national agency without ties to commercialism. When I did research I had things funded by them and know enough about the process to feel comfortable with what comes out of national, government sponsored agencies. It is the other folks I worry about.

Fibrosucks, like you, it runs in my family. It can be both. In other words, it can attack or leave damaged people who are susceptible and not others. Maybe most people are naturally immune and we aren't.

An enzyme, L-lysine was found to help people with the viral herpes caused cold sores. L-lysine is an enzyme normally found in foods and can be depleted by stress, illness, or even eating certain foods, two of which are chocolate and popcorn. When I feel a cold sore coming on I take 1000mg of L-lysine for about 3 days and the cold sore often doesn't even develop or it is diminished in size and intensity every time. There are real scientific studies out there for this enzyme. I don't have the websites right now, but I will try to find some for you.

I have managed grants and I am very familiar with the whats, whos, and hows. I'm also familiar with the fact that the accountability to "investors" is very different from that of grants. If the whole thing turns out to be BS and you're funded by private investors, it's just "Oh well, better luck next time." At least if it's grant-funded, there is some accountability and oversight for outcome. Doesn't mean it is or will be successful, but it's a different environment as far as proposing pure BS is concerned.

Many privately-funded studies have gotten people all excited with big promises of imminent breakthroughs. To my knowledge, not a single one of them has turned out to be anything but a money-maker for the sponsoring organization.

There are other issues with grants, but that's a different conversation. Again, I'm sick of bring somebody's "market" or "projected market share."

Non-related/related concurrent issue - it used to be that nothing got published until it was peer-reviewed, which meant it had been replicated and found to be scientifically valid. With the advent of the internet, you or I can publish and say we have something awesome, write a great-sounding business proposal, get investors, and make a lot of money. In the process a lot of sick people get their hopes up only to be disappointed, over and over again.

I've just learned not to get excited until it's "real" - not just somebody's great-sounding business plan.

PeaceN2You. I think we are on the same page. Let's see. We both value legitimate research and we are both concerned about false claims motivated financial profit. Right?

Maybe I am more optimistic than you because I probably haven't had fibro as long as you. Haven't been burned much. Actually, I am optimistic because through a lot of agency, reading, listening, and trying out various things, I am ALMOST normal. Each of my management strategies helps one thing or another until it adds up to pretty good.

Ballmarc and Triad. I will look into this. Are either of you professionally into the physical sciences? There have got to be physicians, biologist, chemists, etc. out there with fibro. What do they do? What research are they following?

I don't buy that Triad. There are too many avenues for dissemination of information and too many people interested in it for news not to get out if something reproducible comes along.

I saved the link to read in the morning. I just wanted to say that I have never had any form of IBS. But I did suffer from sever brain fog, insomnia, muscle pain, and numerous other issues.

On a side note, I did test positive for a virus related to mono. My dr. said it is only active in people with a weakened immune system.

While, I haven't read the article yet, I am glad to know that research continues.