
Disturbingly, her patient continued to decline. She now reported flu-like symptoms, headaches, sleep disturbance, and generalized achiness.
By 1986, the number of patients with this mysterious illness had risen to 300, and by 1987 she had over a thousand ill patients, two-thirds of whom were on disability. Seventy-five percent of these patients were female.
After hearing of the outbreak in Incline Village, Dr. Jessop began to believe that the mysterious illness affecting her patients was the same as the one in Nevada. At that point, the illness had now been dubbed Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS). Unable to locate a viral cause, she suspected that candidiasis played a major role in the development of CFS. Dr. Jessop treated her patients with a course of ketoconazole combined with an anti-candida therapy program for 3-12 months. The majority of these patients experienced a significant reduction of symptoms.
Dr. Jessop presented her findings in 1989 at the first Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Conference held in San Francisco. Given her enormous success with treating the illness, most CFS physicians subsequently incorporated anti-candida treatments into their protocols.
A year later, in 1990, Dr. Jessop was the featured guest speaker at the CFIDS Association of America's research conference, “Unraveling the Mystery,” held in Charlotte, North Carolina. At the conference Dr. Jessop presented a paper on statistical data for 1,324 of her patients. Her paper, Clinical Features and Possible Etiology of CFIDS, was perhaps the most comprehensive discussion of CFS/ME symptoms to date. Some of her more interesting findings included the presence of numerous GI symptoms as well as infections prior to onset.
- 89% had irritable bowel symptoms
- 80% had ‘constant gas’ or bloating
- 58% had constipation
- 40% reported heartburn
- 89% reported recurrent childhood ear, nose, throat infections
- 40% had a history of recurrent sinusitis
- 30% recurrent bronchitis
- 20% recurrent bladder infections
It is currently believed that long-term or repeated use of antibiotics not only alters gut flora, but is a major contributing factor to the development of candidiasis. This may have created the GI symptoms experienced by Dr. Jessop's patients prior to contracting CFS/ME, and would also explain the success of her treatment.
Dr. Jessop no longer treats CFS/ME. Her practice is limited to chronic pain and hospice care. Dr. Jessop's patients continue to report her as committed, caring and compassionate. In the words of one of her patients, she is a “true healer.”
Contact information:
5349 College Avenue
Oakland, CA. 94618
Phone: (510) 547-5111
Email: [email protected]
Website: http://www.berkeleypalliativecare.com
Publications
Landay AL, Jessop C, Lennette ET, Levy JA. Chronic fatigue syndrome: clinical condition associated with immune activation. Lancet, 1991 Sep 21;338(8769):707-12
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1679864 (abstract)
http://www.cfids-cab.org/mess/lymphocyte.htm (full text)
Kenneth H. Fye MD, Q. E. Whiting-O'Keefe MD, Evelyne T.Carol Jessop MD Lennette PhD. Absence of abnormal Epstein-Barr virus serologic findings in patients with fibrositis. Arthritis and Rheumatism, Vol 31, Issue 11, PP 1455-1456, Nov 1988
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/art.1780311124/abstract (abstract)
Sources:
Leon Chaitow N.D., D.O., M.R.O Understanding and Treating Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Fibromyalgia. ProHealth.com. May 9, 2003 http://www.prohealth.com/library/showarticle.cfm?libid=9433
Wall, Dorothy. From Skepticism to Science / After 20 years, chronic fatigue syndrome may finally be getting some respect and cutting-edge science. San Francisco Chronicle. June 5, 2005.
http://www.sfgate.com/health/article/From-Skepticism-to-Science-After-20-years-2665474.php