"You have to respect the wisdom of the body," says this week's guest Dr. Mark Donohoe. We talk about the importance of understanding why things are happening to give you insight into how it can be improved, the role of antibiotics, how do you react when the body is “stepping down”? Cross-reactivity and chemical sensitivity, the difference between sensitivity and allergy. The rise of childhood problems and why vaccinations have become such a complex issue.

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Dr. Ron Ehrlich:                   Hello and welcome to Unstress, I'm Dr. Ron Ehrlich. Now, medicine is at its best when it names diseases and then can provide a pharmaceutical or a surgical intervention, which solves the problem or actually more often, the symptom the patient presents with. It's a model that doesn't lend itself to overcoming chronic health conditions because the causes and for that matter, the solutions, are often multifactorial.

It's why I've found clinically over many years, that using the five stressor model is a great framework for asking all the right questions. And the five pillars of health and wellness, a great framework for building or maintaining resilience.

My guest today is Dr. Mark Donohoe, a general practitioner who has for the last 30 years, been working with many patients who present with complex health problems. For example, chronic fatigue. It's such an interesting discussion of how medicine approaches complex health problems or diseases, and chronic fatigue is an excellent example of a condition that doesn't lend itself to some quick fixes.

Apart from talking about chronic fatigue, we also go into how adults can pass toxicity onto their children, we also talk about the environmental impact on childhood behavior, and we also discuss the issue of vaccinations. Now, chronic fatigue is an excellent example of a complex condition where someone is suffering, but it's difficult to give an exact diagnosis.

Now, for the sufferer and for their family and friends, it's a very frustrating issue. Now, it's a complicated disorder and symptoms may include fatigue, loss of memory or concentration, sore throat and large lymph nodes, unexplained muscle or joint pain, headaches, unrefreshing sleep, a recurring theme in this podcast series, and extreme exhaustion lasting more than 24 hours after physical or mental exercise.

Above all, chronic fatigue is characterized not surprisingly, by extreme fatigue that can't be explained by any underlying medical condition. And often, tests, frustratingly, don't shed light on that condition. The fatigue may worsen with physical or mental activity, but interestingly, doesn't improve with rest.

According to the world-famous Mayo Clinic, and this is a quote, the cause of chronic fatigue syndrome is unknown, although there are many theories, ranging from viral infections to psychological stress or trauma. And I love this part because it's a holistic view, which I actually agree with, the quote goes on, some experts believe chronic fatigue syndrome might be triggered by a combination of factors. Damn right. I could name five stressors that my regular listeners will be familiar with.

Now, for new listeners, go back to episode one, the mission statement. Mark's practice focuses on these problems, even before we became aware of the potential for harm from environmental stressors. A concept that even today some circles are not readily accepting.

Mark and I discuss how we all have a physiological limit. Pull on that limit over enough time from multiple directions and things start to fall apart. In fact, we have a very interesting discussion about how medicine approaches healthcare in general. I hope you enjoy this conversation I had with Dr. Mark Donohoe.

Welcome to the show, Mark.

Dr. Mark Donohoe:           Pleasure to be here, Ron.

Dr. Ron Ehrlich:                   Mark, you have been a practicing for quite a few years now.

Dr.