People with CFS/FMS tend to have a body temperature slightly below the recognized "normal" body temperature of 98.6 degrees F. associated with a healthy person.

When a body becomes infected by a bacteria or virus, one of the defenses of the body, to rid itself of the invader, is to generate a fever. The elevation in body temperature accomplishes two goals. First, it helps to slow down the reproduction of the invader, the bacteria or virus. This prevents the invader from being able to gain a greater leverage against the body and also gives the body more time to activate its own immune forces. Second, the elevated temperature helps the body increase production of the cells that will launch the attack against the invader.

From "The Innate Immune System" we read, "Elevating the temperature of the body increases the rate of enzyme reactions, and this speeds up metabolism within the body. An elevation in the rate of metabolism can increase the production and activity of phagocytes, speed up the multiplication of lymphocytes, increase the rate of antibody and cytokine production, increase the rate at which leukocytes are released from the bone marrow into the bloodstream, and speed up tissue repair."

From the above we see that temperature plays an important role in the body's immune system. Let's do a little speculation as to how this may relate to a person with FMS/CFS. Many people with FMS/CFS report that when they feel like their body is running a fever, the actual temperature of the body does not rise much. Is this temperature rise sufficient to slow the growth of the invader? Is it sufficient to increase immune activation? Very likely, not.

What are the effects of long term lower than "normal" body temperature? Dr. Majid Ali, on his website Aging Healthfully says: "Even a small drop in body temperature, such as three-quarters to one degree, can significantly impair enzyme efficiency, sometimes causing as much as a 50% drop."

Does the day to day lower body temperature depress the immune system such that people with FMS/CFS are suseptible to catching all the bugs and viruses that come their way? Are some of the symptoms of the condition the result of secondary infections that their body is continually combating?

When the body detects the need to generate a fever the brain adjusts the thermostat setting higher. The body then will shake/shiver to generate the heat to raise the body temperature to this higher setting.

Last year I was visiting a friend in California. Her daughter had become infected with a flu virus. The child was all bundled up in blankets, her body shivering, trying to heat up. We set a FIR heater in front of her and within a few minutes she stopped shaking, evidence that her body had warmed up. ( Blankets do not warm the body, blankets insulate the body from cooler outside air and blankets help retain the heat that the body generates. If the body is having difficulty generating heat, you can still feel cold even when all bundled up. )

A side note: When we become sick and develop a fever often the first thing we do is try to lower the temperature, break the fever. This may be counter productive to what the body is trying to accomplish. Certainly there are possible dangers if the fever becomes too high, but unless that happens, it may be best to let the fever run its course.

So far we have addressed the effect of body temperature on the immune system, what about metabolism? From a physiology text book we learn that "The metabolic rate increases by 15% for each 1 degree C. increase in body temperature". Can we assume that a 1 degree drop in temperature will have the opposite effect, lowering the bodies metabolic rate? What are the effects of a lower metabolic rate? Your body is slowed in its ability to burn glucose and fat to produce ATP, the very substance that the body needs for fuel to heat itself. This produces a kind of "catch-22" situation.

One effect of a lowered metabolic rate is elevated blood glucose levels. Is there a possible connection between lowered metabolic rate and the almost epidemic rise in the number of people being diagnosed with type-II diabetes? I think there may be. Also, there is increasing evidence that long term elevated blood glucose levels has an adverse affect on the health of the heart.

Well, this should give you a few things to think about.

All the best,
Jim

Posted to the THMI-FMS email list on 9/17/2002.