Chronic fatigue and long Covid remain poorly understood, but Dr Perrin’s unusual techniques are having surprisingly positive results. In 1989 a patient with myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME) came to see Dr Raymond Perrin in his capacity as an osteopath. The man had postural problems but when Perrin worked with him using osteopathic techniques something else happened.
His ME got better. It sowed the seeds of a new theory on how to treat ME and chronic fatigue – as well as long Covid – that would see him butting up against the medical establishment. The registered osteopath and neuroscientist hypothesised that ME (also known as chronic fatigue syndrome) was caused by a compromised lymphatic system.
The lymphatics, which are controlled by the autonomic nervous system, were, he believed, draining the wrong way and pushing toxins back into the brain. There was a major problem with his theory. At that point there was no proof that a lymphatic system of the brain even existed, never mind any problems with it draining.
The blood-brain barrier was believed to stop all large molecules from getting into the brain. Perrin’s theory flew in the face of accepted science..
