Beyond Blood Tests: Rethinking ME/CFS & Long COVID Diagnosis with Jonas Axelsson, MD, PhD

Donate to the Institute: https://givenow.nova.edu/assaf-family... In today's episode, Makena Thompson sits down with Dr. Jonas Axelsson, a Swedish physician-scientist specializing in post-viral diseases, to address one of the most urgent questions in ME/CFS and long COVID care: why do standard blood tests keep coming back normal when patients clearly are not well? Dr. Axelsson breaks down what standard diagnostic panels actually measure, why cellular oxidative stress and mitochondrial dysfunction remain invisible to serum chemistry, and why a clean blood test is not the same as a healthy patient. He also outlines two distinct immune patterns he has identified in this patient population, explains why current criteria-based diagnosis is not sensitive enough to distinguish between them, and shares why he believes validated diagnostic tools and mechanism-based treatments are within reach within five years. Learn why your labs can be normal and your illness can still be very real. Tune in to Hope and Help For Fatigue and Chronic Illness. Key points: 00:01 Introduction 01:43 What standard diagnostic panels actually measure 03:44 Gaps in testing: design versus interpretation 05:06 Why cellular inflammation does not show up in blood 05:57 Why mitochondria should be the next diagnostic focus 07:22 What standard workups can and cannot reveal in ME/CFS 08:27 No single test can confirm ME/CFS diagnosis yet 09:09 Emerging imaging and PET-CT as diagnostic tools 11:23 Why patients with ME/CFS keep getting dismissed 14:55 Many serious conditions have no blood markers 17:00 Why research and clinical care must go hand in hand 20:32 Collaboration as a clinical tool 22:54 ME/CFS biochemical abnormalities exist but are not on standard panels 28:02 What to say to those still unconvinced 29:05 What patients have taught Dr. Axelsson 34:36 Two distinct immune patterns: hyperimmune versus hypoimmune 36:32 Mitochondria as the common thread in ME/CFS and long COVID 42:22 Why INIM's diagnostic approach is different 45:34 What patients can present beyond lab results 46:23 Hope: standardized diagnostics within five years Dr. Jonas Axelsson is a physician specializing in Internal Medicine, Nephrology, Clinical Immunology, and Transfusion Medicine. From 2019 to 2024, he served as Medical Director of the Center for Aphresis and Stem Cell Therapy at Karolinska University Hospital in Stockholm, Sweden. From 2016 to 2022, he was an Associate Professor at Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm, Sweden. LinkedIn:   / jonas-axelsson-484853327   Makena Thompson is a Research Program Manager at the Institute for Neuro-Immune Medicine at Nova Southeastern University. Haylie Pomroy, Founder and CEO of The Haylie Pomroy Group, is a leading health strategist specializing in metabolism, weight loss, and integrative wellness. With over 25 years of experience, she has worked with top medical institutions and high-profile clients, developing targeted programs and supplements rooted in the "Food is Medicine" philosophy. Inspired by her own autoimmune journey, she combines expertise in nutrition, biochemistry, and patient advocacy to help others reclaim their health. She is a New York Times bestselling author of The Fast Metabolism Diet. Website: https://hayliepomroy.com Instagram:   / hayliepomroy   Facebook:   / hayliepomroy   YouTube:    / @hayliepomroy   LinkedIn:   / hayliepomroy   X: https://x.com/hayliepomroy Thank you for tuning in to the Hope and Help For Fatigue and Chronic Illness Podcast. Sign up today for our newsletter. 👉 https://nova.us4.list-manage.com/subs... Enjoy our show? Please leave us a 5-star review so we can bring hope and help to others This podcast is brought to you by the Institute for Neuro-Immune Medicine. Learn more about us here. Website: https://www.nova.edu/nim/ Facebook:   / instituteforneuroimmunemedicine   Instagram:   / nsu_inim   Twitter:   / nsu_inim   TikTok:   / nsu_inim   Your support goes a long way toward the advancement of clinical research. Donate here. 👉 https://www.nova.edu/nim/donations.html #MECFS #LongCOVID #PostViralIllness