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

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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.

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: https://www.linkedin.com/in/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.

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