THEORY: Together, CSF leaks and EBV can cause CFS/ME . Many sources on the internet say the cause for CFS/ME has not been identified, but the evidence points to a CSF leak & EBV as the cause of CFS/ME.

THEORY PROOF (in 4 parts)

Part 1: Cerebrospinal fluid contains catecholamines (aka neurotransmitters- dopamine, adrenaline & noradrenaline). Low Catecholamines indicate a CSF leak.
Source 1: NCBI
What are the catecholamines?
Catecholamines [dopamine, noradrenaline (norepinephrine), and adrenaline (epinephrine); CAs] are neurotransmitters in the central and peripheral nervous systems as well as hormones in the endocrine system.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov › pmc
The catecholamine system in health and disease —Relation to tyrosine …
 
Part 2:They have proven low catecholamines is a biomarker for CFS/ME
Sources: NCBI & Science Alert

What are catecholamines?
“Catecholamines, including dopamine and norepinephrine, are the principal neurotransmitters that mediate a variety of the central nervous system functions, such as motor control, cognition, emotion, memory processing, and endocrine modulation. Dysfunctions in catecholamine neurotransmission are implicated in some neurologic and neuropsychiatric disorders”. 
(https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11764279/#:~:text=Catecholamines%2C%20including%20dopamine%20and%20norepinephrine,memory%20processing%2C%20and%20endocrine%20modulation)

“…People with ME/CFS had lower levels of chemicals called catechols, which help regulate the nervous system, in their cerebrospinal fluid and less activity in a brain region called the temporal-parietal junction (TP)during motor tasks.“
(https://www.sciencealert.com/landmark-study-confirms-chronic-fatigue-syndrome-is-unambiguously-biological)

 “They also analyzed spinal fluid collected from participants and found abnormally low levels of catecholamines and other molecules that help regulate the nervous system in people with ME/CFS compared to healthy controls. Reduced levels of certain catecholamines were associated with worse motor performance, effort-related behaviors, and cognitive symptoms. These findings, for the first time, suggest a link between specific abnormalities or imbalances in the brain and ME/CFS.“(NCBI) 

“They also analyzed spinal fluid collected from participants and found abnormally low levels of catecholamines and other molecules that help regulate the nervous system in people with ME/CFS compared to healthy controls. Reduced levels of certain catecholamines were associated with worse motor performance, effort-related behaviors, and cognitive symptoms. These findings, for the first time, suggest a link between specific abnormalities or imbalances in the brain and ME/CFS.”(NCBI)
(https://www.nih.gov/news-events/news-releases/depth-study-finds-brain-immune-metabolic-abnormalities-linked-debilitating-chronic-disease)

Part 3:ME/CFS and CSF leaks have similar symptoms (brain fog, memory issues, cognitive issues, exercise intolerance, balance/dizziness issues, photosensitivity, smell sensitivity).
Source 3: NCBI & NIH
“Symptoms of ME/CFS can vary from person to person, and the severity of symptoms can fluctuate from day to day. In addition to fatigue, symptoms may include:
·  Extreme exhaustion after physical or mental exercise.
·  Problems with memory or thinking skills.
·  Dizziness that worsens with moving from lying
    down or sitting to standing.
·   Muscle or joint pain.
·    Unrefreshing sleep.
Some people with this condition have headaches, sore throats, and tender lymph nodes in the neck or armpits. People with the condition also may become extra sensitive to light, sound, smells, food and medicines”.
(https://www.nih.gov › news-releases
NIH study offers new clues into the causes of post-infectious ME/CFS)
 
CSF leaks produce similar symptoms.:
“Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leakage is a common condition after spinal surgery and is also the most common cause of intracranial hypotension. Intracranial hypotension (IH) is typically characterized by an orthostatic headache with associated nausea, vomiting, tinnitus, vertigo, neck stiffness, and photophobia.“(NCBI)
 
“Spontaneous intracranial hypotension is a disorder of low intracranial pressure caused by the spontaneous development of a cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leak [15]. The condition implies either a weakness in the dural membrane or a normal dural membrane rupturing under undue pressure. There is an association with some connective tissue disorders but increasingly the condition is being viewed as a complication of IIH, this providing explanation of instances when CSF pressure seems inappropriately high and fostering use of alternative nomenclature, specifically CSF depletion syndrome [15,16]. Surgical repair of a CSF leak which has developed spontaneously can tip a patient into intracranial hypertension, for example. Patients with IIH can present with CSF leaks, or they may develop CSF leaks during the course of their illness” (NCBI)
 
The quote below further discusses how spontaneous intracranial hypotension (evidence of a CSF leak) & Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) share so many symptoms:
“As with IIHWOP, the symptom overlap between spontaneous intracranial hypotension and chronic fatigue syndrome can make them indistinguishable, even in the extent to which either condition may render a patient bedridden. As with IIHWOP, therefore, cases of spontaneous intracranial hypotension will probably be missed in patients who are diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome. Moreover, this would not be a chance occurrence but a reflection of the connection between chronic fatigue syndrome and IIH.”(NCBI)

This article highlights the connection between IIH SIH CSF leaks and CFS.
 
Part 4:If they have the same symptoms, is it because one is causing the other? I think so, yes. I think when people have EBV and they get a CSF leak (due to trauma or virus or drugs or surgery) they will develop CFS/ME.
Source #4:MayoClinic.org & NCBI  

I think ME/CFS is EBV(mono) + CSF leak.
I think LongCovid is EBV(mono) + CSF leak +Coronavirus.
 
What triggers myalgic encephalomyelitis?
Infections.

Some people develop ME/CFS symptoms after getting better from a viral or bacterial infection. Physical or emotional trauma. Some people report that they experienced an injury, surgery or significant emotional stress shortly before their symptoms began.May 11, 2023
(https://www.mayoclinic.org › syc-2…
Myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS))

Article:”A paradigm for chronic fatigue syndrome: caught between idiopathic intracranial hypertension and spontaneous intracranial hypotension; caused by cranial venous outflow obstruction“
JN Higgins and  JD Pickard
(https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7613918/)
 
These quotes support my theory by showing how many people with CFS/ME also have a CSF leak:

“Indeed, it is probable that many patients with IIH reach a symptomatic equilibrium with a CSF leak, overt or occult, fortunate if this resolves visual symptoms and headache, unfortunate if it precipitates a syndrome of CSF depletion that can give origin to symptoms − enforced recumbency, dementia, coma − far more severe than those of the parent condition”

“This now suggests a more complete model for chronic fatigue syndrome/fibromyalgia. Specifically, that they are conditions of raised intracranial pressure, no different from IIH except that for the most part, they represent the mild end of the disease spectrum. In some cases, however, the underlying disorder of intracranial pressure will be more severe but modulated by CSF leak, the leak itself unrecognised, sometimes palliating the underlying disorder and at other times responsible for grossly debilitating symptoms. Papilloedema, being a sign of raised intracranial pressure, would be absent.“
 
SUMMARY: The presence of low catecholamines(neurotransmitters) in the CSF of people w/ CFS/ME shows CSF leaks are part of the problem. The other part is EBV. I think people that get a CSF leak and EBV will develop CFS/ME eventually if the leak is not closed. I actually think CSF leaks are partially & sometimes completely responsible for many “mystery” illnesses (LongCovid, POTS, Dementia, Alzheimer’s, Aphasia, Parkinson’s, gambling/drug/sex addiction problems, migraines and ME/CFS).
 
I think CSF leaks are the element that doctors keep missing or ignoring in these mystery illness cases. I think these illnesses have many similarities because their source is the same. lf you have CFS/ME or fibromyalgia, get checked for EBV and a CSF leak. When it comes to CSF leaks, the only thing that will heal it is to seal it.  If you have LongCovid, then get checked for both a spinal & cranial CSF leak. If the doctors can seal your CSFleak, then your quality of life could greatly improve. You will no longer be immunocompromised & the body will be able to self-heal & maybe even eradicate COVID.