Posted by Cort Johnson RESEARCH NEWS A Very Unrewarding Ilness: CDC Study Suggests Reward Center of the Brain is Rather Quiet in CFS Chronic fatigue syndrome does appear to still be something of a hot media item…The latest CDC study made the news before it was published or even presented at a big conference. (This study was actually presented at
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Online Memorial Service For Patrick Kelly (May 6th)
Posted by Cort Johnson Funny, charismatic and often an inspiration to others, for almost two decades Patrick battled an illness his doctors couldn’t fix and his country has essentially ignored. Patrick was, by all accounts, what doctors might call a ‘good’ ME/CFS patient; he worked hard on the physical side, trying the different protocols available, and on the mental side-
ContinueTaking a Stand: A “How To” Guide for ME/CFS Demonstrations
Posted by Cort Johnson Discuss this article on the forums by Rivka Rivka (at) ThatTakesOvaries (dot) org So you want to take a stand and make a stink — do something more visible to help your ME/CFS community? Good for you. Consider organizing a demonstration (demo) to advocate for people with ME/CFS. Consider going public, alone or with others, in
ContinueWPI Back on Track? University Gives WPI Strong Show of Support
Posted by Cort Johnson “We’re excited to be in this partnership with the WPI” Dr. Ken Hunter, University of Nevada Reno The Whittemore-Peterson-Institute ( WPI) has been through a brutal stretch of bad news lately; first their aggressively defended XMRV discovery didn’t work out, then the firing of their lead researcher, Dr. Mikovits, left them under attack from her supporters,
ContinueAccelerating Treatments For ME/CFS: A Call to Action for the FDA
Posted by Cort Johnson For decades, ME/CFS (Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome) has devastated the lives of patients and our loved ones, leaving us with an alarmingly low quality of life. Today, ME/CFS affects the lives of more than 1 million Americans of both sexes and all ages at an annual cost of at least $21 billion in direct costs and
ContinuePerson with CFS Takes Their Life: A Goodbye to Patrick Kelly
Posted by Cort Johnson After 17 years of being ill with chronic fatigue syndrome, Patrick Wylie Kelly, took his life on April 15th leaving many in the ME/CFS community shocked. An inspiring figure to many in Sept 2011, Patrick posted on the Phoenix Rising Forums that he (Hub_Halo on the Forums) was working on accepting the losses that come with
ContinueUnstable At the Core? NCF Funds Cutting-Edge ME/CFS Gene Study
Posted by Cort Johnson In a year of intriguing studies this is one of the more intriguing. Stress has been something of a keynote in CFS research lately and researchers now regularly employ different kinds of stress tests to provoke abnormalities in patients. But does this unusual response to stress make its way all into the DNA of our cells?
ContinueME/CFS Buzz: Med Students/Chromosomes/Disability/Growth Hormone/FM Everywhere? (April 17, 2012)
Posted by Cort Johnson RESEARCH A Real Disease or What? Medical Student Survey Suggests Younger Generation Starting to Get It BMC Med Educ. 2012 Apr 3;12(1):19. [Epub ahead of print] Do you think it’s a disease? A survey of medical students. Erueti C, Glasziou P, Del Mar C, Van Driel ML. Almost 200 medical students at Bond University in Australia were polled as to
ContinueAnother Pathogen for CFS: Giardia Outbreak Causes CFS ‘Outbreak’ in Norway
Posted by Cort Johnson (Outbreaks of ‘CFS’ do happen but they are rarely documented now. In this article, Oceanblue from the Phoenix Rising Forums, examines a Giardia outbreak in Norway which resulted, years later, with a significant number of people suffering from a chronic fatigue/pain condition- CJ.) A new study reports at least 5% of patients with CFS nearly 3
ContinueME/CFS Buzz (April 4th, 2012) CFS Patients Pass the Effort Test, West Nile Virus, Cancer …
Posted by Cort Johnson RESEARCH Yes! They are Really Trying……CFS Patients Fail Cognitive Test and Pass the Effort Test… J Clin Exp Neuropsychol. 2012 Mar 23. [Epub ahead of print] Test effort in persons with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome when assessed using the Validity Indicator Profile.Cockshell SJ, Mathias JL. Everything, apparently, has to be nailed down in science. At the Ottawa IACFS/ME conference Pacific Fatigue Lab
ContinueTake the ME/CFS Social Security Disability/SSI Survey
Posted by Cort Johnson Getting Social Security Disability/Supplemental Income (SSD/SSI) can be a lifeline for financially beleaguered people with CFS (ME/CFS) but the application process is often lengthy and difficult. Anecdotal reports from physicians and patients suggest getting disability may be more difficult for CFS patients yet documentation of success rates is lacking and little hard data exists on what
ContinueME/CFS Buzz (March 19th) – the Gut, the Brain, the Immune System and more
Posted by Cort Johnson RESEARCH A Biological Cause of ‘Poor Stress Management’ Found in ME/CFS? Brain Behav Immun. 2012 Mar 6. Stress management skills, neuroimmune processes and fatigue levels in persons with chronic fatigue syndrome. Lattie EG, Antoni MH, Fletcher MA, Penedo F, Czaja S, Lopez C, Perdomo D, Sala A, Nair S, Fu SH, Klimas N. Its certainly not clear that everyone with ME/CFS reacts poorly to stress but anecdotal reports suggest that
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