Simon McGrath takes a brief look at a recent paper that reveals some of the most powerful evidence of cognitive problems in people with ME/CFS to date… It might not come as a huge surprise to patients, but a new study has found that mental fatigue can persist long after mental exertion is over. Specifically, after a 3-hour session of
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Simon McGrath recently secured an interview with the world famous Dr Ian Lipkin – a scientist who continues to believe that ME/CFS has a physical cause – to discover more about his plans for a major study of the gut microbiome and to find out why he’s asking the patient community for its support… Dr W. Ian Lipkin has demonstrated
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Bugs are not all bad, in fact many in our gut are essential to good health, but problems with these could help explain some diseases, possibly even ME/CFS. Simon McGrath takes an introductory look at the Microbiome – an area that is fast becoming a focus for several research teams looking at our own illness… The microbiome – the bugs
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By Penny Clare “I stayed alone in the darkness and the impossible became possible” – anon I was mostly confined to bed in a dark room – for years, and years, and years. At some point, in this isolated sea, I started taking photos. From my bed, in the dark. And my relationship to my illness and circumstances took on
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The CDC PCOCA telephone broadcast on 10 September 2013, featured a lengthy presentation from Dr Ian Lipkin who revealed some stunning initial results from the study that is primarily hunting for pathogens in ME/CFS. Simon McGrath and Russell Fleming (Firestormm) review this exciting and possibly game-changing news… Read the full Lipkin Transcript: Here. Dr Ian Lipkin has been a human
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The first in a new series of (mercifully) short pieces on recent research. By Simon McGrath A new study used data from the large PACE Trial to see if CBT and Graded exercise (GET) improved ME/CFS pain. (The main trial itself found a moderate effect of CBT and GET on self-reported fatigue and function.) The study looked at muscle and
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Professor Stephen Holgate says ME/CFS is a spectrum of disorders that need to be understood through new approaches, and patients must be partners in research. Simon McGrath reports. ME/CFS probably isn’t one disease, or even a few different ones – but could be as many as fifteen. So said Professor Stephen Holgate, Chair of the UK Research Collaborative (CMRC), when
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Simon McGrath reports on Dr Snell’s new study demonstrating that ME/CFS patients have a reduced capacity to exercise when they repeat a maximum exercise test one day on – unlike healthy controls. One of the biggest problems of getting ME/CFS taken seriously is that often we ‘look’ normal, even though we feel lousy, and most lab tests produce ‘normal’ findings.
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by Simon McGrath ‘Let the Patient Revolution begin‘. A militant cry from those difficult, demanding ME/CFS patients unwilling to listen to doctors and researchers who only have patients’ best interests at heart? No, this dramatic call comes from a pillar of the medical establishment, the British Medical Journal (BMJ). Its recent editorial argues that the healthcare system as a whole
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Simon McGrath examines the latest research publication from Professor Baraniuk and Dr Rayhan Exercise challenge is fast the becoming THE key method when studying illnesses characterised by Post Exertional Malaise, such as Gulf War Illness (GWI) and ME/CFS. A paper just published looks at how exercise affects pain, cognitive performance, heart rate and brain functioning in patients with GWI. These
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by Simon McGrath The new UK CFS/ME Research Collaborative has had its first meeting and it very much looks like it means business. They have plans to rev up the research agenda and raise funds – and they have key players on board too. The Players The CMRC is chaired by Stephen Holgate, MRC professor of Immunopharmacology at Southampton, with
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Mark Berry reports from London on the 8th Invest in ME International ME Conference. This was only my second year at the Invest in ME conference, but already I feel right at home! The presentations you’re about to read about are only half the story; the opportunity to mingle and network with a family (yes it really does feel like
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