Cognitive testing causes mental exhaustion lasting days

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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Gut bugs misbehaving? The microbiome and ME/CFS

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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Lipkin finds biomarkers not bugs

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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Repeat Test Reveals Dramatic Drop in ME/CFS Exercise Capacity

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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Time for a Patient Revolution

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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Gulf War Illness (/CFS): two subgroups in response to exercise challenge?

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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UK Research Collaborative means business

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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