LIVING WITH ME

We all know that carrots are good for our eyes, but they’ve got a lot more going on than that. Carrots can do a lot of the things those of us with fibromyalgia (FMS) and chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) need.

Carrots contain substances called carotenoids — in fact, they’re the single best source of them. Carotenoids fight cancer and reduce your risk of heart disease, and while this is controversial, some doctors believe ME/CFS increases your risk of both. It’s also worth noting that XMRV, the retrovirus tentatively linked to ME/CFS, may be tied to a particularly aggressive form of prostate cancer.

http://chronicfatigue.about.com

The American Association of Blood Banks  (AABB), an international, not-for-profit association representing individuals and institutions involved in the field of transfusion medicine and cellular therapies, is recommending that blood collectors discourage donors who have been diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) from giving blood.

http://www.sleepreviewmag.com

A MAN was sacked from his factory job after he refused an eight-week back to work plan, an employment tribunal has heard.

William David Astbury, 52, of Connah’s Quay, is suing Flint-based Nice-Pak International for unfair dismissal and disability discrimination after he contracted chronic fatigue syndrome in April 2008.

http://www.leaderlive.co.uk

Cher’s ordeal at the hands of the Epstein-Barr Virus has been well-documented over the years, and the pop diva has never kept her condition a secret.

In 1992, Cher took some time off from her career and it was widely reported that the virus was responsible. “My experience was it was really a physical illness but it does make you depressed as well,” she told the BBC. “It’s a virus you have it’s called Epstein Barr virus and the disease it gives you is chronic fatigue.”

http://www.celebrities-with-diseases.com

OK, so it makes your breath bad — that’s a small price to pay for a food that reduces inflammation, kills nasty bugs in your system, and tastes great on toast.

http://chronicfatigue.about.com

The charity Coeliac UK says there’s widespread misdiagnosis of the condition. It carried out a survey of more than 1,600 of its members and found that nearly 60% of them had previously been incorrectly diagnosed with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) instead of being tested and diagnosed with coeliac disease.

The charity says one in 100 people in the UK have coeliac disease, an auto-immune condition caused by gluten intolerance.  Left untreated by the diet it can lead to osteoporosis, infertility and bowel cancer.

http://www.webmd.boots.com

Virtual constellations of blogs and websites revolve like satellites around the weight and gravity of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. Each of these sites is a thing of beauty and value, representing a world unto itself.

It would be impossible to highlight all of them but I’ve selected a few for you to explore.

Some action in the Chronic Fatigue Syndrome ghetto has gotten us craning our necks on our cots these days. Or … there might be some action.

http://www.empowher.com

This study investigates the response of the underlying sleep disorder associated with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) and fibromyalgia (FM) to treatment. We retrospectively reviewed 118 cases clinically consistent with CFS or FM, treated in a neurology practice.

http://www.prohealth.com

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) and fibromyalgia (FM) are chronic conditions that affect every aspect of every day for the sufferer. Bruce Campbell recommends the 1% Solution.

While the 1% Solution will not cure CFS or FM, Campbell’s suggestions can become significant factors in making life more manageable. Here are a few of those suggestions.

Taking regular rest breaks can increase stability and restore energy levels somewhat. If you can be in contact with other people also dealing with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome or fibromyalgia, this can help to reduce the sense of isolation, and increase a sense of community and belonging that has been sorely lacking for many.

http://www.empowher.com

While researchers have yet to pin down the exact causes and mechanisms involved in chronic fatigue syndrome, most of them are now agree that the condition involves significant problems with the immune system, and that immune dysfunction leads to many of the characteristic symptoms.

The immune system is complex, and research can be hard to understand. To help you get a better handle on what some of the terminology means, here are definitions of 15 immunological terms related to chronic fatigue syndrome:

http://chronicfatigue.about.com

Health care is expensive. It can be hard enough to pay for the multi-pronged care those of us with fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome  typically need even if you’re able to work and have good insurance. What happens if you’re underinsured, uninsured or unemployed?  Those are questions I’m being asked more and more.

I wish there was an easy answer, but there’s just not. There are, however, ways you can save money on health care, and there are places to turn for help. I’ve compiled these resources from around the About.com Health network

http://chronicfatigue.about.com

Are you staying cool and hydrated during this hot weather? Those of us with fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome should take extra precautions to avoid dehydration and heat exhaustion/heat stroke.

Most of us have some form of temperature sensitivity, which can mean that we get overheated easily and our bodies just won’t cool down like they should.  That’s believed to be because of autonomic nervous system dysfunction, or dysautonomia.  The autonomic nervous system controls homeostasis — things like temperature regulation, heart rate, blood pressure, and physical responses to stress.  Sure seems to fit, doesn’t it?

http://chronicfatigue.about.com

Problem statement: Several investigators have indicated that case definitions for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) are characterized by vaguely worded criteria that lack operational definitions and guidelines. The most widely used CFS case definition is the Fukuda et al. criteria, which uses polythetic criteria (i.e., patients are only required to have four out of a possible eight symptoms).

http://www.prohealth.com

Q: I’ve seen claims that people who went on a gluten-free diet have lost all symptoms of fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome. Is this possible? What’s going on?

A: This is definitely a topic that’s coming up a lot. So far, we don’t have enough research to know for sure what’s happening in these cases. I suspect we’ve got a few things happening:

http://chronicfatigue.about.com

Still reeling from the retirements of Libby Trickett and Jodie Henry, the Dolphins are now getting their head around Campbell pulling out of August’s Pan Pacs and October’s Commonwealth Games.

Campbell, 18, had been due to tune up for the year’s two biggest meets at this week’s national short course titles in Brisbane.

Instead, Campbell is unsure when she will return to full training again due to a “mild form” of chronic fatigue syndrome.

However, a stoic Campbell described it as a “hiccup” ahead of her hurriedly reassessed goal – the 2012 London Olympics.

http://news.smh.com.au

Researchers have been exploring to the depths of science possible for the last 25 years trying to find out what causes and how to treat chronic fatigue syndrome  (CFS). While many discoveries have led to identification of body-wide effects of CFS beyond fatigue, there is still no known cause or method of treatment for CFS as a whole.

http://www.empowher.com

Caffeine is such an ingrained part of most people’s daily life that we often don’t realize how much we’re getting. If you have fibromyalgia or chronic fatigue syndrome, it’s definitely something to think about.

We like caffeine because it gives us energy, and who needs energy more than we do? The problem with it, though, is that after the initial burst, it can make you feel worse. That’s true for everybody, but even more so for many of us — it artificially speeds up an energy-depleted body that may not be able to tolerate an increase in activity, and that can put you at risk for a symptom flare. It’s like an energy credit card with a really high interest rate.

http://chronicfatigue.about.com

Researchers at the National Institutes of Health and the Food and Drug Administration, citing a need to re-evaluate their data, have delayed publication of a new study believed to provide evidence of a link between chronic fatigue syndrome and a little-known retrovirus.

The study, already peer-reviewed, was supposed to appear in the prestigious Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The delay has sparked an outcry on blogs and social networking sites among chronic fatigue patients, who are desperate for answers about their debilitating illness and fear that important scientific data are being suppressed.

http://www.nytimes.com

Researchers believe they’ve discovered the way herpes viruses invade cells — something that had long remained a mystery. The new study, published in Nature Structural & Molecular Biology, provides what they say is a detailed map of the herpes virus “cell-entry machinery.” Researchers believe this finding could lead to new antiviral drugs that are effective against the family of viruses.

http://chronicfatigue.about.com

When the University of Nevada, Reno’s $77 million Center for Molecular Medicine opens in September, it will house 40,000 mice and state-of-the-art laboratories to conduct research into possible cures for muscular dystrophy, breast cancer, stroke, herpes and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and other illnesses.

The 116,500-square-feet structure will allow the university to expand its research and generate more federal grants, said Thomas Kozel, a professor of microbiology and immunology and the center’s project manager for the School of Medicine.

http://www.rgj.com

7-July-2010 — Applied Kinesiology Center is pleased to announce that Austin Chiropractor, Dr. Kieran Kuykendall, has helped hundreds of locals find relief from chronic fatigue syndrome without using drugs. Chronic fatigue syndrome is difficult to identify and even harder to determine the best method of dealing with. Modern medicine chooses to take a symptomatic approach and use a variety of medications to provide relief from symptoms. Dr. Kuykendall’s wellness approach works to provide long lasting relief from the condition without all those medications.

http://www.officialwire.com

A study that supports the controversial link between chronic fatigue syndrome and a new type of virus has been blocked from being published in a leading scientific journal even though it had been accepted for publication by its editors. The study, by virologists working for the US Government’s Food and Drug Administration (FDA), is believed to support earlier findings published last October claiming that patients with the syndrome, also known as ME, are likely to be infected with a virus called XMRV, which some scientists believe may trigger the condition.

http://www.independent.co.uk

It seems like flax is everywhere these days — it’s certainly one of those nutrition “buzz words” at the moment, as evidenced by all the grocery store labels boasting about it, in cereals, granola and a host of other products.

Not all of these nutrients du jour are worthy of the hype, but flax appears to be. What’s more, many of the things it contains are things those of us with fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome need.

http://chronicfatigue.about.com

Jennifer Hutchinson always knew she had bright children. Priscilla, now 16, needed glasses at six which enhanced her love of reading. Her brother Vinnie, 13, also excelled at a young age, but preferred sport to academics. At school he made slow progress academically. After being tested to establish the basis for his difficulties, he was diagnosed with dyslexia.

It was judged not severe enough to justify further help from school. The future seemed bleak with no obvious solutions available from the education sector.

When Priscilla reached intermediate level, she began to complain of tiredness.

“I felt like I had sand bags tied to me, and everything was an effort.”

She was diagnosed with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) and became so ill she could no longer attend school. She started correspondence from home. Then she too began having issues with reading, such as headaches, blurriness and words appearing to `move’.

http://www.stuff.co.nz

Researchers say they’ve discovered a key factor in the body’s production of T cells, white blood cells that are important to immune function. Some studies show people with chronic fatigue syndrome have reduced T cell response to certain infectious agents.

The new research, which is about to be published in the prestigious journal Science, suggests that manipulating a newly discovered genetic regulator, called Ctip2, can influence some types of immune function.

http://chronicfatigue.about.com

How many medications are you on for fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome? How many of them have similar effects on your brain chemistry? If it’s more than 1, you could be at risk of developing serotonin syndrome — a potentially fatal complication of serotonin-boosting drugs.

http://chronicfatigue.about.com

The highly publicized Reno study of chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) at the Whittemore Peterson Institute in Reno has been challenged again—but has also apparently received its first high-level support.

http://www.newsreview.com

The alpha-EEG sleep  anomaly was first described by researchers who used the term alpha-delta sleep to characterize a mixture of alpha and delta waves in a small group of psychiatric patients described as having generalized feelings of chronic somatic malaise and fatigue. Other researchers found that fibromyalgia  patients had an excess of alpha-EEG not just in slow wave sleep, but in all NREM (non-rapid-eye-movement) sleep stages. Further, these same researchers discovered that the alpha-EEG sleep anomaly could be reproduced experimentally in healthy individuals by disrupting stage 4 NREM sleep. Alpha-EEG has been correlated to overnight increases in pain and decreases in energy; and the alpha-EEG anomaly may lead to more arousability during sleep, with resultant unrefreshed sleep.

http://www.psychologytoday.com

Two groups of researchers studying a potential link between chronic-fatigue syndrome and a virus called XMRV have reached contradictory conclusions, according to people familiar with the findings.

One group found a link, and the other didn’t.

Their reports were held from publication after being accepted by two science journals—a rare move that has caused a stir among scientists in the field.

http://online.wsj.com/article

Despite the misunderstandings that often arise from the name Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, the truth is many people with this illness have trouble falling asleep and staying asleep, and what sleep patterns they do have are not refreshing.

Many people with ME/CFS have multiple sleep problems. Since serious illnesses such as ME/CFS require extra sleep as the body and brain attempt to heal, this lack of restful sleep compounds an already damaging situation.

http://www.empowher.com

Even in the drug-centered Western health care system, doctors recommend ginger to help with nausea, vomiting and digestion. In Eastern medicine, it’s believed to help treat many problems common in those of us with fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome: flu-like symptoms, headaches and painful periods.  Some studies suggest it may also be effective against heart disease and cancer.

http://chronicfatigue.about.com

More XMRV Mysteries: Up to now the evidence surrounding a possible link between the XMRV virus and chronic fatigue syndrome has been contradictory — and that confusion isn’t likely to lift with the latest, as-yet-unpublished research, the WSJ reports. Two groups of researchers, one from the CDC and one from the FDA and NIH, have also come to different conclusions about whether XMRV is more commonly found in the blood of CFS patients. Papers submitted by the groups to different journals have gone through the peer review process but are being held at the government’s request until their differences can be explained, the WSJ says.

http://blogs.wsj.com

Two of the most common overlapping complaints in people with fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome are irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and food sensitivities. Now, research is beginning to identify a sub-type of IBS that’s actually linked to food intolerance.

http://chronicfatigue.about.com

Objectives: Until now, there has been a lack of fundamental research into the pain experienced in chronic fatigue syndrome [CFS]. The aims of this study were to:

1. Investigate the pain experiences of people with CFS with a range of disability, and

2. Identify specific pain characteristics of people with CFS.

http://www.prohealth.com

Through most of this series, I’ve talked about fresh fruits and vegetables, but I really wanted to get a dried fruit in. We all know how hard it is to get to the grocery store regularly when you’re dealing with fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome, and the beauty of dates is that they’ll keep in the pantry for a very long time.

http://chronicfatigue.about.com

When you have fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome, you’re forced to make a lot of changes in your life, to accommodate your symptoms. It’s also important for us to make changes to help alleviate our symptoms, but that leads to a whole new set of problems.

Right now, I’m facing an issue with self-discipline. About 6 weeks ago, I decided I absolutely had to loose a few pounds before traveling to my cousin’s wedding. I ate mostly fruits and vegetables, whole grains and lean meats. I stayed away from processed sugar. I tracked my food intake through About.com’s Calorie Count to make sure I was getting the nutrients I need while sticking to a low-calorie regimen.

http://chronicfatigue.about.com

A report that a respected NIH expert supported an association between the XMRV virus and chronic fatigue syndrome is causing a buzz among CFS patient activists, researchers and clinicians.

According to a press release issued by a Dutch magazine, one of the slides presented at a recent workshop in Zagreb by Harvey Alter, chief of the infectious disease section at the NIH’s clinical center, supports the link between XMRV and CFS reported last year in Science.

http://blogs.wsj.com

The paper is out! Or at least one of them is. Researchers, clinicians and patients in the chronic-fatigue syndrome community have been eagerly awaiting the release of two studies on the relationship between the XMRV virus and CFS, and the journal Retrovirology has just published one of them online.

http://blogs.wsj.com

It’s enough of an effort to get outside to enjoy nature and summer weather when you have fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome — the last thing you want to do once you’re there is make yourself sicker by spraying on a bunch of chemical mosquito repellents.

http://chronicfatigue.about.com

As expected, a task force created by the AABB, an association of facilities that collect most of the U.S. blood supply, recommended yesterday that people who either now or in the past have been diagnosed by a physician with chronic fatigue syndrome should not donate blood.

http://blogs.wsj.com

The fall of 2005 marked a fresh start for Jackie Pynaert, a veteran teacher beginning a new eighth-grade teaching assignment at Queen Elizabeth II primary school in Petrolia, Ont. Her homeroom was P1, a portable classroom across the hall from two friendly teachers who had a long history with the school.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com

Chronic fatigue syndrome, or CFS, is a debilitating and complex disorder characterized by profound fatigue that is not improved by bed rest and that may be worsened by physical or mental activity.

http://qctimes.com

Dr. Svetlana Kogan is board certified in internal medicine and a clinical researcher and patient advocate. She speaks here on the subject of chronic fatigue syndrome.

A comprehensive medical workup is necessary since a diagnosis of chronic fatigue syndrome can cover so much territory. Dr. Kogan recommends a blood workup, looking for particular diseases and for vitamin deficiencies, heavy metal toxicities, or signs of viral illness. For those who need chelation therapy, it is available.

http://www.empowher.com

This Food of the Week is an interesting one — spinach contains a host of nutrients that are good for you in general and may be especially important for those of us with fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome. However, there’s a big group of us who should be careful, especially with raw spinach.

http://chronicfatigue.about.com

PHILADELPHIA, Jun 15, 2010 (GlobeNewswire via COMTEX) — Hemispherx Biopharma, Inc. /quotes/comstock/14*!heb/quotes/nls/heb (HEB 0.48, -0.01, -1.94%) (the “Company” or “Hemispherx”), announced that the Company executed an exclusive revenue sharing Sales, Marketing, Distribution and Supply Agreement for Argentina with GP Pharm Latinoamerica (“GP Pharm”), an affiliate company of Spanish GP Pharm SA (www.gp-pharm.com).

http://www.marketwatch.com

WHEN Sue Hutchins was diagnosed with this debilitating disorder, her life would change forever…

http://www.dailyexpress.co.uk

In a recently published paper, Harvey and Wessely put forward a ‘biopsychosocial’explanatory model for myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), which is proposed to be applicable to (chronic) fatigue even when apparent medical causes are present.

http://7thspace.com

Last week, the Chicago Tribune ran an article that re-emphasizes how hope for a cure for a chronic, debilitating illness often outpaces science.

In this case, the illness is chronic fatigue syndrome, a little understood medical condition that’s believed to affect up to 4 million people in the United States, mostly women. In addition to its namesake symptom — severe fatigue that lasts for six months or longer — the condition is also characterized by joint and muscle pain, sore throat, tender lymph nodes, headaches, insomnia, and difficulties with memory and concentration.

http://www.minnpost.com

The case for listing Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME) on the register of free national health services may be reopened in future, after research has shed new light on a little-known and controversial condition.

The Health Ministry has confirmed with MaltaToday that a review is currently in progress.

“With regard to ME being recognised for the purposes of disability benefit, please note that the issue is currently pending evaluation and discussion as part of the social security review process,” an official said this week.

http://www.maltatoday.com

People with chronic fatigue syndrome suffer from crippling, unexplained fatigue that persists for longer than six months.

Other symptoms include painful joints, impaired memory, incessant muscle pain, headaches, tender lymph nodes and sore throat.

No lab test exists to diagnose the disorder, and there are no federally approved pharmaceuticals for it, though physicians can work to alleviate symptoms.

http://www.latimes.com/

Everyone with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) has experienced post exertional malaise. Post exertional malaise is a delayed reaction to activity that may not hit until a day or two later. But when it hits its effects are far out of proportion to the level of activity that triggered it.

http://www.empowher.com

This week the Government announced an independent review of the assessment methods for people claiming incapacity-related benefits.

The review is being chaired by occupational health expert Professor Malcolm Harrington, who will produce a report by the end of the year in a bid to see if the Work Capability Assessments (WCA) are fair and transparent.

However, work minister Chris Grayling said the Government would start reassessing existing claimants of Incapacity Benefit in autumn 2010, before Professor Harrington makes his report and any resulting changes are made to the WCA.

http://www.afme.org.uk

From The Times, 3 July 2010 (story by Rosemary Bennett and Alice Fishburn)

The academic behind a new benefits system designed to end Britain’s sicknote culture warns today of an impending crisis if radical changes are not made. He says that ministers should postpone plans to move 2.5 million incapacity benefit claimants on to the new employment and support allowances (ESA) in October until series errors have been rectified.

http://www.meassociation.org.uk

Last fall, researchers made a big announcement for sufferers of chronic fatigue syndrome, or CFS. They had examined the blood of 101 patients and 218 healthy people — and found more than half of the people with CFS had evidence of a retrovirus known as XMRV. Only 8 of the healthy people did.

If true, the finding suggested a possible cause of CFS, and a first step toward a treatment and a vaccine.

http://newsblogs.chicagotribune.com

Research just published in the journal Virus Adaptation and Treatment shows a relationship between herpesviruses and chronic fatigue syndrome and also offers a treatment.

http://chronicfatigue.about.com

A battle with chronic fatigue syndrome was the catalyst that saw Teena Cooke create a new business specialising in organic skincare.

The Otumoetai woman had been working as a hairdresser for 15 years when she became ill.

While her doctor told her it was chronic fatigue, Teena suspected the underlying cause was years of working with harsh chemicals.

“Your body is designed to handle crap but it was overloaded. It was being tipped over the balance.

http://www.bayofplentytimes.co.nz

Have you ever heard of quinoa? Do you have any idea how to pronounce it? Before eliminating gluten from my diet, I was completely unfamiliar with this grain. I quickly learned it’s not pronounced quin-oh-ah, but keen-wa.

http://chronicfatigue.about.com

On Wednesday 7 July David Amess MP chaired the inaugural meeting in Westminster of the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for M.E.

We are pleased to report that the decision was taken to re-register as an approved APPG and that the mandatory 20 qualifying names of Parliamentarians were obtained to enable this to happen.

ME Association

Orthostatic Intolerance (OI) occurs when the individual is standing or sitting up. In 1995, a link between OI and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) was observed at Johns Hopkins University. In some cases up to 97 percent of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome patients in studies have some form of OI, particularly young people.

http://www.empowher.com

Do you know the difference between a cause and a risk factor? What about a causal factor? I’ve seen multiple comments lately that make me think it’s a gray area for a lot of people.
For example, in posts about risk factors for fibromyalgia (FMS) and chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), I frequently get reader comments saying, “That can’t be right because I don’t have X,” or “I’ve never done X,” or “X doesn’t run in my family.” Many people seem to think a risk factor is the same as a cause.

http://chronicfatigue.about.com

Thirteen MPs so far have signed a Commons’ ‘Early Day Motion’ which makes a number of points about ME/CFS.

http://www.meassociation.org.uk

From the July 2010 newsletter of the Hunter-Hopkins Centre

XMRV update: the controversy

http://www.meassociation.org.uk

After the years of plenty, when the NHS budget doubled and doubled again to £100 billion, the lean years beckon. The axe, it is promised, will fall preferentially on the micromanaging, box-ticking activities of the burgeoning administrative class whose numbers have increased 1,000 per cent over the past 20 years.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk

According to information published by Newswise, two recent studies on sleep shed light on what could link fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome to a higher risk of diabetes, and a third could make it easier for people with these conditions to have a quality sleep study.

http://chronicfatigue.about.com

From the Sunday Express, 27 June 2010 (story by Ruby Millington – comment facility open at Sunday Express website)

WHEN Sue Hutchins was diagnosed with this debilitating disorder, her life would change forever…

http://www.meassociation.org.uk

Norwegian scientists surveyed 828 chronic fatigue syndrome patients to find out what treatments were most and least helpful.

Rest was rated the most helpful by 97% of participants, followed by pacing at 96%.

Pacing is a method of managing energy expenditure by limiting activities to the most essential that can be handled at a comfortable pace.

http://www.americanchronicle.com

The brain fog of fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome can really impair our memories — both short and long term. The short-term memory problems are evident when we walk into a room and don’t remember why we’re there, or when we tell ourselves over and over not to forget the grocery list and then arrive at the store only to remember it’s sitting on the kitchen table. Those things are aggravating, potentially embarrassing, and often detrimental on the job or when it comes to those have-to-do things like paying bills.

http://chronicfatigue.about.com

MINNEAPOLIS, May 27 /PRNewswire/ — Fibromyalgia affects as many as one in 50 Americans, 90 percent of whom are women. Yet, despite its nearly epidemic status, patients still often rely on pharmaceutical options solely for treatment. That’s why Bioenergy Life Science, Inc. (www.bioenergy.com) has introduced Corvalen M®, a natural treatment option for fibromyalgia symptoms.

http://www.prnewswire.com/

As reported on 1 July 2010 on the MEA website (Retrovirology, 1 July 2010), results from a further XMRV study, which has attempted to validate the finding of XMRV infection in people with ME/CFS, has failed to do so.

http://www.meassociation.org.uk

Severe disability and fatigue are two characteristics shared by both cancer and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. Immune dysfunction is a major hallmark of both types of illness.

As a matter of fact the various types of immune dysfunction found in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and cancer demonstrate significant overlap.

There is an apparent link between the various types of immune dysfunction and the debilitating fatigue experienced in both types of illness. Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and cancer show abnormalities in natural killer cells.

http://www.empowher.com

THIRTY of Northern Ireland’s oldest restored tractors and vintage cars will be moving in stately parade later this month (July) – turning the latest chapter of a remarkable event that has raised £290,000 for charity in the last 32 years.

Members of Mid-Ulster Vintage Vehicles Club will be taking the best of their fleet on to the road in their annual sponsored vintage tractor and car trek on Friday 23rd and Saturday 24th July. And this year members will be raising money for research into the much-misunderstood illness, M.E.

http://www.meassociation.org.uk

LEBANON, Maine (NEWS CENTER) — Chronic Fatigue Syndrome is a condition that affects more than a million Americans but there is no known cause or cure.

Two women living with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, or CFS, have spent years raising awareness of it.

Nancy Fowler and Lisa Ball have just published a book to help others cope with the disease.

http://www.wlbz2.com

Yogurt is one of those foods that’s been increasingly popular due to news about health benefits. Yogurt has been fairly well researched in the general population and shown to have several properties that may benefit those of us with fibromyalgia (FMS) and chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS or ME/CFS).

http://chronicfatigue.about.com

Do you eat foods from India, Thailand or Morocco? If so, you’ve probably eaten plenty of this Food of the Week. Turmeric is a spice with a distinctive mustard-yellow color that’s popular in the Far East, especially in curry-spice blends. It’s a member of the ginger family and, like ginger, comes from the root of the plant. A key component of turmeric is curcumin, which has long been used medicinally in the east and has been studied in the west.

http://chronicfatigue.about.com

PATIENTS have praised a specialist clinic in south Essex which is helping hundreds of people cope with a crippling condition that can often go undiagnosed.

Southend Hospital’s chronic fatigue syndrome and ME clinic has a number of branches in Essex, including one in Benfleet, helping people get their lives back on track.

Patients like Margaret Wigglesworth have benefited from their expertise and she spoke out to mark ME Awareness Week.

http://www.echo-news.co.uk

I know people who’ve had chronic fatigue syndrome for over 30 years. I myself have dealt with it for 18 years.

This illness has quite a history. Yet public awareness is astonishingly anemic.

How can this happen with an illness so crippling, that destroys so much productivity, and therefore is so detrimental socially and economically?

We are a huge population. Our own CFS ghetto, essentially unheard outside the chronic community.

http://www.empowher.com

We hypothesized that chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) may be caused by single or multiple Epstein–Barr virus (EBV), cytomegalovirus (HCMV), or human herpesvirus 6 (HHV6) infection. To determine if CFS life-altering fatigue and associated findings including muscle aches, tachycardia at rest, chest aches, left ventricular dysfunction, syncope, and elevated herpesvirus serum antibody titers are reversed by long-term subset-directed valacyclovir and/or valganciclovir.

http://www.dovepress.com

Suffering from chronic fatigue syndrome meant I was exhausted all the time. I felt like I had cotton candy where a brain should be.

Embarrassingly for a former English major, I lost words, even simple ones. “You know, those things! They go on feet!” I’d cry, frustrated.

http://www.latimes.com

When Joanne Saraiva went to her doctor for her chronic pain and fatigue and debilitating mental fog, the physician chalked it up to depression and sent her to a psychiatrist.

She was just depressed, her doctor said, and had taken on too much. After all, Saraiva, now 50, had changed jobs, was raising two boys and had suffered a loss in the family.

http://www.healthzone.ca

Are you sick of healthy foods that don’t taste good? Then try a little dark chocolate!

Dark chocolate has numerous health benefits, and some of them could specifically benefit those of us with fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome.

http://chronicfatigue.about.com

It’s a sad truth — one of the hardest things about having chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS or ME/CFS) is getting people to understand it.  Once they hear the name, most folks think they know exactly what it is: “Oh, you’re tired a lot.  Yeah, so am I.”

One of the most telling things I’ve ever heard about the severity of this illness came from Dr. Nancy Klimas, one of our leading researchers, who treats both ME/CFS and HIV/AIDS.  She says that, with the current state of treatment, she herself would rather have HIV than ME/CFS.  I have several chronic conditions that cause extreme fatigue, and each time a new one has surfaced my greatest fear is that it’s ME/CFS. I’m always incredibly grateful that it’s not. I’ll gladly keep my fibromyalgia and 20-some other diagnoses instead, thank you!

http://chronicfatigue.about.com

So, I was home from church a second Sunday in a row because of these damned seasonal allergies. I spent much of yesterday, a beautiful Saturday, on the couch, exhausted. I fought off a sinus infection last week that came out of my allergies, and now I’m back to plain old allergies, which make my bones feel like rubber, and make me feel like I don’t have the strength to do much more than go from the bed to the couch, with a stop-off at the coffee pot. I went to dinner with friends on Friday night, and thought a corner had been turned, but Saturday was miserable (had to cancel a couple of planned meetings with other friends), and today looks like more of the same. It never ends.

http://blog.beliefnet.com

As a non-surgeon practicing at the busiest orthopedic surgery hospital in the country, Dr. Vijay Vad stands out. Instead of sending his patients to surgery, his goal is to keep them out of it. A sports medicine specialist at New York’s Hospital for Special Surgery who regularly works with professional golfers and tennis players, Dr. Vad is a believer in the power of the mind-body connection and regularly prescribes yoga exercises and other alternative strategies for his patients.

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com

Many people with ME/CFS have found some relief through the use of the Energy Envelope theory. The Energy Envelope theory posits that an individual with ME/CFS has a small amount of energy available and needs to be aware of just how much energy they can afford to expend before experiencing physical and cognitive repercussions.

http://www.empowher.com

I developed ME in 1997, just after my 11th birthday. At the time I had no idea how life-shattering it would turn out to be. I had previously enjoyed going out with friends, dancing, walking my dog, but suddenly found myself too weak to get out of bed in the mornings, and too sick to eat. For a long time I was practically nocturnal: sleeping well into the afternoon and awake most of the night. My body was beset with pain, like I was being stabbed all over.

http://www.guardian.co.uk

Results of probably the largest-ever survey of opinion among people with ME/CFS and their carers about what treatments and therapies work for them and what don’t are available here for downloading.

http://www.meassociation.org.uk

TORONTO — A national diagnostic and treatment centre is desperately needed to help the more than one million Canadians suffering from chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia and multiple chemical sensitivities, according to a support group for those with the conditions.

“It’s very important that people hear us,” said Jeanne Samonas, president of the Myalgic Encephalomyelitis Association of Ontario during a news conference Wednesday. “We’re real people with real illnesses and we need help.”

http://www.montrealgazette.com

Published in the European Journal of Clinical Investigation. Published online on 23 May 2010, ahead of print.

Impaired skeletal muscle metabolism is recognized in chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS). This study examined the relationship between skeletal and cardiac muscle function and symptoms on standing in CFS using magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) and impedance cardiography.

http://www.meassociation.org.uk

The instructions are explicit.

Before agreeing to be interviewed, Ellen Pickett asks that the reporter refrain from using any perfumed products and wash her clothes in special, unscented laundry detergent. Dryer sheets are out of the question, and hair is to be tied back or held under a scarf or kerchief.

http://www.healthzone.ca

The scientific report entitled “Physical and Functional Impact of CFS/ME in childhood” received early-release publication on May 17th in the eFirst pages of the US journal PEDIATRICS, the official journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics.

http://www.meassociation.org.uk

Biomarkers in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: Evaluation of Natural Killer Cell Function and Dipeptidyl Peptidase IV/CD26

http://www.meassociation.org.uk

Like many other people who have the disease, Perry Doner wishes there was no need to mark Chronic Fatigue Awareness Day.

“Because it’s something you can’t see, we don’t get a lot of understanding and it’s difficult to get a diagnosis and that’s very frustrating. I tell people to imagine the worst flu they ever had made 10 times worse and not ending and that’s something like chronic fatigue syndrome,” said Doner, the local support person for the Myalgic Encephalomyelitis Society of B.C.

http://www.bclocalnews.com/

University of Nevada/Whittemore Peterson Institute researchers presented data suggesting that the drug Ampligen  (poly I: poly C12U) can boost natural killer (NK) cell activation in people with chronic fatigue syndrome who test positive for XMRV.  This may explain why Ampligen has been shown to alleviate symptoms in some chronic fatigue syndrome patients.

http://chronicfatigue.about.com

HEALTH bosses have ruled out extra posts to help people with ME in the immediate future because of financial pressures.

http://www.meassociation.org.uk

Research by Dundee scientists finds majority of youngers with the condition are not well enopugh to attend school full-time.

http://www.meassociation.org.uk

A year ago, I stumbled upon the ME/CFS forums at Phoenix Rising. I stayed for the friendship and the support.

ME stands for myalgic encephalomyelitis. CFS is chronic fatigue syndrome. As a veteran of this illness over many years, I found the forums to be a perfect fit.

I’d just gotten a computer and the ol’ brain was functioning well enough that I could read and type for more than a few minutes at a time. I fell in love with the place.

http://www.empowher.com

TWO letters changed Margaret Sansom’s life beyond recognition, forcing her to leave her job, quit her hobbies and totally change her way of life. Those two letters were M and E.

http://www.meassociation.org.uk