2009 News Coverage
CFS / CFIDS / ME - Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
FM / FMS / Fibro - Fibromyalgia Syndrome
OI / POTS / NMH / MVPS/D - Orthostatic Intolerance Dysautonomias
IBS / IC / MCS / GWI / ... - Overlapping Syndromes, Symptoms to CFS/FM/OI
Table of Contents
Related Sections on this Website
Selected Recent News (CFS, MCS, FM, ME, POTS, NMH, MVPS, OI, IBS, Lyme, sleep, etc)
- Hidden Sensory System Discovered in the Skin Science Daily - 12-14-09
The
answer appeared to be in the presence of sensory nerve endings on the
small blood vessels and sweat glands embedded in the skin. "For many
years, my colleagues and I have detected different types of nerve
endings on tiny blood vessels and sweat glands, which we assumed were
simply regulating blood flow and sweating. We didn't think they could
contribute to conscious sensation. However, while all the other sensory
endings were missing in this unusual skin, the blood vessels and sweat
glands still had the normal types of nerve endings. Apparently, these
unique individuals are able to 'feel things' through these remaining
nerve endings," said Dr. Rice. "What we learned from these unusual
individuals is that there's another level of sensory feedback that can
give us conscious tactile information. Problems with these nerve
endings may contribute to mysterious pain conditions such as migraine
headaches and fibromyalgia, the sources of which are still unknown,
making them very difficult to treat."
- Discovery sheds light on a medical mystery The Daily News Online - 12-12-09
Twenty-five years ago, more than 200 people in rural Western New York came down with a mysterious ailment with symptoms such as achy joints, muscle weakness, digestive upset, insomnia, clouded thinking
and exhaustion.The practice of Dr. David S. Bell of Lyndonville was
inundated with patients who were all ill in the same way. "Just a lot
of my patients came in with mono that didn't get better," he said.
... [XMRV's discovery]'s one of the main reasons Bell is trying
to find all 61 of his former patients. - CFS - Dr Oz Tv Show You Tube - 12-3-09
- Problems With Time & Math in Fibromyalgia & Chronic Fatigue Syndrome About.com Fibromyalgia & CFS Blog - 11-24-09
Dyscalculia not only impairs math and number abilities (forgetting concepts, transposing numbers), it also involves: • Difficulties with time: inability to remember schedules, keep track of time, or remember a sequence of events. •
Spacial problems: impaired direction sense and memory of how things are
laid out, leading to frequently getting lost or becoming disoriented. • Difficulty sight-reading music or learning instrument fingerings. • Bad memory for names. When
I read those things, a light went on. It's incredibly common for us to
get lost, or forget how to get where we're going. Who among us hasn't
lost their car in a parking lot? I used to have a pretty good ability
to sight-read and learn new music, but now I really struggle with it. - Expert Answers on Chronic Fatigue Syndrome NY Times - 11-24-09
- Chronic Fatigue Patients fight 'Lazy' Label, support awareness San Diego News Network - 11-14-09
“People
laugh and say, ‘Yeah, I’m tired, too,’” said Deering, who has learned
to be discreet about revealing his illness. “I think people who don’t
have experience with chronic illness or invisible illness don’t really
get it,” Gordon said. Even a simple task like running errands warrants
comments and looks from those who happen to notice her handicap parking
permit as she walks into a store, she said. “I may not be tired going
into the store, but when I come out carrying groceries, I will be,” she
explained. It even took some time for her own family to believe the
diagnosis. “I went from having a job to being on disability. Why would
someone like me want to live like this?” While silently hoping for
remission, to wake up refreshed and able again, Deering said that until
there is a cure, he plans to keep his nose above water. “You give up an
awful lot when you lose your energy,” he said. “But it could be a lot
worse. Count your blessings when you do feel better.” - Sufferers of chronic fatigue see life as a balancing act PennLive.com - 11-8-09
“Life
for us is different. We have to constantly balance what we can do, and
people don’t understand that. That’s why a lot of relationships and
friendships break up,” said Krause, 58, who suffered from the disorder
for at least 15 years before receiving a diagnosis. .... Krause, who
began having symptoms in her 20s, has suffered from skin rashes,
breathing trouble, sinus problems, chemical sensitivity, migraines,
sore throats, eye focus problems, arthritic pain and crushing fatigue.
She also has fibromyalgia, a similar condition that some experts think
is another variant of CFS. Generally, CFS patients experience severe
fatigue, while fibromyalgia patients experience more pain.... . Join
the CFIDS Support Group of Lebanon County by calling Janet Krause at
(717) 273-9036. The group meets the second Thursday of every month from
3 to 5 p.m. at Philhaven, 283 S. Butler Road in Mount Gretna.
South-central PA. - Stained-glass artist sees new life for church The Wausau Daily Herald - 11-6-09
97-year-old building to be transformed into gallery. Chambers
suffers from fibromyalgia, a chronic muscle condition that causes him
constant pain and fatigue. As a result, he's only able to work about
four hours a day on the church, which will make the renovation -- which
he is doing mostly on his own -- a labor of love. He's hoping that the
artists he brings in and teaches will someday take over the business,
because he's concerned his condition will get worse. "This is my last
hurrah," he said. - Painful sex: A common female health problem ABCNews7 San Fransisco - 11-4-09
Pain
with sex is a major health problem for women. The incidence is about 8
percent (anywhere between 3 percent and 15 percent depending on the
study). This about the same incidence of asthma, so it is a common
problem. It affects sexual fulfilment, can contribute to relationship
issues, and affect a woman's self-esteem. Painful sex? What you should
know if it hurts, and how to fire your doctor if he says, "it's all in
your head." - CFSAC Meeting Day 2 Video CFSAC - 10-30-09
Includes
more committee discussion, more Patient Testimon - CFSAC Meeting Day 1 Video CFSAC - 10-29-09
Includes
Dr. Peterson on XMRV, Dr. Bell on some problems for children and
families with school districts about CFS, Patient Testimony including a
CFSupport member - David Bell, MD, on XMRV - "Now We Can Get Down to Business"ProHealth - 10-21-09
- A Case of Chronic Denial The New York Times Op Ed - Hillary Johnson - 10-20-09
- Interview with Laura Hillenbrand The New Yorker - 10-15-09
- Behavioral Treatments for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome The New York Times - 10-14-09
Questioning the mind-body view of chronic fatigue syndrome and EMDR. Dr. Friedberg’s response.
- Cancer-Causing Virus Linked to Chronic Fatigue Wall Street Journal - 10-12-09
Researchers
have linked an infectious virus known to cause cancer in animals to
chronic-fatigue syndrome, a major discovery for sufferers of the
condition and one that concerned scientists for its potential
public-health implications. An estimated 17 million people world-wide
suffer from chronic-fatigue syndrome, and the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention puts the U.S. figure at between one million and
four million. CFS is characterized by debilitating fatigue and chronic
pain, but there are no specific treatments, and the diagnosis is often
made by ruling out other diseases. Thus there is disagreement in the
medical community as to whether CFS ... - The Mystery of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome A New York Times Blog - 10-9-09
This week, Fred Friedberg, assistant professor at Stony Brook
University Hospital in New York, joins the Consults blog to answer
readers’ questions about chronic fatigue syndrome, or CFS. - The Virus That Links Prostate Cancer & Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Wall Street Journal Health Blog - 10-8-09
- Virus Linked To Chronic Fatigue Syndrome NPR, All Things Considered - 10-8-09
- Consortium of Researchers Discover Retroviral Link to Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Cancer.gov - 10-8-09
- Chronic fatigue syndrome linked to 'cancer virus' New Scientist - 10-8-09
- Study isolates virus in chronic fatigue sufferers Reuters - 10-8-09
- Drug Found to Reduce Severity of Mono Baltimore Sun - 10-2-09
- Balanced performance Sheffield Telegraph - 10-1-09
UNICYCLIST
Alistair Farr cracked a major challenge on Sunday by completing an
egg-and-spoon ride from Endcliffe Park to Forge Dam Café, raising more
than Ł1,000 to help people with chronic fatigue syndrome. - Women MayAdapt to Pain Faster Than Men ABC News - Reuters - Sep 30, 2009
- Fibromyalgia - I've Learned to Live Each Day One at a Time Blog / Shelbyville TN Times-Gazette - 9-23-09
I
hope that by sharing my story someone out there will feel a little less
alone and a little less afraid. Remember, just put one foot in front of
the other, one day at a time. - Alternative Therapies for Fibromyalgia NY Times - 9-23-09
...
One exciting area of research in the past decade has been in the realm
of complementary and alternative medicine, or CAM, treatments for
fibromyalgia. These range from well recognized therapies like
acupuncture and massage to more novel treatments like d-ribose and
qi-gong. As this research grows, it is increasingly possible to
identify CAM therapies that have some evidence of efficacy and minimal
risk that can be incorporated right along with the more conventional
treatment recommendations. This blending of the best of evidence-based
alternative medicine with the best of conventional medicine is
typically referred to as “integrative medicine” – since it is an
integration of both for the benefit of the individual patient. In
fibromyalgia, this might mean taking your prescribed medication while
adding in a massage once a week or pursuing a gentle, graded exercise
program while you also receive acupuncture treatments. By working with
your care team, you may be able to find a new combination of approaches
that fit your lifestyle while addressing your unique needs. ... - Artist reaches for the stars with new book West Island Chronicle - 9-23-09
Despite
formidable odds, artist and author Sonya Kleinsteuber is struggling to
overcome a series of daunting physical challenges in her young life.
[Her] career as an academic was destroyed by health problems while she
was still doing graduate studies, and when she was in her early 30s she
was incapacitated by a major stroke, followed by three comas. “I also
suffer from a lot of rare illnesses, for which there are no cure, such
as Chronic Pain Syndrome and fibromyalgia. It’s been a hard journey,”
she said. Unable to continue on her chosen path, she turned to art and
literature. “Painting and writing give me joy. They help me forget my
pain and disability, and give me courage to go on,” said Kleinsteuber,
... Her faith has also helped her to survive, she reflected.
...“I paint from my memories of the European countryside, and the
beauty of the Canadian wilderness, " ... - Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: Cardiovascular System and Orthostatic Intolerance empoweHer - 9-22-09
Most
people with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome experience irregularities in their
cardiovascular systems. Some become light-headed and dizzy, with heavy
legs and a pounding heart, after standing for a few minutes. Some are
unable to sit up at all. The culprit? A dysregulation of blood pressure
and blood volume. - Neurologic Signs Common in Fibromyalgia ABC News - 9-22-09
Fibromyalgia isn't all in your head, new research suggests. In
a study, researchers found that people with fibromyalgia were more
likely than those without the chronic pain condition to have poor
balance, tingling and weakness in the arms and legs, and other
"neurologic" signs and symptoms. Fibromyalgia, a debilitating pain
syndrome that affects 2 to 4 percent of the population, is
characterized by chronic pain, fatigue and difficulty sleeping. It's a
somewhat mysterious condition with no clear-cut cause. Many people with
fibromyalgia have faced the question of whether the condition is real.
The new findings, reported in the latest issue of Arthritis and
Rheumatism, support a growing body of literature suggesting that the
condition is real and also support the possibility that a
"neuroanatomical" cause may underlie fibromyalgia. ... - The Spiritual Anatomy of Emotion: An Interview with Michael Jawer BeliefNet.com - 9-22-09
Q.
You have so many insights on highly sensitive people. Could you
summarize your points and come up with a few ways HSPs can live and
cope in an insensitive world? Michael: First and foremost, highly
sensitive people (or, as another author has referred to them, "sensory
defensive" people) should resist the temptation to feel marginalized or
embarrassed. Estimates are that 15-20% of children, for example, are
high reactors or sensory defensives. Often they grow up into highly
sensitive adults.
Consider that one especially acute form of
sensitivity, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS), was put down as the
"Yuppie Flu" a mere decade ago and yet, the more it's studied by
reputable organizations, the more it seems to be a bona fide
susceptibility that some people are born with. (Whether it's triggered
has to do with accumulated stress in some cases, childhood trauma in
others.) Same with synesthesia or overlapping senses: until brain
imaging showed that certain people really do "hear a flavor" or " smell
a color," their reports were regarded as metaphorical at best. So HSPs
needn't deny the validity of her own perceptions.
Likewise, a
sensitive person should recognize his/her particular needs and be
willing to speak up for them. It's a matter more of education than
agitation: recognize that most people aren't highly sensitive and don't
have share the same perspective, don't have the identical feelings.
They can understand how another person lives, though, if that other
person is patient and instructive, yet ultimately insistent. Realize
that no one else can be counted to speak up for you, but do so with the
same respect that you'd want for yourself. - ME: Proof that it isn't all in the mind? The Telegraph - 6-1-09
Belgian
doctors, Professor Kenny De Meirleir and Dr Chris Roelant, have
developed a simple test that, they claim, solves the mystery of 'yuppie
flu'. - 'Every step is a battle’ BendBulletin.com - 5/31/09
The disease: Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome, or POTS Table with common symptoms of POTS and recommended treatments. - Diagnosing Chronic Fatigue Syndrome NY Prrebyterian - 5-15-09
Study Finds Link Between Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and High Lactate Levels in Brain - What's wrong with you? It depends where you live The Independent - 4-28-09
Jeremy Laurance looks at how different countries treat the same symptoms - Dr. Cheney to speak in Northern VA Prohealth- 4-23-09
- What Is Fibromyalgia? What Causes Fibromyalgia? Medical News Today, MA- 4-22-09
- A Second Shot at Life After Experiencing Years of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome empoweHer- 4-20-09
- Controversy over Chronic Lyme Disease Diane Rehm NPR 4-20-09
Guests:
Dr. Samuel Shor, Internist in private practice and Associate Clinical
Professor at George Washington University. Pamela Weintraub, A senior
editor at "Discover" Magazine and author of "Cure Unknown." Phillip
Baker, Executive Director of the American Lyme Disease Foundation and
microbiologist, former Project Officer of Lyme Disease studies at the
National Institute of Allergies and Infectious Diseases. - Fibromyalgia: Linked to Joint Hypermobility Syndrome? FM & CFS Blog, About- 4-20-09
- Paws-ability: Dogs' assistance immeasurable Star Tribune, MN- 4-18-09
Comment
to article: I myself have fibromyalgia,arthritis and chronic severe
migraines, but at this point I am doing fairly well and my companion
animal is more for keeping me moving and for pain relief. It was
recommended by my Dr to get a dog which I had no objection to having
always had one but with my Dr's recommendation I was allowed to have my
fur friend in an apt bldg! - Always tired, wondering why The Star Phoenix, Canada.com 4-18-09
The
$125,000 US recently awarded to Gordon Broderick, a University of
Alberta researcher, to study CFS at a molecular level comes from the
American-based Chronic Fatigue and Immune Dysfunction Syndrome
Association of America, the largest patient-advocacy group for CFS
sufferers. "They are a population of very sick people that are so
frustrated, that they decided to take this into their own hands. Every
nickel of this money comes from patients and their families, so if ever
there was a sacred trust this is it," he says. - Ischemia: Cause of Fibromyalgia Pain? FM & CFS Blog, About- 4-18-09
Did
you know that some fibromyalgia (FMS) pain may be caused by low blood
flow to our muscles? The medical name for that is ischemia
(ih-SKEE-mee-ah). We've had some limited evidence of ischemia in FMS
for a few years, and it's an area that researchers are pursuing.
Basically, muscles hurt and can't work right when they don't get enough
blood and the oxygen it carries - think of how hard it is to walk after
your foot has fallen asleep! - Coping with chronic fatigue syndrome MedBroadcaset.com- 4-9-09
- Massachusetts doctor accused of fabricating pain studies Whistler Question, MA- 3-10-09
SPRINGFIELD,
Mass. - A Massachusetts anesthesiologist has been accused of
fabricating results in nearly two dozen published studies that claimed
to show after-surgery benefits from painkillers including Vioxx and
Celebrex. - Life slows to a halt for those with debilitating weakness Reno Gazette- March 10, 2009
Kelley
Mooneyham spends 90 percent of her life in her king-size bed. Mooneyham
has had chronic fatigue syndrome, a debilitating neuroimmune disease,
since she was 17. "I got plucked out of life with this disease," she
said. "It's a bone-crushing weakness." - How Far Would You Go to Find a Cure Los Angeles Chronicle - March 1, 2009
How far would you go to find a cure for your child´s chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS)? Annette Whittemore went $5,000,000 far. - 8 Steps to Conquer the Beast Within Oprah.com- February 2009
By Martha Beck Fibromyalgia
is my bęte noire, a French term for "black beast" that has come
to mean something to be avoided because it frightens us or can cause us
harm. Many of us have bętes noires: dark moods (Winston Churchill
called depression his "black dog"), addiction, self-loathing, a
tendency to lurk in the shrubbery near former lovers' homes holding a
machete in one hand and The Complete Works of Keats in the other.
Whatever your bęte noire might be, you may think it will ruin
your life. I beg to differ. Like other wild animals, your bęte
can be studied, understood—even tamed. If you want to be the
handler of your beast, instead of its prey, grab a pencil and prepare
to learn a bęte noire tracking exercise that I call the Lifeline. - Finding Effective Treatement for your Pain US News and World Report - February 10, 2009
Studies are underway to look into the effectiveness of alternative ways of delivering pain medications by January Payne - Revolutionary Evidence: Cognitive training can alter the biochemistry of the brain ProHealth.com- Feb 7, 2009
- New UNR center raises hopes for CFS patients RGJ.com - Feb 5, 2009
The
$86 million Center for Molecular Medicine will expand the university's
research capabilities into cancer and other diseases and house the
headquarters of the Whittemore Peterson Institute, which offers hope in
the form of clinical trials and treatment for people who suffer from
such diseases as Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, fibromyalgia and atypical
multiple sclerosis. - CFIDSLink—e-News CFIDS Association - February 2009
- Life of constant pain is strain for many The Sun (OK) - Jan 26, 2009
- Acurian is Increasing Clinical Trial Information Virally BioIT World .com- Jan 26, 2009
- NEWS FLASH - A Test for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (CFS/ME) ProHealth.com- Jan 24, 2009
- Model-Based Therapeutic Correction of Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal Axis Dysfunction PloS Computational Biology (Full Article) - 1-23-09
- Chronic fatigue syndrome & child abuse: Disordered patients or disordered research? Emerging Diseases & Psychology Today.com - Jan 13, 2009
Somehow
the news that the majority of people with chronic fatigue syndrome had
been subject to child abuse struck me as outrageous --could this really
be? Having come through the Lyme wars, where patients are routinely
mislabeled "psychiatric," this kind of assertion is always a red flag
to me. For some perspective, I contacted Hillary Johnson... - CFIDSLink—e-News CFIDS Association - January 2009
Selected Press Releases
In the Media Pages: Current & Past Years Directory
|