Fibromyalgia Resource

Introducing New Fibronol

Support for the symptoms of FM and CFS. Positive clinical trial results included deeper, less interrupted sleep, increased energy, and reduced perceived discomfort.

More

Chronic Fatigue is Not Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Sometimes I hear people refer to Chronic Fatigue Syndrome as "chronic fatigue," and that always bothers me. Why? Because calling a serious, complex, debilitating disease "chronic fatigue" is inaccurate and simply wrong. It patronizes patients and indicates a lack of knowledge, a lack of awareness about the disease, and a lack of sensitivity to the patients who suffer from it.

According to the CDC, 10 percent to 25 percent of all patients who visit general practitioners in the United States complain of prolonged fatigue. Do they have Chronic Fatigue Syndrome? Of course not! Many diseases cause fatigue. Lots of things cause chronic fatigue. Fatigue is a normal part of life for many. But Chronic Fatigue Syndrome is special. It is a serious disease - real and complex - and it deserves its own special name.

Nobody is justified in calling CFS by the name of one of its symptoms. We don't call cancer, AIDS, Addison's, Parkinson's, MS, or hepatitis (etc.) chronic fatigue. And why not? Those diseases frequently cause chronic fatigue. I'll tell you why: The government has not adopted a suitable name for the disease, and patients tolerate it. We missed the boat years ago by succumbing to the medical establishment's inability to come up with a decent name.

Does your doctor call CFS "chronic fatigue"? If so, you are dealing with a physician who probably does not know enough about the disease to be treating you. You deserve better - you deserve a doctor who specializes in treating Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, not chronic fatigue. Reminds me of the "old days" when some patients and physicians called CFS "Epstein Barr." CFS is not, and has never been, "Epstein Barr." Not, at least, to anyone who knows about the disease. Sometimes CFS involves an active Epstein Barr infection, but this is usually not the case. I used to tell patients that if their doctor calls CFS "Epstein Barr" then they needed to find a new doctor. The same is true for "chronic fatigue."

The best name I have seen so far is Myalgic encephalomyelitis, the name most commonly used in Europe. It is not perfect, but it is better than Chronic Fatigue Syndrome - and at least it sounds like a real disease. The next best name is "Chronic Fatigue Immune Dysfunction Syndrome" (CFIDS) - a name that at least addresses the immune system part of the syndrome (but not the digestive, nervous, endocrine, muscle, and skeletal systems).

The name Chronic Fatigue Syndrome needs to be changed, and that change has to start with us. Are you the kind of person who likes to get involved in issues like this - to give our disease a legitimate name? If so, write to us and let's talk. Patients need to work together to get the respect we deserve.

I wish you a cool, happy, and healthy summer.

Your fellow Chronic Fatigue Syndrome patient,

Rich Carson
Founder and CFS and Fibromyalgia fundraiser

Seaweed Extract Provides "Very Significant" Quality-of-Life Improvement in Clinical Trial

This recent clinical trial involved subjects with Fibromyalgia, but the results will be of interest to individuals diagnosed with CFS and who are seeking quality-of-life improvements. The FM patients, who received a dietary supplement including a polyphenol/phlorotannin extract of Ecklonia cava seaweed for two months, achieved "very significant" average improvements in several key quality-of-life measures, according to the randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blinded clinical trial. The improvement measures included sleep duration and quality, energy, and comfort.*

Read More

Traveling CFS Photo Exhibit Starring in Minnesota's Mall of America August 6-15

An estimated one million people will view "The Faces of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome" traveling photo exhibit at the Mall of America in Minneapolis, August 6 through 15. It will attract region-wide media coverage, and is a historic recognition of CFS that patients in the area will be proud to see. Rich Carson, ProHealth's founder, is honored to be one of The Faces of CFS showcased in the exhibit.

Read More

35 percent of NIH's Research Funding for CFS Being Diverted: Twice the Proportion Reported in 2004

The National Institutes of Health is funnelling even more of its reported spending on CFS research to projects that "could not be documented as such," according to a new analysis by the CFIDS Association of America. There is still no diagnostic marker for CFS, "largely as a consequence of insufficient research," the report accuses, giving details of the questionable studies and comments on what NIH needs to do about it.

Read More

Study Points to CFS as Risk Factor for Earlier Death

New data developed at DePaul University lends urgency to the need for intensified investment in CFS research, awareness, and education. The study, led by CFS expert Leonard A. Jason, PhD, concludes CFS patients may face increased risk of death at an earlier age than the general population in three categories - heart failure, cancer, and suicide.

Read More

Participate in CFS Research from Your Desktop

It's well known that some individuals with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and/or Fibromyalgia succeed better than others in improving their quality of life and progressing toward recovery. What's their secret? A new worldwide fact bank is being compiled online to find the keys to better health status for chronic disease patients, and your personal (but anonymous) stats are crucial!.*

Read More

New Billing Code in Canada Compensates MDs for Extra Time Spent With CFS & FM Patients

When physicians shrug off CFS patients, the answer is often "reimbursement." Advocacy groups' pressure to revise billing codes can help.*

Read More

Nonprofit Site Develops and Shares CFS Education for Doctors, Nurses, and Other Professionals

FM-CFS Canada - a charity-funded organization without borders - is focused on expanding access to quality care for more people in the Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Fibromyalgia patient community. Through its Web site, the organization is "working with health professionals in fields ranging from nursing to physiotherapy to develop clinical guides [that they can then use through networking] to educate their peers," says FM-CFS Canada Executive Director John Ernst. The care guides and related materials, which are based on international sources such as the Journal of Musculoskeletal Pain, are posted free at the organization's Web site.

Read More

Mental Symptoms and Nutrients

"Nutrients play a critical role in mental health. They are the building blocks of the nervous system. In fact, the brain has first call on the available supply of nutrients. Therefore, the first effects of nutritional deficiencies are often mental symptoms," writes neuroscience journalist Elise Stobb. Drawing from expert sources on the subject, she offers a list of basic nutrients known to play specific roles in brain health and state of mind.

Read More

Third Medication Can Be the Charm for Depression

Even after failing to find relief of symptoms following two sequential trials of differently acting antidepressant drugs, clinically depressed outpatients who persevere through a third round still have a 20 percent chance of becoming symptom free, according to the $35 million national STAR*D trial, just completed.*

Read More

What's What with Popular Antidepressant

A minor reminder of why patients should inform themselves about the drugs they take. And of how 1.5 million Americans come to suffer avoidable ill results from medications annually, as reported last week by the National Institute of Medicine. Many pharmacists will help with a drug consultation at no charge.*

Read More

A "Stumbling Journey" to Recovery

"I had been taught, 'Love your neighbor as yourself,' but the implied 'love yourself as your neighbor' had never occurred to me," Dr. Clare Fleming reflected when she wrote the following story of her recovery from Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. Recently, she reports, she returned to her practice as a general practitioner after a 15-year break.

Read More

At ProHealth we are committed to bringing you the most up-to-date information on Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Fibromyalgia. We are always striving to improve our services, and your opinion counts. If you have any comments or suggestions, please let us know.

Send Us Your Feedback

Published by ProHealth, Inc., ImmuneSupport.com is the Web's largest resource for Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. Since 1988, ProHealth has raised and donated over 2.5 million dollars to CFS and FM research and advocacy groups seeking a cure. We believe in "commerce with compassion."

Every purchase made at ImmuneSupport.com funds research - as does every purchase made from ProHealth's Health Resource catalog.

Visit ImmuneSupport.com