Fibromyalgia Resource

CFS HealthWatch Treatment & Research News February 14, 2007
OUR MISSION CFS Name Change Advisory Board Recommends New Name for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Changes ahead for CFS.  Read Article "Empower patients to take control of their health by providing research & treatment information, advocacy & targeted health products." more
This Week's Highlights   · Rich Carson's mercury detox story · NADH's Possible Benefit for CFS · On the global convergence of CFS science · Book of the Month: Encounters with the Invisible · Did a respiratory bug trigger your CFS?   Or do you have 'POTS' or depression? · Letters - on the name change & more · Abstracts of health & CFS studies
THIS WEEK'S SPECIAL NEW PRODUCTS L-TRYPTOPHAN - For improved sleep, mood support and to reduce stress ALCIS - Pain relief cream HEART RATE MONITOR - Accurate tracking during exercise FIBRONOL - Supports sleep FIBROBOOST - Supports sleep - Extra energy boost STEVIA EXTRACT - All-natural sweetener EZ DOSE PILL POUCHES - Zipper-sealed, durable FEELBRIGHTLIGHT - Full spectrum light for Seasonal Affective Disorder BOOKS - Research & information Informational DVD's The Joy of Nutrition An optimum nutrient food program I Remember Me An award-winning documentary film Fibromyalgia: Show Me Where It Hurts An invaluable educational tool This Week's Highest Rated BRAIN DMAE Phosphatidyl Choline DETOXIFICATION Guaifenesin FA Milk Thistle DIGESTION Pro-Dophilus With FOS Psyllium Husk ENERGY NADH Fatigued to Fantastic Mitochondria Ignite IMMUNE Moducare Lactoferrin Plus Transfer Factor Essentials MOOD 5-HTP St. John's Wort SAM-e PAIN Fibro Freedom ProEnzyme™ P SLEEP ZMA™ Valerian w/ Lemon Balm WEIGHT CONTROL Citrimax + ChromeMate Most Popular for Energy Support Enada NADH	Founder's Corner Is 'ME/CFS' Better Than 'Chronic Fatigue Syndrome'? The following Founder's Corner is my personal interpretation of the events of the CFS Name Change Advisory Board meeting of January 12. Please see the article cited above for the Board members' report. Ask almost any patient and they will tell you that they despise the name 'chronic fatigue syndrome'. Now, the CFS Name Change Advisory Board has concluded that 'ME/CFS' is a better name for the disease. But is this a significant improvement? While 'ME/CFS' may not seem like a big deal - it's called by that name in Canada and in many other parts of the world - I think it is a monumental step forward. Patients can, with medical confidence, call their disease 'ME/CFS' or leave off CFS completely - it's their choice. They can rest assured in its diagnostic accuracy; the CFS Name Change Advisory Board is probably the most impressive committee of eight CFS experts ever assembled in one room, and their opinion matters. Although ME has historically been used to describe 'Myalgic Encephalomyelitis' - as CFS is called in the UK, much of Europe, Australia, and New Zealand - the Advisory Board felt that 'Myalgic Encephalopathy' was medically more appropriate. Why? Let's take a look at how the names break down and define their sub-parts:       Myalgic - means painful muscles       Encephalo - refers to anything to do with the brain ...and the two choices to follow 'myalgic encephalo...' are:       1. myelitis - means an inflammation of the brain and spinal cord       2. pathy - is a suffix meaning disease or disorder of. Since the Board agreed that inflammation of the brain and/or spinal cord is not present in all CFS patients, they therefore deemed encephalomyelitis less diagnostically accurate than encephalopathy. (Encephalomyelitis is in fact one kind of Encephalopathy.) Brain abnormalities (encephalopathy) are common to all cases of CFS. These are most easily identified by abnormal PET, SPECT, MRI, quantitative EEG, and BEAM scans; abnormal psychometric findings; neurocognitive complaints; headaches; cognitive fatigue; sleep disturbances; and low levels of various neurotransmitters. Patients will have the opportunity to hear all sides of the argument and will ultimately make the decision: Is ME/CFS better than CFS? And which 'ME' is better - the one that has been used for 60 years, or the one that is more medically accurate and up to date? Time will tell. And in the meantime, I no longer consider myself a victim of chronic fatigue syndrome - that's just too stigmatizing for me and I have had enough of it. No, I have ME - 'Myalgic Encephalopathy'. Some may say ME/CFS, but I say just ME. Wishing you a lively debate, Rich PS: Starting with the next issue we'll be featuring a "Letter of the Week." If your letter to the ME/CFS or FM Newsletter is chosen as a winner, you will receive a $25 gift certificate for ProHealth supplements. Why? As always, we want to ensure that our newsletters and online community are shaped by your input. For more details take a look at last week's FM Newsletter, and remember brevity is golden. Please rate this Founder's Corner Features Rich's Mercury Detox Story Researchers believe toxins such as mercury may play a role in many cases of CFS and FM. As Rich Carson explains, his own progress toward recovery from CFS began with a diagnosis of mercury poisoning and a multi-pronged detox regimen.*   more NADH's Possible Benefit for CFS Supplementing with NADH is known to improve cellular energy safely by increasing production of the cellular fuel ATP. NADH also plays a vital role in creation of the neurotransmitters serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine - important for mood, memory, alertness, and concentration. But not all NADH can deliver these benefits to the blood stream.   more CFS Science, Once So Fragmented, Is Converging John Herd is a "founding father" of CFS patient advocacy who has attended almost every ME/CFS conference since the late '80s. And at the 2007 IACFS conference he saw something entirely new.   more Book of the Month Encounters with the Invisible "What I became really fascinated with was this idea of invisibility...and the many, many ways a person with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome is invisible," explains CFS patient Dorothy Wall in her very personal book, Encounters with the Invisible.   more Available for purchase at Amazon.com Clinical Trial News Was the Onset of Your CFS Related to a Respiratory Illness? This study is looking for patients who developed CFS in connection with an acute respiratory illness or pneumonia.   more Actively Seeking Patients with POTS Harvard researchers will study patients with postural tachycardia syndrome (pulse rate that is too fast, lightheadedness upon standing), highly associated with CFS.   more Testing Natural Supplements for Depression Trial seeks individuals with depression to test the ability of several nutritional supplements to support improved mood...   more Letters From Our Readers Name Change Debate What About ICD-9-CM Code? What's Different? What About FM? A Real Winner Leave Well Enough Alone Keep ME for 'Medical Examiner' Good News - Yay! En-cef-ah What? Alert the Media Still Minimizes Severity A Baby Step No More Evading The Question Comments & Suggestions These 'Orphan Diseases' Ten Healthiest Foods T-Shirt Humor Marshall Protocol Not for All MP Stories Damaging Cause She's On MP 30 Months Please share your thoughts with us! CFS Research Abstracts Non-drug Health Studies Study links dental metals, systemic inflammation Flax seed oil supports blood pressure reduction in at-risk group Green tea polyphenol suppressed smoking-related cell changes Kaiser reports omega-3s cut artery clogging triglycerides Resveratrol helps tissues resist oxidation associated with CV disorders CFS, POTS-related Studies Ways people "learn to live with CFS" explored as guide for clinicians Measuring/comparing cardiovascular regulation in CFS, FM, POTS Biological marker for orthostatic intolerance in CFS subset identified Weekly Inspiration Today is Valentine's Day, so don't forget to be a friend to someone. I've learned that every day you should reach out and touch someone. People love a warm hug, or just a friendly pat on the back. - Maya Angelou If they're down and feel like they have no one in the world, prove them wrong by walking up to their house with a bunch of sunflowers and a bottle of wine (or cordial, depending on how old you and your friend are), and talk through their concerns with them. - Anon And remember... A friend will tell you she saw your old boyfriend... and he's a priest. - Erma Bombeck About ImmuneSupport.com 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 If you have any comments, suggestions or ideas, please let us know. Include your full name if you agree that we might share your letter with other readers. Send Us Your Feedback
* Note: This article first appeared in last week's FM Edition of CFS & FM Treatment & Research News (Feb 7, 2007)