CDC study flawed
As a person with chronic fatigue and immune dysfunction syndrome (CFIDS), I wish to shout from the housetops my reaction to the article in the fall 2000 issue of the Chronicle regarding the Centers for Disease Control’s (CDC’s) efforts to find an association between human herpesvirus 6 (HHV-6) and CFIDS.

Up to 98% of the population will test positive for inactive HHV-6. Therefore, it is important to study active HHV-6 when exploring a possible link between HHV-6 and CFIDS.

The CDC, which studied inactive HHV-6, has wasted precious public money in CFIDS research. I wish they would have realized sooner what thousands of us have been saying all along, "It’s the ACTIVE HHV-6 virus."
Jan Meissner, Las Cruces, N.M.

Comments on Chronicle
The story about therapeutic touch (TT) being bogus made many major newspapers in the country. The fourth grader [Emily Rosa] who debunked it appeared on "The Today Show," "Good Morning America," and "Fox News," not to mention radio shows and in magazine articles (like Time, Newsweek, and others).

The TT article published in the winter 2000 Chronicle was written as if it were an acceptable treatment modality for CFIDS. It certainly wasn’t presented as a temporary endorphin-releasing therapy dependent on belief in it.

CFIDS doesn’t need any more negative publicity. If the wrong person sees the article, they can use it to point out that CFIDS patients are nutty.
The Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Forum

For those interested in an objective evaluation of the scientific evidence regarding TT, the Annals of Internal Medicine (June 2000) published a meta-analysis of research in TT. Emily Rosa’s study did not measure up to the scientific standards required for inclusion.

I urge all patients and clinicians to base their treatments on scientific evidence as much as possible and not to fear potential treatments [such as TT] simply because their mechanisms of action are not yet understood. After all, scientists have only come to understand the mechanisms of aspirin in just the past decade.
William Collinge, Ph.D., M.P.H.
Frontier Medicine Panel, National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, National Institutes of Health

If it had not been for the Association’s publications, I do not believe I would have the courage or strength to maintain my hope and dignity of human spirit. The Association’s assistance has proved to be my lifeline in accessing pertinent data, research, and informational resources. Because of the Chronicle, I am, and always will be, most indebted to your services.
E.J. Collins, Salt Lake City, Utah

NPs important providersWhen I read the article, "New Choices in Medical Professionals," in the fall 2000 Chronicle, I was disappointed that nurse practioners (NPs) were not included. NPs provide high-quality care and are often ideal providers for the chronically ill.

Diana F. Barron, M.S., C.P.N.P., Baltimore Maryland