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In
this issue
Spring 2002
The
CFIDS Chronicle
The
Chronicle
is mailed quarterly to members
of The CFIDS Association of America. For information on how to join the
Association, click
here.
Features
Interest
Areas
Living with
CFIDS
Self
Help and CFIDS
By Bruce Campbell,
PhD
Departments
Message
to
members
Research is on the move again
People with
CFIDS have reason to be optimistic about CFIDS
research.
This is not a statement I could have made three years
ago. In the late 1990s, CFIDS research stagnated. Researchers began
losing interest when their original theories didn't pan out; some even became
skeptical of CFIDS.
In 1999, The CFIDS Association of America assessed
the situation and decided it was up to us to move things forward. At the
suggestion of seasoned researchers, we sponsored scientific meetings to
establish current knowledge, identify the top areas for future exploration and,
most importantly, introduce a new group of scientists to CFIDS
research.
Over the last two years, as I managed three research
symposia, I learned one of the most exciting lessons of my career:
Researchers believe that CFIDS research is serious, compelling and
important.
I also discovered that skeptics can be convinced that
CFIDS is real when presented with the evidence in a scientific forum. In
several cases participants who came to a meeting believing that CFIDS was not
real became some of the strongest advocates for the illness' biological
basis.
The Association's research expansion initiative is
two years old, and we're beginning to see results:
- In December the National Institutes of Health
(NIH) issued a new CFIDS grant announcement--the first since 1996--which is a
clear sign to the scientific community that NIH is interested in funding CFIDS
research.
-
As a result of the restoration of $12.9 million
misused by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, CFIDS spending
at the agency has grown from $2 million in 1998 to $10 million last
year.
-
Last fall the Association re-launched its
research
grants program. This year we will fund more than $276,000 in
research.
-
The Association just announced an aggressive
campaign to raise $3 million in three years to support and promote CFIDS
research. Most of the funds will go directly to CFIDS
research.
In my opinion, CFIDS research has never held greater
promise to bring answers and a healthier future to people with CFIDS.
Vicki Walker,
Research and
Public Policy Manager
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