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CHRONIC FATIGUE SYNDROME |
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Exclusively Online* Media CoverageThis list represents original content posted to news and information web sites.
2010 Coverage 2009 Coverage The National Women’s Health Center spotlights CFS on the homepage of the December 2007 issue of Healthy Women Today. On the right side of the page, scroll to the “Other News on Women’s Health” section for a link to the Department of Health and Human Services’ CFS page. (12/17/07) The November/December 2007 issue of Social Work Today featured CFS as its Web site cover story. In “Invisible Illness — What You Can’t See Does Hurt Her,” writer Jennifer Sisk describes invisible illnesses and focuses on CFS and FM. Authors and social workers Rosalie Devonshire (also a patient) and Pat Fennell are quoted. Sisk offers advice for working with CFS patients and numerous Internet resources, including the CDC and Association websites. (112/01/07)
http://www.socialworktoday.com/archive/novdec2007p18.shtml
The Association is in the “Member Spotlight” for December’s issue of the “Research Advocate,” published and distributed to members of Congress and their staffs, pharmaceutical companies, academic research institutions, lobbying firms, etc. by Research!America. (12/07) FayetteFrontPage.com posts information about CFS and about “The Faces of CFS” traveling photo exhibit’s display in Atlanta. (Georgia) (11/25/07) ForHerInformation.com, “a guide for conscious women,” posts information about the public awareness campaign and national traveling photo exhibit in its “Her Community” section. (11/15/07) Online magazine For The Record publishes an article about the difficulty in diagnosis and skepticism surrounding CFS and FM in “Invisible Illness — What You Can’t See Does Hurt.” It includes quotes from social workers and consultants and information from the CDC about CFS. (11/12/07) LakeFrontHartwell.com notes that an “Atlanta Resident Represents Area in National CFS Public Awareness Campaign.” The site publishes the press release about the upcoming Atlanta display of “The Faces of CFS” traveling photo exhibit. (11/09/07) On the CatherineBlogs site, CFS patient-advocate Catherine Morgan posts a link to the television public service announcement that is part of the public awareness campaign. (11/08/07) YahooFinance reports on the Association’s new initiative to advance research in the field of chronic fatigue syndrome. The program is designed to build a new model for bridging the gap between CFS science and medicine. It includes the hiring of a new Scientific Director, Suzanne D. Vernon, PhD, and a campaign to raise $1 million over a one-year period to fuel the program, the largest CFS research campaign to date in the United States. (11/07/07) HometownHall.com posts information about “The Faces of CFS” traveling photo exhibit and its display in Atlanta. (11/06/07) OurLittleNet network of neighborhood Web sites includes information about the upcoming display of “The Faces of CFS” traveling photo exhibit on its Roswell, Ga. Pages. (Georgia) (11/02/07) About.com’s “Apply Now’s Fibromyalgia & Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Blog” includes a post entitled “CFS Affects Relationships: How Can You Help?” It notes that “Patients with CFS need the help of family and friends to face the challenges of living with the condition. … Friends and family often notice changes in the CFS patient but don't know how to react. …” The post links to Katrina Berne’s article “Family and Friends: For Those Who Care” on the Association’s website. (10/21/07) The website of West Suburban Access News Association, whose mission is to provide information that will allow individuals with disabilities to live independently in and contribute to the community in which they live, posts information about “The Faces of CFS” national traveling photo exhibit. (10/18/07) News-Medical.net reports on a study by researchers at the University of New South Wales that found that cytokines production in patients suffering from Post Infective Fatigue Syndrome (PIFS) up to a year after the acute viral infection was no different from those in control patients who had promptly recovered. The Dubbo Infectious Outcomes Study results show that while raised production of cytokines is likely to be an initial trigger for CFS, it is not responsible for the ongoing symptoms. Researchers are focusing attention on the brain and investigating potential changes in autonomic nervous system and central nervous system circuits. (9/14/07) CaringToday.com devotes its “Where To Look Wednesday” feature to CFS, providing links to nine Web sites of interest, including the CDC and the Association. (August) The digital version of Spanish-language newspaper La Opinion posts an article that offers the basic facts about CFS. Writer Yurina Rico includes comments from Dr. David Bell. (“The tiredness of chronic fatigue”) (California) (7/26/07) In “Chronic fatigue finally gets taken seriously,” on AOL’s That’sFit blog, a short post notes the CDC’s public awareness campaign and links to the recent New York Times article. (7/21/07) DentalPlans.com posts “Body Clock Shift May Cause Sickness-Linked Fatigue” from HealthDay.com. It describes a study by Swiss researchers that “suggests that illness-linked biochemistry may interfere with the body’s ‘clock’ to bring on the low-energy blahs. Especially for patients battling chronic fatigue, the new findings ‘could pave the way for further exploration of the interaction between the immune system and the circadian system, hopefully leading to a better understanding of how daytime fatigue could be treated.’” The article includes a link to the CDC’s CFS Web pages. (7/19/07) “Why is Chronic Fatigue Syndrome such a Misunderstood Illness?” asks writer Garrett Driscoll in an article in The American Chronicle. He discusses the difficulty in diagnosing the illness and quotes the CDC’s Dr. Suzanne Vernon pointing to recent genetic studies to prove a biological basis for CFS. (7/06/07) The FightingFatigue.com blog posts the Association’s “Ten Discoveries About the Biology of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome” and provides a link to the Association’s Web site. (6/25/07) The Mayo Clinic includes a substantial entry about CFS in its Women’s Health section. Among the topics covered are signs and symptoms, causes, risk factors, treatment, self-care and more. (“Chronic fatigue syndrome”) (6/22/07) In “The best new pain cures, with a focus on women,” CNN.com explores the new focus on women and pain. The story includes a subsection titled “Fighting the fatigue” that notes “in the past year, some of the biggest headlines in pain management have been about fibromyalgia (chronic bodywide pain in joints, muscles and tendons) and CFS …” and mentions the CDC’s public awareness campaign. (6/22/07) The blog MyDepressionSpace.com posts the June 21 Louisville Courier-Journal article about CFS that mentions the CDC’s public awareness campaign and the Association. (6/22/07) A blog post on MySpace.com provides information from and links to the CDC’s “Basic Facts” page about CFS. (“Chronic Fatigue Syndrome”) (6/21/07) About.com offers a brief summary of a study reported in the May issue of the Journal of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome that tested the validity of using cardiopulmonary exercise to test the functional capacity of CFS patients. Researchers compared two groups of women (CFS patients and sedentary healthy women) after using cycle ergometers and arm ergometers for certain physiological responses. They concluded that “the group with CFS demonstrated a lower work capacity in arm or leg exercise that could not merely be accounted for by personal characteristics or deconditioning.” (6/20/07) The blog FightingFatigue.com posts information about the CDC’s new CFS prevalence study and includes a link to the PDF of the Association’s press release about the study. ("New CFS Study on Prevalence is Done") (6/18/07) MDLinx.com posts an abstract of a study, “Service Utilization, Barriers to Service Access, and Coping in Adults with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome,” by University of Illinois at Chicago researchers that used questionnaires with 47 adults with CFS “to describe patterns of service utilization, identify barriers to service access and explore the relationship between service utilization and coping styles.” They found that “medical and CFS self-help services were most frequently used and rehabilitation services were least frequently used. In terms of service accessibility, 80.9% of participants reported at least one barrier. Lack of financial (including insurance) resources and lack of knowledge about service availability were the two most frequently reported.” The researchers concluded that their findings could be used by “health-care professionals and advocacy-based organizations to develop programs focused on mass education campaigns for health-care providers, increase knowledge of service availability among individuals with CFS and to understand relationships between certain types of coping styles and service preferences.” (6/18/07) WIBW.com, the CBS affiliate in Topeka, Kansas, posts information about three local kids recognized by Kohl’s for their volunteer work, including Hallie Kretsinger of Emporia, who raises money for the Association. (“Kohl's Recognizes Kids for Their Volunteer Work”) (Kansas) (6/13/07) Blogger Catherine Morgan posts some “Tips On Healthy Living With Chronic Illness – Diet, exercise, treatment, and hope” on the LivingWithCFS blog. (6/12/07) ImmuneSupport.com publishes an interview with Martin L. Pall, PhD, in which he explains his theory that a “stressor-initiated” biochemical mechanism, the nitric oxide/peroxynitrite (NO/ONOO) cycle, may be responsible for CFS, FM and other syndromes. “Simply put, Dr. Pall proposes that the complex NO/ONOO cycle he describes may result in high levels of oxidants, which affect different tissues in different individuals, accounting for a ‘stunning’ variety of symptoms. Dr. Pall also believes a regimen of antioxidant supplementation may help the body ‘downregulate’ the NO/ONOO cycle biochemistry.” (“Nitric Oxide Cycle Theory: Will It Explain CFS, FM, and Other ‘Unexplained’ Illnesses? - Q&A with Martin L. Pall, PhD”) (6/11/07) As part of the continuing discussion of the new CFS prevalence data, ImmuneSupport.com offers additional comments by CFS researcher Dr. Leonard Jason, ““Problems with the New CDC CFS Prevalence Estimates.” He says “…the erroneous inclusion of people with primary psychiatric conditions in CFS samples will have detrimental consequences for the interpretation of both epidemiologic and treatment efficacy findings.” (6/11/07) ImmuneSupport.com publishes a commentary on the new CDC study, “Prevalence of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome in Metropolitan, Urban, and Rural Georgia,” by Dr. Peter White of the Queen Mary School of Medicine and Dentistry in London. White offers three main cautions in interpreting the study: compared to previous studies, there were important differences in the method of ascertainment used in the Georgia study that may help to explain the greater prevalence; co-morbid psychiatric conditions may have inflated the prevalence; and Georgia may not be representative of the USA as a whole. Altogether, however, he concludes that “Our current criteria for diagnosing CFS are arbitrary, and we need to widen the net to capture all those people who become so chronically tired and unwell that they can’t live their lives to their full potential.” (“How common is Chronic Fatigue Syndrome; How long is a piece of string?”) (6/09/07) MDLinx.com offers an abstract of the results of “The Feasibility of Reviewing Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Clients at a Distance: A Teleconference Pilot Study.” Researchers noted that many patients have to undertake long or difficult journeys that may exacerbate their symptoms to visit specialists. This exploratory study aimed to reduce these travel problems by introducing a Teleconference Review Clinic (TRC). They booked a TRC for six CFS clients who would normally have face-to-face reviews by specialists 44 miles away. Following the administration of post-TRC questionnaires, the researchers concluded that this pilot study does suggest that telemedicine in this area of medicine is logistically viable and effective, and indicates that a larger study is needed. (6/08/07) Population Health Metrics publishes a new prevalence study of CFS conducted by CDC researchers to “ascertain CFS cases and controls to estimate the prevalence of CFS in metropolitan, urban and rural populations of Georgia.” They estimated that 2.54% of persons 18 to 59 years of age suffered from CFS (a rate 6 to 10 fold higher than previous population-based estimates in other geographic areas). There were no significant differences in prevalence of CFS between metropolitan, urban or rural populations or between white and black residents of the three regions. However, there were significant differences in female-to-male ratios of prevalence across the strata. The researchers noted that the significantly higher prevalence rate “may reflect broader screening criteria and differences in the application of the case definition” and that it “suggests the need for additional stratified analyses by geographic strata.” (“Prevalence of chronic fatigue syndrome in metropolitan, urban, and rural Georgia”) (6/08/07) MDLINX.com offers an abstract of a Boston study that asks “Changes in Functional Status in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Over a Decade: Do Age and Gender Matter?” Patients with CFS have substantial deficits in functional capacity, but the course of these deficits over time has not often been studied. This study measured the functional capacity of CFS patients on three occasions over a decade. Physical function, as reflected in several different scales, improved modestly but significantly over time, particularly for patients aged 18-60 years and for women. Mental/emotional function was not substantially impaired at the outset of the study and did not change over time. Researchers concluded that physical function tended to improve for many patients over time, despite the fact that they were aging. (6/06/07) FMSGlobalNews.com reports on the results of a study that sought to differentiate diagnoses of CFS, FM and MCS by comparing individuals with one or more illness on functioning, psychiatric comorbidity, coping style and in vivo physical measures. Participants included 114 men and women who met criteria for CFS. FM was diagnosed during a physical examination and MCS was assessed using a questionnaire. The results found that 43.9% met criteria for CFS alone, 23.7% met criteria for CFS-MCS, 15.8% met criteria for CFS-FM and 16.7% met criteria for CFS-MCS-FM. The CFS-MCS-FM group was more disabled than the CFS alone group on measures of physical functioning, general health and bodily pain. In vivo measures did not differ, but the CFS-MCS-FM group rated exertion higher than the CFS alone group. Researchers concluded that individuals with CFS alone were the highest functioning group across several domains. (6/07/07) MDLinx.com provides an abstract of a Belgian study of “Personality Profile of Patients with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.” The researchers explored whether personality may play a role in the predisposition, the precipitation and/or the maintenance of the CFS. Thirty-six consecutively examined female patients were hospitalized for a sleep workup and filled out a Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI) questionnaire. They were compared with a control group of females matched for age. Significant scores were obtained for dimensions such as Harm Avoidance, Reward Dependence and Self-Directedness. However, the only sub-dimension of Harm Avoidance that proved significantly higher in CFS than in controls was Fatigability, which is likely to overlap with the core CFS symptom. The researchers concluded that personality structure does not appear to play a major role in the CFS. ("Feeling bad in more ways than one: comorbidity patterns of medically unexplained and psychiatric conditions") (6/05/07) About.com’s fibromyalgia and CFS page notes that “Disability Benefits Can Be Elusive for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Patients” in a June 3 posting: “When faced with legitimate disability from CFS, patients also need to worry about whether or not they qualify as being legally disabled according to the Social Security Administration’s (SSA) definition of disability.” The information includes a brief description of CFS as related to the SSA’s requirements for CFS and links to resources on About.com for help in applying for disability benefits. (6/03/07) In a posting on MySpace.com, P.A.N.D.O.R.A. announces the winners of its Fibromyalgia and Myalgic Encephalopathy/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome video contest. “Living with Fibromyalgia” won the Fibromyalgia category and “Monkeys with Wings” won the CFS/ME category. Both videos will be shown as public service announcements, according to the posting. (6/03/07) FMSGlobalNews.com publishes an abstract of a study of Acclydine, a food supplement, conducted by researchers at Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre in the Netherlands. “The effect of acclydine in chronic fatigue syndrome: a randomized controlled trial” “…aimed to measure the IGF1 and IGF binding protein (IGFBP) 3 status of CFS patients compared to age- and gender-matched neighborhood controls, and to assess the effect of Acclydine on fatigue severity, functional impairment and biologically active IGF1 level.” Following a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind clinical trial of 57 CFS patients and 22 healthy patients, the researchers concluded that there are “no differences in IGF1 status in CFS patients compared to healthy matched neighborhood controls. In addition, the results of this clinical trial do not demonstrate any benefit of Acclydine over placebo in the treatment of CFS.” (6/02/07) A post on ThatsFit.com asks, “Chronic fatigue -- Is recovery possible?” It includes links to the CDC’s CFS Web pages and to MedicalNewsToday.com’s recent abstract about cognitive behavior therapy and CFS. (6/01/07) DynamicMedicine.com publishes an abstract of the study “Functioning in individuals with chronic fatigue syndrome: increased impairment with co-occurring multiple chemical sensitivity and fibromyalgia” by Molly Brown and Leonard Jason in which they seek to differentiate these diagnoses [CFS, FM, MCS] by comparing individuals with one or more illness on functioning, psychiatric co-morbidity, coping style, and in vivo physical measures test. More than 100 men and women who met the criteria for CFS were measured for the other illnesses; of this group. 43.9% met criteria for CFS alone, 23.7% met criteria for CFS-MCS, 15.8% met criteria for CFS-FM and 16.7% met criteria for CFS-MCS-FM. The CFS-MCS-FM group was more disabled than the CFS alone group on measures of physical functioning, general health, and bodily pain. In vivo measures did not differ, but the CFS-MCS-FM group rated exertion higher than the CFS alone group. The study concluded that “Individuals with CFS alone were the highest functioning group across several domains, such as disability, depression and severity of symptoms.” (5/31/07) MedicalNewsToday.com asks “Can You Heal From Chronic Fatigue?” in this short summary of an article published in the May issue of Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics about the results of a Dutch and British study about the use of cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) to treat CFS. The summary states that “after treatment, 69% of the patients no longer met the CDC criteria for CFS. The percentage of recovered patients depended on the criteria used for recovery. Using the most comprehensive definition of recovery, 23% of the patients fully recovered.” (5/28/07) Foster’sOnline.com posts a story from Kittery, Maine about Andrew Wiesner, who had been removed from his job as a pipe fitter at the Portsmouth Nava Shipyard in January because the U.S. Department of the Navy had alleged he was physically unable to do his job. Among his medical issues is CFS. Wiesner appealed after a supervisor found him physically unfit to do his job as a pipefitter, and a judge determined that he should never have been terminated and re-instated him. (“Dover man, a shipyard worker, gets job back”) (5/21/07) “…[A] 48-year-old male who’s dealt with chronic fatigue syndrome fatigue and brain problems over the past 10 years” writes to About.com’s Dr. David Derry with questions concerning his CFS and other conditions relating to a possible thyroid or adrenal problem. Dr. Derry responds that “[c]hronic fatigue symptoms of low temperatures, fatigue and accompanying brain fog are classical signs and symptoms of hypothyroidism.” (5/20/07) Scott Meyers, a staff writer for Its Entirely Natural, posts “Is Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) The Yuppie Flu?,” a general overview of CFS, on ArticleStorePrint.com. (5/19/07) MDLinx.com publishes an abstract from the Journal of Pediatric Psychology entitled “Brief Report: The Accuracy of Parents for the Thoughts and Feelings of Their Adolescent Suffering from Chronic Fatigue: A Preliminary Study of Empathy.” Belgian researchers “examined the actual and estimated empathic accuracy (EA) of the parents of adolescents with CFS. The actual EA of both parents was assessed in relation to the thoughts and feelings of their child about CFS and about other life events. Adolescents were also asked to estimate the parents’ EA. For the actual EA, both parents were significantly less accurate regarding the adolescent’s thoughts and feelings about CFS than about other life events.” (5/17/07) WordPres.com. (5/17/07) MarketDay.com provides a brief overview of CFS. (“Treating Chronic Fatigue Syndrome”) (5/16/07) MedicalNewsToday.com posts a link to a new Food Fact sheet on ME/CFS produced by The British Dietetic Association. The fact sheet “provides the low-down on the dietary issues surrounding ME/CFS and aims to prevent unnecessary nutritional restrictions, as well as promoting a healthy appropriate diet.” ("New factsheet on nutrition for ME/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Sufferers - British Diatetic Association") (5/16/07) ImmuneSupport.com posts information about a CFS and FM conference to be held June 1 – 2 in Kansas City, Mo. ("Plan to attend the CFS&FM Conference in Kansas City June 1&2")(5/16/07) “Don’t Forget ME” pleads a poster to theDizzySkyThinking blog. The self-described “moderate sufferer” tips her hat to the severe ones and says, “Just because our illness is not visible doesn’t make it any less real, doesn’t make us non-people.” She also lists a number of links to helpful sites and blogs for people with CFS. (5/12/07) Dr. Richard Podell, a New Jersey physician, discusses “Reversing Eight Vicious Cycles that Block Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Healing” in this posting on ImmuneSupport.com. (5/10/07) The Orlando Sentinel’s HealthCheck blog includes a post entitled “Proof of neurological problems in Gulf vets?” It notes that Boston researcher Roberta White has detected brain changes in 36 veterans from the first Gulf war who complain of numerous symptoms such as headaches, CFS and sleep problems. White says “those who suffered from five or more symptoms had smaller brain structures in two key areas: the cortex, which is involved in learning, and the rostral anterior cingulated gyrus, which is critical to emotion and memory.” (5/09/07) ProHealth’s ImmuneSupport.com pages include an article entitled “Chronic Fatigue Syndrome in Young People: Myths & Special Considerations” that provides information about pediatric CFS from Esther Crawley, MD, a consultant pediatrician and clinical lead of the regional Pediatric CFS/ME Service of Royal United Hospital in Bath, England. The online article quotes extensively from a research-based editorial (“Chronic Fatigue Syndrome in Young People: The Spectrum and the Myths”) published in the British Journal of Hospital Medicine. (5/08/07) The LivingWithCFS blog posts information about the Association’s 4th Annual Virtual Lobby Day. (“Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Awareness — 4th Annual Virtual Lobby Day — Find out how easy it is to get involved”) (5/07/07) The inaugural issue of the Journal of Invest in ME offers “a combination of research, information, news, stories and other articles relating to myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME).” The journal includes articles by researchers Dr. Leonard Jason and Dr. Ellie Stein as well as updates on CFS activities from patients and advocates around the world. (5/07/07) Medical eBooksreviews Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: The Experience of Illness by Rona Moss-Morris and Keith J. Petrie. The site says, “Integrating an overview of the latest research with patients’ personal experiences, they look at CFS in relation to: clinical features, personal and economic implications, biological and psychosocial factors, experiencing symptoms and coping with the illness.” (5/06/07) The GirlsCan’tWhat.com blog features 12-year-old entrepreneur and CFS advocate Ashley D’Orlando in a posting entitled “Meet Ashley: Slam Dunking for CFS and Fibromyalgia.” She describes the inspiration for her online business, Slamdunks: “My business began as a way to promote awareness for CFS and to raise money for research. My aunt has been living with CFS for 6 years, and I want to do whatever I can to help find a cure.” (5/04/07) In “Stop and think: invisible access for invisible disabilities,” a poster on the HoydenAboutTown blog “comes out” to her online community, describing the onset of her CFS, how she was diagnosed and her struggle to learn to think of herself – and to get others to think of her – as disabled. (5/04/07) UroToday.com posts an article by Dr. Phillip M. Hano entitled “Symptoms and Syndromes of Bodily Distress: An Exploratory Study of 978 Internal Medicine, Neurological and Primary Care Patients.” In it, he reviews a Danish study of nearly 1,000 patients using the Schedules for Clinical Assessment in Neuropsychiatry (SCAN) diagnostic instrument. Patients were divided into those with non-bodily distress, modest bodily distress and severe bodily distress. The researchers identified a general, distinct, bodily distress syndrome disorder accompanying the various functional syndromes advanced by medical specialties as well as somatization disorder and related diagnoses of the psychiatric classification. (5/02/07) The LivingWithCFSblog includes a the public awareness campaign’s television PSA in a May 2 posting entitled “May Is Chronic Fatigue Syndrome AWARENESS MONTH…I Guess Nobody Mentioned This To My Doctor.” (5/02/07) |
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