Beyond Myalgic Encephalomyelitis Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME) and chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) are serious, debilitating conditions that affect millions of people in the United States and around the world. ME/CFS can cause significant impairment and disability. Despite substantial efforts by researchers to better understand ME/CFS, there is no known cause or effective treatment. Diagnosing the disease remains a challenge, and patients often struggle with their illness for years before an identification is made. Some health care providers have been skeptical about the serious physiological - rather than psychological - nature of the illness. Once diagnosed, patients often complain of receiving hostility from their health care provider as well as being subjected to treatment strategies that exacerbate their symptoms. Beyond Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome proposes new diagnostic clinical criteria for ME/CFS and a new term for the illness - systemic exertion intolerance disease(SEID). According to this report, the term myalgic encephalomyelitis does not accurately describe this illness, and the term chronic fatigue syndrome can result in trivialization and stigmatization for patients afflicted with this illness. Beyond Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome stresses that SEID is a medical - not a psychiatric or psychological - illness. This report lists the major symptoms of SEID and recommends a diagnostic process.One of the report's most important conclusions is that a thorough history, physical examination, and targeted work-up are necessary and often sufficient for diagnosis. The new criteria will allow a large percentage of undiagnosed patients to receive an accurate diagnosis and appropriate care. Beyond Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome will be a valuable resource to promote the prompt diagnosis of patients with this complex, multisystem, and often devastating disorder; enhance public understanding; and provide a firm foundation for future improvements in diagnosis and treatment.

A neurologist explores the very real world of psychosomatic illness. Pauline first became ill when she was fifteen. What seemed to be a urinary infection became joint pain, then life-threatening appendicitis. After a routine operation Pauline lost all the strength in her legs. Shortly afterwards, convulsions started. But Pauline’s tests are normal: her symptoms seem to have no physical cause whatsoever. This may be an extreme case, but Pauline is not alone. As many as a third of people visiting their GP have symptoms that are medically unexplained. In most, an emotional root is suspected which is often the last thing a patient wants to hear and a doctor to say. We accept our hearts can flutter with excitement and our brows can sweat with nerves, but on this journey into the very real world of psychosomatic illness, Suzanne O'Sullivan finds the secrets we are all capable of keeping from ourselves. ‘A fascinating glimpse into the human condition... a forceful call for society to be more open about such suffering’ Daily Mail ‘Honest, fascinating and necessary’ The Times

Help young CFS sufferers cope with this debilitating illness Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) is a debilitating illness that can have devastating effects for those afflicted, especially children and adolescents. Pediatric Chronic Fatigue Syndrome discusses this growing problem and its many facets in depth, including the mounting prevalence of incidents in the population and detailed explanations of diagnostic criteria. Case studies are provided to illustrate the issues those afflicted with CFS face, such as increasing isolation, decreasing school attendance, the length of time it typically takes to get diagnosed, and the impact on leisure activities. Current criteria for CFS were designed for use in adults, with few studies done on assessing how appropriate these criteria are for children and adolescents. Pediatric Chronic Fatigue Syndrome provides the criteria for first-time diagnosis of pediatric CFS and includes practical recommendations developed by the International Association of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Pediatric Case Definition Working Group. This book closely examines the potential impact that Chronic Fatigue Syndrome has on child and adolescent functioning, psychological factors, social factors, and the suffering endured from symptoms. Guidelines are provided on ways ME-CFS (Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome) can be addressed in primary practice. Topics in Pediatric Chronic Fatigue Syndrome include: ME/CFS CACFS (Chronic Fatigues Syndrome in Children and Adolescents) the common problem of Munchausen-by-proxy research on the psychosocial, family, and physical functioning comparing children and adolescents with CFS and those without CFS using theory in clinical practice guidelines on how ME/CFS can be addressed in primary practice overview of CFS aspects for healthcare professionals who may be called on to diagnose or treat the illness and more Pediatric Chronic Fatigue Syndrome is timely, important information for health professionals, researchers, counselors, caregivers, parents of children and adolescents with CFS, and patients with CFS.

"ME/CFS: Causes, Clinical Features and Diagnosis" addresses the early stages of ME/CFS and underlying predisposing factors. It considers the plight of the individual patient, and also the impact of the illness on society as a whole, which is considerable, in terms of both costs and social disruption. Patients and their families and carers frequently experience discrimination and difficulties accessing care. This volume will be of particular interest to those undertaking scientific research and those providing clinical care for ME/CFS patients, as well as to social policy analysts, policy makers and governments, and specialists in social research and medical education. There is a major focus on shortcomings in terms of medical education, resulting in considerable gaps in knowledge and understanding of the condition among many doctors. International comparisons indicate that these problems are encountered in many countries. This is particularly topical at a time when Long Covid-19 has moved post-viral syndromes to the forefront of the political agenda, and confronted society with new challenges in this area on a hitherto unprecedented scale. The volume addresses the many points of similarity between Long Covid-19 and ME/CFS. Mitigation of the illness is also addressed, through espousal of a more patient-centred approach to care, and through consideration of the scope for prevention. Sixty-nine authors from seventeen European countries, and from Canada and the USA have contributed to this volume, which is a truly international collaboration.

Some doctors still think Chronic Fatigue Syndrome is a "fake" diagnosis. In this book, Joel Young, MD, presents the research, experience, and treatments that prove otherwise. Millions of Americans experience chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), a continuous exhaustion and a feeling comparable to that of having just run a marathon when all they have done is a daily living task, such as taking a shower or getting dressed. Doctors don't have tests for CFS, and some think it's a faux or psychological disorder. Joel Young, MD, in this heavily researched book, explains why it is a true physical illness and how it may be treated. He details how he successfully treats the symptoms, which can include severe fatigue, "brain fog," chronic pain, and sleep problems. Unlike doctors who recommend exercise, supplements, or opioid medications, Young integrates such options as long-acting stimulants, meditation, and dietary changes to reduce fatigue, as well as non-opioid drugs, medical marijuana, and self-help options including yoga for the associated chronic pain.

This book provides clinicians and their staff with essential information on the vaccines that are recommended and not recommended for their patients, the diseases these vaccines prevent, and a broad range of potential vaccine safety issues that may be brought up by their patients. Each topic, from specific vaccines to safety concerns, is covered succinctly, based upon systematic reviews of the scientific literature, with talking points to be used with patients. The organization of the information makes it easy to reference specific topics and quickly find pertinent information, with the most practical details (such as recommendations and causality conclusions) highlighted at the very beginning of the respective sections. There are also sections outlining the vaccine safety system and evidence-based strategies for how to talk with patients about vaccines. This book aims to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of clinical vaccine discussions with patients, leading to more informed patients and timely vaccination. This is an ideal resource for all clinicians administering vaccines and their healthcare teams.

The onset can be fast and shocking or slow and insidious. It can happen to anyone at any age. A flu, a vaccination, or an infection can be the innocent beginnings to the potentially life-long and disabling illness called myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME), which is more commonly known as chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) or ME/CFS in North America. In the mid 1980s, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) was called in by concerned doctors who were witnessing an influx of patients with a mysterious illness. Eventually the CDC labeled the condition “chronic fatigue syndrome” which turned out to be very misleading. Decades later, in 2016, health agencies are finally beginning to agree with international experts that ME/CFS is a serious, chronic, multi-system illness. Through artwork, poetry, story-telling, and meticulous research, Lighting Up a Hidden World: CFS and ME takes readers into the fascinating, yet frightening, landscape of ME/CFS. Author Valerie Free shares her personal experiences and delivers illuminating first-hand perspectives from patients, caregivers, journalists, and medical professionals from within the global community in short easy-to-read segments. These stories reveal the disgrace, controversy, and tragedy of worldwide neglect by political and health care systems, leaving ME/CFS research underfunded and millions of people marginalized, sick, and socially unsupported. Lighting Up a Hidden World: CFS and ME advocates for those too ill to speak out, abounds with patient resources, and offers realistic hope for the future. People living with this illness, along with their family and friends, will find compassion and camaraderie in its pages. This book reaches beyond the ME/CFS community exposing the themes of human suffering, resilience, and the need for social change.

Myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) is a severe chronic health condition that is often misunderstood or ignored by health establishments. The lack of definitive diagnostic markers to separate ME/CFS patients from the healthy population as well as from other chronic disorders is problematic for both health professionals and researchers. A consortium of Australian researchers gathered to systematically understand ME/CFS, ranging from a deep analysis of clinical and pathology data to metabolomic profiles and the investigation of mitochondrial function. From this broad collaboration, a number of compelling insights have arisen that may form the basis of specific serum, blood, and/or urinary biomarkers of ME/CFS. This Special Edition reports on a conference centred on these biomedical discoveries, with other contributions, with a translation focus for predictive markers for ME/CFS diagnosis. By supporting health professionals with developments in diagnostics for this condition, the patients and their families will hopefully benefit from an improved recognition of the biomedical underpinnings of the condition and will be better able to access the care that is urgently required. This Special Edition contains a mix of speaker submissions and other accepted manuscripts that contributed to our objective of advancing biomedical insights to enable the accurate diagnosis of ME/CFS.