Treatment & Research News December 13, 2006
OUR MISSION "To empower patients to take control of their health by providing current research and treatment information, quality health products, community, and advocacy." more $2.5 Million Raised and Donated to Research
Highlights of the Week · Yeast infections: Causes, simple home test, advice · Getting disordered sleep under control; some options · D-Ribose study for CFS promising; more underway · Why garlic is an "immune support natural" · CFS symptoms: Does age matter? & other abstracts · Name change issues and other letters from readers · Volunteer now to be an advocate on CFS Lobby Day · Which articles are most useful? Please rate them
THIS WEEK'S SPECIAL NEW PRODUCTS 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 Neuro B-12 Ginkgo Biloba DETOXIFICATION Ultimate Cleanse Guaifenesin FA DIGESTION Vital Enzymes Acidophilus Pearls ENERGY NADH Ultra ATP+ Mitochondria Ignite IMMUNE Olive Leaf Extract ProBoost Thymic Transfer Factor Essentials MOOD 5-HTP St. John's Wort SAM-e PAIN O24 Fibromyalgia Fibro Complete Multi SLEEP L-Theanine Calm-Plex Melatonin - Sublingual Most Popular for Detoxification Guaifenesin FA Most Popular for Energy Support Enada NADH	Founder's Corner Drs. Cheney, Komaroff Join CFS Name Change Board Doctors Paul Cheney and Anthony Komaroff have joined the Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Name Change Advisory Board - the group of leading CFS researchers and specialists charged with recommending an appropriate new name for "Chronic Fatigue Syndrome". The objective of this Campaign for a Fair Name is a timely transition to a name that does not stigmatize patients by labeling their disease as a "fatigue" syndrome. Drs. Cheney and Komaroff bring to eight the number of noted CFS experts on the Advisory Board. They join Drs. Lucinda Bateman, David Bell, Charles Lapp, Nancy Klimas, Leonard Jason, and Daniel Peterson. These eight are among the most respected names in the CFS community, both in the U.S. and worldwide. Between them they represent more than 150 years of CFS research and clinical care. The charter of the Name Change Advisory Board is to discuss and debate alternative names for "Chronic Fatigue Syndrome" and to deliver a consensus opinion on an appropriate name. As a next step, a meeting of this U.S. based group is tentatively scheduled for mid-January at the annual conference of the International Association for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome - the IACFS. Dr. Paul Cheney, widely considered to be the grandmaster of CFS theory and clinical treatment, has focused his career on CFS research since his involvement in the Incline Village epidemic in the mid-1980s. A theorist by nature, with a PhD in nuclear physics from Duke University, Dr. Cheney is known as a proponent of the "cardio" theory that describes CFS symptoms as the body's protective, compensatory response to a cellular energy problem that lies at the core of the illness. Dr. Anthony Komaroff, of Harvard Medical School, is the most quoted CFS expert in the world, respected for his passionate determination and scientific objectivity in investigating the cause(s) of CFS. As Dr. Komaroff stated recently, "literature from over 4,000 published research studies has revealed a number of physical or biological abnormalities in CFS. The illness is not simply a set of symptoms people imagine they have, and it is not a psychological illness." All the members of this esteemed board are committed to changing the name for this disease to one that will not trivialize it. Wishing you health and hope, Rich Carson ProHealth Founder and CFS Patient Please click here to rate this Founder's Corner. Features Yeast Infection and Nutritional Repair Mark J. Pellegrino, MD, details yeast (Candida) infection symptoms and causes, a simple home test, and advice for "rebalancing the intestinal tract."*   more Correcting Disordered Sleep in CFS "Everyone with CFS has disordered sleep, many not realizing it - and most require a multifaceted approach to get their sleep under control," says Blake Graham, a Clinical Nutritionist specialized in CFS & FM. He describes scores of non-drug approaches, including light therapy and diet.   more Science Update Preliminary Study of D-Ribose Promising D-Ribose - a familiar carbohydrate (sugar) supplement known to fuel cellular production of the energy molecule adenosine triphosphate (ATP) - "significantly reduced clinical symptoms" in two-thirds of CFS and FM patients, a small "feasibility" study reports.*   more Garlic - The Immune Support Natural Garlic is a remarkable food source with an incredible spectrum of activity against bacteria, fungal infections, and viruses. And supplements may deliver much of this activity best.   more CFS Research Abstracts CFS physical function often improves over time Body weight /CFS fatigue-severity connection? Personality structure doesn't play major role in CFS Patterns of CFS service utilization, access, coping CFS patient-MD teleconferencing pilot tested Physiological response to exercise in CFS ME, FM entirely new paradigm in pain disorders CFS pathogenesis knowledge, research priorities IBS/serotonin links; "neurotherapeutic" directions Letters From Our Readers Name Change Thoughts & Issues A "Heart Attack of the Nervous system" Let's Just Name it Quickly! CFS a Symptom, Not the Problem Consistency is Important About M.E. in the U.K. Questions and Comments Want Details on Figtree Diet CFS Might Exacerbate Other Ills Unhappy With Marshall Protocol Thanks For Standing By Us Spell Check Cheek Where to Ask Supplement Questions Please share your thoughts with us! CFS Advocacy and Education CFIDS Association announces "Lobby Day 2007" - invites volunteers The CFIDS Association of America has scheduled its 15th annual CFS Congressional lobbying day for May 15 in Washington, DC. Individuals interested in meeting with their elected representatives to lobby for positive CFS policy are encouraged to volunteer as soon as possible.   more International Association for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (IACFS) Conference If you are into following the latest CFS research, you will not want to miss the IACFS medical and patient conferences, scheduled for the week of January 10-14 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. These twin conferences will offer a plethora of presentations on new findings by the leading minds in CFS research, as well as many educational and training activities for patients/patient advocates. The Patient Conference will also feature Fibromyalgia as a co-topic. Time is short, so check the IACFS website now for specifics on the scheduled seminars and activities, and to register for sessions. For information on the Patient Conference, January 10-12, go to http://www.aacfs.org/p/238.html, and for the Professional Conference, January 12-14, go to http://www.aacfs.org/p/239.html Patients registered for their own conference may also attend Professional Conference sessions. Please Help Us Rate Our Articles There is a new feature at the end of every article in our newsletters and website archives - a "real time" reader usefulness rating. Just scroll down and look for the yellow stars. We've always asked readers and site visitors to rate how useful each article is, on a scale of 1 to 10. (See "Was this Useful?" below the stars.) But we were missing an opportunity to make the rating system useful to you. So now, with a glance at the yellow stars, you can see the number of other readers who have rated an article to date - and their average rating. These ratings give us constant feedback on the types of information you value most. And very soon, our website will be redesigned so that when you search on a subject you'll see the usefulness rating of each listed result. One benefit of ProHealth's archive is that it offers breadth and depth - the largest collection of FM and CFS information in the world. But this system may help you locate the best information more efficiently. So from now on when you read an article, please rate it. Different people will have different information needs and preferences. But in aggregate your ratings can help us keep serving our community better. Weekly Inspiration You can never go home again. But the truth is you can never leave home, so it's all right. - Maya Angelou Our Community Responsibility Chronic pain is a community concern as well as a personal concern. It affects the young and old, people at our workplace, our families, friends, and the public at large. Who is responsible for helping with this problem? Surely there are many specialists, educators, doctors, and the like who share the responsibility. We, however, share a responsibility to ourselves and to the community as a whole to do our part. Whether we speak at a treatment center, lead a support group, further educate the community, or reach out to others, we will be sharing the responsibility. What once was solely a personal problem has become a part of our community. We may never rid ourselves or anyone else of pain, but together we can share our responsibilities. From Living With Chronic Pain One Day At A Time, by Mark Allan Zabawa 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 (Dec 6, 2006)