Fatigue is not a disease

Please sign a petition to pressure the Department of Health and Human Services to take Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis seriously. I was signature #241 and we need 25,000 signatures to get this important issue to the White House.

According to the petition sponsors:

"Of all the issues that we face today, the one issue which has created the most problems is the use of multiple, diverse and overly broad “CFS”definitions. This single issue has severely affected research, drug development and clinical care and has misled the medical community on the very nature of this devastating disease, causing many doctors to dismiss their patients.

Until we stop this confusion over the nature of the disease, patients will continue to pay a terrible price."

I am forwarding the message I received:

On May 12th, 9 ME patient organizations and 26 advocates sent a letter to the Department of Health and Human Services calling on them to start using the Canadian Consensus Criteria for ME, which requires the hallmark symptom of post-exertional malaise. If you do one charitable thing this month, please sign the petition and spread the word to everyone you know. We need 25,000 signatures to get this issue to the White House.

        http://www.thepetitionsite.com/255/349/958/fatigue-is-not-a-disease/

Author Erica Verrillo is helping to drive this petition and will post an article on ProHealth and will promote it on her mailing list and other sites. Thank you to Donna Pearson for all her help in getting this going and thanks to you in advance for posting the petition wherever you can.

FIBROMYALGIA AWARENESS DAY, MAY 12, 2013

FIBROMYALGIA AWARENESS DAY, MAY 12, 2013

There are more than 50 Fibromyalgia Awareness Day Events occurring nationally and internationally!  We appreciate your commitment to raising your voices to educate people about fibromyalgia.  Even if you reach out to just one person who doesn't know about or understand the effects of fibromyalgia, it is one more person who may support future efforts to CARE and Make Fibromyalgia Visible.

To locate and participate in an event close to you, or to find one online, please visit the National Fibromyalgia & Chronic Pain Association's website by clicking the link below and following these quick, easy steps to locate Fibromyalgia Awareness Around the World!

Steps:

• Click here:  CARE & Make Fibromyalgia Visible - 2013
• Once you are on the home page, scroll down to discover a variety of events.
• You will find the following links to help you locate an event that is just right for you:

1. National Fibromyalgia & Chronic Pain Association's events
2. Events state by state in the United States
3. International Events by Country

We look forward to hearing from each of you and regarding the success of your Awareness Day Event or how you participated in an event - either online or at a local venue.  Please send us your pics to share with others online.  (info@fmcpaware.org)

Free book on CFS treatment

It's been a while since my last post, but this offer was too good not to pass it on - a free e-book on the treatment of CFS available on Saturday, April 20 and Sunday, April 21, 2013. I have not read the book, so I can't comment on the content, but the price is right!

Here is the note from the author, Erica Verrillo, who is also the author of a children's book series, the Phoenix Rising Trilogy:

I am giving away free copies of the CFS Treatment Guide again. Please help me spread the word by posting this announcement on Facebook, on your blog, on forums, or wherever you can. So far, I've given away over 9,000 copies! Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: A Treatment Guide, 2nd Edition will be free on Saturday, April 20th and Sunday, April 21st on Amazon.com The book includes over 100 effective treatments, spanning the full range of pharmaceutical and complementary modalities, an in-depth discussion of symptoms with cross-referencing to appropriate treatments, the latest research into the causes and mechanisms of the illness, doctors' protocols, coping techniques, special sections for managing chemical sensitivities, dietary restrictions and the special needs of children, as well as extensive appendices covering resources, locations of doctors and clinics, local, national and international organizations, and internet ordering information. The book also features over 2600 useful links to further reading, research articles, and patient reviews. Dr. Charles Lapp, director of the Hunter-Hopkins Center, calls this the book “every patient should have.” A Kindle is not needed to read this book. Amazon provides free apps that allow eBooks to be read on computers, iPads, phones and other devices. For more information go to: http://www.cfstreatmentguide.com