A budding Olympic skier moves to Salt Lake City, Utah and collapses with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. That’s really rough for an Olympic hopeful – but at least he falls apart where both Dr. Bateman and the Lights – two researchers who may be getting at the causes of fatigue and post-exertional malaise in ME/CFS – reside. In this Deseret News article featuring the Lights, Dr. Bateman, this young man and another women with ME/CFS, Dr. Light puts fatigue in a revealing context when he states that the fatigue in ME/CFS (and elsewhere) is ‘protective’; that it’s there keep us from burning up our energy resources.
“Fatigue is one of the most important homeostatic mechanisms in the body. Fatigue is there to prevent you from using up your energy source” and ultimately preserve muscles, which help to control the body’s functions.”
“Fatigue is one of the most important homeostatic mechanisms in the body. Fatigue is there to prevent you from using up your energy source” and ultimately preserve muscles, which help to control the body’s functions.”Dr. Bateman, who is about to begin raising $1,000,000 to build a ‘dedicated clinic’ for people with ME/CFS and FM said the Light’s work demolishes
“The notion that this is, in any way, a lack of motivation or people not being very resilient or things like that, those are all out the window”.
There’s plenty more in this excellent little article from Deseret News that protrays ME/CFS as it is. Check it out here, post a comment on it and pass it on.
Thank you for this revealing article Cort and if this is the case for muscles then my comments regarding nerve preservation, in the previous article, i.e. small nerves burning after being produced to warn of main nerve damage, rings even more true?
Our nerves are there to protect us from hurting our bodies. Without warning signs e.g. blocking signals, we could do ourselves harm without realising.
Thank you Dr Bateman and the Lights.
I believe it anonymous – It makes sense to me. 🙂
This article isn’t showing up on the homepage, don’t know if because it’s new or something possibly didn’t get updated.
Also, check out the title of Dr. Light’s planned presentation at the upcoming 2014 OFFER Conference- “Using Gene Expression Technology to Objectively Subset and Diagnose FM, ME/CFS and Depression” -Alan Light, PhD, University of Utah
http://www.offerutah.org/2014conference.html
Sounds like there should be some pretty interesting papers coming out soon (hopefully)! I wonder if the gene expression results lined up with the a-2a and non a-2a subsets reported in their previous work?
Hey – what a great conference.
These ‘little’ blogs don’t show up on the Front Page – you can find them in a box on the right hand side of the page.
Lucinda Bateman, MD Executive Director of OFFER and Fatigue Consultation Clinic Founder
“Case Definitions of ME/CFS and FM”
Bruce Campbell, PhD
Executive Director of the CFIDS and Fibromylagia Self-help Program
“Managing the Five Challenges of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome”
Magdalena Lang, PhD, Massachusetts General Hospital
” Discover and Documentation of Small Fiber Neuropathy in FM Patients”
Alan Light, PhD, University of Utah
“Using Gene Expression Technology to Objectively Subset and Diagnose FM, ME/CFS and Depression”
Elizabeth Unger, MD, PhD, Center for Disease Control and Prevention
“Results of a Multi-site Clinical-study of ME/CFS”
It’s great to see the medical world take ME and fibromyalgia seriously.
Recently, an immunologist dug a little deeper, first looking for patterns in my daughter’s past lab workups, then ordering some new labs. She was diagnosed with Common Variable Immune Deficiency (CVID). And, she will require infusions once a month for life. Previously, she was diagnosed with fibromyalgia, chronic mono (EBV) and lyme disease. She is 17. She has been sick for 10 years.
Fortunately, her pediatrician gave me a referral to the same immunologist (after he reviewed my past lab tests)! CVID can be hereditary. I received the same diagnosis: except my immune system has twice the glitches of daughter’s immune system. I’m awaiting insurance approval to receive infusions, too.
After years and years of seeking medical help, even with ME and Fibromyalgia diagnosis, having a disease that is recognized as “real” AND can be treated is incredibly validating.
What a great relief it will be when ME/CFS and fibromyalgia patients get the same validation and treatment!