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Health Care Bill Poses Risks for Chronically Ill and ME/CFS in Particular

by Cort Johnson | May 11, 2017 | 22 Comments

As a donor-based organization Health Rising really, really does not like to delve into partisan political matters (and it probably shouldn’t :)). Every now and then something calls forth a step into dangerous waters. That something this time is the American...

Is Fibromyalgia Making You Older?

by Cort Johnson | May 9, 2017 | 10 Comments

Being in chronic pain is no fun, that’s for sure. Think of any area of your life – your work, your relationships, your mood, your finances – and see if chronic pain doesn’t impact it negatively. But is being in chronic pain itself dangerous? Some...

A Professional Advocate for ME/CFS (Finally!) – the SMCI’s Emily Taylor

by Cort Johnson | May 5, 2017 | 8 Comments

A Crack in the NIH’s Dike of Denial We may be embarking on a new era in chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS). Time will tell if we’re going to get a bit more funding for ME/CFS and it stops there or if funding really takes off. Right now more is lined up for ME/CFS...

Passionate Pragmatist: Carol Head and the Fight for ME/CFS Equality: The SMCI Pt. I

by Cort Johnson | May 2, 2017 | 10 Comments

As we head for International ME/CFS Awareness Day and the biggest advocacy effort that I’ve ever seen, it’s a good time to look at The Solve ME/CFS Initiative (formerly the CFIDS Association of America) – the oldest and most prominent chronic fatigue...

Combining Drugs May Work Better in Fibromyalgia

by Cort Johnson | Apr 30, 2017 | 2 Comments

The current crop of FM drugs is hardly the cat’s meow but a recent study suggests that with FM drugs more might be better; i.e. combining drugs – perhaps in lower doses – might help both drugs to work better. Find out more in Combining Drugs May Work...

Columbia & Simmaron Gut Study Uncovers Another Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) Subset

by Cort Johnson | Apr 29, 2017 | 3 Comments

Using cutting-edge technologies new to ME/CFS, Ian Lipkin and Mady Hornig took the deepest dive yet into the gut flora of ME/CFS patients and uncovered another potential subset – their third in a row. Find out more in a Simmaron Research Foundation sponsored...

“Death Rider”: A (Hopeful) Mold Illness Story

by Cort Johnson | Apr 25, 2017 | 58 Comments

Death Rider Can ANYBODY get this disease? You bet they can. We all know it. Heck I was as healthy as a horse when I got sick. I was out there running the hills every day but Chris Graber – who’s gotten sicker than I ever got – made me look like a...

Human Heart, Cosmic Heart – ME/CFS/FM Heart? A Review

by Remy | Apr 23, 2017 | 34 Comments

A Review of “Human Heart, Cosmic Heart” by Dr. Thomas Cowan The heart is rarely front and center currently when it comes to discussing the system failures and dysregulation in ME/CFS. Despite the focus some doctors (specialists such as the late Dr. Lerner...

The Stanford Paradox: Elevated Energy Production Found in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS)

by Cort Johnson | Apr 18, 2017 | 78 Comments

Producing energy is a big problem in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS). In fact it’s probably the problem in ME/CFS, which is why the findings of mitochondrial dysfunction and lowered ATP production have made sense. When the metabolomics studies suggested that chronic...

Regular Use of Saline May Reduce Symptoms, Boost Energy in POTS (and ME/CFS?)

by Cort Johnson | Apr 15, 2017 | 36 Comments

ME/CFS and POTS patients have used saline for years to feel better and recover from relapses. That’s really no surprise. The documented low blood volume in both groups suggests that saline would be an excellent temporary help. One chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS)...

Migraine Summit Poses Opportunities For Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Patients

by Cort Johnson | Apr 12, 2017 | 0 Comments

Migraines are common, greatly under-diagnosed and can be devastating. Studies suggest that over 50% of fibromyalgia patients may suffer from migraines and many may not know they have them. One ME/CFS researcher even thinks the underlying brain abnormalities in ME/CFS,...

Benzodiazepines Pose Threat to People Using Opioid Painkillers

by Cort Johnson | Apr 10, 2017 | 1 Comment

Doctors and patients are increasingly being warned to avoid opioid painkillers if possible but an important factor in the opioid painkiller issue is often missed. Benzodiazepine drugs, including some like Klonopin that are often used in FM and ME/CFS, when taken with...

Peterson’s Atypical Subset Shows Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) in New Light

by Cort Johnson | Apr 6, 2017 | 1 Comment

For years Dr. Peterson suspected some of his ME/CFS patients were different. They’d started off looking like normal ME/CFS patients but over time they changed dramatically – and not for the better. The recent spinal fluid study from Mady Hornig, Ian Lipkin...

The Shift: Top Science Journal Asserts Shift in Attitude Towards ME/CFS Has Occurred

by Cort Johnson | Apr 1, 2017 | 3 Comments

Following the XMRV controversy in 2011 Simon Wessely told the prestigious Nature journal that most researchers would rather work on images of Allah (forbidden by Islam) than ME/CFS. Wessely turned out to be wrong. In 2017 Nature reported stated that ME/CFS is now more...

How to be Broke and Medicated with Fibromyalgia or ME/CFS

by Cort Johnson | Mar 28, 2017 | 1 Comment

Having FM and ME/CFS can be financially challenging but if you’re low on cash or are looking for just ways to save money don’t give up hope. There are many ways to save money on prescription drugs, supplements or even doctors appointments. Did you know,...

Through the “Valley of Death”: Pridgen, Fibromyalgia and the Looming Clinical Trials

by Cort Johnson | Mar 27, 2017 | 11 Comments

With the Phase III trials looming, the results of Dr. Pridgen’s phase II clinical trials on his antiviral approach to fibromyalgia have been released. His next step – finding a way through the “valley of death” where many drug possibilities...

A Biomarker for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS)? Immunosignature Provides Another Possibility

by Cort Johnson | Mar 21, 2017 | 37 Comments

A Different Look at the Immune System The ultimate goal of this work is the development of a non-subjective clinical tool for diagnosing patients with ME. Lombardi et. al. Last month Health Rising looked at a potential ion channel biomarker coming out of the NCNED in...

Trump’s Budget Cuts Threaten Progress in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Fibromyalgia

by Cort Johnson | Mar 18, 2017 | 28 Comments

FDA Pick Shows Promise Donald Trump promised to shake things up in Washington and he has. President Trump is arousing some strong emotions but it’s important to try to look at his policies objectively. An earlier Health Rising blog suggested that Trump’s...

Fibromyalgia: the Best Doctors and Getting Better Poll Results

by Cort Johnson | Mar 18, 2017 | 0 Comments

How, in general, do people with FM do over time? How satisfied are they with the treatment options available to them? Which doctors give them the best chance of getting better? Which are validating and which are not? Which are knowledgeable and which are not? Check...

Ron Davis’s Strategic Approach To Understanding Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS)

by Cort Johnson | Mar 8, 2017 | 74 Comments

The Open Medicine Foundation released two videos of Ron Davis talking about their work over the past couple of weeks. I got a chance to talk to Davis twice since then and to flesh out a bit more what he’s doing right now. As most people probably know, the Davis...

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