Research topics:  General Articles and Research Overviews, Immune System Research, Viral Research, Cardiac Research, Exercise Research, Muscle Research, Metabolic Research, Neurological and Cognitive Research, Genetic Research, Neuroendocrine Research, and Miscellaneous Research.

Article topics: The Definitions of M.E., On 'fatigue', CBT, GET and the unscientific 'behavioural' paradigm of M.E., On 'stress', M.E. Outbreaks, On the Name Myalgic Encephalomyelitis, M.E. and Other Illnesses, Children with M.E., The Severity of M.E., M.E. Fatalities, Activism Articles, Articles sorted by Author, Articles sorted by Country and Historical, Political and Medical Overviews.

*O* ME is not fatigue by Maryann Spurgin Ph.D.

M.E. is not a fatigue state, and fatigue is not a defining symptom of M.E. We do not support use of the word "fatigue" either to name this illness or to describe this illness. Patients and patient groups who want to "change the name" must first take responsibility accurately to describe the symptomatology.

*O* The Need to Abolish the Fatigue Model and to Establish Precise Subsets by Maryann Spurgin Ph.D.

One of the main goals of the M.E. Society is to see the inaccurate, vague, demeaning word "fatigue" eliminated not only from names but also from descriptions of the disease and from scientific discussion. We hold that scientific progress cannot be made when researchers focus on and blend the patients together by the poorly defined symptom of fatigue, which muddies understanding of the disease because it is a symptom of many diseases, of psychiatric diseases, as well as a normal physiological state.

Maryann Spurgin, Ph.D.,reviews the 2003 ME/CFS clinical case definition

In sharp contrast to the 1994 CDC Fukuda criteria, which makes "fatigue" a compulsory symptom but downplays and makes optional post-exertional sickness and other cardinal symptoms, the Canadian clinical case definition specifically selects patients who worsen with exercise. The clinical definition makes it very clear and compulsory that in order to meet the diagnostic criteria, the patient must become symptomatically ill after exercise, and must also have neurological, neurocognitive, neuroendocrine, dysautonomic (for example, orthostatic intolerance), and immune manifestations. That is, worsening with exercise, and many symptoms other than fatigue, must be present for a patient to meet the diagnostic criteria. This case definition will go a long way to help distinguish ME/CFS patients from chronic fatigue patients, depressed patients, patients with PTSD, somatization, fibromyalgia, and other diseases with which ME/CFS has been confused, including those that improve with exercise.

*O* Shaky Foundation: Problems with the Fukuda et al. CDC Research Case Definition for CFS by Craig Maupin It isn't difficult to see the problems with the 1994 CDC revised case definition. In fact, a quick look at some of the discrete differences in those who now are diagnosed with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome is the best way to illustrate the confusing web that has been woven. For emerging illnesses such as CFS, quality medical care and research will start with clear distinctions. But unfortunately for those with CFS, it is those distinctions that the CFS research community often seems to want to blur, downplay, and integrate. ADVOCACY RUTS - INTRODUCTION by Craig Maupin This series, Advocacy Ruts, is about CFS advocacy. CFS advocacy needs a custom-tailored game plan. If our advocacy efforts look, sound, or appear like advocacy efforts for other diseases, our efforts may not generate the same results. Because CFS is a disease that is unique, it will require an advocacy approach that is also unique. *O* Sophisted Investigation by Cesar Quintero Much reported controversy surrounds the public health agencies and their handling of investigation into the disease Myalgic Encephalomyelitis.   Surely the most advanced nations with legions of medical scientists would be motivated to meet the challenge and discover the cause of an epidemic striking down its citizens, which leaves large numbers permanently disabled.  Yet the response of the public health agencies has caused particular skepticism.  This has raised many questions. Now this question may sound very odd, but consider: How would you Disguise a Disease ? Name Change - Evaluation by Cesar Quintero This report is more evidence that it is absolutely necessary to restore the name Myalgic Encephalomyelitis. I do not see this report as something to be given any blanket endorsement. They were not asked to propose a temporary name. Patients have been damaged by the govt. changing the name of ME to CFS. This fact is what they continue to cover-up. Restore the Name by Cesar Quintero My suspicion is that until we accept that the disease that we have is M.E.we will continue to be victimized and manipulated. Myalgic Encephalomyelitis - A New Day by Cesar Quintero Do certain herpes viruses have a special relationship with the polio viruses in the same way HIV and HHV6 work together. We may never know if the government continues to cover up the existence of ME by calling it fatigue and confusing the public and doctors and fostering mythical subgroups. Confusing the understanding of this disease by opening the door for the inclusion of a multitude of unexplained fatigue conditions and somatic syndromes that will choke off the support and investigation of Myalgic Encephalomyelitis. Government Manipulates the Facts by Cesar Quintero How long will the deception and fraud continue before the public calls for accountability and prosecutions for fraud ? *O* The underserving ill - a warning by John Sayer It is my belief that the current - almost frenzied - campaign to psychologise M.E. and similar conditions is part of this propaganda and represents a dress rehearsal for the wider application of the psychosocial classification of a new "underclass" of "the undeserving ill", stripped of some of the very rights the Second World War was supposedly fought for by the Allies. Outrageous job description for ME/CFS nurse therapist by John Sayer These job descriptions relate to a philosophy - ALREADY IN PLACE - of subjecting "CFS" sufferers to psychotherapy designed to "prove" to them that they are simply perpetuating their own illness through aberrant belief systems. THE TRAVESTY OF SO-CALLED "M.E. TREATMENT" by John Sayer The Psychologising Matrix and Collaborating Charities by Kevin Short Forget Action for ME, forget the 'ME Alliance' sham and forget Charles Shepherd's so called Myalgic 'Encephalopathy' Association and, above all, forget the notion of any collaboration with and appeasement of Wesselyites, Ministers, and the rest. The ONLY way we can secure justicefor real M.E. sufferers is to fight politically and fight fire with fire. We do not need to raise money from poor sufferers for research, we need to raise money for a political and legal fight. We win the political fight then we can get state bio-medical research funding and support. Driving Home The Evidence - to our own ranks by Kevin Short The sad fact is that most M.E. sufferers are clueless to both the level of existing bio-medical research about their illness and to the  well-funded political campaign directed against them by the psychologisers and their corporate/DWP backers. *O* ME/CFS Politics in a Nutshell (UK) by Kevin Short Ever mindful of budgets, In the UK, Government Ministers have been captured by the psychologising views of the Wessely School, Insurance Industry and the DWP 4 and are pursuing their ‘Pathways to Work’ project - which is set to gain momentum from 2005. A situation where sufferers of a physical neuro-immunological disease (M.E.) will be routinely referred to psychiatrists as mental health patients – and subject to harmful ‘treatment’5 upon pain of benefits withdrawal – is being set up. This is NOT exaggeration and I would direct you to the extremely worrying comments of Wessely-School psychiatrist Dr Michael Sharpe: "Those who cannot be fitted into the scheme of objective bodily illness yet refuse to be placed into and accept the stigma of mental illness remain the undeserving sick of our society and health service."6 In spite of all the biomedical evidence to the contrary, these vested-interest psychologisers continuously maintain their anti-science mantra: that ‘M.E. is perpetuated by mistaken belief and sick-role behaviour’. Their well-funded lobby machine relentlessly bombards parliament and the media with disinformation - and they flood medical and trade journals with extremely low quality psychiatric ‘research’ papers.7 Inevitably, all of this adversely affects the views of time-pressed GPs who are simply too busy to read all the bio-medical research papers themselves. A Million Stories Untold - on this site Fatigue Schmatigue explains how the 'fatigue' construct of ME/ICD-CFS came into being and why ME/ICD-CFS is NOT a 'fatiguing illness' at all. Did you know, for instance, that 'chronic fatigue' was not associated with this illness at all until the name was changed from ME to CFS in 1988? - on this site What is ME/ICD-CFS? All the facts on ME/ICD-CFS in one place - on this site ME/ICD-CFS books - on this site Authors: Dr. Elizabeth Dowsett,  Byron Hyde MD,  Professor Malcolm Hooper, Dr. Paul Cheney,  Dr David Bell M.D., Dr Melvin Ramsay M.D.  The Committee for Justice and Recognition of Myalgic Encephalomyelitis,  Margaret Williams and Eileen Marshall,  Gurli Bagnall,   Mary Schweitzer,  Stephen Ralph,  Hillary Johnson, Peggy Munsen, Jill McLaughlin and Maryann Spurgin Ph.D.   Craig Maupin, Cesar Quintero, Kevin Short and John Sayer  / On this site.