In 1988, a group at the Center for Disease Control (CDC) formulated a set of criteria for the diagnosis of ME/CFS, plus what is now called Chronic Fatigue and ImmunoDysfunction Syndrome (CFIDS). These criteria have done very little to elucidate the true cause of the problem. In December of 1994, CDC updated its case criteria and published them in The Annals of Internal Medicine. The CDC bulletin says, in part:
A thorough medical history, physical examination, mental status examination, and laboratory tests must be conducted to identify underlying or contributing conditions that require treatment. Diagnosis or classification cannot be made without such an evaluation.Clinically evaluated, unexplained chronic fatigue cases can be classified as CFS if the patient meets certain criteria.
December 15, 1994 - The Annals of Internal Medicine: Vol. 121, No. 12, Pg. 953-959
It appears that ME/CFS will be the dominant health
disorder of the 21st century. A quarter of all patients presenting to their
physicians do so with a complaint of "chronic fatigue." The CDC estimates
that there are 500,000 people with ME/CFS in the U.S., which many feel
is far too small a figure. Leonard Jason's recent study (published in October 1999 in the Archives of Internal Medicine) concludes that there are 836,000 people in the U.S. with CFS.
There are many illnesses that have chronic fatigue
as a major symptom: depression, autoimmune disease, environmental illness
and the classic reactivated viral type illness. All of these illnesses
may have a similar basis for their development — molecular damage from
oxidative stress or "rusting" of the cells. (This is a complicated concept
which needs personal interpretation by someone knowledgeable in molecular
medicine.)
The state of having ME/CFS cannot be understood
through simplistic single-agent, single-disease models. What is required
is a holistic study of the biochemistry of man and his environment including:
invading organisms, chemical and heavy metal damage, digestion, nutritional
(anti-oxidant, etc.) deficiencies, and stresses of modern life.
The recognition of the "flaws" or damaged areas
from molecular injury and the elimination of those insults is the only
way to solve the puzzle of ME/CFS. This can be done by a meticulous investigation
into the human organism's "systems" from a functional molecular standpoint.
In this way, the causes of the problem may be determined so that curative
measures may be employed.
|
This The Co-Cure Ring site owned by Ken Coleman. [ Previous 5 Sites | Skip Previous | Previous | Next | Skip Next | Next 5 Sites | Random Site | List Sites ] Want to join the ring? Click here for more information. |
|