From Open Medicine Foundation. As part of #MayMomentum, Open Medicine Foundation is thrilled to announce a new clinical trial that builds on OMF-funded research and shows the interconnected strategies of the four OMF-Established ME / CFS Collaborative Research Centers. We hope that you will agree that this thoughtful research strategy deserves your support and that today […]
As we approach the end of ME Awareness Month….. It’s Not You, It’s M.E. When we first started out Wide eyed at the coming years We were so strong We just bowled along No worries, no cares, no fears. Now times have changed We’re growing apart Body and soul It’s breaking my heart It’s such […]
By ME/CFS skeptic. Problems with the amended version (Version published: 02 October 2019) part I. I appreciate the efforts made by Cochrane and the authors to correct some of the errors in the previous version of this review. There are however some major problems that remain and significantly impact the results and conclusion. I hope […]
By David Tuller, DrPH Norway’s got a double whammy going on. First there’s the group of investigators that seems to have had trouble determining whether their newly published research on CBT and music therapy was an actual randomized trial or merely a feasibility study. (More on that below.) Then we have Dagbladet, a widely […]
By Good Elf in Opposing MEGA. Untangling The MUS Web How badly have UK proponents of ‘Medically Unexplained Symptoms’ (MUS) misled the medical community? From the murky mire of ‘medical’ literature on ‘MUS’, one reference emerges as more rancid than the rest. This 2001 paper – https://www.sciencedirect.com/…/…/abs/pii/S0022399901002239… – by Nimnuan, Wessely and Hotopf has been used […]
By John Pring in Disability News Service. A disabled campaigner has secured an “important victory” that has forced a transport company to bring in new measures to protect the rights of wheelchair-users to use buses. Wheelchair-user Nina Grant, from north London, began legal action against Arriva after repeatedly being left on the pavement […]
By Cort Johnson in Health Rising. “I have sympathy for people with chronic fatigue syndrome now, and I believe this disease fast-tracks you into experiencing these symptoms.” Paul Garner – Infectious Diseases Specialist A lot of infections can trigger chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) but in some ways SARS-CoV-2 is different in ways that reminds […]
By Jennie Jacques in jennie jacques.com. I have a keen interest in what happens to our body after severe infection, particularly viral infection. And I would like to start my article by highlighting (with gratitude) ‘New Scientist’ who have pre-warned us, “Viral infections have previously been linked to problems with long-term fatigue symptoms. […]
By Hilda Bastian in PLOS Blogs. Sometimes, a dispute with a consumer movement comes along that has profound implications for far more than the people in it. I think the dramatic clash between the ME/CFS patient community and a power base in the evidence community is one of those. It points to weaknesses in […]
By Paul Garner in BMJ BMJ Blogs. It’s over, I thought! It was the beginning of May, after the weirdest seven weeks of illness I had ever had, a roller coaster of exhaustion, pain everywhere, tinnitus, headaches, and fog: I felt remarkably well, almost high. The aches had gone, my mind was alive, […]
By Debbie Mckno in the ME Awareness website. My name is Debbie. Here is the story of my long, exhausting, and difficult battle to get diagnosed with Fibromyalgia and Myalgic Encephalomyelitis. From 17 years old, I was told by doctors, “You are just run down.” I had constant infections, viruses, and chronic tonsillitis. Feeling […]
By Sarah Ramsay in The Paris Review. When I first began research for my book about women with mysterious illnesses, I was overwhelmed. No two women were alike. The number of illnesses that qualified as mysterious was staggering. Lyme, post-treatment Lyme disease syndrome, candida, Epstein-Barr, Ehlers-Danlos, polycystic ovary syndrome, subclinical hypothyroid, dysautonomia, irritable […]
LIVING LIFE ‘LIGHT’ WITH ME When ME strikes We know the score Our lives won’t be As they were before We learn to pace Wind things down Cut things out Try not to drown Living on the edge of fun As if your life is all but done In the shadows, out of sight […]
From the Invisibly ME Blog. The 11th to 17th May 2020 marks ME/CFS Awareness Week. It was also Fibromyalgia Awareness Day on 12th May, which I posted about recently with debunking 6 fibro myths. The colour blue is recognised as the colour of ME awareness and many charities, groups and individuals are doing their bit […]
By Spoonseeker. I know you have enough to worry about already with the pandemic situation the way it is, but there is something else important that you should know. The sad truth is that if you get COVID – 19 and survive, it could just be the start of your problems. Ever since […]
By John Pring in Disability News Service. The government has been criticised by one of its own “disability champions” after it granted the transport industry its third temporary exemption from access laws, so it could continue to use inaccessible vehicles for rail replacement services. In December, it emerged that the government was allowing the […]
ME AND MY LIST The eyes they slowly open A restless night behind Sleep didn’t want to come my way To rest my buzzing mind I gently rise to find my feet Hope the strength is there to greet My legs like stilts, …..no feeling I fall,…… to stare up at the ceiling It’s gonna […]
ME and My ‘Friend’ I want to Chat And things like that Like we used to do It hurts to talk It pains to walk But I’ll get myself to you. I’ll get there, it’s not that far Travel by bus, too tough by car Vibrations turn senses into mire The slightest bump, the […]
There has been a sense of confusion in my heart since the Covid-19 Lockdown. Maybe by writing I can unravel the unease. Thoughts on ME & Covid-19 by Corina Duyn. For the past seven weeks – 55 days – life as we knew it has changed forever. A virus which nobody can see, but […]
By Valerie Eliot Smith in Law And Health. “The history of ME remains one of the worst examples of unacknowledged institutional abuse in modern times.” ~ Valerie Eliot Smith 2019 ***************************** Note: this blog works across all devices but can be viewed most easily on a computer or tablet. Thank you for visiting […]
By David Tuller, DrPH Today, May 12th, is International Awareness Day for Chronic Immunological and Neurological Diseases (CIND)—often shortened to International ME (or ME/CFS) and Fibromyalgia Awareness Day. Besides ME, other diseases included in the CIND group, per the May 12th International Awareness Day site, are chronic fatigue syndrome, Gulf War Syndrome and multiple chemical sensitivity. […]
By talmandan in The Low Side Blog. I’ve spent the last six weeks with some strange form of writer’s block. I don’t know if it has just coincidentally been parallel to a global pandemic, or due to some debilitating levels of ME related exhaustion, or a combination of both. I’ve watched while chronic illness bloggers […]
Just to let you know that Cliffords Tower in York will be lit up in blue from 11th to 17th May in recognition of ME Awareness Week.
By Cort Johnson in Simmaron Research. This is another hypothesis paper that gives one hope – and makes one wonder if the authors might have a handle on what’s happening with chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS). The paper proposes that a tantalizingly simple problem – an autoimmune attack on just one receptor – out […]
Millions Missing Tommy missing from the five a sides A different postman today Jenny not out, not seen her about Maybe she’s just gone away No Mary at the Bingo Charlie, where is that guy? Rang the teacher, couldn’t reach her Didn’t think to wonder why Jack from the pub Hayley down at the […]
From ME Advocacy. Advocating in the United States for the disease myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME) has reached a new challenge that threatens the very core of the recognition for the disease. While some advocacy organizations have diverged and taken the alarming path of partnering with the US Health and Human Services (HHS) in adopting, using […]
By John Pring in Disability News Service. At least 10 disabled MPs and peers have signed a letter calling on the prime minister to ensure that the government improves its support for disabled people in its response to the coronavirus pandemic. The letter, sent to Boris Johnson by the all-party parliamentary group for disability and […]
From The Open Medicine Foundation. Open Medicine Foundation is excited to announce the initiation of a study of patients with COVID-19 to monitor the course of their disease and its sequelae to ascertain whether they convert to ME / CFS and to study the molecular transformation if it occurs. This will involve collection of body […]
By David Tuller, DrPH The graded exercise therapy/cognitive behavior therapy treatment paradigm for chronic fatigue syndrome—also imposed on those diagnosed with myalgic encephalomyelitis, CFS/ME, ME/CFS, and other variants–is like the undead. This concept keeps reemerging from the fetid intellectual swamplands that spawned it, no matter how many times it is revealed as nonsense. Although […]
By Valerie Eliot Smith On 18 March 2020, I tweeted this: “#coronavirus is ongoing international emergency. #MyalgicEncephalomyelitis has been international crisis/scandal for decades. In US #ME continues to be marginalised by @CDCgov & @NIH. Nevertheless #ME advocacy must continue as #ME patients everywhere remain vulnerable + invisible.” Since that tweet, the COVID-19 crisis has continued to escalate worldwide. Given that the disease myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME) often has an […]
By Anna Redshaw in her M.E. Myself and I Blog. In my experience it can be difficult to get non-sufferers to properly engage with M.E. advocacy efforts. There can be many reasons for this. Perhaps they find it upsetting to think of the depths of their loved one’s suffering. Or they don’t […]
By John Pring in Disability News Service. Disabled people have told MPs how they have been hit particularly hard by the impact of the COVID-19 crisis on the benefits system. The Commons work and pensions committee carried out a survey of benefit claimants as part of an inquiry into the response of the Department […]
By Sarah Newey in The Telegraph. Covid-19 may trigger post-viral fatigue syndrome in some patients, experts have warned, amid growing evidence that an infection could have significant long term health repercussions. While initial reports focused on the impact that the coronavirus has on the respiratory system, a stream of medical papers published over the last few weeks […]
As has been stated by Dr Sarah Jarvis and others, it’s possible that the Coronavirus could trigger M.E. in those people who get through the worst of the virus, and are seen to be in the recovery phase.
Please do not think that once you’re in that phase that you should just get back to your normal routine. As someone who has just passed his 14th anniversary with ME, the most important thing you can do is rest.
Resting should be from both physical and mental / cognitive activities.
Do not push beyond what your body is telling you. Your head might tell you something different, and you’ll be keen to make up for lost time, but please take advantage of this lockdown to recover properly. If you push beyond your limited energies now, and M.E. follows, it could change your life for years to come.
Be sensible and rest up. Take care.
If you wish to apply for a Blue Badge in the York area, or wish to know if you qualify, click on the link below:
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The first Monday of each month at 11 am - The York ME Community Coffee Club at Bar Convent, 17 Blossom Street, York. There is parking available just around the corner at Nunnery Lane Car Park. Blue Badge holders can park for free.
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The third Wednesday of each month - at 2 pm - The York ME Community Coffee Club at The Novotel, York. Parking is free at the hotel.
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Weekly - Every Wed, 8 pm - 9 pm on Twitter, ME Awareness Hour using the #MEAwarenesshour hashtag.
The 15th Invest in ME Research International ME Conference 2020 - IIMEC15 - will take place on 30th May 2020 in London.
15 years of researchers, clinicians and patients interacting.
More details of the conference day will be announced in the coming months. It will be preceded by the 10th Invest in ME Research International Biomedical Research into ME Colloquium - BRMEC10 - a two day closed researchers' meeting with researchers from around the word, and the third year of a full day Thinking the Future - Young/ECR Conference for young and early career investigators.
Would you like to help your local community ?
By current research, there are around 800 people in the York area suffering from Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME). This might include the work colleagues you haven't seen in some time, or your friends and family, maybe one of the lads who hasn't turned up for five-a-side for a while.
There's information at the top of this site to explain how it affects people and ruins lives. These are your neighbours; would you like to help ? To read the rest of this request, click on the link below:
Helpfulpeeps is a platform that allows people in any given area to ask for and offer help to one another. Although this is a nationwide facility, by adding your street name, the system automatically drops a pin on that location and you only see posts from a 20 mile radius. You have the option to narrow or widen this radius. I hope this is a useful facility for members of our Community.
After a pretty tough time, the guys riding as part of The Nomadic Knights group, made it to Everest Base Camp. I hope we can use this story to gain interest from media sources to help raise awareness for us all. It's the least the guys deserve for all their efforts.
19 May 2017.
“Very pleased to report that we reached Mt Qomolangma (Everest) Base Camp with the ME Awareness Flag at 1528hrs on Thursday 18th May. Three and a half hours after we had planned but time in Tibet can sometimes be very fluid. The base camp is located at 5200m, walking to the final destination was challenging in itself due to low oxygen levels.
Conditions at base camp were extremely windy (good for flag flying) with intermittent clouds with no particular destination in mind and the sun was not ideal for photos."
The aim is to share ideas in promoting various disability services, whilst continuing to raise Awareness of ME through both organisations. Through their #Think Access group and our own group, The York Access and Mobility Club, we will be looking at accessibility issues in the York & Harrogate areas, with the aim of advising on suggestions for change.
Disability Action Yorkshire aim to find solutions for disabled people whatever their aspirations. Whether you are a disabled person or support someone who is, they are here to support you. They provide a range of services, from training to accommodation and help with independence, among others. To find out more about Disability Action Yorkshire, click on the link below:
As we all know, especially those who need Wheelchairs or Mobility Scooters to get around, vehicles parking on pavements and blocking our way can have a major effect on our lives. It can mean that we are likely to put ourselves in danger by going onto busy roads because of inconsiderate parking. 
If you live in Fulford York, the details of your local PCSO are below, and he should be contacted in the first instance. If he is not on duty, you may be dealt with by whoever is on duty. If you live in other areas of York, ring 101 and ask for the PCSO covering your area. In all cases, you will be required to give as much information about the vehicle and location as possible. You will NOT need to stay by the vehicle till the police arrive.
Simon Hall
PCSO 5648
North NPT
NORTH YORKSHIRE POLICE
Dial 101, press option 2 and ask for him by his full name or collar number
If using his collar number please state each number individually
Access Your Life is a site run by Felix and Lauren, with a little input from Fliss, the dog!
The site is full of great information that I feel will benefit many within The York ME Community and beyond.
To go to Access Your Life, click on the link below:
Carol Monaghan SNP spoke in Westminster Hall about the need for support and funds for ME Research. Many other MP's spoke passionately on the subject as it affects their constituents UK wide. Click on the link below to watch the full debate.
There has since been an All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) formed to discuss the way ahead in helping MP's Constituents with ME. Contact your MP to ensure they're representing you !
Debbie North, our TOG wheelchair walk designer uses an off-road mobility scooter, also called an all terrain hopper to access the countryside and wants to inspire other wheelchair users to do the same through her wheel friendly walks.
Wheelchair friendly walks are a selection of walks that the TOG team have carefully selected for families using pushchairs, wheelchairs or bicycles.
The Jen Brea ME film 'Unrest', about her story and struggle with Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME) is available on Amazon and iTunes and through the Unrest UK Store on DVD and Blu-Ray by clicking on this link: Unrest site
Please spread the word through your GP, MP, Company HR Teams and any other people of influence you may know. Thank you.
One of the major questions raised is the blending of ME with CFS. This chart on the Hummingbirds site illustrates the many differences between Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) and Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME).
For confidential and independent advice for everyone on welfare benefits, debt, housing, employment, consumer rights and much more.
To go to the Government's Disability Benefits Advice Guide, click on the link below:
![old-telephone[1]](http://www.york-me-community.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/old-telephone1-300x240.jpg)
Helplines
COVID-19 Helpline for York - 01904 551550
or email: covid19help@york.gov.uk
NHS Health Enquiries (non emergency): 111
Samaritans: 01904 655888
Mind UK: 03001 233 393
Domestic Abuse: 03000 100 110
York Hospital: 01904 631313
Patient Transport Service: 01904 630080
Benefits Service: 01904 551556
Accessibility
Dial & Ride: 01904 551441
Shopmobility: 01904 679222
York Wheels: 01904 630080
Delivery Services
Virtual High St: www.yorkhighstreet.com
Alligator Wholefoods: 01904 654 525
Millie's Greengrocers: 07766 313 122
Food Circle: 07511 717 946
Miller Food Service: 01904 655 368
Poppy Caterers: 01347 878 628
Sheila's Greengrocers: 07470 308 824
M&K Butchers: 01904 639 300
Badger Hill Butchers: 01904 411 897
Burnholme Fisheries: 01904 421 360
Milk (Richard Cann): 07773 348 354
Services
York Electricians Ltd: 01904 373 045
Plumbtech: 07703 567 027
Yorkshire Plumbing: 08006 125 234
Local MP's
York Central Rachel Maskell: 01904 784847
York Outer Julian Sturdy: 01904 784847
Thirsk & Malton Kevin Hollinrake: 01347 666880
Councillor Keith Aspden: 01904 555 314
The Changing Places Consortium launched its campaign in 2006 on behalf of the over 1/4 of a million people who cannot use standard accessible toilets. This includes people with profound and multiple learning disabilities, motor neurone disease, multiple sclerosis, cerebral palsy, as well as older people.
To use the toilet in safety and comfort, many people need to be able to access a Changing Places, which have more space and the right equipment, including a height adjustable changing bench and a hoist.
To find out more, click on the link below to go to the Changing Places website.
The York Access and Mobility Club is a Facebook group which is aimed at improving Accessibility in York for those trying to get around with a Disability. Feedback on bad, and good Accessibility of shops, streets, cafes, restaurants and any other facilities are welcomed.
It's also the place to discuss mobility aids from walking sticks to scooters. If this sounds like a group for you, you're most welcome !
Time For Unrest: Why Patients With ME Are Demanding Justice.
If you want the full story on ME and will read just one article about it this year, please make it this one,
Are you a member of a York based Sports or Fitness Club ? Looking for a local cause to run or do an activity for ? The York ME Community are looking to be 'adopted' by anyone willing to maybe run for us and help raise our profile. There are likely to be around 800-1,000 people of all ages in the York area with ME who would be so very grateful for your help.
A TRUE STORY BY JESSICA TAYLOR-BEARMAN
Book Description: From a darkened world, bound by four walls, a young woman called Jessica tells the tale of her battle against the M.E Monster. The severest form of a neuro immune disease called Myalgic Encephalomyelitis went to war with her at just 15 years old.
To order the book through Jessica's site, click on the link below:
This book is also now available at York Library
This is open to any business, club, pub, or organisation looking to have a bit of fun whilst supporting your local community. Our 4th season is well under way and going great guns ! Although the aim is spreading ME Awareness, as a bonus we have also raised over £920.00 for Invest in ME Research, so why not join us ?
To join in for next season, click on the tab at the top of the site for more information, or just to register your interest through the email address supplied.
To read the ME Research Summary 2019 by ME Action covering the last ten years, click on the link below:
Written Question to the Department of Health and Social Care on 22 May 2018 by Carol Monaghan SNP, answered by Caroline Dinenage Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
| Financial Year | £ |
| 2014-15 | 280,442 |
| 2015-16 | 295,626 |
| 2016-17 | 130,958 |
There is a great need for the training of those with a Duty of Care to those with Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME) or Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS). For those in Healthcare, Education or Business with this Duty of Care, this E-Learning Course is the one for you.
To learn more, click on the link below:
AccessAble in York provides information on Shopmobility, Talking Signs, Dial & Ride, York Wheels and accessible Hotels, Restaurants, Public Toilets and a whole lot more in our city. To find out more before setting off for York, click on the link below:
The York Inset Scooter Club is based in York (UK) and has a membership of around 250.
They are a thriving, active club and look to support local charities when they can. They have an annual Mods and Rockers charity ride out, and for 2019 supported The York ME Community.
They headed off from The York Eye (Clifford’s Tower) on Sun 28 Apr on a run out to the coast, set off by the Mayor of York and the York Normandy Veterans.
All money raised will be used to raise the profile of ME in York through posters being produced and put up in local business premises, clubs, schools, GP Surgeries and venues.
Euan’s Guide is the disabled access review website used by disabled people to review, share and discover accessible places to visit. The charity was founded in 2013 by Euan MacDonald, who is a powerchair user, and his sister Kiki. As Euan’s access requirements changed, both went in search of recommendations for accessible places to go, but a platform for this kind of information didn’t exist. Built as a friendly and honest alternative to hours of web searching and phone calls before visiting somewhere new, Euan’s Guide now has thousands of disabled access reviews and listings for places all over the UK and beyond.
To go to Euan's Website, click on the link below:
Help us raise money for The York ME Community to pass onto Invest in ME Research every time you shop online, and it doesn't cost you a penny !
By using the link below, when you shop online with a huge number of shops, they will pass a percentage of your purchase cost to our fund. THIS MONEY IS DONATED BY THE RETAILERS, NOT YOU !
I had a very productive meeting with Cllr Aspden and Cllr Runciman of City of York Council where they have stated they will back efforts to raise awareness of ME, understanding that much more is needed to increase understanding of this debilitating disorder, in York and across the UK. I will be aiming to keep up the pressure to ensure future support.
The motion put before Council with regard to support in raising ME Awareness in York was passed unanimously !
The City of York Council has followed through on their promise by lighting up the city walls and Clifford's Tower in blue over the ME Awareness Weeks since that meeting.
We had a brilliant day at York Explore Library raising ME Awareness. Lots of interest in what we're doing from local health groups, charities, the council and most heart warmingly, from those dealing with ME themselves who now know we're here for them.
If you'd like to hear more about ME, get in touch.
Mike Harley is a very special guy who's aim was to run a marathon in each EU country to raise awareness and funds for Invest in ME Research. Please visit his site to learn more, especially since our exit from the EU has meant a revision of his plans !
