By Cort Johnson in Health Rising. I met Dr. Chheda of the Center for Complex Diseases at Ron Davis’s Working Group Meetings funded by the Open Medicine Foundation. She graciously agreed to talk more about how she approaches treating ME/CFS in her practice. I was particularly eager to talk to one of the younger […]
By Jo Moss in A Journey Through The Fog. I find hypersensitivity one of the hardest ME/CFS symptoms to cope with as it can be so isolating. Hypersensitivity comes in many forms: hypersensitivity to light, touch, noise, smells, vibrations, foods, medication, chemicals, heat, cold and irritants like pollen and dust. All of […]
From the Not Just Tired Blog. As I’m writing this post, I’m sat in bed, having to take time out to rest, whilst we have a family member staying with us for the weekend. Enjoying listening from afar to the lively chatter, yet not a part of it. Would I not rather be downstairs, chatting […]
By Siobhain Simper in The Mighty. As you may be aware, living with a debilitating chronic illness is no fun: the challenges thrown at you by a disease which dictates your every move can be overwhelming. But today, I’m choosing to celebrate the bright side. By putting a positive spin on […]
By Cort Johnson in Health Rising. Were you an avid exerciser prior to becoming diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS)? Are you sure you were diagnosed correctly? Symptomatically, overtraining syndrome (OTS) and ME/CFS appear almost identical. Symptoms like fatigue, pain, post-exertional malaise, sleep problems and cognitive issues pervade both “syndromes”. If it was […]
By Cort Johnson in Health Rising. Chronic fatigue syndrome is a terrible name. It’s such a terrible name that you have to give the people around you a little break. With that name, they’re almost doomed, at least at first, to think ME/CFS is a milquetoast kind of disease best suited to […]
From Nursing In Practice. Health professionals should be made aware that ME/CFS is not a psychological illness and in order to improve patient care, nurses need to better understand this illness and its impact on patients. Nurses often witness close-up the impact of acute and chronic illness on patients. Myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME)/chronic fatigue syndrome […]
By Emma Tierney in The Mighty. We are 19 years on now from the year I was diagnosed with myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS). The year a GP said to me in the most patronizing of voices, “you need an exercise bike” during an appointment that I’d been carried into by my […]
By Cort Johnson in Health Rising. The National Institutes of Health (NIH), with its pitiful funding, has been a thorn in the ME/CFS community’s side for decades. For decades advocates have thrown everything they could – heartbreaking stories, demonstrations, insults – at the NIH in vain. Even the much acclaimed 2015 […]
By Lori Madeira and Cort Johnson in Health Rising. In the face of a chronic illness, our friends and family can resort to simple solutions: just try and be positive they might advise. Look on the bright side. Focus oun what you can do. It’s not bad advice, but it often comes across as out […]
By Jody Smith in Pheonix Rising. Oh, how I love music! This magic can lift our spirits and calm our weary minds. Maybe it can even help us heal. Goodness knows, we who live with ME/CFS need these things. We’re probably not getting much of this elsewhere. So if music is so good for […]
From Cornell Research. A million or more people in the United States suffer from myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME), also known as chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), but remarkably little is known about the cause of the disease, and effective therapies are lacking. ME/CFS is characterized by debilitating fatigue that is not relieved by […]
By Simon Parker in Health Rising. Fifteen years ago I was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia and ME (aka Chronic Fatigue Syndrome), a debilitating condition that includes continual pain and delayed fatigue as its primary symptoms. I often find myself trying to explain to other people what the delayed fatigue is like by giving an example […]
From Disabled Police Association. Colin Paine is a Detective Chief Superintendent in Thames Valley Police. He is currently working on the Police Spending Review with the NPCC. Here he reflects on his diagnosis of Myalgic Encephalopathy (ME)/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS). Police work feels inherently fast paced. It is in the nature of our work that […]
By Cort Johnson in Health Rising. A Different Approach to Fibromyalgia “The effects of not getting good blood flow to your brain, joints and muscles?…. Fibromyalgia” – Vital Motion Erik Hiester D.O., is not your ordinary doctor. He’s an interesting blend of engineer and doctor. Hiester’s first love was biomedical engineering (B.S. and M.S.). Wanting […]
By Veronique Mead M.D. in Health Rising. Thanks again to Veronique for providing her intriguing take on chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS). This is one of a series of articles from Health Rising which feature hypotheses created by health care professionals with ME/CFS or who are associated with ME/CFS. (It is a long post – you […]
From JaxMECFS website. Jackson Labs ME/CFS Collaborative Center Director Derya Unutmaz and his collaborator and microbiome expert Julia Oh recently published a study in the journal Mucosal Immunology, titled “Tuning of human MAIT cell activation by commensal bacteria species and MR1-dependent T-cell presentation.” Mucosal-associated invariant T (MAIT) cells are a type of T cell present in […]
By Veronique Mead in Chronic Illness Trauma Studies. This post introduces the relationship between chronic fatigue syndrome aka ME/CFS and freeze and similar death-like states such as hibernation. It draws from a 2016 study showing statistically significant objective metabolic changes in ME/CFS and how it is a very real physiological state that is not psychological. […]
From notjusttired.com. This is the second interview of my new blog feature – “Interviews with people living with ME/CFS.” The idea is to interview people living with ME/CFS, and gain an insight into their lives, to help raise awareness and increase understanding of this disease. You can read more about it here. Here is my interview with […]
By David Tuller, DrPH. A British medical education company has recently disseminated a recruitment ad for a high-profile pediatric study of treatment for what it calls CFS/ME. The recruitment ad’s headline describes the intervention being investigated as “effective,” without caveat or reservation. (Full headline: “Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS/ME): effective home treatment for teenagers”) […]
By Rachel Black in Bateman Horne Center. Do you have irritable bowel syndrome? If you do, you’re not alone – the presence of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) alongside ME/CFS may constitute a distinct ME/CFS subgroup. This article reviews and summarizes a new research paper Dr. Bateman and colleagues published on July 3, 2018, titled Insights […]
By Jo Moss in A Journey Through The Fog. I am getting a pair of shoes ready to send to this year’s Millions Missing event. I have been asked to attach a tag with the following information; My name, how long I have been ill and what I’m missing. The ‘What I’m missing’ […]
By Simon McGrath in ME/CFS Research Review. A team led by Edinburgh University’s Professor Chris Ponting has won funding for a PhD student who would follow up and expand on remarkable recent findings made at Stanford University where Dr Mark Davis may have pinpointed a major issue in the immune system in ME/CFS. Last year, Davis […]
By Sarah Wells in My Stripey Life. Having two lives, one of which you do not want other’s to know about. The life that everyone believes is your “true” life is one of complacency and subtlety, one in which the person is generally unassuming. However, in the second, “secret” life, the true essence […]
By Cort Johnson in Health Rising. It’s always good to see an exercise test in chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS). It’s harder on the patients – kudos to them for participating in the study – but study after study has shown that exercise allows researchers to dig deeper into what’s going on. Dr. Montoya […]
By Bruce Goldman in SCOPE. A bout of exercise is about the last thing you’d imagine a person with chronic fatigue syndrome – also known as myalgic encephalomyelitis and often designated by the acronym ME/CFS – would want to endure. And you’d probably be right. But a new study suggests that a blood test following exercise may be a […]
From The Quadram Institute. Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME), also known as Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS), is a severely debilitating condition that is thought to affect up to 250,000 people in the UK. Symptoms include widespread pain, extreme tiredness and an inability to concentrate. The causes of ME/CFS aren’t known, and there are no effective […]
By S. Eyssens. Preface: “The public have an insatiable curiosity to know everything, except what is worth knowing.”Oscar Wilde. Until Europeans discovered Australia, Black Swans did not exist, let alone could they even be imagined. They did not make sense, nor could they be, as they challenged common sense and common knowledge at that time in our […]
By Cort Johnson in Health Rising. Research funding for chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) has been poor at best but clinical trials have elicited a wholly different degree of disappointment altogether. Few clinical trials are ever done and those are often involve alternative approaches. The 6 active clinical trials listed in clinicaltrials.gov, for instance, include […]
By Cort Johnson in Phoenix Rising. ME/CFS needs witnesses – people who can stand firm in the face of denial and rejection and tell their story to the world. Each time we responsibly speak the truth to the medical profession, or our families, or our friends, or the NIH or whomever we begin […]
By Cort Johnson in Health Rising. Ron Davis was invited to the University of Texas to talk to the biological and bioengineering departments over two days. His long talk was putatively on developing affordable technologies that can be used by doctors, but it ended up being more than that. On the technology side, […]
From the mrspoonseeker blog. There was some encouraging feedback from the recent NICE ME/CFS Guidelines Stakeholder meeting, an early milestone in the long process of revising the guidelines. But was such encouragement justified? I wasn’t there myself, so I am grateful to those who attended on our behalf. Blogger and patient advocate Sally Burch reported that […]
By David M Perry in Pacific Standard. In her new film Unrest, Jennifer Brea offers a groundbreaking look at the power of community where medicine falls short. When Jennifer Brea was 28 years old, she got sick and spiked a fever of 104.7 degrees. The fever went down, but soon she found herself […]
By Joyce Frieden, in, MedPage Today BETHESDA, Md. — The National Institutes of Health is trying hard to bring real hope — not false hope — to patients with myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), NIH director Francis Collins, MD, PhD, said during an exclusive interview with MedPage Today. “Five years ago … there was this big […]
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
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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.
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The third Wednesday of each month - at 2 pm - The York ME Community Coffee Club at The Novotel, York.
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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.
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:
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:
The social element of this site is via a Facebook Group called The York ME Community.
This is available to people in the York area looking for help, advice and support, whether those diagnosed, family or friends. We are a close knit group who discuss more than just ME, as we like to think that we are not defined by this illness. We discuss every day things, have a laugh, and try to meet via our Coffee Club if the beast that is ME allows us ! If you apply to join, please check your Facebook messages, as there are a couple of automated questions to be answered before being welcomed to the group.
Please don't apply to join if you are promoting your preferred remedy. I'm happy to mention your company within the group, but it's for individuals to choose what they wish to try in their battle to seek an improvement in their health.
Some companies and organisations offer discounts for disabled people and their carers – click on the link below to find out what you could save.
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.
Anil's interview gives a great insight to the man and his ME mission !
Link to Anil van der Zee's Interview
Having read the above interview, I'd recommend a visit to David's Blog below:
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."
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) was shown to a sellout audience at City Screen York on 1st November, prompting a second showing on 16 November. This film has won awards at The Sundance Film Festival and is a must see for all wishing and needing to know more about an illness affecting over 800 people in the York area alone.
Although still showing around the UK and worldwide, it's now also available on Amazon and iTunes and through the Unrest UK Store on DVD and Blu-Ray by clicking on this link: Unrest site to save having to undertake a journey to the cinema.,
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.
Welcome to Broken Puppet Theatre Company.
We are a small team of creative professionals who live with chronic illness and invisible disabilities. We work with theatre, film and puppetry to support children, families, schools and communities who are learning to share their world with chronic illness and invisible disabilities too. Our aim is to provide creative expression and escapism wherever they are needed.
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.
If you're given the time and space to talk things through, you can find a way through your problems.
Samaritans help you to explore your options so you can make decisions that are right for you.
Upon request, North Yorkshire Fire & Rescue Service can carry out a home fire safety visit to your home, completely free of charge. This visit involves fire service staff coming to your home to give you advice on fire safety in the home, actions you can take to reduce the risk of fire, and discuss escape routes should fire occur.
If you don't aim to take up this offer, please at least check the batteries on your smoke alarms on a regular basis. If you want to read more, click on the link below:
FEATURED ARTICLE
By
Sally Duffin
Hello to all the members of York ME Community. I’m Sally, a Naturopathic Nutritional Therapist at ‘Nutrition in York’ and Bill has asked me to share some nutritional therapy approaches for managing ME.
Many nutritional therapists – myself included – are trained in the Functional Medicine approach to healthcare which means we are less concerned with the name of a condition (ME, CFS etc.) and more interested in the underlying cause and contributing factors of the condition. (more…)
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 !
Last season was a great success with loads of local company teams involved, and this season promises to be even better. With the aim of spreading ME Awareness, as a bonus, we have also raised around £800.00 for Invest in ME Research, so why not join us ?
This is a call out to all York (and beyond) Businesses, Clubs and Venues to join us for next season and support your local ME Community.
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.
The aim of this group is to bring together everyone in York with a need for a little help in getting out and about in our beautiful city.
This includes those who use, or are thinking about using any type of mobility aid, from a simple walking stick, to a wheelchair or mobility scooter. This is where we can share advice, ideas and support on all things mobility, including any ideas that might help us around the house, or out and about.
It will also be where we can raise concerns of accessibility issues in York, and maybe create a strong enough voice to effect the changes needed to help us be a full part in what’s going on and live a fuller life.
We can share names of accessible shops, cafes and venues, as well as those that need to improve if they want to get our custom.
If you know of someone who might like to be a part of this group, please let them know, and let’s all join in with ideas, suggestions and support to those who might need it.
Let’s make York a better place for all of us.
To read the ME Research Summary 2019 by ME Action covering the last ten years, click on the link below:
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:
Our Coffee Club meets twice a month for a cuppa and a natter.
Dates and times will always be shown in our diary at the top left of this site.
The Coffee Club is open to anyone either with ME, or friends and family looking for support from people who understand.
Due to the nature of the illness, there will be times when numbers are low, but if you'd like to attend, either just turn up on the day, or email me at bill@York-ME-Community.org. If you're a member of our Facebook Group, you can of course say you'll be going via the notice in the Events area.
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 !
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 |
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. From beneath her dark glasses, Jessica glimpses a world far different from the one she remembers as a teenage school girl. This true story follows her path as she ends up living in hospital for years with tubes keeping her alive.
This harrowing story follows the highs and lows of the disease and being hospitalised, captured through her voice activated technology diary called `Bug' that enables her to fulfil her dream of one day becoming an author.
It provides a raw, real-time honesty to the story that would be impossible to capture in hindsight.
To order the book through Jessica's site, click on the link below:
This book is also now available at York Library
An album of original songs and poetry composed and performed by people with M.E. from all over the world, was released to mark and support ME Awareness Day, 12 May 2018.
It was hoped that by releasing this album, it will help those with ME to know that they are not alone, and for others to understand the nature of this illness and give what support they can.
Please consider downloading the album, or even a couple of tracks to help raise awareness of ME, and much needed funds for research into this illness that affects so many, but is understood by so few who may be in positions to help. Proceeds to ME Research and Education. All further information and questions, please direct via the website below: The album can be downloaded now from:
PLEASE SPREAD THE WORD !
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.
The motion put before Council with regard to support in raising ME Awareness in York was passed unanimously !
The City of York Council followed through on their promise by lighting up the city walls and Clifford's Tower in blue over ME Awareness Week.
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 around 800 people of all ages in the York area who would be so very grateful for your help.
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.
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 on Twitter? Learn more about ME every Wednesday, 8 pm - 9 pm (UK) using #MEAwarenesshour
Mike Harley is a very special guy who's running a marathon in each EU country to raise awareness and funds for Invest in ME Research. Please visit his site to learn more.
To go to the Government's Disability Benefits Advice Guide, click on the link below: