Author Archives: Jennie Spotila

CFSAC Basic Facts

Posted on June 8, 2012 by Jennie Spotila

The first 2012 meeting of the CFS Advisory Committee is June 13-14th. While the patient community focuses on the opportunity for public comment, I think it is also important to understand how the committee functions. We have to understand the … Continue reading →

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Abstract Risk

Posted on June 6, 2012 by Jennie Spotila

I posted about the cancer and CFS study last week based on the abstract only. Now I have a copy of the full paper, and there is much more to discuss. Dr. Suzanne Vernon also wrote about the study, so … Continue reading →

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Cancer Risk

Posted on June 1, 2012 by Jennie Spotila

A study published online today found that CFS patients have a higher risk of developing certain kinds of cancer. I cannot get full access to the study (curse you, paywall!), so this post is based only on the abstract. The … Continue reading →

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Raising the Limit

Posted on May 29, 2012 by Jennie Spotila

I feel like I am getting close to baseline, the state I was in prior to the exercise testing. It’s taken almost seven weeks, and in that time I have left my house a total of seven times – 5 … Continue reading →

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Deal With It

Posted on May 24, 2012 by Jennie Spotila

The CFS Advisory Committee will hold its next meeting on June 13-14th. This is the text of the public comment I offered at the previous meeting on October 25, 2011.   I ask the voting members of this committee: do … Continue reading →

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Significance of AT

Posted on May 21, 2012 by Jennie Spotila

Now that my exercise tests are finished and I have the results, it’s time to figure out what to do about it. I’m relying on the work of Staci Stevens, Chris Snell and others at the Pacific Fatigue Lab who … Continue reading →

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And the Envelope, Please

Posted on May 14, 2012 by Jennie Spotila

My exercise test results are in. The numbers were, quite frankly, shocking. Two numbers – VO2max and anaerobic threshold – provide the evidence that I have significant metabolic dysfunction, and I’ll try to explain what they mean. Check out my … Continue reading →

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Be Aware

Posted on May 12, 2012 by Jennie Spotila

Today is ME/CFS Awareness Day. Why May 12th? It is the birthday of Florence Nightingale, who became bedridden with an illness resembling ME/CFS after the Crimean War. From 1860 to her death in 1910, Nightingale continued to work for the … Continue reading →

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Small Claims

Posted on May 8, 2012 by Jennie Spotila

In April, the FDA sent a warning letter to Dr. Jacob Teitelbaum regarding claims made on his website. Dr. Teitelbaum is well-known in the CFS world for several reasons. His book, From Fatigued to Fantastic, is the top-selling book in … Continue reading →

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Recoverin’

Posted on May 3, 2012 by Jennie Spotila

Three weeks ago, I had my exercise stress tests. A friend had cautioned me that it could take three weeks to recover, and I think she was right although I did sabotage myself a little bit, as I’ll explain. I … Continue reading →

Posted in Occupying | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments