Category Archives: Commentary

Guest Post: Homeless

Posted on February 10, 2014 by Jennie Spotila

I continue to struggle with the crash from hell, but Joe Landson has graciously stepped up to provide a guest post. His chance encounter on the streets of Washington, DC gave him a powerful insight into our own advocacy situation. … Continue reading →

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There Is No Spoon

Posted on January 2, 2014 by Jennie Spotila

After I read How To Wake Up last summer, Toni Bernhard was kind enough to answer some of my questions about the book and the Buddhist practices she suggests. You can read the full text of our conversation here. This … Continue reading →

Posted in Commentary, Occupying | Tagged , , , , , , , | 30 Comments

My Feedback to the Institute of Medicine

Posted on December 19, 2013 by Jennie Spotila

Today, I submitted the following letter to the Institute of Medicine with my feedback on the panel for the Diagnostic Criteria for ME/CFS. Seven other advocates signed the letter: Chris Heppner, Claudia Goodell, Joe Landson, Denise Lopez-Majano, Matina Nicholson, Darlene … Continue reading →

Posted in Advocacy, Commentary | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 34 Comments

IOM Panelists: TL; DR

Posted on December 18, 2013 by Jennie Spotila

I realize that the past two weeks have been a veritable blog-alanche here at Occupy CFS. There’s been more research and writing here on the IOM ME/CFS panel than any other place online of which I am aware. I know … Continue reading →

Posted in Advocacy, Commentary | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

IOM Panelists: Balance = Experts + Information – Bias

Posted on December 16, 2013 by Jennie Spotila

The issue on everyone’s mind is whether the Institute of Medicine panel is the right group to come up with a new ME/CFS clinical case definition. Our team has been debating this for nearly two weeks now, and we have … Continue reading →

Posted in Advocacy, Commentary | Tagged , , , , , , , | 16 Comments

IOM Panelists: Balancing Act

Posted on December 13, 2013 by Jennie Spotila

There is a good deal more to discuss about the Institute of Medicine ME/CFS case definition panelists beyond their individual backgrounds (see the known and unknown panelists’ profiles). Our team has been grappling with those issues, not always achieving consensus. … Continue reading →

Posted in Advocacy, Commentary | Tagged , , , , , , , | 44 Comments

Jennie Spotila, CFSAC Testimony, December 2013

Posted on December 11, 2013 by Jennie Spotila

I submitted these comments in writing for the public record. However, given all that has transpired since then, I will not be delivering these remarks during my comment slot today. The relationship between ME/CFS advocates and the federal government has … Continue reading →

Posted in Advocacy, Commentary | Tagged , , , , , , | 10 Comments

IOM Panelists: The Knowns

Posted on December 7, 2013 by Jennie Spotila

In this post, we present profiles of the eight members of the Institute of Medicine ME/CFS definition panel who are known to the ME/CFS community in some capacity. Many, but not all, of them are ME/CFS experts in that they … Continue reading →

Posted in Advocacy, Commentary | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 24 Comments

IOM Panelists: The Unknowns

Posted on December 5, 2013 by Jennie Spotila

In this post, we present profiles of the seven members of the Institute of Medicine ME/CFS definition panel who were unknown to the ME/CFS community. You can read about the team who put this together and the methods we used … Continue reading →

Posted in Advocacy, Commentary | Tagged , , , , , , , | 34 Comments

IOM Panelists: Method to Our Madness

Posted on December 5, 2013 by Jennie Spotila

My plan upon the announcement of the Institute of Medicine panel was to provide detailed write ups on all the members within 48 hours. Reality smacked me upside the head after about 24 hours. I am working with a wonderful … Continue reading →

Posted in Advocacy, Commentary | Tagged , , , , , , | 4 Comments