Tag Archives: treatment

Still #MillionsMissing

Posted on September 27, 2016 by Jennie Spotila

Today is another, larger #MillionsMissing protest, and I am missing it. I miss a lot of things. One of the best things I ever did in my life was to drive cross country, camping in national parks. It changed my … Continue reading →

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PACE: Grossly Exaggerated

Posted on September 21, 2016 by Jennie Spotila

On September 9, 2016, Queen Mary University of London released data from the PACE trial in compliance with a First Tier Tribunal decision on a Freedom of Information Request by ME patient Alem Matthees. The day before, the PACE authors … Continue reading →

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AHRQ Evidence Review Changes Its Conclusions

Posted on August 16, 2016 by Jennie Spotila

Mary Dimmock has led the way on this issue, and is co-author of this post. In response to requests by U.S. patient organizations and advocates, the U.S. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) has issued an Addendum to its … Continue reading →

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DIY Brain Rehab

Posted on July 28, 2016 by Jennie Spotila

Cognitive difficulties are part and parcel of ME/CFS. Brain fog, memory problems, difficulty with focus and attention, and reduced processing speed are just a few of the deficits we deal with every day. And cognitive effort can cause post-exertional malaise … Continue reading →

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Scandal

Posted on July 10, 2016 by Jennie Spotila

Give me 90 minutes. Whoever you are, whatever your connection to or interest in ME/CFS, take 90 minutes to listen to this discussion with academic/journalist David Tuller, DrPH (Lecturer at the School of Public Health and Graduate School of Journalism … Continue reading →

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The Caffeine Disaster

Posted on June 22, 2016 by Jennie Spotila

I have a deep emotional bond with coffee. After I regained the ability to drink it without it tearing up my gut, coffee and I took our relationship to a new level. I switched to a Chemex, and found locally … Continue reading →

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PACE-Gate

Posted on May 12, 2016 by Jennie Spotila

It is International ME/CFS Awareness Day, and what is most on my mind is the status of PACE-Gate: the controversy over the design, conduct and results of the PACE trial. PACE is the largest clinical trial in ME/CFS, and it … Continue reading →

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#MillionsMissing

Posted on May 10, 2016 by Jennie Spotila

For as long as I have been an ME/CFS advocate, I have heard people say we should protest/take to the streets/be more like ACT UP. But for the most part, demonstrations have been small (even one woman) shows. That is … Continue reading →

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Staying the Course to Where?

Posted on May 3, 2016 by Jennie Spotila

Dr. Francis Collins, Director of the National Institutes of Health, made a request of the ME/CFS community. During the March 8, 2016 NIH telebriefing, Dr. Collins said: So please take our commitment with great seriousness. Please also stay the course … Continue reading →

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We Are All Noncompliant

Posted on March 2, 2016 by Jennie Spotila

I learned something about ME/CFS advocacy from a comic book. Now wait, stay with me. I realize this sounds bizarre, especially coming from me. I haven’t read a comic book since I was eight years old. Enter Bitch Planet, a … Continue reading →

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