Chronic Fatigue Immune Dysfunction (CFIDS) is also known as Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) and Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME).
CFIDS is a disabling condition often affecting the central nervous system, brain, blood, muscles, joints, GI tract and lymph system. Symptoms include disabling fatigue which is not significantly helped by rest, orthostatic intolerance (inability to stand for periods of time), muscle weakness and pain, joint pain, sleep disturbances and un-refreshing sleep, cognitive problems including memory loss and difficulty concentrating, gastro-intestinal problems, headache, fevers and swollen lymph nodes.
The goal of the National CFIDS Foundation is to fund science to prove the cause along with a treatment or cure. A portion of all membership dues goes toward this along with all donations with no percentage held back. Although we feel we are close, we will continue to follow up on any leads until our goal is fully met.
Important research has already been funded by our all volunteer charity that found a slow decimation of a part of the immune system called Stat-1 which can only be caused by a limited number of viruses and bacteria. Our funding also found the reason why patients had dramatically adverse effects from anesthesia and how to prevent that as well as scientific proof that CFIDS/ME is an autoimmune disease. Our work will continue until the cause has been proven. At that time, we will, gratefully, be able to "go out of existence."
What's in a Name?
The illness currently called Chronic Fatigue Immune Dysfunction (CFIDS) or Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) is poorly defined, misunderstood, and controversial while remaining under-funded and under-researched. The names CFIDS and CFS trivialize the illness and subject patients to incredulity and ridicule. The CFS label not only fails to help those with ME, it harms them because treatments considered effective for CFS can make ME patients worse. Simply “renaming” CFS will not solve this problem.
Read and sign the petition we co-sponsor to try to have the United States government recognize the name and case definition of the internationally recognized neurological disease, Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME).*
