I'm planning on writing a few freebies on M.E. /Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) and Fibromyalgia (FMS). There are a few ideas listed below, but I need to know which you'd be most interested in. So...

... here's another poll!

I'd be very grateful if you could vote!

If there's a real favorite, I may dedicate more time researching it and turn the favorite into a paid ebook, but for the main, I'd like to create freebies to get the word out about Sleepydust.

If you have any ideas of the type of information you'd like to see as ebook freebies, please do mention them in the 'any comments' box in the form linked below. (The freebies need to be information-type products that can be downloadable via the internet.)

Click here to vote for which ME/CFS & FMS freebie you'd prefer!

Thanks all!

Claire
Editor of Sleepydust

The media has been swamped with articles about the recent findings from researchers in the USA about Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.

CDC Press Briefing on Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (Apr 23, 2006, 17:45) :
Click here to read full transcript of CDC press briefing...

Here are links to a few articles that have appeared in the media recently:

"CDC researchers say they've uncovered genetic evidence linking symptoms of the disease -- including fatigue, chronic pain, and memory problems -- with genetic factors governing how the body handles stress.

Specifically, the researchers say they've found evidence that people with CFS symptoms have genetic factors that could alter how those people react to stress from life events, injury, or infections over the course of their lives, potentially giving rise to the disorder's unpleasant symptoms."

-- Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: Gene Link? CDC Chief: Study Shows 'Credible Evidence' That Disorder Has Biological Basis, Todd Zwillich, WebMD Medical News, USA --

Click here to read the full article...

'A comprehensive study of 227 chronic fatigue syndrome patients shows several genetic differences, the CDC team found.

"It really is the first credible evidence for a biological basis for chronic fatigue syndrome," CDC Director Dr. Julie Gerberding told reporters in a telephone briefing.'

(...) people with CFS have certain genes that are related to the parts of the brain activity that mediate the stress response," added Dr. William Reeves, who heads CDC's chronic fatigue syndrome public health research program.

"They have different gene activity levels that are related to the body's ability to adapt to stresses that occur through life." Such stresses may include aging and illness, he added.'

-- Maggie Fox, 'Chronic fatigue may all be in the genes', US says, Reuters - UK --

Click here to read the full article...

"Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) has been linked to five mutations in three genes that are related to the body's ability to handle stress.

(...) people with the syndrome have differences in genetic activity levels that affect the way they respond to stress accumulated over a lifetime, Dr. Reeves said in a media telebriefing to announce 14 research papers arising from a CDC study in Wichita, Kan.

(...) The effect of the variations, Dr. Reeves said, appears to be that people with them are less able to cope with stress."

-- Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Linked to Three Genes, Michael Smith, MedPage Today --

Click here to read the full article...

"US researchers have said that chronic fatigue syndrome is caused by several genetic mutations that hamper the ability of the central nervous system to deal with stress. The study by researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that minute changes in the nervous system prevent the person from bouncing back after dealing with everyday stressful situations.

"Reporting as a collection of 14 articles in the April issue of Pharmacogenomics, the researchers say that all patients had a high level of allostatic load. This load is a collection of stress hormones, blood pressure and other effects of everyday stress."

-- Waddah Yaman, 'Chronic Fatigue Syndrome has a genetic basis', WhatIsTheWord.com--

Click here to read the full article...

"Chronic fatigue syndrome appears to result from something in people's genetic makeup that reduces their ability to deal with physical and psychological stress, researchers reported Thursday.

"he research is being called some of the first credible scientific evidence that genetics, when combined with stress, can bring on chronic fatigue syndrome - a condition so hard to diagnose and so poorly understood that some question whether it is even a real ailment."

-- 'Chronic fatigue syndrome may have genetic link; Largest study on illness finds unique gene patterns governing brain activity', The Associated Press --

Click here to read the full article...

"Chronic fatigue syndrome (...) is actually caused by genetic mutations that impair the central nervous system's ability to adapt to stressful situations, according to a major new study by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Small changes in many of the genes in the brain prevent the nervous system from rebounding from everyday stress and less frequent, stronger insults, eventually triggering a cascade of molecular responses that leave the patient severely debilitated (...)"

-- 'Chronic fatigue linked to genes', Los Angeles Times, April 24, 2006 --

Click here to read the full article...

"The teams found that there were at least four distinct forms of the disease, each with its own genetic profile and symptoms but all including disabling fatigue.

"But all the forms shared genetic mutations - technically called single nucleotide polymorphisms - related to brain activity that mediated the response to stress.

"Dr. Reeves said the study demonstrated that people with chronic fatigue syndrome were unable to deal with everyday challenges and adversity, including injuries, illnesses, divorce and stressful jobs due to a genetic predisposition which reduces their ability to deal with physical and psychological stress."

-- Yang Li, Study links chronic fatigue syndrome to genetic mutations, Xinhua --

Click here to read the full article...

"CFS is also known as ME (myalgic encephalomyelitis) and becomes apparent when a significant loss of the ability to function as normal is noticed.

(...) "Dr. Reeves says the genetic make-up of the body is related to the ability to adapt to the challenges and stresses that happen in life such as infections, trauma and adverse events."

-- 'Genetic clue found to Chronic Fatigue Syndrome', Medical Research News,
Published: Monday, 24-Apr-2006 --

Click here to read the full article...

"Among their findings: chronic fatigue patients tested with high levels of allostatic load, which is a stress measure of hormone secretions, blood pressure and other signs of wear and tear on the body. The patients were about twice as likely to have a high allostatic load index as people who did not have chronic fatigue syndrome.

"The researchers also found that certain genetic sequence variations in five stress-moderating genes showed up consistently in chronic fatigue patients. And they identified at least five subtypes of chronic fatigue syndrome, classified according to criteria that include their genetics and the way their symptoms unfold.

"'Because we have this information, we're going to be able to predict who is more susceptible to certain types of stressful events,' said Suzanne Vernon, molecular biology team leader for the CDC's CFS Research Laboratory in Atlanta."

-- Canada East, 'Genetics appears to play a role in chronic fatigue syndrome: researchers'

Click here to read the full article...

These findings confirm my own personal belief that stress can play a very major role in ME/CFS (and Fibromyalgia). Practices such as meditation can help ease stress-levels, and are definitely worth looking into.*

Find out more about meditation and how you can get a free meditation demo CD here...

*Please remember that I'm not a health professional and that this is just my personal opinion as an ME/CFS sufferer.

Claire
Editor of Sleepydust