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Tom Kindlon has been described as a “one-of-a-kind gentleman and scholar, with lots of heart.”

Although housebound, he has become one of the most effective advocates for people with ME/CFS.

His detailed analysis of the PACE trial pointed out that “caution needs to be used proposing that any individual ME/CFS patient can safely increase their total exercise or activity levels using CBT or GET.”

Researchers at the University of California San Diego School of Medicine have found a chemical signature in the blood of ME/CFS patients.  

According to Dr.Robert Naviaux, the primary researcher in the study, "the signature is similar to the state of dauer, and other hypometabolic syndromes like caloric restriction, diapause and hibernation."  If replicated, the study might provide hope of a biomarker for millions of sufferers worldwide.

Update: I was honored that Dr. Naviaux used this cartoon in a lecture at the Stanford University ME/CFS symposium on August 12, 2017.

In 2017, Jennifer Brea released her film Unrest to critical acclaim including winning a prize at Sundance. Filmed partly from her bed, Jen gives us a close-up view of her struggle with ME/CFS and of the people she found all over the world who are living with the same devastating illness. 

The film can be seen on YouTube and has given validation and hope to millions who suffer from ME/CFS. A must see for all medical professionals and anyone who has a family member stricken with ME/CFS

Both Dr. Francis Collins and Dr Tony Fauci failed to take ME/CFS seriously during their long tenures at the NIH. Funding was minuscule, and no effort was made to appropriately research this disabling disease.

 Unfortunately, now that long covid shows similarities to ME/CFS, there are no treatments available that might have been developed in the past that could be applied to long covid. Both men will have a tarnished legacy. Millions have suffered and more will be added to the totals in the future.

In 2020, Dr. Francis Collins happily took credit for research using nano needle technology that found a blood marker for ME/CFS.  

In fact, Dr. Ron Davis at Stanford applied to the NIH to fund the nano needle work and was turned down. Reviewers were very critical of his proposal and said it wouldn't work despite of good preliminary data.

The nanoneedle blood marker discovery in ME/CFS was funded by patients, not the NIH. 

Near the end of 2019 a worldwide pandemic engulfed the United States.

As of Feb. 18, 2023, over 1,113,254 Americans have died from the COVID-19 virus. Of those who have had the virus, many are facing a prolonged recovery and have symptoms resembling ME/CFS.

On July 9, 2020:, Dr. Anthony Fauci, Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said:

“There may well be a post-viral syndrome associated with Covid-19,”

Fauci said the symptoms resemble those seen in patients with myalgic encephalomyelitis, or ME, once known as chronic fatigue syndrome.

Long COVID is a disaster, but not a surprise.