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Here are just a few--of
many--differences to consider for starters:
ME, G93.3, has been classified by the
WHO under
Brain, Neuro and
CNS (Central Nevous System)
since 1969.
-->It is most similar
to MS, and polio.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
'CFS' was written (made-up) b/n
1988-1994, and remains
a tiny little 'syndrome'
based on 'fatigue'.
It has always been
classified by it's authors--the USA
CDC staff--under rickettsial,
vector-borne and zoonotic,
along with things like Lyme, and
Rocky Mt Spotted Fever, etc.
-->Think
critter bites....
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They each also START, PRESENT
and END differently.
ME, G93.3, starts with a 'sudden
onset viral event' that is well-defined
and which quickly morphs into a
full-on multi-systemic and extremely
debilitating disease for which there
is no known cure.
'CFS, R53.82, comes on slowly.
It cannot even be diagnosed
until after 6 months,
and then only when every other possibility
has
been crossed
off the list, as it is a 'diagnosis of exclusion'.
You can read
what 'CFS' is--and more importantly, is NOT--
at the USA CDC
CFS gov'n web site. It isn't much:
~
Please also know that is has been
some vested interests, like the
Wessely School (WS) 'psychs' in the
UK, along with some illness
ignorant patients using the power of
the internet and not bothering
to verify FACTS or heed any SCIENCE,
who have driven this
growing confusion.
The WS influence started in the
early 1990's when they wrote their
'psychosocial illness MODEL',
which they wrote to help insurance
companies deny claims, and which they
referred to as 'CFS/ME'.
The UK contingent also then
somehow--the details remain difficult
to expose completely--managed to add
'post viral CFS' to their
version of
the ICD10 (only).
??? Well, CFS has always been
referred to by the USA CDC as
'post infectious'. No science exists,
to-date, that proves it is ever
'viral' or 'post viral'.
ME, G93.3, has long been thought to
be caused by an enterovirus.
-->Not a retrovirus,
which is what the latest CFS suspect--XMRV--is.
The incubation period for ME, G93.3,
is only approx
3-7 days,
which effectively
eliminates many 'causes' considered for 'CFS',
including CMV, EBV,
and XMRV, which have much longer
incubation periods.
I could go on and on, but I think by
now you must be catching
my drift. A great deal of sloppiness
has taken over and grown
into an ever-expanding and mixed
patient group who like to say
they have 'ME/CFS' and/or 'CFS/ME'.
Well, they do not. 'ME/CFS' and
'CFS/ME' only exist in their minds.
'ME/CFS' is not formally
acknowledged or classified by the WHO.
It has no ICD Code.
Nor does the WS's 'CFS/ME'.
The term 'ME/CFS' became popular in N
America when the
2003 ME/CFS Canadian Criteria was
written. But as has been
pointed out above, this 'blending'
should not have occured!
It is the WHO's (World Health
Organization) job to classify all
syndromes, illnesses, and diseases in
the world, per their very
specific and detailed review process.
It is not the job of a mixed and
ever-growing group of patients,
nor of any self-proclaimed 'experts'
, none of whom prove to have
either the necessary skills
or knowledge, to make up new illnesses.
-->This is what drives the confusion
and perpetuates the myths.
--> Everyone needs to adhere to the
science.
Those of us who actually are
ME-defined (Ramsey, Hyde) are
deeply distressed by these
behaviours; these illogical and
unscientific approaches. By this
'highjacking' of our extremely
debilitating Neurogenic disease -
simply to try to make theirs
sound more serious. How unscrupulous!
What is most needed now is for each
and every patient to be
correctly and properly diagnosed. And
then each syndrome,
malady, illness, disease needs to be
studied separately.
Growing numbers of this mixed
crowd are proving over time to
actually have OTHER things
wrong with them, ranging widely and
including things like thyroid,
cardiac, Lyme, etc.This should be a
wake up call! Many of them could get
their health and lives back!
Now in 2010, please keep these things
well in mind. Progress will
only take place if
rigidly controlled scientific
research takes place.
In order for that to happen, the
charlatans and paid vested interests
and those who have been in this game
a long time all need to be
replaced by others who can think
outside the box and who are serious
about focusing on the
many DIFFERENCES - as they are what will help
to unravel the full etiology and
pathophysiology of each illness, in time.
Continuing on in the same old way,
with the same old players, all
locked into the same old mindset will
only perpetuate the myths and
continue the old ways.
They have yet to prove anything
significant
or
substantial,
in more than 26 years. Continuing to study mixed
patient
groups will continue to produce mixed data ONLY. And
that is
useful to NO ONE.
-->All they have managed to do
is harm the patients by constantly
roadblocking the answers.
All 'experts' must be crystal clear
at all times and differentiate well b/n
CFS (R53.82) and ME (G93.3). Or they
prove they are non-experts.
Sincerely,
LK Woodruff, USA
P.S. The WPI's XMRV study
was NOT done on any ME-defined
(Hyde, Ramsey) G93.3,
patients.
*Permission to
repost in it's entirety*