To kick off here is what The 25% M.E. Group have to say on the matter:
"ME has been formally classified by the World Health Organisation as a neurological disorder in the International Classification of Diseases (ICD) since 1969 (ICD-8: Vol I: code 323, page 158; Vol II (Code Index) page 173). On 7th April 1978 the Royal Society of Medicine held a symposium on ME at which ME was accepted as a distinct entity."
And, to date:
"ME remains classified in the current ICD as a neurological disorder (ICD 10. G.93.3)...".
In its descripton of M.E. as an illness the registered UK charity The 25% M.E. Group has this to say:
"ME / ICD-CFS is a serious, disabling and chronic organic (ie. physical not mental) disorder: 80% of patients do not get better. According to US statistics provided by the Centres for Disease Control (CDC), only 4% of patients had full remission (not recovery) at 24 months. International expert Daniel Peterson is on record as stating about ME / ICD-CFS: "In my experience, (it) is one of the most disabling diseases that I care for, far exceeding HIV disease except for the terminal stages.
American researchers found that the quality of life is particularly and uniquely disrupted in ME / ICD-CFS and that all participants related profound and multiple losses, including loss of jobs, relationships, financial security, future plans, daily routines, hobbies, stamina and spontaneity. Activity was reduced to basic survival needs for some subjects. The researchers found that the extent of the losses experienced by sufferers was devastating, both in number and intensity.
Australian researchers found that patients with this disorder had more dysfunction than those with multiple sclerosis, and that in ME / ICD-CFS the degree of impairment is more extreme than in end-stage renal disease and heart disease, and that only in terminally ill cancer and stroke patients was the sickness impact profile (SIP) greater than in ME /ICD-CFS.".
Having persoanlly suffered from M.E since 1989, and its severe form since about 1995, I resonate very strongly with the above views. I have been bedbound for years of my life because of M.E.. Often so terribly ill with it that even a slow turn-over in bed would leave me feeling physically sick with the resulting explosion of absolutely devasting and uniquely poisonous M.E. fatigue. This could only finally be relieved by an extended period of complete eyes-shut immobility. At those harrowing times even merely speaking a slow and short sentence would send the whole spectrum of distressing physiological and neurological M.E. symptoms soaring through the roof. It really is no exageration at all to say that life for a badly relapsed severe M.E sufferer becomes, quite literally, "a living death".
Returning to the original question "What is M.E.?" - we have this from another registered UK charity Action for M.E.:
"M.E. (myalgic encephalomyelitis) is a potentially chronic and disabling neurological disorder, which causes profound exhaustion, muscle pain and cognitive problems such as memory loss and concentration. Other symptoms that are common include sensitivity to light, noise and smell, disturbed sleep patterns and persistent headaches.
In the more recent past there were misconceptions that only certain social classes were affected and many people regarded the illness as a relatively mild condition - some even doubted its very existence. In fact, around 20% of sufferers are so severely affected that they are either house or bed-bound and have enormous difficulty performing even basic personal tasks unaided."
I could go on and on quoting from all sorts of ordinary people, respected and published authors, various national organisations, and scientific papers by the bucket load [and will do elsewhere in Satori-5]- all of which would be merely repeating or reinforcing in one way or another what has already been said above. Except, of course, for Simon Wessely and the disciples of the "Wessely School". But we are interested here only in authentic, physiologically based ME and CFS - not the numerous other psychologically or psychiatrically based fagigue syndromes that also genuinely exist - therefore they have no place here. I will come back to that whole "rash generalisation" brigade elsewhere in Satori-5. So, for now - enough said!
Meantime, if you still wish to persue the question "What is ME?" further at this stage then a good place to start would be to visit the ME/CFS section of Satori-5's newly upgraded Web-Links webpage.
Thank you for your interest
Namaste
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