I just wanted to take a moment to tell you about a very easy and inexpensive way to support CFS research. I'm sure many of you are in the same boat as my family - we want to contribute as much as we can to CFS research, but our income is limited (since I can only work part-time), and our medical expenses keep growing.
There's a website called iGive.com. It's basically an internet shopping portal. You sign up - for free - and select which charity you want to help (I choose the CFIDS Association of America). Then visit the site first whenever you do any online shopping. You connect to the online store of your choice through iGive. There are hundreds of stores, including Lands' End, iTunes, Staples, Toys R Us - just about any online store you can think of. Each store contributes some percentage of your purchase to your charity (usually between 1% - 5%).
I signed up a few years ago but kept forgetting to use it. I recently added it to my Toolbar as a reminder and have gotten into the habit of going there first now. This is especially convenient for those of us living with CFS, since we often don't have the energy for walking through stores anyway. iGive also alerts you to special deals from merchants, like free shipping or coupons.
So sign up today, and tell your friends and family about it, too!
I have had Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) since March 2002. Both of my sons also got ME/CFS at ages 6 and 10. Our younger son fully recovered after 10 years of mild illness. Our older son still has ME/CFS and also has Lyme disease plus two other tick infections. This blog is about how our family lives with chronic illness, with a focus on improving our conditions and enjoying our lives in spite of these challenges.
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
Wednesday, October 03, 2007
CFS In The News
While it's good to see CFS showing up more often in the mainstream media, it's also disheartening to see silly-sounding, over-simplified reports of miracle cures, like the one circulating this week about dark chocolate and CFS.
Hey, I'm always thrilled to hear any news about dark chocolate being good for me, but this USA Today blurb trivializes CFIDS and makes it sound like we can solve all of our problems with a few squares of chocolate. The BBC did a better job of covering the full story and emphasizing the seriousness of CFS/ME. The UK's ME Association provides a more complete explanation of the study results.
Fortunately, the news a couple of weeks ago about the link between CFS and enteroviruses received much broader and more complete media coverage. I subscribe to Yahoo's clipping service and saw dozens of news articles from tv, radio, and newspapers from across the country. This kind of report of hard science linking CFS to known viruses is the stuff that will help the medical community and the general public to better understand and respect CFS as the serious illness that it is.
Keep 'em coming!
In the meantime, it can't hurt to continue my nightly ritual of mint tea and dark chocolate.
Hey, I'm always thrilled to hear any news about dark chocolate being good for me, but this USA Today blurb trivializes CFIDS and makes it sound like we can solve all of our problems with a few squares of chocolate. The BBC did a better job of covering the full story and emphasizing the seriousness of CFS/ME. The UK's ME Association provides a more complete explanation of the study results.
Fortunately, the news a couple of weeks ago about the link between CFS and enteroviruses received much broader and more complete media coverage. I subscribe to Yahoo's clipping service and saw dozens of news articles from tv, radio, and newspapers from across the country. This kind of report of hard science linking CFS to known viruses is the stuff that will help the medical community and the general public to better understand and respect CFS as the serious illness that it is.
Keep 'em coming!
In the meantime, it can't hurt to continue my nightly ritual of mint tea and dark chocolate.
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