News | The ME Association - Part 204

A few months ago The ME Association started receiving queries about the medicinal claims being made for a product called Activive that was being sold over the internet.

From the October issue of The ME Association’s quarterly magazine, ME Essential, published this weekend. An artist, poet and teacher who went down with ME has opened an online art gallery to show his work. 

From the October issue of The ME Association’s quarter magazine, ME Essential, published this weekend. A total of 25 ME charities and groups have now signed up to a statement repudiating the NHS Pus occupational health guidance for ME/CFS as "insulting to many people with this illness who have fought tooth and nail to keep […]

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Reading area ME Support Group and West Berkshire ME/CFS and FM Group tell us: For some years, we have been pressing for improvements in the care available to patients. 

Photo by Jeremy James The longest-ever expedition to be mounted to raise funds for ME research is now likely to take up to two years to complete, say explorers Ed Stafford and Luke Collyer.

The James Lind Alliance website now has information and reports relating to two research meetings held in September 2007 (with the AMRC) and June 2007 (with The Lancet). 

From ‘Pulse’ the weekly newsletter for GPs Further moves towards relieving GPs of duties for writing sick notes have sparked controversy, after a GPC negotiator said he feared the issue was being hijacked by politicians seeking to cut social benefits.

From The Times, 10 October 2007 Government funding of medical research will rise by a record amount over the next three years as part of efforts to turn basic discoveries into new treatments. 

Eating a daily dose of dark chocolate can help ease symptoms of chronic fatigue syndrome, report the Daily Mail and BBC News online.

From Clara Valverde The Promoting Commission (the patient leaders who do the organizing) of the Catalan CFS-FMS Popular Legislative Initiative (CFS-FMS PLI)has received the Alternativa Award last September 29, 2007 in Barcelona, Spain.

The New England Journal of Medicine (4 October 2007) has just published:   ‘A critical appraisal of "Chronic Lyme Disease"  

A new ME/CFS group is to be set up in Crick, Northamptonshire – at the home of Mrs Patricia Lake, who is the wife of the vicar the Rev David Lake.

This is an anonymised version of an inquiry we have just received at The ME Association. if anybody can help by pointing us towards the right organisation, please email us.

The Medical Research Council has announced that Sir Leszec Borysiewicz will be replacing Professor Colin Blakemore as Chief Executive.

The UK media are today reporting that eating dark chocolate, which has a high cocoa content, may be an effective treatment for ME/CFS.

BBC Online A daily dose of dark chocolate may help reduce the symptoms of chronic fatigue syndrome, say UK researchers.

From Third Sector magazine Disability Now, the magazine published by Scope, has appointed its first disabled editor. Ian Macrae has been recruited from the BBC, where he was executive producer and editor of the Disability Programmes Unit.

We are looking for new trustees to join the board of The ME Association – in preparation for our AGM and trustee elections which will be held next year .

From the Reading Chronicle, September 13 A singer-songwriter whose music has helped her cope with ME is celebrating success in a national competition. Sam Shearsmith, of west Reading, finished in the top 20 of The UK Songwriting Contest with "Life’s Like This".