Chronic Fatigue Syndrome is No Yuppie Flu, According to New York Times

Saturday July 21, 2007

Chronic fatigue syndrome has not always been recognized as a "real" condition. For many years chronic fatigue syndrome wasn't taken seriously, except by the patients who were living with it. Even the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) was slow to get onboard with the realization that chronic fatigue syndrome is linked to physiological abnormalities. In 1999, the CDC admitted that it had used millions of dollars earmarked by Congress for chronic fatigue syndrome research to fund other research programs.

More recently, the CDC has released studies linking chronic fatigue syndrome to genetic mutations and abnormalities in gene expression associated with certain physiological processes. The CDC has promoted chronic fatigue syndrome awareness through a $6 million campaign and has released updated prevalence data showing that many more people suffer with chronic fatigue syndrome than previously thought. There has also been a discussion about renaming the syndrome so it is not trivialized.

Researchers are working towards finding the cause of chronic fatigue syndrome and better treatment. An article which appeared in the July 17, 2007 New York Times, outlines the latest news regarding chronic fatigue syndrome, a condition thought to have more than one trigger. The article is definite on one point - chronic fatigue is no longer seen as the "yuppie flu". It's being given more respect by nearly everyone.

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~ By Carol & Richard Eustice, About.com Guides to Arthritis / Osteoarthritis