The ME/CFS Society of NSW Inc.

by Jennie Sharpe

Your backache runs from the tip of your spine to the base, spreading tentacles through muscles you never knew existed. You can’t sit, lie or stand without a cacophony of silent protest rippling through your body. What have you done to deserve this? Yoga.

Symptoms
Major symptoms of ME/CFS include severe prolonged fatigue, post-exertional malaise, sleep disturbances, pain syndromes and several of many possible disturbances to neurological and cognitive function including perceptual, sensory and motor problems, poor concentration and short term memory, autonomic nervous system problems such as orthostatic intolerance, breathing and heart irregularities and dysfunction of the gut, neuroendocrine disturbances such as changes to the control of body temperature and marked weight changes, and disturbances of the immune system such as 'flu-like symptoms and new sensitivities to food, medications and/or chemicals.

What are the causes of ME/CFS?
Despite ongoing research, the cause of ME/CFS is not yet clear. In fact, there are a number of "causes". In many cases, onset appears to be linked to a stress to the immune system such as an acute infection (particularly viral), chemical exposure or immunisation. The symptoms do not clear up as would be expected; instead, they become chronic or may intensify and abate but never completely disappear, and are accompanied by profound fatigue and feelings of malaise. Occasionally, onset may be slow and insidious. There is also some evidence that certain common viruses are involved in the development of the syndrome.

By Elizabeth Ho

To celebrate the Society’s 25th Anniversary, a seminar with Dr Richard Schloeffel, a GP who specialises in treating CFS, was held. Dr Schloeffel addressed a capacity crowd of 90 attendees. He spoke for approximately four hours and answered individual questions for another couple of hours following that.