Part of an update from www.caringbridge.org/visit/lauradunks
WHO is right?An excellent video by Ciaran Farrell about the correct definitions
for Myalgic Encephalomyelitis according to the WHO (World Health Organisation) and why it can only be a neurological illness. This has been uploaded on the Blue Ribbon Campaign blog and you can find it here http://blog.blueribboncampaignforme.org/2009/05/26/who-is-right-vid-explaining-the-who-classifications-of-mecfs.aspx
I cannot praise this video enough. If you are confused about all the definitions for ME/CFS and why they are all the same disease and must not be confused with psychiatric illnesses such as Neurasthenia. A good explanation of why Simon Wessley's approach to the illness is so very wrong. You can also find the video on youtube here should you wish to thank Ciaran and his assistants for this video! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K2LU7CikGWA
The Just Four Quid Campaign
This is an awesome campaign created by a british woman with ME who uses the name Zonko. Her plan is to get all of the 250000 people in the UK with ME/CFS to donate £4 to 2 UK charities raising money for biomedical ME/CFS research and thus raise £1 million in a year from ME awareness day on the 12th May which has just passed. The 2 charities are ME Research UK and The ME associations Ramsey Research Fund. Her blog which you can find here http://justfourquid.com/ is a little unique in the sense that she plans to give you money saving tips all year round so you will be better off and as a result be able to spare the £4. However, given that the majority of people with ME/CFS are not a member of the major charities for ME/CFS in the UK, they are probably not aware of this, so if you know anyone with ME/CFS please spread the word. The site encourages you to set up an account with Just Giving and get people to donate to you over the course of the year. Should you not wish to do that then you can donate to either or both of these worthy charities on Zonko's just giving pages:
- ME research UK http://www.justgiving.com/jfq-meruk
- Ramsay Research Fund http://www.justgiving.com/jfq-rrf
So far, according to the charities reports, ME research UK has made £1165 and the Ramsay Research Fund has made £360. You can find out more about the charities on their just giving pages and you can go to ME Research UK here http://www.meresearch.org.uk/ and the Ramsay Research Fund here http://www.meassociation.org.uk/content/view/268/70/
This is an excellent idea and I am really pleased at how well it is working! Biomedical research is essential given that the only research funded by the UK government is psychiatric!
Every click
Every search you do using this site for free earns money for worthwhile charities so far hundreds of thousands of pounds.
You can find UK charity Invest In ME's page here http://www.everyclick.com/invest-in-me/396708/0
ME research UK have a page here http://charities.everyclick.com/info.xq?id=1461&name=ME-Research-UK
AYME - Association for Young People with ME (UK charity) have their page here http://charities.everyclick.com/info.xq?id=965&name=Association-of-Young-People-with-ME-AYME
ME association here http://charities.everyclick.com/info.xq?id=1163&name=The-ME-Association
There are many more worthy ME charities on there, just search for the charity you are looking for and the search away! I try and change the one I use regularly to spread the love around!
Petition Update
The petition to appeal for a change in the CDC definition of ME/CFS has gone viral with 1218 signs now! You can sign the petition here www.ipetitions.com/petition/empirical_defn_and_CFS_research/index.html If you want to know more about the petition and why it is really really important you can go here listserv.nodak.edu/cgi-bin/wa.exe Anyone world wide can sign this petition!
Thanks again everyone for reading and helping me spread awareness! Take care and I hope you all are well!
Laura
~X~
