Rainbow at shoreline

The Massachusetts ME/CFS & FM Association, a 501(c)3 founded in 1985, exists to meet the needs of patients with ME (Myalgic Encephalomyelitis), CFS (Chronic Fatigue Syndrome) or FM (Fibromyalgia), their families and loved ones. The Massachusetts ME/CFS & FM Association works to educate health-care providers and the general public regarding these severely-disabling physical illnesses. We also support patients and their families and advocate for more effective treatment and research.

"Rest, Pacing and Stress: What Every ME/CFS Patient Should Know " by Sarah Myhill, MD. This article provides very helpful advice to patients on how to pace their activities to use and preserve their energy to stave-off relapses and promote recovery. The article recommends specific actions and guidelines to assist patients in their everyday life.

There are two points in the article which patients should notice. First, some of the guidelines are inflexible: it would be very hard to follow the suggestions as written. But if one takes the prescriptions as  flexible guidelines, then they are very constructive.

Also, Dr. Myhill mentions that ME/CFS patients have a "personality" that can make them sick in the first place. This is not proven and the reader should try to ignore the statement in light of the benefit of the overall article.

Finally, Dr. Myhill cites dysfunction in the mitochondria as a primary element in ME/CFS. She includes includes links for summaries of some of her journal articles.

In one article there is a mention of heart failure in ME/CFS. Heart failure, in the common understanding of the term, has not been shown in ME/CFS.

Notice about names

The Massachusetts ME/CFS & FM Association would like to clarify the use of the various acronyms for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS), Chronic Fatigue & Immune Dysfunction Syndrome (CFIDS) and  Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME) on this site. When we generate our own articles on the illness, we will refer to it as ME/CFS, the term now generally used in the United States. When we are reporting on someone else’s report, we will use the term they use. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) and other federal agencies, including the CDC, are currently using ME/CFS. 

Massachusetts ME/CFS & FM Association changed its name in July, 2018, to reflect this consensus.