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.

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Why do we get sick?

Dr. Hubbuch asked the question we have all asked ourselveswhy do we get sick while others who experience the same events do not? She feels it is a complex total of many factors including health history, genetics, nutrition, positive and negative factors in life's development, etc. She likened the body to a kaleidoscope that is constantly shifting and changing.

She cited research by Dr. Leo Galland in The Four Pillars of Healing. He has identified three factors that move individuals from health to illness: mediators that produce symptoms causing damage to the body, i.e., neurohormones, cytokines, neuropeptides, free radicals etc.; triggers that exacerbate previous illness i.e. infections, drugs, toxins, overuse syndrome etc.; and antecedents that are risk factors predisposing individuals to illness, i.e. prior history, genetics, age, nutrition etc.

Physicians need to look at intervening at these multiple levels to move individuals back to an improved health status. Dr. Hubbuch wants to treat any irregularities with the goal of rebalancing homeostasis.

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.