Navigating intimacy with your partner can be hard enough without the added stressors of ME/CFS and fibromyalgia. We realize that discussing intimacy and sex may be taboo for some, but are nevertheless integral in a holistic view of health for every individual. We urge...
Patient Education
Empowerment Through Preparation
Living with ME/CFS or fibromyalgia, important, energy consuming events can be absolutely overwhelming and impossible. In September’s education meeting, Linda Milne - a longtime patient and community member of the Bateman Horne Center - shares her knowledge about...
CFSAC: Current News in ME/CFS Federal Advocacy
ME/CFS advocacy groups play a significant role in educating wider community and government groups about ME/CFS. One such organization, the Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Advisory Committee (CFSAC), operates as an independent group providing formal recommendations on...
NIH Announces Precision Medicine Initiative
Research tends to neglect ME/CFS and FM - until right now. Precision medicine is the emerging scientific idea that medical treatment can and should be maximally efficient by tailoring medicine and healthcare to individual circumstances. Current research studies,...
Public Awareness of ME/CFS : A Changing Story
Millions are missing. This tragically summarizes the status of research funding for ME/CFS and FM, the staggering financial blow to the economy as patients and caregivers decrease or withdraw their workforce involvement, and most importantly, the millions of people...
Navigating the School System with Chronic Illness
School can be an exceptionally challenging struggle for students with ME/CFS and FM. This May, in our monthly education meeting, guest speaker Doctor Lane Valum shared crucial strategies for how to work with, instead of against, the school system in getting students...
Building Communities of Understanding and Hope
“Loneliness has the same impact on mortality as smoking 15 cigarettes a day, making it even more dangerous than obesity,” reports Douglas Nemecek, MD, Chief Medical Officer of behavioral health in a major new study on loneliness that outlines the prevalence and...
A Consensus-Driven ME/CFS Clinician Coalition Takes Shape
On March 2-3, 2018, the Bateman Horne Center hosted an exciting summit of leading U.S. ME/CFS clinicians who came together to share their pearls of wisdom on diagnosis and treatment in order to improve ME/CFS clinical care and refine more precise research targets. The...
“Unrest” Panel Discussion
Jen Brea’s movie, Unrest, is bringing attention to the struggles that people with ME/CFS face. This award-winning film is available on Netflix, Amazon, and your local PBS station, and if you haven’t seen it yet, block out some time to take a look. Jen turns an...
Keeping Spirits Bright: Managing the Post-Holiday Letdown
Some people, especially those with chronic disease, experience depression and/or seasonal affective disorder (SAD) after the holidays are over. Dr. Stuart Drescher, a psychologist experienced in working with patients with chronic diseases including ME/CFS and Fibromyalgia, gives tips on how to manage the letdown that often occurs in January and February, when the holidays are over and the days seem dark and dreary.
When Mommy Can’t Dance: How to Be a Chronically Ill Mom
It’s a hard to be a sick mom. For most mothers, a few days of illness may mean a back-up of laundry and a night or two of frozen pizza or cold cereal for dinner. For those of us moms that are chronically ill, it’s a whole other ball game. Certainly we have to adapt, get creative, and employ as many mom hacks as we can (i.e. Amazon prime, grocery pick up, self-serve kid snacks, and yes, we still have an above average number of cereal dinners). Beyond the physical demands and limitations, however, are the mental and emotional obstacles that we face. The mom guilt is present enough when you are healthy; it can be even more crushing when you are not.
Ours Is Not a Caravan of Despair: Finding Hope
Dr. Elizabeth Sherlock has watched many family members suffer with ME/CFS throughout the past several decades. In this moving and poetical presentation, she shares what she and her family learned through these experiences and gives ideas on how to find your true self.