The collective diagnostic term CFS does no sufferer or clinician any good at all

Dr John H Greensmith, ME Free For All.org:

03/20/11
Re: Chronic fatigue becoming common, Times of India, 20 March 2011

Laxmi Birajdar's article about chronic fatigue illnesses (Chronic fatigue becoming common, Times of India, 20 March 2011) typifies why it is so important to distinguish amongst each of those illnesses indiscriminately bundled within Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS), often taken to include Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (M.E.) which is, unjustifiably, said to be synonymous with it.

When sensibly broken down into separate illnesses, each with different possible causes, onsets, histories and prognoses, it is doubtful that fatigue has become either more common or more enduring. Fatigue has been, is and probably always will be an effect of any illness or post operative procedure, until the patient recovers.

Even more crucially, if we do not discriminate between CFS and M.E., advice which may sometimes be beneficial for some - for example, "brisk walking and other cardio exercises, at least five days a week, are a must," may be perilous for M.E. sufferers, putting them in a wheel chair or bed. The collective diagnostic term CFS does no sufferer or clinician any good at all.

Yours sincerely
Dr John H Greensmith
ME Free For All.org