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NY Times does it again!! New article "Big Splash"

K

_Kim_

Guest
November 11, 2009

A Big Splash From an Upstart Medical Center

articleLarge.jpg


In the spring of 2006, they met Dr. Judy A. Mikovits, a virus expert who had spent 22 years working at the National Cancer Institute. She had left the institute in 2001 to get married and move to California, where she went to work for a drug development company that failed. She was tending bar at a yacht club when a patron said her constant talk about viruses reminded him of someone he knew in Nevada. That person was a friend of Annette Whittemore’s. Dr. Mikovits soon found herself at a conference on chronic fatigue syndrome.

“I knew how serious a retrovirus is,” Mrs. Whittemore said. “I was very concerned, knowing there would be serious implications. My second thought was, of course it was going to be something serious like that. Look at my daughter and how ill she is. Why would we expect it to be something simple? I also felt like the weight of world was on my shoulders. We would have to be telling people some very bad news.”

AMONG those expected to try to replicate the XMRV findings is the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But Dr. William C. Reeves, who directs the agency’s research on the syndrome, has said that he does not expect to find the virus in blood samples from patients. He said that no other studies had ever proved a virus to be the cause, and that stress and a history of sexual and emotional abuse were more likely to play a role in many cases. “I blame the C.D.C. for most of this mess,” Mrs. Whittemore said, adding that thinking like Dr. Reeves’s was what drove her to start her own research center.

“She is just really very, very sick,” Mrs. Whittemore said. “She’s had this for a long time. We’ve got to get something for her as soon as possible. That is the driver for the speed on this. I don’t want to lose her. I can’t lose my daughter. I don’t want to win this battle and lose the war.”
Thanks to misskoji who posted this on the Media Links thread
 
A

Aftermath

Guest
Thank You

Kim,

Thank you for both the post itself and your outstanding use of the forum features. I know that many of our users have serious cognitive issues that make this type of stuff very difficult for them. Still, I wish that everyone would at least try (at least for the mental exercise, which all of us could use a little more of).

Many of the samples from syndrome patients 68 of 101, or 67 percent were infected, she and her colleagues reported in Science. Only 3.7 percent of the healthy controls carried the virus. XMRV, the scientists suggested, may cause or at least contribute to chronic fatigue syndrome. Further tests found the virus in 90 of the 101, Dr. Mikovits said.

The 90% follow up is the most interesting part of this article. I can't wait to hear more specifics. Is it because of a refined PCR test, or antibodies? If it is the latter, are those patients beyond help--in other words, has the virus done its damage and left (the Dubbo "hit and run" theory).

It's such an exciting time for us. Thanks again for your post.
 

caledonia

Senior Member
One physician told her that if he could not understand her daughter’s lab results, they couldn’t be important.

WTF? (pardon my French)

“I blame the C.D.C. for most of this mess,” Mrs. Whittemore said, adding that thinking like Dr. Reeves’s was what drove her to start her own research center.

You go Annette! Love the Reeves put-down.

She (Dr. Mikovits) was tending bar at a yacht club when a patron said her constant talk about viruses reminded him of someone he knew in Nevada.

Sounds like my kind of doc - lol!
 
K

_Kim_

Guest
In the spring of 2006, they met Dr. Judy A. Mikovits, a virus expert who had spent 22 years working at the National Cancer Institute. She had left the institute in 2001 to get married and move to California, where she went to work for a drug development company that failed. She was tending bar at a yacht club when a patron said her constant talk about viruses reminded him of someone he knew in Nevada. That person was a friend of Annette Whittemore’s. Dr. Mikovits soon found herself at a conference on chronic fatigue syndrome.

I would let bartender Judy mix me up an antiretroviral cocktail anyday. Salut!

Note that this article is in the -Giving- section of the Times. Those editors are smart. They are making sure that they hit every angle on this story. From Science, to Health, to Philanthropy. Readers from all persuasions are going to know about WPI and XMRV. Go NY TIMES!!
 
K

_Kim_

Guest
Kim,

Thank you for both the post itself and your outstanding use of the forum features. I know that many of our users have serious cognitive issues that make this type of stuff very difficult for them. Still, I wish that everyone would at least try (at least for the mental exercise, which all of us could use a little more of).
Aw, gee. I guess I'm getting the hang of the features. I still don't know what the # <> and php icons are used for. And I would like some new smilie options ;) if you please Mr. Administrator.

The 90% follow up is the most interesting part of this article. I can't wait to hear more specifics. Is it because of a refined PCR test, or antibodies? If it is the latter, are those patients beyond help--in other words, has the virus done its damage and left (the Dubbo "hit and run" theory).

I took this to reflect what Dr. Petersen spoke about at the CFSAC.
Referring to data on PPT: 19 of 33 had antibodies to XMRV, 30 of 33 had transmissable virus in plasma, and 10 of 33 had protein expression in PBMC "We found that 99 out of the 101 patients had some evidence of this retrovirus."
 
K

_Kim_

Guest
I knew this woman had talked to tough customers before.

The irony here is that she left the bar to go work with a group of patients who frequently have alcohol intolerance as one of their symptoms.
 

Kati

Patient in training
Messages
5,497
Love it!!!! Go Whittemore! Go Dr Dan, Dr Judy! Revolutionize the medical world, amaze us some more!!!
 

garcia

Aristocrat Extraordinaire
Messages
976
Location
UK
She was tending bar at a yacht club when a patron said her constant talk about viruses reminded him of someone he knew in Nevada.

OMG! I knew there was something special about this woman.

Talk about serendipity too. Its almost like it was karma that all this would happen.
 

Advocate

Senior Member
Messages
529
Location
U.S.A.
E-mail this article to everyone you know!

Easy political action:

If you will go to the New York Times article and click on "E-mail" you can send this article to everyone you know. You can send up to 20 at a time.

As you probably know, this will put the article on their "most e-mailed" list, and others who have no interest in CFS will be curious enough to read it.

The url for the article is:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/12/g... Splash From an Upstart Medical Center&st=cse

I'll try to figure out how to make the url small. I believe Aftermath explained the process in an earlier post.
 

zoe.a.m.

Senior Member
Messages
368
Location
Olympic Peninsula, Washington
Aw Snap!

AMONG those expected to try to replicate the XMRV findings is the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But Dr. William C. Reeves, who directs the agencys research on the syndrome, has said that he does not expect to find the virus in blood samples from patients. He said that no other studies had ever proved a virus to be the cause, and that stress and a history of sexual and emotional abuse were more likely to play a role in many cases.

Reeves had better watch it: he's under just the kind of stressors that might cause this illness! I bet there's nothing like waking up to the NYT and finding your name next to a lump of bs pseudoscience! I quite like how the reporter was understated in the criticism of Reeves and instead chose to concentrate on the wonderful family connections (making his theories look even more ridiculous).

And boy, did this need to be said:
Mrs. Whittemore said in an e-mail message. I could write a book on ridiculous things that doctors say to patients with C.F.S.

Dr Judy at the bar
I knew this woman had talked to tough customers before.

Thanks Marylib, this really cracked me up!

Wow, every time my spirits dip a bit over the wait for more research info, the NYT gives me a break! I feel punch-drunk on vindication these days instead of marginalization...!
 

hvs

Senior Member
Messages
292
Very well done!
I think the paragraph with Reeves in it shows him in about as negative a light as the author dared.
Again, as Advocate and others have mentioned, don't forget to email the article to someone to bump it up onto the "most emailed" list. :)
 
M

misskoji

Guest
Kim

Thank you. I have to agree, you formatted that perfectly.

Isn't this just awesome?!!! All the press and recognition is astounding and so very welcomed. I just hope it continues.
 

kolowesi

Senior Member
Messages
267
Location
Central Texas
Kim NY Times article

Thank you so much for posting this.

And for all the great comments, which make me laugh and feel proud.

I can't believe Dr. JM found her way to us, and that she knew on hearing about the lymphomas what to look for!!

Thanks to the NYTimes for being our champion. (Boo to the Washington Post who removed all the comments to their opinion piece -- was it because of a mention that insurance companies had a lot to lose?)

Wishing I could remember that Bob Dylan quote about things changing,
Kelly
 

Jerry S

Senior Member
Messages
422
Location
Chicago
Washington Post

Needless to say, I emailed this article to the Washington Post, which still hasn't given XMRV any real coverage.

And, of course, everyone else I knew.
 
K

Katie

Guest
I am right in thinking that XMRV and the lovely folks at the WPI getting a second outing in the New York Times is pretty huge, yes? Enlighten me for I am just a simple lass from Blighty :D

The whole world has heard of the NYT, getting a follow-up story seems so bloomin' cool, I'm excited!
 
K

_Kim_

Guest
Wishing I could remember that Bob Dylan quote about things changing,
Kelly

Kelly, I don't know if you were thinking of the lyrics to The Times They Are A-Changing. They sure are apropos to our cause and hardly bely the 1963 date of their writing. Thanks Bob.


The Times They Are A-Changin'

Come gather 'round people
Wherever you roam
And admit that the waters
Around you have grown
And accept it that soon
You'll be drenched to the bone.
If your time to you
Is worth savin'
Then you better start swimmin'
Or you'll sink like a stone
For the times they are a-changin'.

Come writers and critics
Who prophesize with your pen
And keep your eyes wide
The chance won't come again
And don't speak too soon
For the wheel's still in spin
And there's no tellin' who
That it's namin'.
For the loser now
Will be later to win
For the times they are a-changin'.

Come senators, congressmen
Please heed the call
Don't stand in the doorway
Don't block up the hall
For he that gets hurt
Will be he who has stalled
There's a battle outside
And it is ragin'.
It'll soon shake your windows
And rattle your walls
For the times they are a-changin'.

Come mothers and fathers
Throughout the land
And don't criticize
What you can't understand
Your sons and your daughters
Are beyond your command
Your old road is
Rapidly agin'.
Please get out of the new one
If you can't lend your hand
For the times they are a-changin'.

The line it is drawn
The curse it is cast
The slow one now
Will later be fast
As the present now
Will later be past
The order is
Rapidly fadin'.
And the first one now
Will later be last
For the times they are a-changin'.

Copyright 1963; renewed 1991 Special Rider Music