• Welcome to Phoenix Rising!

    Created in 2008, Phoenix Rising is the largest and oldest forum dedicated to furthering the understanding of and finding treatments for complex chronic illnesses such as chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), fibromyalgia (FM), long COVID, postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS), mast cell activation syndrome (MCAS), and allied diseases.

    To become a member, simply click the Register button at the top right.

Equal Pay/Equal Power/Equal.....Research Funding: the Campaign to End Chronic Pain in

oca-figure-report.jpg
The Problem - We know CFS patients cant get any respect. We have solid data showing there are high rates of CFS prevalence (@1,000,000 people in the US), that CFS causes high economic losses (up to 20 billion dollar a year), and that it causes high rates of disability. In short we have data that demonstrates that chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) is a major disorder that should be receiving major research funding.Instead its funded like its a sore throat.

How far are we from appropriate funding? A long way. Were not talking a mere doubling or tripling of our current budget, were talking 40 to 50 times the amount of funding were getting; thats the kind of funding that disorders the magnitude of chronic fatigue syndrome typically get every year. At the current rate it would take 40 years of funding at our rate to equal what one of those major disorders typically gets
in one year.

The Barriers What is stopping us from getting that funding? Obviously there is an entrenched belief system that a) this is not a real disorder and b) if it is a real disorder its impossible or at least very difficult to study. But there is another factor as well and its gender.most people with ME/CFS are female and, rather disconcertingly, the same is true for many of its allied disorders such as fibromyalgia, IBS, FM, TMJ, interstitial cytisus, etc.

These diseases are similar in several ugly ways; they all have high rates of disability, fatigue and pain, they all tend to blend into each other, and guess what.they all get miserable funding. (Yes, we are not alone). The amount of under funding is remarkable; the NIH spends two tenths of one percent of its budget to research a group of diseases that affects 50 million people thats $1.33 a patient a year. These are the all in your head, hysterical womens diseases that the federal government has swept under the rug for so long. But hopefully not much longer.

Getting Respect (and Funding) How to get some respect? Since the knockem dead statistics approach doesnt work the only way is to build the political will to breach the hallowed (and still largely patriarchal) halls of the NIH. This isnt easy to do; politicians are rightfully leery of telling medical researchers what they should spend their money on but sometimes they do need to be told.

Enter the Overlapping Conditions Alliance and the Campaign to End Chronic Pain in Women The Overlapping Conditions Alliance consists of organizations that support largely female disorders; the CFIDS Association of America, TMJ Association, Endometriosis Association and NationalVulvodynia Association

Old Idea: New Take - The idea of building an alliance of diseases which co-occur with ME/CFS is not a new one. Tom Hennessy of RESCIND proposed that over 20 years ago but its been difficult to achieve. (Tom found, much to his amazement, bias against CFS by other controversial disease groups they didnt want to be associated with us)

A New Day - Times have changed, though. These groups now recognize that uniting could give them considerable power. They represent, after all , 50 million Americans who suffer from a suite of poorly researched diseases estimated to cost the US economy $80 billion dollars a year. Many of them were not represented by strong, viable organizations decades ago but the Overlapping Alliance now consists of a group of highly professional, widely regarded groups (lead by women) each of which seeks to create change at the federal level. The environment at the federal level has changed as well; the House majority leader is a woman, a woman came close to winning the Presidency and more women than ever hold federal office this groups natural constituency is now walking the halls of power. Its time to use it.

The Alliance will focus on raising awareness about the cost of these disorder to society as well as the neglect and dismissal that women (and men with them) often face. The campaign will not focus solely on women; about a quarter of the sufferers of these disorders are men and, of course, men suffer from the double stigma of having both a womans and a controversial disorder. (Men may actually suffer more from poor medical treatment than women; studies have shown that men with fibromyalgia are more likely to be misdiagnosed and thus less likely to receive appropriate care because FM is considered to be only a womens disorder. )

We in the ME/CFS Community are not alonemillions and millions of people suffering from mysterious fatigue and pain disorders have also gotten the shaft for years from the medical community. Its far past time that we banded together..Its time to bring a reckoning to the traditional research community that has ignored us and so many others for so long.

The Overlapping Conditions Alliance has moved fast. Theyve issued a stunning forty page report that outlines the problem and provides solutions to it. (Check out Table Two on Funding for a real eye-opener ). In conjunction with the release of that report they met with leaders in Washington to push for change. Theyve produced a powerful, moving video. This much needed Campaign is off to a great start.


Comments

Great article as always Cort -- I agree with 95% of what you say, but personally don't believe ME/CFS is underfunded because it affects primarily women. After all, breast cancer affects primarily women, and receives the most funding of any cancers, which are highly funded as it is.

I think it's the name (they gotta get rid of that "F" word!), and that there are so many different triggers/contributing factors, possibly different genetics, and probably several different biomarkers.

Just my two cents.
 
I agree with dannybex that research funding is not low just because CFS affects more women than men. But at the same time, evidence shows that women reporting pain and fatigue are not taken seriously by doctors, and there are tremendous gender-based disparities in healthcare delivery in general. I don't see how this could not affect research funding. The Campaign's report is long, but quite readable and reviews the evidence on this issue as well.

Thanks for another great article, Cort!
 
The whole issue is lack of publicity in the right areas & lack of public understanding of what it is.

Sorry to say it, but I wish more celebrities & public figures would bring their ME/CFS/FM to world attention. I know there are some public figures who have it.

Look what Kylie Minogue did for breast cancer. In Australia the percentage of women reporting to their Doctors for breast checks & having Mammograms has increased significantly since Kylie's cancer.

And I agree Dan, we have to get rid of that name.

It's a joke. You say you've got Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, & it's not unusual to hear the reply, "I had that a few years ago, I just exercised more & changed my diet".
 
The public response to AIDS, especially in terms of public attention and financial support, can be divided into Pre Rock Hudson and Post Rock Hudson......
 
I agree Danny! The problem is the conjunction of difficult to understand diseases - without a clear site of trauma - happening in women. Its just too easy for blockheaded male researchers and physicians to dismiss them. The report is very readable and the video is excellent - it really gets their points across - it opened my eyes about the difficulties women face in getting medical care. I was also glad, actually, to see that ME/CFS isn't the only large disorder that has so much trouble getting funding - we're not alone.
 
Thanks so much, Cort, for this great article and for all that you do for all of us!!

vdt
 
Thanks vbt - I really think this alliance has promise - four groups of vastly underserved patients coming together; big numbers - potentially big clout....it could be very helpful :)
 

Blog entry information

Author
Cort
Read time
4 min read
Views
848
Comments
7
Last update

More entries in User Blogs

  • Daily doodal dandy
    Just testing this out
  • Covid day 75
    Well since my last few updates I started to suffer from exhaustion and...
  • Pray
    If you pray, will you pray for me please? I have covid pneumonia and...