I had some thoughts about this recently that I want to share.
Lets take on ME first. First of all, as many have mentioned before, it's very difficult to pronounce and remember the name Myalgic Encephalomyelitis. This make ME a very stupid choice since cognition difficulties is one symptom of this illness.
Second of all, Myalgia, or muscle pain, is a symptom of many diseases and disorders so it's not specific enough. In addition, Myalgic Encephalomyelitis is often defined as inflammation of the central nervous system. Is there conclusive scientific evidence for this regarding ME/CFS? Last time I checked the cause of ME/CFS was still unknown. I'm diagnosed with ME/CFS and no doctor has told me that I have an inflammation of the central nervous system.
Third of all, ME can easily be confused with the pronoun "me". This is not a big problem but it can be annoying and frustrating in written communication.
When it comes to CFS I got only one thing to say: CFS is a symptom in many physical and psychological diseases and disorders. So it's a totally wrong name for our illness because it's not specific enough.
A good name would be a name that is easy to remember and pronounce. A name that don't claim any cause for the illness since the cause is still unknown. To give and example:
Let's say Dr Redford (fictional name) is an excellent ME/CFS doctor or scientist, a good name would then be:
Redford Syndrome. Then you link Redford Syndrome with the Canadian criteria and in an instant a lot of confusion would be eradicated.
I think this type of name would make our situation clearer and cause much less confusion.
Lets take on ME first. First of all, as many have mentioned before, it's very difficult to pronounce and remember the name Myalgic Encephalomyelitis. This make ME a very stupid choice since cognition difficulties is one symptom of this illness.
Second of all, Myalgia, or muscle pain, is a symptom of many diseases and disorders so it's not specific enough. In addition, Myalgic Encephalomyelitis is often defined as inflammation of the central nervous system. Is there conclusive scientific evidence for this regarding ME/CFS? Last time I checked the cause of ME/CFS was still unknown. I'm diagnosed with ME/CFS and no doctor has told me that I have an inflammation of the central nervous system.
Third of all, ME can easily be confused with the pronoun "me". This is not a big problem but it can be annoying and frustrating in written communication.
When it comes to CFS I got only one thing to say: CFS is a symptom in many physical and psychological diseases and disorders. So it's a totally wrong name for our illness because it's not specific enough.
A good name would be a name that is easy to remember and pronounce. A name that don't claim any cause for the illness since the cause is still unknown. To give and example:
Let's say Dr Redford (fictional name) is an excellent ME/CFS doctor or scientist, a good name would then be:
Redford Syndrome. Then you link Redford Syndrome with the Canadian criteria and in an instant a lot of confusion would be eradicated.
I think this type of name would make our situation clearer and cause much less confusion.