Firstly- thank you, again, for sharing your concerns about our Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) topic. Your feedback helps us learn how our content is received by people suffering from this illness, and how we might improve our information about ME/CFS. Our internal medical experts were interested in your feedback, and they reviewed your detailed input. ME/CFS is an incredibly difficult and often misunderstood disease. We do our best to provide information based on the most up-to-date research and clinical information, which as you know, is constantly evolving, thanks to ongoing research efforts.
At Healthwise, we review medical research and guidelines from reputable medical and government organizations as we create and maintain our health information. Our content is developed collaboratively by medical writers and doctors who use current evidence-based medicine guidelines and practices. Healthwise has a standard of providing information that is supported by scientific research.
Because our content is currently consistent with published information from sources like the Institute of Medicine (IOM) and the Center for Disease Control (CDC), we do not have any current plans to make revisions, but have taken your input into consideration. Our medical experts researched your concerns and provided some specific responses.
While not all patients with ME/CFS will experience all possible symptoms, our topic provides an objective list of the most common symptoms of ME/CFS, like feelings of exhaustion, problems sleeping, pain and difficulty concentrating.
Our content includes strategies and treatments to manage these symptoms, including traditional medicine, naturopathic options and experimental treatments. We acknowledge that common symptoms include depression, however, this is not intended to suggest that the illness is psychiatric in etiology. We currently follow updated IOM diagnostic criteria and include information that other diagnoses must be ruled out before a diagnosis is made. We provide a list of potential exams and tests, including tests of the immune system.
We recognize there is controversy about the effectiveness of therapies recommended by the PACE trial. However, some experts continue to recommend cognitive behavioral therapy and/or graded exercise for people with mild or moderate ME/CFS, if they chose and where these interventions provide benefit.
Our medical experts are closely following published guidelines and studies to stay current on these recommendations. We are also developing additional health information on other strategies, like pacing activities and staying within one’s energy envelope.
For individuals who suffer with ME/CFS there is a spectrum of illness. Our topics are written for individuals who are newly diagnosed and want the basics of information, and are based on established evidence-based practice guidelines and nationally recognized authorities. While there is a great deal of emerging research and treatments, many are investigational and not yet fully validated.
We truly appreciate your time and detailed feedback on our ME/CFS health information. We will continue to listen to patients like yourself, and follow published research closely to maintain the relevancy and accuracy of this information.