I just read this eight page story which has about five pages of text. It's the longest article in the 76 page issue. I think Hillary did a good job concisely covering the XMRV saga. In small print on the cover it has just "The Chronic Fatigue Debacle Explained", then on the contents page "Chasing Chronic Fatigue", then "Chasing the Shadow Virus" at the beginning of the article.
She starts "Scientific explanations for the rise of CFS cases, a phenomenon dating to the mid-to the mid-1980s, have mostly focused on viruses, but psychiatric theories have abounded, too, driven primarily by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which promoted the idea that CFS was "hysteria" or hypochondria.
Carl Zimmer has a long article in the issue titled "Interbreeding with Neanderthals". He did two blogs on XMRV which got many responses. Unfortunately the responses are now out of order and I'm not sure they are all still there. This is the last one with links to the previous one and other articles.
http://blogsdiscovermagazine.com/loom/2012/09/18/the-slow-slow-road-to-de-discovery/comment-page-1/
My response on the last one was --
Mr. Zimmer, I'm 58 and have had ME/CFS for 42 years, and I have a question for you after responding to your query. Back when I was much healthier, I moved to Capitol Hill for over two years starting during the first Gulf War in 1991 because there was no one else volunteering there at the time to do the lobbying and other necessary advocacy. That was during the first retroviral research saga and there is definitely déjà vu now. I was appropriately diplomatic then, but the continued prejudice and abuse of ME/CFS patients since then requires more outspoken advocacy. My closest friend in DC died from ME/CFS this year. She was 52; at least she's out of her pain and misery now.
Most of us just want a lot more good science ASAP. The XMRV saga should have at least happened much faster. Ironically it got us much needed recognition and the private funding of research is increasing greatly but it's still miniscule. The US government funding is outrageously not increasing. The published rituximab studies provide hope now for treatment and a bulwark against the BS from the psychological sophistry brigades.
Your blog last year had some of the best comments I've seen. I was "nonchalant". Some of the UK press is at the same thing again at present.
Sonia Poulton wrote a very good piece recently in addition to one last year and got a warm response. A couple writers are recycling last year's "blame the victim" by "playing the victim" propaganda and are getting criticism. Again, I prefer to be in the USA.
http://poultonblog.dailymail.co.uk/...d-than-multiple-sclerosis.html?forumid=331851
From elsewhere last year, "Dr. Racaniello said that when he used to question colleagues about chronic fatigue syndrome, they would argue that it was an imaginary illness." "Every time I asked someone about it, they would say it doesn’t exist, it isn’t a real disease, even as recently as the past year..."
My question to you is what do you hear? Do you think we are making progress in the broader scientific community, etc.? Any suggestions?
Thanks, Roy
I'm wondering if all the good responses helped promote coverage in the magazine. Anyway, I hope Hillary made some good money for writing a good article. And I wish she would put her blog back up.
10 BILLION? Yeah, I wish!