Ian Lipkin and Mady Hornig respond to the Chilli ME Challenge on July 1st

aimossy

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From the Microbe Discovery Team Facebook page!
WOAH - talk about getting behind the ME/CFS community! The researchers at Columbia CII accepted the Chilli ME Challenge and made it spicier!

"On July 1, renowned researchers Ian Lipkin and Mady Hornig at the Center for Infection & Immunity (CII) at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health will take the Chili ME Challenge via LIVE WEBCAST.
CII challenges you to support this research to help... unlock the mysteries of ME/CFS."

Check out their brilliantly neat promo video and chilli donation funds Spice-O-Meter!
The more donations the higher the Spice-O -Meter becomes and the hotter the chilli's the researchers will consume!

The funds raised will support comprehensive studies into the role of the bacteria, fungi and viruses in CFS. Research into the human microbiome is an exciting new pathway to advance understanding of the role more than a trillion microorganisms in our body play in health and in the development of disease. As one of the world’s largest and most advanced centers in microbe discovery, identification and diagnosis, CII is optimally positioned to embark upon the challenge to determine how bacteria, fungi, viruses and toxins (and the immune response to them) contribute to ME/CFS.

With every gift, the Spice-O-Meter will climb. The more you give, the hotter it gets. Challenge your friends and family to join in on Facebook and Twitter.

Simply include the tag ‪#‎ChiliMEchallenge‬ and link to the page.

Donate now and put the heat on ME/CFS!

See all this on their Columbia CII site here!
http://www.mailman.columbia.edu/chiliME
 
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Valentijn

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For those who are wondering, those peppers rank as follows on the Scoville scale, which is used to assess hotness (0-2,200,000):
  • Bell pepper: 0 :meh:
  • Poblano: 1,000 - 1,500 :redface:
  • Jalapeño: 2,500 - 10,000 :wide-eyed:
  • Thai (Bird's Eye): 100,000 - 225,000 :jaw-drop:
  • Habanero: 100,000 - 350,000 :eek:
 

JaimeS

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OK, so how should I react to my instinct to take pity on these poor researchers who want to help us? I can see its not a very helpful instinct in this situation! Should I be tapping into some deeper primal instincts here?
I knoowwww, as people who often have sensitive senses, I think a lot of us are going to be tempted to take pity...

@Valentijn , I love your accompanying emojis!

-J
 

Bob

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It's ok, they have a lot of biohazard safety equipment in their lab, including quarantine facilities in case anything goes wrong. They're used to dealing with biohazards; Lipkin regularly deals with killer viruses, so he can handle some lethal chilli peppers. (Admittedly, he doesn't usually ingest the biohazards, but that's just a technicality.)