RETURN TO TABLE OF CONTENTS
Spring 2003 

Media Watch
A report on coverage of CFIDS in the mainstream media
By Leah Moseley

Association letter to the editor.
The January 2003 issue of SELF magazine featured an article, “It’s chic to be sick,” that may discourage women from mentioning possible CFIDS symptoms to their physician by implying that tiredness and/or depression is due to lack of motivation. The CFIDS Association sent a letter to the editor of SELF stating that CFIDS is often misdiagnosed and that the author’s suggestion that “the newest crop of diseases is only socially contagious” may perpetuate this myth and interfere with getting a proper diagnosis.

Ampligen study.
On Feb. 1, CBSNews.com featured a story on a study of the experimental drug Ampligen as a treatment for CFIDS. The article reports on how person with CFIDS (PWC) Joan Friedman has benefited from the Ampligen trials, includes quotes from CFIDS specialist Dr. Richard Podell and provides general information about the illness.

Doctor educated.
The March 11 issue of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch featured an article by Dr. Hank Clever that reveals a physician’s perspective on how CFIDS is still a poorly understood and hidden illness. In October 2002, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch also featured an article on CFIDS that highlighted 24-year-old PWC Doug Lindsay and his invitation to present his proposed treatment for some people with CFIDS and orthostatic intolerance at an inter-national symposium on the autonomic nervous system.

CFIDS featured.
Ebony magazine published a CFIDS article in its March 2003 issue. The article gives a comprehensive overview of the illness, lists symptoms and highlights the seriousness and debilitating nature of CFIDS. Ebony reaches more than 10 million readers each month.

Disability plight.
The Apr. 10 edition of The Columbus Dispatch featured an article on a PWCs and the battle over long-term disability benefits. The CFIDS Association worked with the author, Phil Porter, providing CFIDS disability information and arranging an interview with a local PWC and disability advocate, Kelly West, who is also mentioned in the article.

Nursing article.
Terri Lupton, The CFIDS Association’s coordinator for educational opportunities, wrote an article on the nursing implications of CFIDS that ran in the December 2002 issue of Nursing Spectrum. The article addresses the importance of provider-patient partnership and the need for informed and compassionate nursing care.

Blood circulation and CFIDS.
WebMD, a leading provider of online information, educational services and communities for physicians and consumers, published an article on April 15 that highlights new findings that blood circulation problems may be an underlying cause of CFIDS. The article is based on research reported at a medical conference by Arnold Peckerman, MD, of the VA Medical Center in East Orange, N.J.

HPA axis study. A study published in the Nov/Dec. 2002 issue of Psychosomatic Medicine has sparked extensive media coverage, including The New York Post, HealthScoutNews and BBC News. The coverage highlights research that indicates subtle changes in the hormonal stress response system (HPA axis) may play a role in CFIDS.

Thanks go out to those who are working with the media to increase awareness of CFIDS. The CFIDS Public Relations (CPR) Team helps monitor and respond to media coverage. Please clip articles about CFIDS and send them to CPR Team, PO Box 220398, Charlotte, NC28222-0398.