RETURN TO TABLE OF CONTENTS
Fall 2003 

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

People magazine.
The Aug. 11 edition included an article on best-selling author Laura Hillenbrand and her battle with a crippling case of CFIDS. The article discusses how Hillenbrand struggled to be diagnosed, includes quotes from Association President & CEO Kim Kenney and contains a sidebar that lists facts about CFIDS and the Association’s Web site. People has a readership of more than 36 million.

Hispanic community educated.
Vista magazine, a monthly insert in Sunday newspapers in cities with large Hispanic communities, published an article on CFIDS in its September issue. The article gives a comprehensive overview of the illness including prevalence and diagnosis. It also highlights a few common misconceptions about CFIDS.

CFIDS featured.
Alterna-tive Medicine, a magazine that offers the latest news and research updates in the fields of complementary medicine and alternative therapies, featured an article on CFIDS in its October issue. The article profiles person with CFIDS (PWC) Carol Sieverling and suggests several complementary treatments for the illness including supplements and herbs, relaxation strategies, bodywork and acupuncture.

PWCs profiled.
Author Cara Nissman of The Boston Herald profiled several people with CFIDS in the Sept. 7 issue of the newspaper. The article discusses the challenges adolescents face as a PWCs and lists symptoms needed for a proper diagnosis of CFIDS. The CFIDS Association worked with the author, resulting in www.cfids.org being listed as a source for readers as well as a mention about Lobby Day.

USA Today.
The Aug. 4 edition featured an article detailing Laura Hillenbrand’s 16-year battle with CFIDS. The article’s author quotes several CFIDS experts, including Dr. Eleanor Hanna from the National Institues of Health (NIH) and Nancy Klimas from the University of Miami, and discusses how researchers are still working to solve the mystery of the debilitating illness.

Des Moines local profiled.
The Aug. 18 edition of the Des Moines Register published an article profiling 27-year-old PWC Jacob Parsons. The article gives a thorough overview of the illness and details the difficulty in diagnosing CFIDS.

CFIDS on CNN.
CFIDS was featured on the Aug. 9 edition of CNN’s Saturday Morning News, a weekend news program that provides an in-depth look at the most prominent news of the week. The call-in segment featured an interactive conversation with several medical experts to help answer viewer questions about CFIDS.

CDC study.
The Aug. 12 edition of The Wichita Eagle featured an article on how Wichita residents are helping the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) study CFIDS. About 250 Sedgwick County residents, half of whom have CFIDS, have participated in the study that originated in 1997. The article reports the most recent study of those individuals will assess whether gene profiles, sleep characteristics, stress history or other measurable factors contribute to CFIDS.

Symposia feature update.
In late February, the Association released a camera-ready article to local newspapers across the United States through the North American Precis Syndicate (NAPS). The article, based on three research symposia held in 2000 and 2001 and sponsored by the Association, highlights consensus conclusions reached by researchers and scientists on problems that play a role in CFIDS. So far, it has generated coverage in more than 212 newspapers in 15 different states with a readership of more than 4.5 million.