Ohio kNOw MORE CFS Seminar a Hit with Participants

Participants at Ohio’s kNOw MORE CFS seminar talk to speakers Patricia Fennell and Dr. David Bell.

The John S. Knight Center in Akron, Ohio, housed the third kNOw MORE CFS seminar in the CFIDS Association’s Education and Empowerment Series. And both education and empowerment were in great supply as speakers Patricia Fennell and Dr. David Bell addressed the crowd of nearly 100.

First up, Patricia Fennell, MSW, LCSW-R, discussed the nature of chronic illness and its effect on lives—describing a four-phase treatment approach that can help those with CFS and their health care providers work together to meaningfully enhance quality of life. Then, noted CFS authority Dr. Bell presented his clinical perspective of CFS—addressing illness onset, the body’s response and specific vascular dysfunctions key to understanding the effects of CFS. The seminar concluded with the speakers taking turns answering questions from the audience.

Remarked one participant as she flipped through her notes at the end of the session, "I may have used up most of my energy reserve for the next day or so, but the knowledge and validation I’m taking with me is well worth it."

When asked what information he valued most, another participant commented, “Just having CFS experts at our fingertips is so worthwhile and rare. I’d take twice that if I could get it.”

The next kNOw MORE CFS seminar is planned for San Francisco in the fall. We’ll keep you posted as we finalize the details. To get on the list to receive information about these half-day events, email Nova Bouknight at nbouknight@cfids.org with the subject line “KNOW MORE.”