CO-CURE] NOTICE: De Meirleir's diagnostic CFS test

[Guest guest]

De Meirleir's diagnostic CFS test 

 

" ...test gauges the amount of an immune enzyme that protects the body against

viruses. Those with chronic fatigue syndrome have an abnormal form of the

enzyme that is more active, yet less effective than the healthy form of the

agent. ... "

 

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Mycoplasma REGISTRY REPORTS

for gulf war syndrome & chronic fatigue syndrome

=A9 Sean Dudley & Leslee Dudley 2006. All rights reserved.

MycoplasmaRegistry/

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New test identifies mysterious disorder (CFS)

Karen van Kampen

Regina Leader Post - Regina,Saskatchewan,Canada - April 13, 2006

 

http://www.canada.com/reginaleaderpost/news/arts_life/story.html?id=e2525e18-216\

a-4a88-9781-15fea1eeb576

 

CALGARY--Before 1984, Marjorie van de Sande was an active Grade 1

teacher who coached rhythmic gymnastics and was learning to ski with

her family.

 

Then, the Calgary woman had a string of bad luck. She was involved in

a serious car accident in 1984. Two years later, she was diagnosed

with cancer. In the winter of 1987, she was flattened by a sinus

infection that lasted through the summer.

 

" I tried to rebuild myself, " she said.

 

But when it was time to go back to school that fall, she was still

wiped out. When her class would leave for the day, van de Sande would

lie down beside her desk, too exhausted to make it to the staff room.

 

That was her last year of teaching.

 

And that was when van de Sande, now 65, realized something more than

a sinus infection was wrong -- that's when she realized she was

suffering from myalgic encephalomyelitis, more commonly known as

chronic fatigue syndrome.

 

According to the Statistics Canada 2003 Canadian community health

survey, some 341,126 Canadians have chronic fatigue syndrome, a

debilitating disorder characterized by extreme, long-lasting

exhaustion and flu-like symptoms.

 

Since it was identified in 1984 by Drs. Dan Peterson and Paul Cheney

in Incline Village, Nev., the syndrome has been accompanied by

confusion and controversy.

 

Many people -- including some health-care professionals -- don't

believe it exists, attributing the symptoms to a variety of other

causes, ranging from influenza to depression.

 

Learning of the mysterious illness, researchers from the Centres for

Disease Control and Harvard University travelled to the Nevada ski

village. They could identify symptoms, but not a cause.

 

To this day, treatment focuses on lifestyle management. Patients need

lots of sleep, they must pace their activities and eat a diet high in

protein.

 

Now, for the first time, chronic fatigue sufferers have some hope --

a diagnostic test that can show evidence of the disorder. It was developed by

Dr. Kenny De Meirleir, an internal medicine specialist from Brussels.

 

In 1990, while he was doing a year of study in the United States, De Meirleir

attended a seminar on the mysterious disorder. It made him think of two of

his patients with similar symptoms.

 

In Brussels in the late '90s, De Meirleir developed a diagnostic testthat

shows evidence of the disorder. De Meirleir co-founded RED Labs, which offers

the

test. He is now a world leader in the field, assessing and treating more than

2,000 patients annually.

 

The test gauges the amount of an immune enzyme that protects the body

against viruses. Those with chronic fatigue syndrome have an abnormal

form of the enzyme that is more active, yet less effective than the healthy

form of the agent.

 

This is exciting news for chronic fatigue syndrome sufferers who find it

difficult to prove to family, friends and employers that something is clinically

wrong with them. All they would need to do is take RED Labs' simple blood test,

which would reveal whether they have a healthy amount of the enzyme.

 

Last fall, the test became available in North America for the first time,

when the company opened a lab in Reno, Nev.

 

In November, Dr. Eleanor Stein, a Calgary psychiatrist and psychotherapist

who works with chronic fatigue syndrome patients, started sending samples to the

Reno lab for analysis.

 

Stein has sent samples for 15 patients. While cost of the $570 US test is

covered by insurance in the United States, it is not covered in Canada.

 

Because Stein already has a two-year waiting list for new patients, she is

hoping to get other physicians involved in treatment. But first, she wants to

raise awareness of the disorder. To that end, De Meirleir went to Calgary to

help spread the message.

 

De Meirleir led a workshop recently for medical practitioners to help them

identify the disorder. He also held a separate lecture forpatients.

 

Proceeds from the workshop will go toward raising awareness of the disorder

among Alberta's medical community. Because so little funding is available for

chronic fatigue syndrome, Stein and others active in the field have been unable

to distribute a diagnosis sheet that was developed in 2003.

 

Having a test to identify chronic fatigue syndrome is a huge step forward for

the field, Stein said.

 

Physicians can now point to clinical findings to show something is wrong with

patients. These individuals can apply for disability with evidence to show

their insurance companies they are unable to work.

 

The disorder afflicts more women than men, and is more common among those in

their 40s, Stein said.

 

Stein knows how important this breakthrough is -- she has the disorder.

 

During her psychiatry residency, Stein was hit with abnormally severe

exhaustion. She never felt rested, no matter how long she slept. She was told it

could be depression, but Stein knew something else was wrong.

 

Living with chronic fatigue syndrome is draining, Stein said.

 

Imagine you have energy dollars, she suggests: " You wake up with 40

energy dollars, but you spend 50. You go into debt. "

 

With the enzyme test, Stein and other patients can now show the world

their suspicions were correct.

 

Van de Sande doesn't need to get the test to know her life has changed. Even

all these years later, simple tasks such as shopping for groceries can be

debilitating. Sometimes, she has to leave food in the car until the next day,

when

she has more energy.

 

Calgary Herald =A9 The Leader-Post (Regina) 2006

Copyright =A9 2006 CanWest Interactive, a division of CanWest

MediaWorks Publications, Inc.. All rights reserved.

 

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LINKS:

REDLABS U.S.A., Inc. (North America)

5625 Fox Ave, Room 369

Reno, NV 89506

Tel: 775.351.890

Fax: 775.972.1300

E-mail: info

Webstie: http://www.REDLABSUSA.com

CFS Webpage: http://www.redlabsusa.com/chronicfatiguesyndrome.htm

 

R.E.D. Laboratories, Belgium (Europe)

Pontbeek 61

B-1731 Zellik

Belgium

Tel: +32.2.481.5310

Fax: +32.2.481.5311

E-mail: info

Webpage: http://www.redlabs.com

 

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