Wow, 3-5 years! I would get excited, but I'm too tired. I do hope that if they discover the cause of this terrible disease, that we will be afforded the opportunity to benefit from the research. Thank you for posting.

After I posted the link, I thought about that "IF" as in "if the funding is there". His estimate assumes that the NIH and other agencies actually fork over the cash for the research.

As a well-known playwright once wrote..."There's many a slip 'twixt the cup and the lip."

Hi Richie! I read the article. Actually, I skimmed it and went straight to the CFS part! This man, truly believes that with the proper funding, a solution/aid/help for CFS sufferers would be on the horizen in the near future. Ya know what? I believe him!

We've always been ignored. Always underfunded. Those of us with the illness are too sick to go out fighting....to Washington!! The doctors though....they know something. They realize that this illness has been swept under the carpet, and they are speaking out...God bless um all!

Maybe not in our lifetime, Richie, but they're going to find out what the heck is the matter with all of us. I'll bet it's not even that complicated a thing. Just something the CDC doesn't want revealed. We're a huge maker for Big Pharma. There! I said it! We all know it's true! xo

Someone once told me that if I have medical issues I should go to a doctor and "get it taken care of" instead of sitting around feeling sorry for myself. I felt like slugging him.

But later in thinking about that unhappy interaction, it occurred to me...none of the chronic illnesses have ever been cured...ALS, MS, lupus, diabetes, migraine, and many others. We have this illusion that we've been idoctrinated with that modern medicine eventually finds cures for everything. Is it all really just propaganda?

I mean, they haven't even found a cure for the common cold. They do find ways to help people with illnesses, and they do fix some things, but this idea that modern medicine is all-powerful doesn't really add up. It's like those sets they used in the movies...store fronts propped up with long 2x4's and no actual buildings.

So once again, I'm hopeful...but not that optimistic.

You are totally right, Richie. There is this huge misconception that modern medicine can cure anything. But as you aptly noted, they have failed to cure any of the major chronic illnesses. It does lead one to conclude that they have reasons for not wanting to progress on these issues. It's terribly sad.

Where did all the money for all the Jerry Lewis telethons go? Any idea how many millions of dollars he drew with that telethon!!!???

Any cures for cancer?? How much money do we donate to that???

Basically.....medically?? We haven't come far at all, considering the technology there is today. They'll replace broken parts, hips, hearts, arms, joints but they won't pay for screening to keep people appraised of their chance for getting cancer. I just got turned down my Medicare for an ambulance ride to the hospital for chest pain. Their reason for denial was that an ambulance wasn't necessary. That my town abused the privilege of having an ambulance. OK!! WHATEVER?? 600 bucks!

I guess they (whoever "they" are) just want to keep our health, and our health choices, in THEIR hands. It's all wrong. Really wrong.

Goodness, I realize that I sound ticked off with this post. I guess that's because I am. And I think I have the right to be! xo

I will still go hug a tree tomorrow! XO

What a good article Ritchie! And a special thank you for a hyperlink included in the article: http://simmaronresearch.com/2015/09/tea-time-at-simmaron-i-mady-hornig-on-the-peterson-subsets-immune-exhaustion-and-new-gut-findings-in-mecfs/

(My that's long url.)

For this in particular:

In discussion afterward the presentation, Dr. Hornig said she was struggling a bit how to relay ideas of low resilience to stress in ME/CFS some of which low serotonin levels could play a role in without ruffling feathers. Shes certainly not advocating the SNRIs or other antidepressants in ME/CFS. In fact, she noted that she was sure ME/CFS patients were amongst the treatment resistant depression patients shed seen when working as a psychiatrist early in her career. -

I'm that treatment resistant patient. Tid bits like this give me the validation I need to not just disappear because I feel like I am not crazy and alone.

Thanks for the article, Richie! Yeah, the IF is a mighty big one. I see a lot of movement of doctors and others pushing for recognition, but money will be another matter. Do we have a "CFS Foundation" or similar organization that funds research? Maybe it's time for an ice bucket challenge or something.

There are a number of organizations that fund ME/CFS research. In fact most of the funding for research in recent years has come from private sources. That's not true for other illnesses.

It has always bothered me that the main thrust of ME/CFS treatment has been the use of psychoactive drugs. When you have lupus or multiple sclerosis, the doctors don't "treat" you with happy pills or pep pills...instead they focus on alleviating the physical symptoms. I can't help thinking that the foundation of ME/CFS treatment protocols is still based on the unspoken assumption that we're just suffering from a delusion that we're sick.

Maybe that comes from the obsession with blood testing in modern medicine. Blood testing often yields highly ambiguous results and the testing results are often grossly inaccurate. There is a long list of serious illnesses including ME/CFS that don't show up in blood testing.

I always think of that cartoon showing the doctor talking to a nurse at the foot of a hospital bed while looking at a medical chart. The patient has the sheet pulled over his head and a tag tied to his toe. The doctor says..."I don't understand, the blood work looks fine. He shouldn't be dead like this."

Thank you Richie for this post. Yes. I am also happy that some
top researches are shining a light on this illness. The 'if' part
also means it may not move forward as fast as Dr. Lipkin would
want.
I liked reading the comments too after the article.
I know the part about being indoctrinated to believe that
modern medicine finds cures for everything. I am well aware that
it does not. At the same time, it seems like they make some
headway in some areas. They can save peoples' lives if they detect certain cancers early on. They have prolonged peoples; lives
who have AIDS. Obviously, a lot of research was done around
this and people rose up to demand funding which they got.
Also, if they do find what causes this illness, as in
looking for certain pathogens, there is no guarantee that they
will have a cure? Or maybe they will. Overall, I know I do
feel better when I hear that someone like Lipkin is doing
research in the hopes of finding cures. It is far better than
being ignored or dismissed by the mainstream medical
community that's for certain.