On Friday, May 26th, New York State (NYS) Health Commissioner Dr. Howard Zucker emailed a letter regarding Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME) to eighty-five thousand physicians in NYS. In the letter he describes the illness, encourages physicians to consider ME as part of a differential diagnosis when evaluating patients with symptoms, and refers readers to Jen Brea’s
Back in February 2017, Senator Ed Markey (D-MA) publicly announced at a packed town hall meeting that he would advocate for ME. A few short months later, he did just that! His first act as an ME advocate was to sponsor a Congressional Briefing on Capitol Hill on May 18th. The briefing — which included
Timbre Livesay and Mary Dimmock contributed to this article. This is an outline of the steps a California ME advocate, Mark Camenzind, took for getting city proclamations for ME. Below the steps is a template you can use for your own city proclamation. Feel free to adapt either for your city’s needs. As this is
Rivka Solomon and Mary Dimmock contributed to this article This document includes the steps ME advocates are taking to get a State Resolution for ME passed in their State House (aka State Assembly or State Legislature). It also includes a draft template of a resolution for you to use in your state. Why pursue a state
“I read an early version of Through the Shadowlands while I was driving around the country, tent in my rental car, terrified that something inexplicable was wrong with me, convinced that I was losing my mind. Julie Rehmeyer’s book showed me that I wasn’t.
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Recently, #MEAction sat down with Julie Rehmeyer to discuss her new book Through the Shadowlands, her op-ed in the New York Times with David Tuller, and next steps. What made you embark on a project like Through the Shadowlands? I’m a writer, and it was a big experience I was going through, having ME. It
Toronto: #MillionsMissing activists attended their federal health minister’s “meet-and-greet” on Jan. 14th to ask the health minister to respond publicly to their request that she announce Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME) is a biological – and not psychological – illness. This tactic to pin down an official with a specific question in a public venue is called
Bird-dog: (verb) search out or pursue with dogged determination. Contact with elected officials at town hall meetings cannot be overvalued. Handfuls of bird-doggers attend meetings around the country and change the course of history everyday. Never heard of bird-dogging? Bird-dogging is a strategy used by activists who seek out elected officials, pin them down with
A member of the Shaw family reads their testimony during the comment period at the January CFSAC meeting: Good afternoon. I have had untreated ME/CFS for 38 years. Our testimony today is on the topic of the Center for Diseases Control’s (CDC) CFS group. The 2015 National Academy of Medicine report characterizes post-exertional malaise, or
