The 3rd International ME/CFS Conference

The 3rd International ME/CFS Conference organised by Invest in ME was held in London on 23rd May 2008. The Conference was chaired by Professor Malcolm Hooper, and presenters on the day where: Dr Leonard Jason, Centre for Community Research,Dr Jonathan Kerr, Clinical Research Fellow,Dr Martin Lerner, Infectious Disease Specialist
Dr Julia Newton, Senior Lecturer at the Institue of Cellular Medicine, Newcastle University. Dr John Chia, Infectious Disease Specialist, California, Dr Irving Spurr, GP, Dr Jean Monro, Medical Director of Breakspear Hospital and Dr Judy Mikovits, Research Director at the Whittemore Peterson.

The prevaling thoughts of the day were for the importance of using the correct case definition for diagnosing CFS/ME which should include post exertional malaise and sleep disorders. There were many discussions about the use of anti viral drugs for treatment of ME/CFS. There were also discussions about cardiological and blood pressure problems associated with ME/CFS, in particular myocarditis, hypotension, and POTS. There were also presentations about the role of enteroviruses infection in ME/CFS. The conference was extremely informative and highlights the fact that there is research out there that defines the biomedical markers of ME/CFS. However if your treating physician doesnt know about them or doesnt have the time to check out the research then they will continue to offer 2nd class treatments i.e. CBT or GET.