With our M.E/CFS event coming up this weekend we wanted to share 12 quick facts about this debilitating chronic illness that is affecting millions in the world yet is not spoken about nor understood enough about.

1. M.E is estimated to affect 250,000 people in the UK – including children and adolescents.
2. M.E has a unique and defining feature known as post-exertional malaise – a delayed exacerbation of symptoms which follows even a minor mental or physical exertion.
3. M.E is classified by the World Health Organisation (WHO) as a neurological disease.
4. Researchers of M.E have found significant abnormalities in the central nervous system, immune system, endocrine system and muscle tissue.
5. The NICE clinical guideline for M.E / CFS is currently being re-written amidst complaints about it being unfit for purpose. The revised NICE guideline will be published in October 2020.
6. There is no medical test for M.E / CFS. It is currently a diagnosis of exclusion, once all other possible causes of symptoms are eliminated.
7. Researchers at Stanford University are currently working on a blood test to diagnose M.E. The test, in early pilot phases, measures how a person’s immune system responds to stress.
8. Around 25% of M.E sufferers are severely affected; they can be housebound or bedbound, and often require a wheelchair to mobilise.
9. In most cases, M.E can be linked to a viral infection from which people do not seem to be able to recover.
10. M.E is a fluctuating condition; the symptoms can vary in form and intensity throughout the day, from week to week.
11. There is no curative treatment of M.E – although several drugs are being assessed in clinical trials.
12. M.E is more common than Multiple Sclerosis, yet little to no funding is given by the NHS.

We are aiming to bring awareness about this particular condition and will be exploring routes for recovery in our event this weekend! We cannot wait! We have a whole host of health care professionals coming to impart wisdom along with sufferers such as myself who have come on leaps and bounds in their recovery through diet and lifestyle interventions.