Mark your calendars!

Moses Cone Hospital AHEC Building

MARCH 10: Guest Speaker: Sallie Nay on "Immune System Support"

APRIL 14: General Discussion

Burlington Group 1st Mon. of mo., Faith UMC: Myra Jackson (336) 229-7818

Winston-Salem Group2nd Thursday of mo. (336-723-7624) (http://www.cfsfms.freeservers.com )

******* To subscribe to the 2003 BRAINSTORMS Newsletter, please send a check for $15 made payable to the Greensboro CFS/FMS Support Group, and mail to Treasurer, Marvina Powers, 107 Wall Ave., Thomasville, NC 27360. This is a year's subscription to the newsletter. Newsletter Subscription Renewal ... Please check your address label or checkbook entry to see when your BRAINSTORMS subscription expires. If you can't remember, just give Marvina Powers, Treasurer, a call at 336-476-8933, so your subscription continues uninterrupted.

ONE WHO CARED MEMORIAL

Our friend and former Physician/Patient Liaison, Melinda Vadas. Melinda was one of God's gifts to us all, as she helped many suffering CFIDS/MCS/MS patients dealing with illness, domestic violence, stigma, and poverty. A courageous, unflinching advocate for those suffering, she will be remembered as our friend. She went "home" on November 24th, 2002. Gifts of remembrance in her name may be given to National CFIDS Foundation www.ncf-net.org or the Greensboro Support Group. Dr. Vadas, Doctor of Philosophy, former college professor, international journal article author, CFIDS/MCS patient for 38 years, may you mount up with wings like an eagle. We salute you for the life you lived to relieve suffering. Your memory will always be a gift to our hearts. - The patients, members of our support group, friends, doctors, lawyers, ministers you impacted with your life.

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WHAT DOES THE BREAKTHROUGH MEAN? A short excerpt from the Winter 2002-2003 The National Forum, "Usually, when one thinks of ciguatera poisoning, it is from a one-time incident that involved ingesting some fish that was poisonous so you end up with an abrupt and terrible case of food poisoning... However, the discovery of a toxin in ME/CFIDS is not, in most instances, from a one-time incidence but is being manufactured by a disease process! If this sounds strange, it is because, before now, nobody ever thought a disease could actually produce a poison in the body, but that is exactly what is happening in ME/CFIDS!"

For Late-Breaking News on NCF's Research on Ciguatera testing for CFS patients and other information, visit their website: http://www.NCF-NET.org

By Perry Beeman, DesMoines Register Staff Writer 12/01/02

Ames, IA: University and government scientists studying health threats associated with agricultural pollution say they are harassed by farmers and trade groups and silenced by superiors afraid to offend the powerful industry.

The heat comes from individual farmers, commodity groups and the U. S. Department of Agriculture, which finances and controls much of the research.

And the pressure is growing, some scientists say.

"It's rampant," said JoAnn Burkholder, an acclaimed aquatic botanist trained at Iowa State University who received death threats after warning North Carolina parents not to let their children wade in a manure-polluted stream.

Scientists in Iowa and other states say that the USDA kills controversial research by forcing it through an extended approval process. The agency also keeps researchers from publicizing sensitive findings in scientific journals and at public meetings and cooperates with industry groups to suppress research results that don't meet the groups' satisfaction, they charge.

Such pressure tactics have been reported in the tobacco, pharmaceutical and oil industries. But they are every bit as intense, if not more so, in the agricultural arena:

Bosses told James Zahn, a former federal swine researcher in Ames, that he couldn't publish his findings that air emissions from hog confinements contained potentially health-threatening antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

They wouldn't let him speak to citizens groups about the study after pork producers questioned the appearances. The work, they said, didn't fit the lab's mission... - NCCIN

WSU Biochemist Suggests Vicious Chemical Cycle May Cause MCS

News Bureau, Washington State University

Pullman, WA 99164-1040 E-mail: wsunews@wsu.edu

In the United States about 10 million people are afflicted by severe multiple chemical sensitivity. Many MCS sufferers give up air travel, some must find new work places or move out of their homes to avoid exposure to certain chemicals. For them, grocery shopping in the detergent aisle or attending events where someone may wear perfume is risky. MCS symptoms, which may last for hours or days, include pain - severe headaches and pain in joints and muscles - fatigue, dizziness and an impaired ability to think clearly.

The onset of this chronic condition can usually be traced back to an exposure to certain chemicals. But why the initial exposure results in an often life-long, incurable condition has been a mystery. In an article published in the September 2002 issue of the prestigious publication of the Federation of American Societies of Experimental Biology, "The FASEB Journal," Washington State University biochemist Martin Pall suggests that a vicious chemical cycle may be to blame.

Pall's new theory is a fusion of two previous theories about MCS. One of these, proposed by Pall earlier, states that MCS is produced by excessive levels of two chemicals in the body - nitric oxide and its oxidant product - peroxynitrite. He suggested certain mechanisms act to keep levels of the two compounds elevated, thus producing chronic changes. The second theory was proposed by Iris Bell, M.D., Ph.D. of the University of Arizona. She proposed that the central mechanism in MCS is neural sensitization in the brain.

"What my article reports," said Pall, "Is that if you assume both previous theories are correct, you come up with a fusion that explains all the most puzzling features of MCS. It explains why MCS is induced by a previous chemical exposure and why MCS sufferers show such a high level of sensitivity to a wide range of organic chemicals."

Paul cites many studies that suggest that the initial chemical exposure creates a hypersensitivity in the neurons in the brain, which react by creating the two chemicals that cause further hypersensitivity. "Ordinarily, these activities are highly regulated, acting only on specific synapses in the brain where they are involved in learning and memory. The MCS response is produced," said Pall, "when chemical exposure produces excessive responses over large regions of the brain. In this way, normal and important mechanisms may act to generate this chronic illness. Thus, not only is the brain constantly inundated by chemicals to which it is normally somewhat sensitive, but the brain of a person suffering from MCS becomes abnormally sensitive to the chemicals - from 100 to 1,000 times more sensitive than in an unaffected person." Two other mechanisms contribute to the sensitivity by allowing the offending chemicals to accumulate to higher levels in the brains of MCS people.

MCS has overlaps with other medical conditions of uncertain mechanism including chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia posttraumatic stress disorder, and Gulf War syndrome. Pall has proposed similar mechanisms for all of the se conditions. "The notion that a biochemical vicious cycle may underlie all four is very exciting and, if correct, suggests that this is a major new paradigm of human disease."

Interrupting this cycle may be the key to effective MCS treatment, said Pall.

Pall's article is available on the Web at

Access to this site is free to members of the Federation of American Societies of Experimental Biology; others must pay a $7 access fee. - NCCIN

The Crazy English Language (we love it, don't we?-Ed.)

* The farm was used to produce produce.

* He could lead if he would get the lead out.

* When shot at, the dove dove into the bushes.

* The insurance was invalid! for the invalid.

* They were too close to the door to close it.

* The buck does funny things when the does are present.

*After a number of injections my jaw got number.

*Upon seeing the tear in the painting I shed a tear.

*I had to subject the subject to a series of tests.

*If a vegetarian eats vegetables, what does a humanitarian eat?

- Submitted by Timothy Grosse

The Federal Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registries (ATSDR) has awarded research grants to 5 investigators to evaluate possible environmental risk factors for multiple sclerosis and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) in several communities in the U.S. located near hazardous waste sites. ATSDR, toll-free, at 1-888-422-8737

e-mail at ATSDRIC@cdc.gov, or www.atsdr.cdc.gov.

SSI and/or SSDI recipients often have concerns about the impact returning to work may have on their benefits. Work incentives such as trial work period (TWP), substantial gainful activity (SGA), impairment related work expenses (IRWE), and Pass (Plan for Achieving Self Sufficiency) can be explored with a benefits specialist at the BPAO community organization...free and confidential. To locate your local BPAO organization:

For more detailed information on the BPAO program, check out

The Beaumont Foundation will be giving our almost $400 million in computer equipment starting in 2003. Information on individual grants is also online but persons interested in those grants should apply by calling 1-866-505-2667. Please note that persons with disabilities and those who are homebound because of disability or illness are especially encouraged to apply for these individual grants.

email to: nhernandez@brntfoundation.com - CO-CURE.org

VALENTINE'S DAY?

Enabling Romance: A Guide to Love, Sex, and Relationships for People with Disabilities (and the People Who Care About Them) by Ken Kroll and Erica Levy Klein. Amazon.com

An Electrical Sensitivity (ES) Fact Sheet - November 2002

Electrical Sensitivity (ES) is an environmental illness caused by exposures to electromagnetic fields (EMFs). EMF sources include power lines, electrical appliances, TVs, VCRs, computers, cell phones, fluorescent lighting, automotive electrical systems, etc. ES can be mild or severe, chronic or acute.

What causes ES? ES can be initiated by exposures to EMF sources, such as prolonged computer use, or by exposures to toxic chemicals such as pesticides and solvents. Those already weakened by MCS (Multiple Chemical Sensitivity), Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Fibromyalgia, Gulf War Syndrome, etc., are at greater risk to become EMF sensitive.

ES and MCS appear to be synergistic; i.e., neurological damage from toxic chemical exposures may compromise a person's ability to tolerate electromagnetic fields, and neurological damage from electromagnetic fields may compromise a person's ability to tolerate neurotoxic chemicals. ES and MCS appear to affect the same areas of the brain.

What are the symptoms of ES? The symptoms of ES vary considerably, depending on the intensity of the exposure and the susceptibility of the individual. Symptoms can include fatigue, mental confusion, headache, memory loss, nausea, dizziness, rash, burning sensations, insomnia, sweating, tremors, chest pains, heart palpitations, convulsions, etc.

Although ES is not a mental or psychosomatic illness, EMF radiation can cause psychological symptoms such as anxiety, irritability, depression, and mood swings.

How can ES be treated? Avoidance of electromagnetic fields is the most effective therapy for ES. Consultation with a physician who specializes in environmental illnesses may be necessary, since conventional physicians usually are not familiar with electrical injury or radiation sickness. A person with ES should have his house measured for EMFs to detect faulty wiring, faulty grounding, and other EMF problems. The extremely sensitive person with ES may need to move to a more remote area to avoid electromagnetic pollution.

As per Arthur Firstenberg in the Lapis News, August 2001, "There are various measures one may take, at home, to minimize one's personal exposure to EMFs, and to protect oneself against their effects. For example, fermented live foods such as yogurt, sauerkraut, and miso, are said to be protective against all forms of ionizing and non-ionizing radiation.

- ShareCarePrayer.org

DUES DUE: Please remember to send your $15 group membership and subscription renewal for 2003, made payable to Greensboro CFIDS/FMS/MCS Support Group, 107 Wall Ave., Thomasville, NC 27360.

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Attend your support meetings and bring a friend.

Place: Moses Cone Hospital, AHEC Wing

Time: 2nd Monday 7PM of every month on your calendar. We need each other!

Given by Dr. Walter Ward, Winston-Salem, and Dr. Robert Taylor, Durham, the intravenous vitamin-and-mineral formula, Myers Cocktail, contains magnesium, calcium, B vitamins and vitmain C, and has been found effective against acute asthma attacks, migraines, chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, acute muscle spasm, URI's, chronic sinusitis, cardiovascular and other disorders. -- Eds. Note:I have one monthly and it helps:0)