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Chronic fatigue syndrome may have a post-viral infection origin

medicalxpress.com

101–110 of 348 posts

Re: Chronic fatigue syndrome may have a post-viral infection origin

#101

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You could be completely right in some cases, but the way you present this is completely disregarding a professional researcher, peer reviewed and published paper, and honestly quite decent pop sci writeup. I don't think that level of dismissal is fair or respectful unless you accompany it with a relevant criticism of the research itself.

>completely disregarding a professional researcher, peer reviewed and published paper As someone who used to be on the track to academia, this is something that more people should do. Most published research is false, and even most of the correct stuff is useless. I'd go so far as to say any research that hasn't directly lead to at least a physical demo being produced can be safely ignored.

I have a similar experience in my industry. Thousands of publications each year from academia totalling billions of dollars in funding with nearly none of it mattering at all. I've lost track of how many times I read a great title to find it had absolutely nothing of value outside of the researcher getting to aggregate some key words for their profile. It's baaaad.

There are some occasional gems, but it's like a handful per decade that are of true value with the rest not even worth the kB they take up in storage.

I may sound bitter, but when I see the government dollars announced it makes me cringe a little bit as I know there are so many better places for that money.

Re: Chronic fatigue syndrome may have a post-viral infection origin

#102
post #27

Largely unrelated, but the thing which leaves me feeling most wiped-out is playing (modern) computer games. I've cut them out completely, as they have no positive benefits and leave me listless and unmotivated.

> as they have no positive benefits

Hopefully you at least enjoyed playing them?

Re: Chronic fatigue syndrome may have a post-viral infection origin

#103
post #5

I was always under the impression that CFS was a non-specfic set of symptoms; a kind of catch-all categorical bucket for an unknown condition. If that's true, then that post-viral infection origin seems misleading.

MD here - I'd disagree. Although I've heard the same take from many other phsyicisans! Anyone who has worked with the condition (I've had 100s of CFSers by now) knows it's a pretty distinct syndrome. The CFS push-crash cycle especially is quite distinct.

Isn't the push-crash cycle pretty common in people that don't have CFS also?

Re: Chronic fatigue syndrome may have a post-viral infection origin

#105
post #12

[flagged]

Please think before you write, this is extremely offensive.

It's not a offensive to portray objective reality. People can and often do overreact and fake symptoms. This is just how it is. Why would that offend anyone?

The alternative to this is burying your head in the sand and saying we should take everyone at their word. This would result in a WORSE outcome for people that actually have the issues you're so worried about because the data would be skewed.

Maybe you ought to do the thinking, instead of emotionally reacting?

Re: Chronic fatigue syndrome may have a post-viral infection origin

#107

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You could be completely right in some cases, but the way you present this is completely disregarding a professional researcher, peer reviewed and published paper, and honestly quite decent pop sci writeup. I don't think that level of dismissal is fair or respectful unless you accompany it with a relevant criticism of the research itself.

>completely disregarding a professional researcher, peer reviewed and published paper As someone who used to be on the track to academia, this is something that more people should do. Most published research is false, and even most of the correct stuff is useless. I'd go so far as to say any research that hasn't directly lead to at least a physical demo being produced can be safely ignored.

> As someone who used to be on the track to academia, this is something that more people should do.

You're right, and akdor1154 already addressed this in the same breath:

> I don't think that level of dismissal is fair or respectful unless you accompany it with a relevant criticism of the research itself.

Emphasis mine.

Re: Chronic fatigue syndrome may have a post-viral infection origin

#108

Earlier quoted context omitted.

MD here - I'd disagree. Although I've heard the same take from many other phsyicisans! Anyone who has worked with the condition (I've had 100s of CFSers by now) knows it's a pretty distinct syndrome. The CFS push-crash cycle especially is quite distinct.

Isn't the push-crash cycle pretty common in people that don't have CFS also?

No, in that for people who are fully healthy, they don't have periods of avoiding exertion due to fatigue, which precedes the push in the push-crash cycle. People with well-balanced health and energy can certainly over-exert themselves, but it's not a common cyclical pattern for them characterized by the push happening when some recovery from fatigue occurs.

Re: Chronic fatigue syndrome may have a post-viral infection origin

#110

[flagged]

The reason folks are unhappy with your take is that many people are personally adversely affected by doctors and others ignoring their physical symptoms. It's worth looking up Stephanie Aston of New Zealand, who just died at age 33; she apparently had Ehlers-Danlos syndrome. Several doctors told her she was faking her juvenile arthritis etc.

People like accusing others of faking their symptoms because it allows the accuser to avoid moral injury from doing nothing to help or even just the discomfort of witnessing the suffering of others with empathy.

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