| The XMRV virus - what is it? | | | | the cells of CFS patients but the actual virus |
| X - Xenotropic | | | | wasn't described. |
| M - Murine leukemia virus | | | | It's just a start. |
| R - Related | | | | Other viruses could still play a part but this is |
| V - Virus | | | | promising. More research will still need to be done |
| Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Fibromyalgia have | | | | to confirm the part that it plays in this illness and |
| been largely dismissed by the medical community | | | | to understand the full effects of this virus in |
| as either the "yuppie flu" or a mysterious disease | | | | general. The virus leads to immune dysfunction by |
| based largely on the imagination of neurotic | | | | damaging an antiviral pathway in the body. |
| depressed women. This has lead thousands of | | | | Considering that Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue |
| women on a quest to find a doctor, any doctor, | | | | have been described as autoimmune diseases it's |
| that will listen to them when they say they are | | | | very possible that the XMRV is responsible. I hope |
| sick. | | | | that the funding dollars will be there so that this |
| Staggering figures. | | | | valuable research can continue. |
| A study recently published found the retrovirus in | | | | Is it contagious? What can help? |
| 67% of patients with Chronic Fatigue. Later on | | | | XMRV is thought to be transmitted through bodily |
| the researchers reported 95% of the patients | | | | fluids. That would make it infectious but genes and |
| tested positive with antibody testing. Also it was | | | | other predisposing factors appear to play a role in |
| suggested that 10 million Americans may carry | | | | actually getting sick. Low dose naltrexone has |
| this recently discovered retrovirus. | | | | been used in treatment with the retrovirus that |
| A veritable cornucopia of viruses. | | | | causes AIDS. There are not a lot of side effects |
| Chronic fatigue and Fibromyalgia have long been | | | | and has been used in the treatment of Chronic |
| associated with all types of viruses including, | | | | fatigue. |
| Epstein-Barr, cytomegalovirus, Coxsackie viruses, | | | | After years of doctors saying that we're crazy |
| echoviruses, enterviruses and parvovirus B19. | | | | maybe there now might just be an answer so |
| From the very beginning it has been suspected | | | | Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue will have the |
| that a retrovirus was involved. As early as 1986 | | | | validation of the medical community at large. |
| an immunovirologist described retroviral activity in | | | | |