Thanks to Amy D., Co-Leader of the Bergen County (NJ) Fibromyalgia Support Group, for the great idea of asking people to forward an Awareness Day email!

To spread awareness of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Fibromyalgia Syndrome we ask that you copy the text below and paste it into an email, and send it to as many people as you can.

(If you have difficulty with copying and pasting the text below, just let us know. We will be glad to email a copy of this letter to you so you can forward it. Send your request to: info@chargeinc.org.)

In the subject line of your email:

May 12th is Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Fibromyalgia Syndrome Awareness Day

In the body of your email:

Please take a few minutes to read the information below.

Chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia syndrome are chronic illnesses that affect the lives of people worldwide. The causes of these debilitating illnesses are unknown.

We want you to know the names of these illnesses because without your recognition we will never be heard.

We want you to understand some of our symptoms; otherwise no one will know how they affect our lives every day.

We want you to see our need for more research into these illnesses; without more research we will not find out what causes these complex illnesses, we will never have effective treatments, and there will never be a cure.

Please forward this email to as many people as you can; help us get the word out.

Chronic fatigue immune dysfunction syndrome (CFIDS) affects more than 830,00 people in the United States (422 people per 100,000), the majority of them women (522 women per 100,000, 291 men per 100,000). That's more women affected than the following three illnesses combined:

Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (12 women per 100,000),
Breast cancer (26 women per 100,000) and
Lung cancer (33 women per 100,000).
(See source #1 below.)

CFIDS patients suffer from severe chronic fatigue lasting six months or longer, substantial impairment in short-term memory or concentration; sore throat; muscle pain; multi-joint pain without swelling or redness; headaches; unrefreshing sleep; and post-exertional malaise lasting more than 24 hours. (#2)

There are many other symptoms that patients may have, which can come and go at any time with varying severity. Among these symptoms are: abdominal pain & bloating, chest pain, chronic cough, diarrhea, dizziness, dry eyes or mouth, earaches, irregular heartbeat, jaw pain, morning stiffness, nausea, night sweats, psychological problems (depression, irritability, anxiety, panic attacks), shortness of breath, skin sensations, tingling sensations, and weight loss. (#2)

Fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) is considered a "common condition" and it affects "approximately two percent of the U.S. population. It occurs seven times more frequently in women than in men."(#3) FMS is the second most common rheumatic condition, after osteoarthritis. (#4)

"Fibromyalgia, sometimes called fibrositis, …is associated with widespread aching, stiffness and fatigue, and originates in muscles and soft tissues. People with fibromyalgia are found to have multiple tender points in specific muscle areas. Most individuals complain of aching and stiffness in areas around the neck, shoulders, upper back, lower back and hip areas. Many patients have no underlying disorders while others who develop fibromyalgia may have conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis, spinal arthritis or Lyme disease. Some people have symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome, tension headaches and numbness or tingling of the extremities." (#3)

To see how these symptoms are affecting the lives of people with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Fibromyalgia Syndrome check out New York Support Network's Impact Book web pages: http://nysn.org

If you want to help, contact your Senators and Representative and ask that they:

a.) direct their attention to chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia syndrome,
b.) support more funding for research into these illnesses.

Directions for finding addresses for your Senators and Representative, as well as a sample letter you can send, can be found on the CHARGE, Inc. web site:

http://chargeinc.org/letterwriting.html

If you would like more information on CFIDS and FMS just let us know!

Please forward this email to as many people as you can.

Thank You,

CHARGE, Inc.
Email: info@chargeinc.org
Web: http://chargeinc.org

CHARGE, Inc.
PO Box 1085
Pearl River, NY 10965-0604
USA

Sources: (#1) Jason, LA, Richman JA, et al. A Community-Based Study of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. AMA Archives of Internal Medicine. 1999;159:2129-2137.

(#2) Information from the United States Center for Disease Control and Prevention's web site: http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/diseases/cfs/info.htm

(#3) Information from the American College of Rheumatology web site: http://www.rheumatology.org/patients/factsheet/fibromya.html

(#4) Yahoo PR Newswire: http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/010501/latu109.html

A copy of this letter can be found on our web site at:

http://chargeinc.org/advocacyemail.html