Time for a real disease to get real funding
Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) patients gained traction last week when the National Institutes of Health announced plans to increase research funding for this poorly understood disease. In addition to combatting this debilitating disease, these patients continue to battle for recognition that myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) is in fact a real disease. The CDC estimates that more than one million Americans may have ME/CFS—more than double the patient populations of similarly disabling diseases such as multiple sclerosis or Lyme disease. Disease symptoms include flu-like ailments, pain, cognitive problems, and persistent exhaustion, and the varied spectrum of manifestations has contributed to the difficulty in identifying the cause of this disease. Researchers at Stanford have independently initiated a study to comprehensively analyze patients for factors that could help diagnose ME/CFS, as well as discover the roots of the disease.
![By NASA/SDO/AIA [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons](https://blog.chembio.info/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/512px-The_sun_erupted_with_an_X1.7-class_solar_flare_on_May_12_2013-300x300.jpg)
Staring at the sun is irresistible in this film from NASA
On a literally lighter note, NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) is a precautionary measure to aid the prediction and understanding of impending solar flares, which can disrupt electronics and possibly even be threatening to Earth. In the meantime, however, SDO is capturing this mesmerizing light show.
Image courtesy of NASA/SDO/AIA [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons