The Environmental Illness Resource Blog from Maff

The Perrin Technique for the Treatment of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Matthew Hogg BSc (Hons) — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 14:21:04 +0100

Myalgic Encephalomyelitis or Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) is something of a family "tradition". Besides myself, both my mother and sister are also long-term survivors of this devastating illness.

We have all tried countless treatments and therapies over the years, some have helped, most have not. B...

5 Top Treatments For Multiple Chemical Sensitivity

Matthew Hogg BSc (Hons) — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 18:40:13 +0100

After the initial bewilderment and panic of becoming sensitive to what were previously harmless everyday items and environments, everyone who suffers from multiple chemica...

New Year's Resolutions and Invisible Illness

Matthew Hogg BSc (Hons) — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 18:46:11 +0100

Let's face it - New Year's resolutions are hard to keep at the best of times. We all confidently list the vices we'll give up or positive life changes we'll make over the coming year with the best of intentions and (in most cases) a genuine desire to follow through. But I think most people will agree that after...

Lost Youth and Lost Lives: The Devastating Consequences of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Matthew Hogg BSc (Hons) — Sun, 18 Dec 2011 15:34:34 +0100

This week the online medical journal BMJ Open published a study whose findings re-opened old wounds and caused me great dismay. The study looked at every pupil between the ages of 11 and 16 at three high schools in Engl...

Mindfulness for Chronic Illness: Think Less, Do More!

Matthew Hogg BSc (Hons) — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 13:40:23 +0100

As someone who has suffered from chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) for over two decades from the young age of 11 I have come to see that we need to use every tool at our disposal to help us manage chronic illness and live life to its fullest. Starting around 10 years ago a began flirting with various forms of meditation and e...

GcMAF as Treatment for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Myalgic Encephalomyelitis and Related Conditions

Matthew Hogg BSc (Hons) — Sat, 19 Nov 2011 14:18:45 +0100

Thanks to my younger sister Lindsay, who like me is a long-term chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) survivior, for pointing me in the direction of GcMAF; I am so busy with this website and other things at the moment that my time and energy reserves aren't stretching to as much research and general Googl...

Environmental Illness Safe Housing Charity to Hold Fund-Raising Auction

Matthew Hogg BSc (Hons) — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 17:06:50 +0100

For those who have not come across Re|shelter before it is s a non-profit, charitable 501(c)3 organization founded to address the urgent need for housing alternatives for people with environmental illnesses such as multiple chemical sensitivity (MCS), sick building...

XMRV and CFS: Time to put things in context

Matthew Hogg BSc (Hons) — Sun, 25 Sep 2011 20:29:51 +0100

The mainstream media this week have been reporting on events that effectively put the final nail in the coffin of the purported association between the XMRV retrovirus and myalgic encephalomyelitis / chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS). Here in the UK the BBC ran a major article in the health section of th...

Causes of Multiple Chemical Sensitivity: Some You May Not Have Thought About

Matthew Hogg BSc (Hons) — Mon, 08 Aug 2011 13:53:32 +0100

Multiple Chemical Sensitivity (MCS) is estimated to affect up to 15% of the population in the US and other industrialised nations (1), yet research into why people develop this hypersensitivity to chemicals is sorely lacking. Currently we have mainly animal testing and studies involving small numbers of participants diagnosed with MCS to...

Noetic Science and Holistic Health

Matthew Hogg BSc (Hons) — Sun, 31 Jul 2011 17:17:49 +0100

Suffering with environmental illness is a huge struggle, not only in terms of dealing with the dibilitating symptoms themselves but also the lack of healthcare provision and the way we are regarding with suspicion by doctors and even our friends and family. Finding ourselves in this situation though does have its up s...

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Guidelines for Doctors Still Exhibit Ignorance and Misinformation

Matthew Hogg BSc (Hons) — Mon, 18 Jul 2011 12:23:13 +0100

In 1991 I was diagnosed with Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (M.E.) following a two day stay in hospital for a battery of tests. The diagnosis of M.E. was given by my GP and hospital specialists. It's funny then that the latest guidelines to doctors from the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) here in...

Health Dangers of EMF Exposure: Help us Fight for Action

Matthew Hogg BSc (Hons) — Mon, 04 Jul 2011 13:05:46 +0100

The other day I was contacted by new EiR member Emfsafety100 about the potential dangers the electromagnetic fields (EMFs) from our modern technology, such as power lines, wireless internet and cell/mobile phones, pose to human health and also to wildlife.

Emfsafety100 reported coming across the global non-profit or...

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome in the Family: Same Diagnosis, Different Symptoms

Matthew Hogg BSc (Hons) — Sat, 25 Jun 2011 15:35:06 +0100

As a family of four, three of us have been diagnosed with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) and Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME). Myself, my mother and my younger sister. My mother and I were diagnosed in 1991 when I was aged 12 and she was 39. My sister became ill when she was 15/16 years old in 1998.

Causes Of Sleep Problems You May Not Have Considered If You Have Environmental Illnesses

Matthew Hogg BSc (Hons) — Sun, 19 Jun 2011 19:34:16 +0100

Sleep problems are common among the general population but particularly so among those suffering from 'environmental', or 'invisible', illnesses such as chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), fibromyalgia (FMS) and multiple chemical sensitivity (MCS). Everyone will be familiar with common causes of in...

Science and Spirituality: Embrace both when dealing with chronic illness

Matthew Hogg BSc (Hons) — Fri, 20 May 2011 12:32:38 +0100

Albert Einstein is my kind of guy. Although undeniably one of the greatest scientists who ever lived, he did not see the world simply through the narrow focus of physics. Although his views on religion and the existence of God are far from clear...due in no small part to his (I suspect deliberately) ambiguous comments on these subjects, he appears to ha...

Salt water as effective as antibacterial wipes

Matthew Hogg BSc (Hons) — Wed, 11 May 2011 17:57:43 +0100

I stumbled across an interesting snippet in a science magazine the other day about a study conducted by researchers at the University of Alberta, Canada. The scientists had observed that hospital staff habitually give surfaces only a single quick wipe with antibacterial products in order to disinfect them. They w...

Visible Signs of Invisible Illnesses

Matthew Hogg BSc (Hons) — Fri, 08 Apr 2011 18:23:55 +0100

Those of us affected by what are frequently referred to as 'Invisible Illnesses' - chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), fibromyalgia (FMS), multiple chemical sensitivity (MCS) etc - are constantly frustrated by the fact that we feel lousy, yet appear perfectly healthy to the casual observer i.e. our friends and relatives.

Perhaps even more frustrating is that to the eye of the conventionally-trained doctor we also show no signs of illness, leading many to assume it's all in our heads and...

Faecal Transplants and Human Probiotic Infusions (HPI): Mainstream Media Attention

Matthew Hogg BSc (Hons) — Mon, 28 Mar 2011 17:25:55 +0100

Most people suffering from environmental illnesses experience gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms of some kind, or show other signs that something is not quite right in the gut. Perhaps tests such as a comprehensive digestive stool analysis (CDSA), or equivalent, reveal an imbalance in the normal balance of bacteria, yeast, and other microbes that is essential for overall health.

Research has revealed pathological changes in the composition of the gut flora (gut dysbiosis) in irritable bowe...

Policy on Lyme Disease and Tick-Borne Infections: A Community Agenda

Matthew Hogg BSc (Hons) — Fri, 25 Mar 2011 11:29:58 +0100

The following is the Preface and Introduction to an extensive 26 page article on Lyme disease and tick-borne infections (TBIs) by Kate Bloor (followed by a link to the full article in PDF format).

Kate argues that a coordina...

Genes and Personality: An Introspective Exploration

Matthew Hogg BSc (Hons) — Mon, 07 Mar 2011 12:40:03 +0100

After being chronically ill for 20 years, having been diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) at the young age of 11, I have grown increasingly interested in psychology and particularly the traits required to survive an illness t...