Is there a connection between Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (Chronic Fatigue Syndrome) and the alien abduction scenario? Investigator Max Burns shares his thoughts and initial findings.

Is there a connection between "Myalgic Encephalomyelitis" or M.E (Chronic Fatigue Syndrome) and the alien abduction scenario? That's quite a big question to ask in these days of ridicule from those who seek to conceal the truth, whatever that truth may be?

"The truth is a three sided blade" - the truth, according to the proETH people; the truth, according to the hard line skeptic's; and the governmental bodies. Somewhere inside all of this the truth may exist, but it all boils down to one thing, the hard line. Skeptics love to quote like a load of Phillip Klass clones ie. "Where's your evidence". Perhaps I may well have discovered some. I will let the readers be the judge of that for now.

It has come to light through my own research into the subject of UFO's & alien abduction and it would appear at first glance that there may well be a link with "Myalgic Encephalomyelitis" (Chronic Fatigue Syndrome) and the alien abduction scenario. I have during the course of my work over the last two years been a friendly ear to an abductee, a thirty-two year old female from the UK who as well as having a long history of medical problems has been diagnosed with M.E. (Chronic Fatigue Syndrome).

Even more interesting is that she is a member of anabductee group that meets once a month in London. This group has 20 members who attend regularly. These people are a fair cross section of the populace that travels from all around the country to the meetings. They are also from different ethnic and cultural backgrounds and all have different doctors.

Although I am good friends with the woman mentioned above I also know other members of this group. About three months ago I was interested to learn that out of the 20 members of the group fourteen members of the group have all been medically diagnosed with "Myalgic Encephalomyelitis" (Chronic Fatigue Syndrome).

After doing some cursory investigation work I have confirmed from B.R.A.M.E. (Blue Ribbon Association Myalgic Encephalomyelitis, a world-wide network for this illness with groups in 18 countries) that the< ME/CFS Charities Alliance CONSIDERS that the report's estimate of 500,000 - 1 million sufferers in the UK (1-2% of the population, ) is a vast overestimate of the true situation. The data used includes studies of patients with chronic fatigue, rather than chronic fatigue syndrome. Out of the total figure about 25% of sufferers are house-bound.

What is CFS? Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) is an emerging illness characterized by debilitating fatigue (experienced as exhaustion and extremely poor stamina), neurological problems and a variety of flu-like symptoms. The illness is also known as chronic fatigue immune dysfunction syndrome (CFIDS) and outside of the USA is usually known as myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME). In the past the syndrome has been known as chronic Epstein-Barr virus (CEBV). The >core symptoms include excessive fatigue, general pain, mental fogginess and often gastrointestinal problems.

Many other symptoms will also be present however they will typically be different among different patients. These include: fatigue following stressful activities, headaches, sore throat; sleep disorders, abnormal temperature and others. The degree of severity can differ widely among patients and will also vary over time for the same patient. Severity can vary between getting unusually fatigued following stressful events to being totally bedridden and completely disabled.

The symptoms will tend to wax and wane over time. This variation, in addition to the fact that the cause of the disease is not yet known, makes this illness difficult to diagnose.

What causes CFS? The cause of the illness is not yet known. Current theories are looking at the possibilities of neuroendocrine dysfunction, viruses, environmental toxins, genetic predisposition, or a combination of these. For a time it was thought that Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV), the cause of mononucleosis, might cause CFS but recent research has discounted this idea. The illness seems to prompt a chronic immune reaction in the body, however it is not clear that this is in response to any actual infection -- this< may only be a dysfunction of the immune system itself.

A recent concept promulgated by Prof. Mark Demitrack is that CFS is a generalized condition which may have any of several causes (in the same way that the condition called high blood pressure is not caused by any one single factor). It is known that stressors, physical or emotional, seems to make CFS worse. Some current research continues to investigate possible viral causes including HHV-6, other herpes viruses, enteroviruses, and retroviruses.

Additionally, co-factors (such as genetic predisposition, stress, environment, gender, age, and prior illness) appear to play an important role in the development and course of the illness. Many medical observers have noted that CFS seems often to be "triggered" by some stressful event, but in all likelihood the condition was latent beforehand. Some people will appear to get CFS following a viral infection, or a head injury, or surgery, excessive use of antibiotics, or some other traumatic event. Yet it's unlikely that these events on their own could be a primary cause.

Is CFS a "real" disease? At this early point many practicing clinicians remain unconvinced that CFS is a genuine illness, although it is slowly increasing in acceptance. The reluctance is due in part to the facts that no specific cause has yet been found, there is no observable marker that doctors can use to specifically identify the illness, and most doctors are not yet familiar with the peer-reviewed research which does tend to legitimize this disease.

Emerging illnesses such as CFS typically go through a period of many years before they are accepted by the medical community, and during that interim time patients who have these new, unproven illnesses are all too often dismissed as being "psychiatric cases". This has been the experience with CFS as well. But many top-level researchers are showing that this is a distinct, organic illness. This includes research by Anthony Komaroff (Harvard), Jay Levy (UCSF), Nancy Klimas (U. Miami), Andrew Lloyd (U. New South Wales), Stephen Straus (NIH), and others.

Who gets CFS? Few studies address this question. Several show that 70 to 80 percent of CFS patients are women, although some researchers say that these are normal figures for any immune-related illness. There are a couple of points here.

1. These figures seem to match up with the male/female ratio of people who claim to have been abducted; 70 to 80 percent are female.

2. The 1-2% of the population which may have CFS also matches the figures postulated by Dr David Jacobs and Bud Hopkins among others that claim that this figure could be a fare representation of the population of the planet that are being abducted.

Are these correlations in the figures just coincidence? Some studies indicate that CFS, is less common among lower income people and minorities, but critics point out that the average CFS patient sees so very many doctors before they can get a diagnosis that only those with great access to medical care get counted in such studies, thus giving a bias with regards to income and race.

NEW ENZYME FOUND IN CFS PATIENTS CFIDS ASSOC OF AMERICA TEMPLE RESEARCHERS DISCOVER NEW HUMAN ENZYME:

A Novel Enzyme Found in CFS Patients May Alter Cellular Processes. Dr. Robert Suhadolnik and his research team at Temple University School of Medicine reported today that studies of patients with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) have led to the identification of a new human enzyme. Suhadolnik, a professor of biochemistry and a member of the university's Fels Institute for Cancer Research and Molecular Biology, says of the new findings: "

We are greatly encouraged by the trend we see. All CFS patients tested have this new enzyme, while none of the healthy controls do." The new findings, reported at a research meeting sponsored by the American Association for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, are based on preliminary data from a limited number of patients. However, larger studies are already underway and have attracted financial support from the National Institutes of Health.

Chronic fatigue syndrome, also known as chronic fatigue and immune dysfunction syndrome (CFIDS), is a complex illness characterized by incapacitating fatigue, neurological problems and a constellation of other debilitating symptoms. The cause of the illness is unknown and, since no drug has been found to be effective against CFS, treatment is limited to alleviating the symptoms.

CFS affects at least 500,000 American adults and children. The newly discovered enzyme may explain common observations in patients with CFS: an inability to control common viruses (like Epstein-Barr virus and human herpes virus and an inability to maintain cellular energy. According to Suhadolnik, the viral pathway in which this newly discovered protein is active, known as the RNase L antiviral pathway, may control both processes. "This new enzyme in CFS may not function as well as the normal RNase L found in healthy people. It may explain why CFS patients' bodies have a hard time maintaining the energy necessary for cellular growth. We are hopeful that ongoing further studies will lead to a better understanding of some other processes at work in this puzzling illness."