The jury trying former Mayor of Sefton John Walker and his wife Catie is due to resume its deliberations today. 

OSCR has begun to publish details of charities that have failed to provide it with Annual Returns and accounts. 

The CFS Name Change Advisory Board (NCAB) has amended its initial proposal and now recommends that the name for ‘chronic fatigue syndrome’ be changed to the acronym ME/CFS. (Note: Many illnesses are known by their acronym - e.g., HIV.) The resolution modifies their earlier recommendation that the 'ME' in ME/CFS should stand for Myalgic Encephalopathy.

ME Series

You & Yours (Mon - Fri 12.04– just before 1pm) and Case Notes (Tues 9– 9.30, repeat Wed 4.30 – 5.00pm).

Australian occupational therapist Priscilla Ling has launched a new website containing practical hints for those with ME/CFS.

Cookery journalist and author Grace Cheetham has a new cookbook out - full of recipes for people who suffer from allergies and food intolerances.

The 44 page October issue of ME Essential is now available.

The ME Association recently received an email from the One Click  Group asking for a contribution towards the costs of bringing a legal action for judicial review of the NICE Guideline on CFS/ME. The Association has been asked by members for its view on whether such a contribution should be made.

The Health Select Committee of the House of Commons will hold its final day of evidence in its inquiry into the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) on Thursday, November 8.

A former mayor and his wife were accused of swindling benefits because of political grudge against him, a court heard yesterday (October 24).

In view of questions being asked, and the absence of any public statement, The ME Association asked the Charity Commission (CC) a number of questions last week regarding the decision to dissolve the MEACH TRUST charity on 21 August 2007.

In Parliament, October 19
Answer to written question to the Health Secretary about specialist services for ME/CFS

A few months ago The ME Association started receiving queries about the medicinal claims being made for a product called Activive that was being sold over the internet.

From the October issue of The ME Association's quarterly magazine, ME Essential, published this weekend.

An artist, poet and teacher who went down with ME has opened an online art gallery to show his work. 

From the October issue of The ME Association's quarter magazine, ME Essential, published this weekend.

A total of 25 ME charities and groups have now signed up to a statement repudiating the NHS Pus occupational health guidance for ME/CFS as "insulting to many people with this illness who have fought tooth and nail to keep their jobs and tried everything to get better". 

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Reading area ME Support Group and West Berkshire ME/CFS and FM Group tell us:

For some years, we have been pressing for improvements in the care available to patients. 

Photo by Jeremy James

The longest-ever expedition to be mounted to raise funds for ME research is now likely to take up to two years to complete, say explorers Ed Stafford and Luke Collyer.

The James Lind Alliance website now has information and reports relating to two research meetings held in September 2007 (with the AMRC) and June 2007 (with The Lancet). 

From 'Pulse' the weekly newsletter for GPs

Further moves towards relieving GPs of duties for writing sick notes have sparked controversy, after a GPC negotiator said he feared the issue was being hijacked by politicians seeking to cut social benefits.

From The Times, 10 October 2007

Government funding of medical research will rise by a record amount over the next three years as part of efforts to turn basic discoveries into new treatments. 

Eating a daily dose of dark chocolate can help ease symptoms of chronic fatigue syndrome, report the Daily Mail and BBC News online.

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The Promoting Commission (the patient leaders who do the organizing) of the Catalan CFS-FMS Popular Legislative Initiative (CFS-FMS PLI)has received the Alternativa Award last September 29, 2007 in Barcelona, Spain.

The New England Journal of Medicine (4 October 2007) has just published:
 
'A critical appraisal of "Chronic Lyme Disease"
 

The Medical Research Council has announced that Sir Leszec Borysiewicz will be replacing Professor Colin Blakemore as Chief Executive.

The UK media are today reporting that eating dark chocolate, which has a high cocoa content, may be an effective treatment for ME/CFS.

BBC Online

A daily dose of dark chocolate may help reduce the symptoms of chronic fatigue syndrome, say UK researchers.