April 2022 Science and News eNewsletter

Hi Tom,

Much is happening in the world of ME/CFS that I want to tell you about. From our first Facebook Live Event, to some International Awareness Day events, to a helpful app from Alberta Health Services... lots to share.

May 12th is International Awareness Day for ME/CFS, FM and ES. Some countries and organizations even offer a whole month of awareness! Check out your favorites online. There are some great talks planned. Royal blue is the color for ME/CFS, royal purple for FM and green for environmental sensitivities. Wear your colors.

General News

1. Facebook Live Q&A Event - on May 14th @ 1 pm Mountain  

Join Dr. Stein for our first ever Ask ME Anything! (About ME/CFS, FM, ES, and LC) event.

This is your opportunity to benefit from Dr. Stein’s 30+ years of experience with this alphabet of diseases, learn about her recovery and how you can improve your health. This first event is being held on Saturday, May 14th at 1 pm Mountain time in honor of International Awareness Day.

It is a Facebook Live event on our Facebook community page. If you are not already a member, just go to the link to read more and join. It is a place for people to exchange self-management information and support each other. 

The session will start with a quick chat about May 12th’s International Awareness Day, then Dr. Stein will do two short presentations on topics YOU choose. Please go the Facebook Community Forum page and propose a topic. We will choose the two topics with the most likes. So please post and vote by May 6th!

Dr. Stein will finish up the event with an open Q&A. This is your chance to ask a question. The event will end at 2 pm mountain. See you there!!

2.  International Awareness Day.

May 12th is the 30th Anniversary of the annual International Awareness Day for ME/CFS and related diseases. This event has run every year since 1992 and has achieved world-wide recognition for Myalgic Encephalomyelitis, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Fibromyalgia, Gulf War Syndrome, and Multiple Chemical Sensitivity. I expect to see Long Covid added to the list soon. There are many events held world-wide on the 12th, I am only sharing a couple here. 

Light Up The Night event sponsored by ActionCIND.
This is the 9th annual LUTN event. The challenge is to get as many buildings as possible in your country to light up with one of the 3 colours used on May 12th - blue, purple or green. We want public buildings/places like City Halls and Niagara Falls as well as individual homes homes and businesses! What can you light up? 

The ASEQ-EHAQ - L'Association pour la santé environnementale du Québec / Environmental Health Association of Québec will be running a series of speaker events in May. All of the events will be bilingual. Dr. Stein will be speaking on Friday May 6th at 5 pm Mountain (in English). For a list of events and to register for any of the talks, go to the ASEQ-EHAQ website:

https://aseq-ehaq.ca/en/events/

3.  New app from Alberta Health Services (AHS)

AHS now has an app called My Care Conversations that is an excellent tool for people who want to prepare for medical appointments and record the conversation on an approved, secure app to review later. Details can be found by clicking on My Care Conversations.

4.  New UofC study for health care professionals

A new research study that I am heading up just opened for recruitment called Healthcare system barriers for Canadians with ME. We are looking for Canadian health care practitioners who work with ME patients and/or have ME.

Sneak Peek

Dr. Stein will be a guest on a new podcast "Multiple Chemical Sensitivity Podcast" with Dr. Aaron Goodman May 31st at 10:30 am Mountain. The recording will be posted some time later - we will let you know when in a future newsletter.
Aaron Goodman, Ph.D. is the founder and host of The Multiple Chemical Sensitivity Podcast - amplifying the voices of people with MCS and highlighting the critical work that researchers and clinicians are doing.   

https://www.chemicalsensitivitypodcast.org/

Eleanor Stein MD FRCP(C)
Psychiatrist in Private Practice
Assistant Clinical Professor, University of Calgary
Phone: (403) 287-9941
Fax:      (403) 287-9958
Email: [email protected]
Web:   www.eleanorsteinmd.ca