Editors of the journal Science have asked the co-authors of a 2009 paper that linked chronic fatigue syndrome to a retrovirus called XMRV to voluntarily retract the paper. Science editor-in-chief Bruce Alberts and executive editor Monica Bradford cited concerns about the validity of the findings, saying other scientists hadn't been able to replicate them, among other reasons. [more inside]
posted by Horace Rumpole on May 31, 2011 - 64 comments

Cannabis Culture
posted by twoleftfeet on Apr 3, 2011 - 59 comments

As you can see below, Ras enjoys smoking pot. He lives in Canada and according to his YouTube profile, his occupation is ‘Smoking’. His interests include smoking, and for music he likes Reggae. In ‘09 he smoked 40 bowls in 11 minutes, for an event called Tokecity’s Gauntlet, for which he was disqualified (because he exceeded the 4-minute smoke limit). Last year he only smoked 36 bowls, ‘about half of his collection’. Maybe he’s getting a bit behind. “Good luck to all the submissions.” (From 4-20 tumblr)
posted by growabrain on Feb 25, 2011 - 61 comments

People who suffer from chronic fatigue syndrome may have an answer as to why Nobody knows what causes CFS and fibromyalgia, for many years doctors poo-poohed the patient and sent them home with anti-anxiety drugs, but studies now show that there is a link to this retrovirus and these disorders. It's not in your head. Some studies earlier showed a link between prostate cancer and this virus, but the jury is still out on this. It's thought to be sexually transmitted via the blood, and actually binds with human DNA.
posted by ~Sushma~ on Dec 3, 2009 - 27 comments

Nasty super-bug Clostridium difficile undone by poo transplant! C. difficle, the drug-resistant bum-spelunking organism that's currently the bane of health-care professionals around the world, has been cured. The probiotic treatment, however, has made some medical lab technicians squeamish as it involves liquifying donor faecal matter and then injecting it via enema into the suffering patient. [more inside]
posted by CheeseburgerBrown on Nov 14, 2007 - 49 comments

May 12th is International ME/CFS/Fibromyalgia Awareness Day. If you aren't aware of these afflictions, then it's time to become so. "Fibromyalgia (FM) is an increasingly recognized chronic pain illness which is characterized by widespread musculoskeletal aches, pain and stiffness, soft tissue tenderness, general fatigue and sleep disturbances." The WebMD description. For those who live with chronic fatigue, systemic immunity problems, and long term pain, I think the rest of us, at least, owe our awareness of what these people cope with every day. Again, via the always excellent Watermark, who writes movingly of her relationship with Fibromyalgia.
posted by Wulfgar! on May 12, 2004 - 19 comments

Restless Leg Syndrome has happened to me while watching tv, and it happens to a lot of people. Has it happened to you? It's a real affliction! Granted, it's more severe for the people who are seeking out help, but this definately fell into my "there's a support group for everything" file.
posted by fnirt on Nov 5, 2001 - 19 comments