What Is Myalgic Encephalomyelitis? The “Millions Missing” Hashtag Is Raising Awareness Of The Chronic Illness Through Social Media

Bustle:
"You may have noticed the hashtag #MillionsMissing trending on social media, or may have seen some landmarks lighting up blue over the past few days. That's because May 12 is International Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) Awareness Day, and the folks posting in the #MillionsMissing tag are speaking out and raising their voices in support of folks who have this chronic illness, which affects between 836,000 and 2.5 million Americans, most of them undiagnosed, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)."

"
One significant goal of those who participate in ME/CFS Awareness Day and #MillionsMissing is to call attention to the dire need for increased research into viable, helpful treatments for people with ME/CFS. According to Ludlam, most ME/CFS patients in Australia (which is where the May 12 ME/CFS Awareness Day movement is based) are treated with graded exercise therapy — which, as Erin Migdol writing for The Mighty notes, potentially causes more harm than good — and mental health counseling.

Sally Missing, president of ME/CFS support organization Emerge Australia, told The Guardian, "Imagine if all we offered patients with cancer was exercise and counselling [sic]. This is the equivalent of what is happening to patients with ME/CFS." She added, "Patients want biomedical research into effective treatments, education for doctors and medical staff, and access to information and government support services."

full article here:
https://www.bustle.com/p/what-is-my...-chronic-illness-through-social-media-9069039

 

Is it? Genuine question, if I had been asked the question I couldn't have answered it and I suppose Australia wouldn't have been my first guess.

 

good name for #MillionsMissing

 

Goodness, who knew we were the centre of ME/CFS Awareness? [sarcasm]. You don’t have to do very much research to learn that ME/CFS Awareness is NOT based in Australia, but his article is based on an Australia-centric piece in The Guardian by former Australian Senator Scott Ludlam. Looks like the journo hasn’t done their job very well at all on that score. Lazy journalism (but still better than much of the rubbish we have had to put up with in the past!).