The History & Differentiation between ME/CFS & CFS

The history of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) and its entanglement with Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME) is a long and often frustrating story of medical skepticism, misdiagnosis, and the struggle for legitimacy.

The way CFS has been historically framed has directly hindered progress in understanding and treating ME, which is increasingly recognized as a severe, multi-systemic disease.

Early Recognition of Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME)

The condition we now associate with ME/CFS was first documented in the 1930s and 1940s in outbreaks of a polio-like illness. One of the most well-documented outbreaks occurred in 1955 at the Royal Free Hospital in London, where hundreds of healthcare workers developed a mysterious post-viral fatigue syndrome. The term "benign myalgic encephalomyelitis" was coined by British neurologist Dr. Melvin Ramsay, who described it as a serious neuroimmune disease.

For decades, ME was recognized as a distinct post-viral condition, and researchers took it seriously. However, as outbreaks became less common and cases appeared sporadically, the medical establishment began dismissing ME as psychosomatic.

The Emergence of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS)

The turning point came in the 1980s, when clusters of post-viral fatigue cases appeared in the U.S., notably in Lake Tahoe, Nevada. Instead of linking this condition to previous ME outbreaks, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) gave it a new name: Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) in 1988.

This renaming was devastating for several reasons:

1. It trivialized the illness – “Chronic Fatigue Syndrome” sounded like mere tiredness rather than a severe, disabling disease.
2. It shifted focus away from the neurological and immune aspects – ME had been considered a serious neuroimmune disorder, while CFS was categorized under vague “fatigue syndromes.”
3. It opened the door to psychologization – Because CFS lacked clear biomarkers at the time, many researchers and doctors assumed it was psychosomatic, leading to harmful treatments like Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Graded Exercise Therapy (GET), which later proved to worsen symptoms.

The Lingering Damage to ME Research

For decades, ME and CFS were lumped together, causing confusion. Researchers couldn’t agree on definitions, and many funding bodies refused to take the disease seriously. The 1994 Fukuda criteria for CFS, which became the dominant diagnostic guideline, were so broad that they included many people with general fatigue rather than ME.

This led to:

• Underfunding and neglect – ME/CFS research has received a fraction of the funding compared to diseases with similar disability levels (e.g., multiple sclerosis or lupus).
• Misdiagnosis and mistreatment – Patients were often dismissed as having depression or anxiety, and many were subjected to harmful treatments.
• A slow search for biological markers – Because the focus was on fatigue rather than the multi-system dysfunction of ME, serious biomedical research was delayed by decades.

The Fight for ME Recognition

In recent years, advocacy efforts and biomedical research have helped distinguish ME from the broad, vague category of CFS. The 2015 Institute of Medicine (IOM) report renamed the illness Systemic Exertion Intolerance Disease (SEID) to better reflect its true nature, though this name has not gained wide traction.

Major breakthroughs, like findings of immune dysfunction, metabolic abnormalities, and viral reactivation in ME patients, have reinforced that it is a biological illness, not a psychological one. Yet, the damage caused by decades of misclassification under CFS still lingers.

Final Thoughts

Oxaloacetate CFS offers a promising avenue for those struggling with the debilitating symptoms of ME/CFS and CFS by targeting underlying metabolic dysfunction. Though we understand the complicated history between both forms of chronic illnesses, our wish is to bring ease and hope to anyone in need of Oxaloacetate CFS. As research continues to uncover the role of mitochondrial impairment, neuroinflammation, and energy production deficits in these conditions, oxaloacetate's potential to support cellular metabolism and reduce neuroinflammation presents a hopeful option for symptom relief. While no single supplement can fully cure these complex illnesses, many patients have reported improvements in cognitive function, energy levels, and overall well-being with its use. As always, individuals should consult with a knowledgeable healthcare provider to determine if Oxaloacetate CFS is a suitable addition to their treatment plan, but its growing recognition in the ME/CFS community highlights the importance of metabolic support in managing these chronic conditions.

Articles with Additional Accounts on ME/CFS & CFS:

“Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and the CDC: A Long, Tangled Tale.” Trial By Error, trialbyerror.org/2011/11/23/chronic-fatigue-syndrome-and-the-cdc-a-long-tangled-tale/. Accessed 27 Feb. 2025.

Committee on the Diagnostic Criteria for Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. Beyond Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: Redefining an Illness., U.S. National Library of Medicine, 10 Feb. 2015, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK284897/.

“Maeve Boothby O’Neill Died Because of a Discredited View of Me. How Was This Allowed to Happen? | George Monbiot.” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 18 Oct. 2024, www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2024/oct/18/maeve-bothby-oneill-me-chronic-fatigue-syndrome.