Heroes Not Zombies

A study published in Science last week reports finding a high incidence of XMRV in patients with chronic fatigue. XMRV stands for “xenotropic murine leukemia virus-related” virus and is a retrovirus which seems to have jumped species from mice to men.

Dr. Mikovits and researchers from the National Cancer Institute and the Cleveland Clinic reported in Science that 68 of 101 patients with chronic fatigue syndrome, or 67 percent, were infected with XMRV, compared with only 3.7 percent of 218 healthy control subjects. Further testing after the paper was written found the virus in nearly 98 percent of about 300 patients with the syndrome, Dr. Mikovits said.

This is interesting, but the way it’s been reported is disturbing. The authors are claiming that it may be the “sole” cause of “ME”. I think that’s highly unlikely because “ME”, or “CFS”, is a poorly understood syndrome which probably encompasses a number of different aetiologies and illnesses. On the back of that, they’re predicting a bright future for the treatment of the condition using antiviral drugs and developing vaccines. Woa! Too fast! You can just hear the drug companies rubbing their hands with glee! This constant portrayal of complex illness in simplistic terms results in products being matched to diagnoses, instead of individuals being understood and enabled to experience healthy, natural recovery. (as a side note, I think you can conceptualise such complex disorders as failures of the body’s normal healing processes. Something precipitated the ill state, and for whatever reasons, the patient has developed a chronic condition of low vitality, poor resilience and ill health).

The second disturbing aspect of this report is how both sufferers and medical professionals have jumped on this as a possible “legitimation” of the illness. As if finding evidence of a virus now makes the disorder “real”, or “not a mental disorder”, or even illusory. OK, if this connection is established and results in sufferers being listened to, and taken seriously, then I can see that as a benefit, but why can’t they be listened to and taken seriously even without finding a virus?