What the Heck are They Talking About: Neurological CFS: Why RemedyFind?

Most regular readers know that I also moonlight as a columnist for RemedyFind.com. I came across RemedyFind on my travels along the Net a couple of years ago. The site owner, Brett Hodges, was so impressed by my incoherent ramblings that after corresponding about different aspects of ME/CFS he asked if I would be interested in scraping some of the rust off my writing skills and writing a column.

So I gave it a try. Remember what the Tin Man sounded like when Dorothy and the Scarecrow first found him? Well I thought about slathering myself with oil and then decided I would never get clean if I did. Heelp mee I'm mellllting. So I creak along, always running late, even on an every other month basis. Brett has heard every excuse in the book: We had an ice storm and the power has been out for days, my dog ate my harddrive (run toto run, I mean run Jax, run), I just found some more medical studies to include, my diurnal rhythms switched leaving me up for 48 hours straight followed by a teeth rattling crash on deadline.

As an editor, Brett's a dream. But, he's more than that, he's taken his experiences and created a lemonade stand where patients bring the ingredients with them and we all get to partake.

Everyone flick that lighter and hold em high: Let's hear it for Brett Hodges, founder of RemedyFind.

WHAT WE ARE

Remedyfind is an independent, unbiased site where individuals and healthcare professionals can rate the effectiveness of different treatments for specific health conditions. Our philosophy is that the everyday, real-life experiences of individuals are an invaluable and largely untapped health resource.

Remedyfind is not owned, sponsored or underwritten by pharmaceutical or nutritional companies and has no vested interest in promoting any particular health remedy. We promise that the information and ratings presented at Remedyfind are completely unbiased and are not influenced by any outside commercial interests, advertisers or special interest groups.

Remedyfind understands that your personal health information is extremely confidential. That’s why we promise to maintain an uncompromising commitment to preserving your privacy. We will never sell, trade or transfer any of your personally identifiable information to any third party. (See Privacy Policy)

WHO WE ARE
Brett Hodges, Remedyfind Founder and President

"In 1982 I was newly married. With much youthful enthusiasm I decided to take on the job of repainting and doing general fix-up work to our new home. After several months of this dusty, toxic work I came down with strep throat. The problem was, even after multiple courses of antibiotics, and with lab tests showing that there was no active infection, I still felt miserable. I was completely exhausted – simply walking to the other end of the house would leave me tired most of the day. Looking back on it, I think this was the start of my battle with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (also commonly known as CFS; CFIDS; and M.E.).

What took place in the following years will be depressingly familiar to many of you who suffer from chronic health conditions. I saw literally dozens of doctors and alternative health professionals. I tried a multitude of different treatments – drugs, diets, counseling, alternative medicine and bodywork techniques. Some helped more than others.

At least by 1988 the medical world had a name (though a wholly inadequate one) for this ailment - "Chronic Fatigue Syndrome". Unfortunately, few physicians knew what to do about it. Alternative health therapists were generally much more confident about what would help, but their enthusiasm for their own particular treatment was not always the most objective opinion.

Over the years I’ve found that one of the most useful tools in dealing with my personal health problems has been to keep a journal listing my reactions to the different treatments I’ve tried. Rating each one for its effectiveness, side-effects etc. has really helped me keep track of what has worked, and what hasn't. When I thought more about it, I realized that this method could also be useful for most health conditions, which was the inspiration for creating the Remedyfind site.

Remedyfind's goal is to serve as a supportive virtual community where individuals and healthcare professionals can rate the effectiveness of the various treatments they have used for specific health conditions.

Not just pharmaceutical medications, but the whole gamut of potential remedies – from herbs and vitamins to alternative therapies. By pooling together our experiential wisdom about different health remedies I believe we can help each other save time, energy and money as we cope with and eventually conquer debilitating illnesses."

What the Heck are They Talking About: Neurological CFS

Why RemedyFind?

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