Rainbow at shoreline

The Massachusetts ME/CFS & FM Association, a 501(c)3 founded in 1985, exists to meet the needs of patients with ME (Myalgic Encephalomyelitis), CFS (Chronic Fatigue Syndrome) or FM (Fibromyalgia), their families and loved ones. The Massachusetts ME/CFS & FM Association works to educate health-care providers and the general public regarding these severely-disabling physical illnesses. We also support patients and their families and advocate for more effective treatment and research.

Press Release: Researchers Expect COVID-19 Will Lead to Surge in Chronic Illness, ME Sufferers Speak Out.

Some post-COVID patients are not recovering as expected, and researchers are predicting the pandemic will lead to a surge in long-term chronic illness, including an uptick in cases of myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME - also known as chronic fatigue syndrome or ME/CFS), a debilitating illness that affects more than 1 million Americans.

Read more: Press Release: Researchers Expect COVID-19 Will Lead to Surge in Chronic Illness, ME Sufferers...


In Memoriam: Elizabeth (Libby) Potter and Heather Colman-McGill

We are deeply saddened to bring you news of two deaths in our Massachusetts ME/CFS community: Elizabeth (Libby) Potter and Heather Colman-McGill.

Read more: In Memoriam: Elizabeth (Libby) Potter and Heather Colman-McGill


Annual Event 10/26/2019 -- Dr. Michael VanElzakker

Registration is now open for our Annual Event on Saturday, October 26th, 2019 from 1 to 4 pm at Newton-Wellesley Hospital, featuring Dr. Michael VanElzakker of MGH/Harvard Medical School. Please join us for a brief business meeting, a research presentation by Dr. VanElzakker, an update on the Harvard ME/CFS Collaboration, and a chance to meet fellow members of the Association. We look forward to seeing you! Register here

Investigating ME/CFS at the intersection of the nervous and immune systems

Dr. Michael VanElzakker of MGH/Harvard Medical School

When:           Saturday, October 26th, 2019 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM
                     Doors open at 12:30 p.m. for check-in
Location:
                    Shipley Auditorium, Bowles Conference Center
                    Newton Wellesley Hospital
                    2014 Washington St.
                    Newton, MA 02462

                    Park in the lot near the West (Main) Entrance. Directions from the parking areas to the Auditorium can be found here.

Join or renew your membership at the event! This program is open to the public and free to members of the Association, journalists, researchers and health care professionals; $15 voluntary donation for non-members.

Michael VanElzakker, PhD is a research fellow in the neurotherapeutics division of Massachusetts General Hospital / Harvard Medical School.

Dr. VanElzakker will discuss some challenges and opportunities in using brain scans to study communication between the immune and nervous systems. He will describe two ongoing studies that seek to elucidate autonomic dysfunction and possible neuroinflammation in ME/CFS.  He will also give an update on the OMF-funded Harvard ME/CFS Collaboration.

Download the event flyer here!  Please distribute widely.

Notice about names

The Massachusetts ME/CFS & FM Association would like to clarify the use of the various acronyms for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS), Chronic Fatigue & Immune Dysfunction Syndrome (CFIDS) and  Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME) on this site. When we generate our own articles on the illness, we will refer to it as ME/CFS, the term now generally used in the United States. When we are reporting on someone else’s report, we will use the term they use. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) and other federal agencies, including the CDC, are currently using ME/CFS. 

Massachusetts ME/CFS & FM Association changed its name in July, 2018, to reflect this consensus.