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People with myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) suffer from a chronic, debilitating fatigue that can leave them unable to maintain a job or take part in normal activities. Because of the condition’s unclear pathology and root causes, the disease was long dismissed as a psychiatric illness by doctors and ignored by researchers. Today, it’s estimated that 836,000 to 2.5 million Americans suffer from the disease—the vast majority of them undiagnosed—and that the illness costs billions annually in medical bills and lost incomes.
Below are the diagnostic criteria for the disease, according to the National Academy of Medicine.
ME/CFS patients typically recall a sudden onset of a profound fatigue that lasts longer than six months and significantly reduces their ability to engage in normal activities.
The hallmark of the condition is a worsening of symptoms 12–48 hours after physical or mental activity, which can leave patients ...
