ME Letter June 2014

July 20, 2014 / Charles W. Lapp, MD / News

This Month’s Contents Immunomodulators Creatine May Improve Muscle Function Checking the Cost of Medications Getting Some Help At Home Housekeeping Issues Emails under the new HIPAA Bring medications with you to the office Confirm your appointment when you get a “reminder call” The Use of Immunomodulators in CFS/ME/FM A subset of individuals with CFS/ME/FM experience […]

Ampligen, CFS, Coping with CFS/ME/FM, Dr. Lapp, Fibromyalgia, Immunomodulators, ME Letter

What Are The Most Important Things To Remember About CFS/FM?

February 16, 2012 / Charles W. Lapp, MD / Ask The Doctor

What are the most important things to remember about CFS/FM? My dear friend, Roger Gilmore, once suggested to me that the keys to improvement in CFS/FM are ACCEPTANCE, then ATTITUDE, the ADAPTION. The more experience I accrue, the more I think he is right. Let’s examine each of these themes. I used to show a […]

Coping with CFS/ME/FM, Dr. Lapp

I Sweat A Lot. What Causes That?

February 16, 2012 / Charles W. Lapp, MD / Ask The Doctor

I sweat a lot. What causes that? Excess perspiration is a common symptom of both CFS/ME and FM. The etiology is not clear. Dysautonomia is common in CFS/ME/FM, and may cause perspiration (diaphoresis). Also, PWCs have a narrow comfort range for environmental temperatures. In other words, it is easy for a PWC to get overheated […]

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Coping with CFS/ME/FM, Fibromyalgia

The Hunter-Hopkins name derives from two individuals who were memorialized because of the invaluable lessons they taught to Dr. Lapp.

Linda Hopkins presented to the emergency room complaining that she could not breath when she nodded off to sleep. As a result she had not slept in weeks. Other physicians had discounted her story as impossible, but Linda and her mother convinced Dr. Lapp to look into it further. Linda was hospitalized and monitored overnight. Sure enough, as soon as she nodded off, Linda went into respiratory arrest – a very severe form of sleep apnea now known as “Ondine’s Curse.” Once the problem was identified, Linda was fitted with a respirator to be used while sleeping. Lesson learned: listen to the patient.

Allison Hunter was diagnosed with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, but lived in Australia, where the providers of socialized medicine ‘did not believe’ in the diagnosis. As a result she was misnamed a malingerer, hysterical, or Munchhausen – a term reserved for individuals who purposely pretend to be sick. When Alli developed convulsions they were attributed to this ‘phantom illness’ and went untreated. As a result, she died during a grand mal seizure. Lessons learned: (1) diligently look into all complaints and don’t discount them, and (2) don’t trust socialized medicine.

Allison’s parents went on to found the Allison Hunter Memorial Foundation, which has promoted CFS throughout the Pacific Basin and provides superb seminars for practitioners to learn more about CFS and FM.

So we have admired and memorialized these two young women who taught us much about the importance of diligence and listening to the patient.

Hunter-Hopkins Center, PLLC

ME Letter June 2014

What Are The Most Important Things To Remember About CFS/FM?

I Sweat A Lot. What Causes That?

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