CFS and Anesthesia -- PRINT FOR YOUR DOCTOR!

The  National CFIDS Foundation, Inc. and the National Institutes of Health
(NIH)  have both funded research led by Dr. Yoshitsugi Hokama, Pathologist,
with  the University of Hawaii.  Science has suggested that the adverse
effects  of anesthesia, in those with CFIDS/CFS/ME, are likely to be
attributable
to  sodium channel activation.  This would be true for all diseases that test
positive for the ciguatera epitope, an assay offered by the John A. Burns
School  of Medicine at the University of Hawaii.  Furthermore, this test has
also
been found to be a marker for autoimmune disease.  The National CFIDS
Foundation has funded additional research to determine the exact
characteristics
associated with this sodium channel activation.

Since the ciguatera  epitope causes sodium channel activation and since many
anesthetics utilize the  sodium channel as part of their pharmacologic
mechanism
of action, it is  suggested that precautions be taken to avoid anesthetics
that activate the  sodium channel so as to avoid potential adverse reactions.

The anesthesia  protocol can be found on our website at www.ncf-net.org  by
first selecting  "resources" and then selecting "patient/physician info."
For your own  health,  please print this out for yourself today.

Gail Kansky
President, National CFIDS Foundation, Inc.
103 Aletha Rd.
Needham, MA 02492-3931
781-449-3535
http://www.ncf-net.org