S.F. Bay Area has first major U.S. study of Morgellons disease

[Auggie]

SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE, 1-17-08

Bay Area researchers are beginning the first major U.S. study into a mystery disease known for its frightening symptoms - among them, open sores and unidentifiable objects poking out of the skin - that doctors have long suspected is all in patients' heads.

The study into Morgellons will start immediately, as Kaiser Permanente contacts Northern California patients who have reported symptoms of the mystery disease in the past 18 months. The research will be funded by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Researchers are hoping to come up with a more specific definition of Morgellons and how prevalent it is in the Bay Area, which has one of the largest concentrations of self-reported cases of the disease in the country.

They also hope to determine once and for all whether Morgellons is a psychiatric condition. "The suffering and the impact of this condition on people's lives, whatever you want to label it, what they're experiencing is real," said Michele Pearson, a principal investigator with the CDC. "That's why this agency has decided to look into it in-depth."

Link: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/01/17/BA0EUGEBK.DTL&type=health

More on Morgellons: http://www.morgellons.org/

[hedgehog]

1. Even if it is a phychiatric disease, that doesn't mean it's not real. nt

[carly denise pt deux]

2. I saw some Morgellon pictures, google it...

I don't think that a syndrome where one has worms coming thru the skin could be considered just a psychiatric condition....poor people who have it.
Carly

[Warpy]

3. I've never seen an analysis of the "fibres" coming through the skin

and they're fibres, not worms. I will reserve judgment until I do.

Psychosomatic itching can cause fibres to be scratched into lesions. If those fibres are shown to be common clothing fibres, then the conclusion is that the syndrome is a psychiatric one. If they're shown to be collagen or any other physically produced substance, there's another problem going on and it's not all in their heads.

Whether it's psychosomatic or infectious, it's real enough to the people who have it to make them pretty miserable. I hope it's being treated palliatively, at least.

[philb]

5. Here's pictures I found by googling it like you said

http://imageevent.com/firesat/strangedaysstrangeskies

[lizerdbits]

6. Excellent! It's linked to chemtrails!

This is hugh!!11!!ONE

[carly denise pt deux]

8. LOLOLOL

Carly

[philb]

7. This seems to be from someone who has actual fibers/pictures and sent to CDC

and a factor in the resulting decision to do the study
MORGELLONS: FIRST OBSERVATIONS Clifford E Carnicom

http://www.carnicom.com/morgobs1.htm

MORGELLONS: AGENTS OF INFECTION
http://www.carnicom.com/agents1.htm

[depakid]

4. "hoping to come up with a more specific definition..."

Well, what would seem the logical place to start...;-)

[TZ]

9. jeebus

Doesn't the CDC have better things to do like investigating and looking into drug resistant diseases and the invasion of mosquito born illnesses that are CONTAGIOUS like yellow fever, dengue fever, malaria, the possible evolution of bird flu, adequate supplies
of vaccines,slowing the transmission of HIV...You know...INFECTIOUS DISEASE research, stuff thats a threat to public health
and not questionable medical conditions which, assuming it is a legitimate disease is highly unlikely to be a large threat to public health.
The CDC is already (like most scientific establishments) underfunded.

[lizerdbits]

10. This was in Washington Post Magazine today

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/01/16/AR2008011603134.html

[Celebration]

11. really, really interesting article

They should make a horror film about this. I was getting more unsettled and then this little gem at the end--

"Matthews postulates that Morgellons is a coming epidemic. Everyone, he says, has fibers. To prove it, he asked for my hand. He cleaned a ProScope, which magnifies the skin 200 times, with alcohol, and I washed my hand with antibacterial soap. Under the microscope, there in my palm, was what appeared to be a tiny red fiber embedded in the skin. Under the top of my fingernail, I saw a bright blue one. Matthews smiled triumphantly. "You see," he said. "Everyone has Morgellons." Other doctors, told of the fibers, dismissed them, saying Matthews's microscope probably found red blood vessels close to the surface of my skin, or a blue-colored vein. But they weren't sure."

Sorry, I am trying to picture this happening. LOL. This was more than the reporter bargained for, I'd bet.

One thing that is fairly convincing is that the colors of the fibers that people send in with this thing are always red or cobalt blue. If it were carpet, surely yellow, orange, green, etc. would be represented.

[Auggie]

12. Thanks for the link. Great article.