Journal of IiMER Volume 10 Issue 1 this illness. To bring about this type change is going to involve not just the patients who have ME, but also their friends and family members who do not have this illness. The future of this field is in connecting the many patient and scientific groups into one larger body that is united for change. We welcome youth groups, civic organizations, and not-for-profits to get involved in one of the truly neglected areas needing structural changes in the way patients are treated and their availability to quality care. In order to push forward, we need research that involves multidisciplinary efforts that will bring together scientists from different disciplines including virologists, epidemiologists, individuals who study the autonomic nervous system, genetics, computer science, immunology, and many other disciplines. This illness represents a great challenge to medicine, and one from which we will all learn the intricacies and systems of the human body. In addition to the massive amounts of funding that are needed to better understand this complex illness, patients living in every country need the best that medicine can offer. The key to success is a team of health care providers working closely with patients, using services that meets all of their needs. I continue to believe that learning how to pace and stay within the energy envelope is the key to having a better quality of life. But we need Support Biomedical Research into ME. Invest in ME Research wristbands http://www.investinme.org/IiMEWristbands.htm Invest in ME (Charity Nr. 1114035) www.investinme.org Page 9 of 77 June 2016 much more basic research to find ways to cure this illness, and one day it will be possible, just as it has with other diseases that have had adequate funding for research. ME received considerable media attention over the last year, and we now need to use this momentum to bring about the changes that are so desperately needed. There is nothing as important for our field as seeing patients as true collaborators in service programs and research that focus on better understanding this illness, and their voices and vision need to play an instrumental role in setting the agenda for the future. By Dr. Leonard A. Jason and Zachary A. Siegel
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