I have to say I am amused by the frenzied reaction to the story of the Chinese drug dealer who was drawing a sickness benefit and living in a state house. Does anyone actually think this is an abnormal situation? Judging by the reactions over on Kiwiblog, I would say the answer to that is [...]

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome sufferers the world over will be very happy that there is now reliable evidence that the  virus XMRV is a likely cause of CFS. XMRV is a retrovirus found in rats, which has previously been implicated in certain type of aggressive prostate cancer. This study ably demonstrates that 67% of CFS sufferers carry the [...]

A report from the US a few days ago confirmed that Gulf War Syndrome is a real illness and not simply a variation of Post-traumatic Stress Disorder or a figment of Gulf veteran’s imagination. The syndrome consists of persistent headaches, widespread pain, cognitive difficulties, unexplained fatigue, skin rashes, chronic diarrhoea and digestive and respiratory problems. The [...]