Wymore breaks with MRF

This morning, (Aug 4th 2006), the Morgellons Research Foundation removed every single reference to Professor Randy Wymore from their web site: morgellons.org

As well as removing all mention of him as “Research Director”, they also removed the “Letter to Doctors“, the “OSU Rounds” article, and all his “Medical Updates

His email address, along with the email address of the Chairman of the Board Charles Holman, and the Nurse Coordinator Cindy Casey, were removed from the “Contact” page. Leaving only Leitao, Buckner and Cowles.

The MRF contact for medical researchers has changed from morgellons@okstate.edu to morgellons@aol.com (although morgellons@okstate.edu is still valid for any researcher who wants to help the OSU research effort).

Dr Greg Smith and his wife have also been fully removed from the site.

[Update:  Aug 5th – All seven nurses: Cindy Casey, Jo Ann Mangili, Judy Smith, Diane Gay, Kristen Seargeant, Patti Nash and Donna Doherty,  have been removed from the site]

I have no interest in the politics here, but this is a significant event in the brief history of Morgellons. The involvement of Professor Wymore has been a major part of every single news story about Morgellons. His presence lent credibility to the story. Without Wymore, the MRF would never have been able to get the major coverage they have been able to. Without Wymore, the CNN, Today Show, GMA and Prime Time Medical Mysteries shows would never have happened.

Without Wymore’s participation in the publicity machine of the MRF, the public interest would have been greatly muted, and the CDC would not have been forced to start an investigation, which in turn led to even more publicity.

My position all along is that there has not been sufficient evidence to support Morgellons being a distinct disease where fibers emerge from the skin. I felt that the excessive publicity given to Morgellons, based on this limited and unscientific evidence, was damaging to the health of a vulnerable segment of the population.

I hope that these changes at the MRF will prompt the media to take a closer look at exactly what has been going on, and to temper their sensationalistic, entertainment based, health reporting.

I also hope that people who think they have Morgellons might be prompted to consider that perhaps there is some doubt in the matter, hence consider they might have something else, and hopefully seek appropriate treatment.