Cliff Mickelson is a Morgellons patient of over 9 years who has worked very hard to increase awareness of the disease and push for official recognition and accountability to those who suffer from Morgellons and the families who are also affected by this disease. His report of the conference can be heard here. I would also like to thank Jeff Rense, who for years has given a voice to the researchers and experiencers of this controversial issue. Archives of Morgellons programs on the Rense program can be found here. An incredible data page of Morgellons articles and links can be found on the Rense site here.
Morgellons (also called Morgellons disease or Morgellons syndrome) is a name given to a condition in 2002 by Mary Leitao[1] where sufferers have the delusional belief that they are infested with parasites, whereas in reality no such parasites are present. Sufferers may exhibit a range of cutaneous symptoms such as crawling, biting, and stinging sensations (formication); unusual fibers in the skin; and persistent skin lesions (e.g., rashes or sores). These symptoms have been consistently identified by a range of medical experts[2] including dermatologists,[3] entomologists,[4] and psychiatrists,[5] as consistent with delusional parasitosis.[6] Some cases of self-diagnosed Morgellons have been more accurately diagnosed as known skin disorders.[3]
Despite the lack of evidence that Morgellons is a novel or distinct condition, the absence of any agreed set of diagnostic symptoms, and the existence of an existing medically accepted diagnosis in delusional parasitosis, Leitao's "Morgellons Research Foundation" and self-diagnosed patients successfully lobbied members of Congress and the U.S. government's Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to investigate the condition.[2][7] CDC researchers issued the results of their multi-year study in January 2012, indicating that there were no disease organisms present in Morgellons patients, the fibers found consisted mainly of cellulose, which the CDC concluded was from cotton fibers, and suggested that patients' sensations were manifestations of "delusional infestation".[8][9] Wikipedia
