Category: ME/CFS

Earlier today, I sent the following e-mail to Dr Fiona Godlee, editorial director of BMJ. I cc’d Carol Monaghan MP, Darren Jones MP, and Nicky Morgan MP. I also cc’d Teresa Allen of the Health Research Authority. Dear Dr. Godlee— As you know, I have spent some time criticizing a 2011 BMJ Open study involving…

In what can only be characterized as a welcome surprise, Cochrane has rejected the revision of a 2014 review of exercise treatments for chronic fatigue syndrome, stating that the work does not meet the organization’s “quality standards.” Cochrane revealed the decision late Friday in a statement appended to the review, which itself was a revision…

The UK’s National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), which develops clinical guidelines for a range of medical conditions, is currently selecting a committee to develop a new guidance for the illness it refers to as myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS). The new guidance will replace one written in 2007, when the organization was…

Here’s a video of back-to-back presentations from last month in Newry, Northern Ireland. On October 2, Brian Hughes, a professor of psychology at the National University of Ireland, Galway, and I both spoke at an event organized by Hope For ME & Fibro Northern Ireland. The title of the event: “The PACE Trial: ‘The Greatest…

I have written many posts about BMJ Open’s 2011 school absence study, which reported that school absence records could be useful in identifying children with chronic fatigue syndrome. However, for reasons not yet adequately explained, the investigators exempted the study from ethical review on the grounds that it qualified as “service evaluation.” To support the…

Below is an exchange between members of the Australian ME/CFS community and Professor Michael Sharpe. The open letter from patients and advocates was prompted by a tweet this week from Professor Sharpe that many considered offensive. He has since deleted it. This post includes the initial tweet as well as the open letter and Professor…

This morning I sent the following letter to Fiona Godlee, editor-in-chief of The BMJ and editorial director of BMJ. I cc-d Carol Monaghan MP, Darren Jones MP, and Nicky Morgan MP. Dear Dr. Godlee— More than a dozen years ago, a group of leading medical journals agreed that requiring clinical trials to be prospectively registered…

Three years ago this month, Virology Blog published my 15,000-word investigation of the PACE trial, so this seems like a good time for a bit of reflection. I certainly didn’t expect this saga to drag on this long. I’ve kept at it mainly because of the UK academic and medical establishment’s unwillingness to acknowledge what’s…

This morning I sent the following e-mail to Dr Fiona Godlee, the editor-in-chief of The BMJ and editorial director of BMJ. I cc’d Professor Vincent Racaniello, the host of Virology Blog, and Carol Monaghan MP, who sits on the House of Commons Health and Technology Committee. Dear Dr Godlee— I am seeking an apology for…

In my earlier post about this issue, I accurately credited #MEAction but did not specifically make clear that Saturday’s demonstration has been organized by the movement’s New York arm. I apologize for the oversight. So here’s an official New York #MEAction announcement about the event. I would be there tomorrow if I weren’t still in…