Trial By Error, by David Tuller
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An Ill-Informed Article in The Guardian
People who know little or nothing about the illness or cluster of illnesses variously called myalgic encephalomyelitis, chronic fatigue syndrome, CFS/ME, and ME/CFS can’t seem to stop writing stupid and ill-informed stories about it. And Professor Michael Sharpe seems to blame “Americans”–rather than his own disastrous research–for his current problems and the reputational damage he…
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More GET Drivel from Australia
Some Australian members of the GET/CBT ideological brigades have published yet more nonsense and drivel about “graded exercise therapy” as a treatment for ME/CFS, or what they are still calling “chronic fatigue syndrome.” The article, simply called “Chronic fatigue syndrome: graded exercise therapy,” is in a peer-reviewed journal from a reputable publisher yet is full…
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NHS ME/CFS Clinics Lax on Treatment Harms, Study Finds
In the last few years, the Journal of Health Psychology has provided a valuable platform for researchers, academics, and other experts who have challenged the claims made in the discredited PACE trial and other research from the CBT/GET ideological brigades. Last month, the journal published a revealing and useful paper from four authors–three smart members…
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Our Exchange with BMJ Journal about “Correction” of LP Study
Same-Day Update: I forwarded our response to Dr Brown’s letter (see below) to Dr Fiona Godlee, BMJ’s editorial director. I also cc-d others on my e-mail to Dr Godlee. Here’s what I wrote: Dear Fiona– Dr Brown, the editor-in-chief of Archives of Disease in Childhood, sent a message to Professor Racaniello and me last Thursday…
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Mary Dimmock on CDC’s New Evidence Review
I have lately been focusing more time and posts on developments in the UK than in the US. I guess that’s not too surprising. After all, this whole project began as an investigation of the PACE trial, conducted by British experts in British health care centers and published in British journals. And there’s so much…
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Some Thoughts on MUS and Bermingham; My Letter to Professor Payne
In February, I wrote a post tracking how a core finding from Bermingham et al, a 2010 study, has been misrepresented repeatedly in claims about the costs to the National Health Service of so-called “medically unexplained symptoms.” The misrepresented finding has been cited by proponents of an NHS effort to divert people labeled as having…
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My Letter to Professor Chew-Graham about the Cost of MUS
In multiple venues, Professor Carolyn Chew-Graham of Keele University has misstated the reported cost of so-called “medically unexplained symptoms” to the NHS. Professor Roger Jones, editor of the British Journal of General Practice, recently corrected such a misstatement in a 2017 editorial written by Professor Chew-Graham and several colleagues. (Thank you, Professor Jones!) Now that…
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FOI Response from Bristol about LP Study; Correction in BJGP about MUS
SAME-DAY UPDATE: I have sent the University of Bristol’s FOI office a follow-up request. I cc’d Sue Paterson, the university’s director of legal services. Here’s what I wrote: Dear FOI Office (and Ms Paterson)– I appreciate the response to my questions from the above-referenced request. That request concerned the pediatric Lightning Process study conducted by…
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An Update about the Pediatric MUS Systematic Review
This week I raised concerns about a second systematic review that cited the dung heap known as the Lightning Process study, published by Archives of Disease in Childhood two years ago. This new review did not mention the paper’s egregious deficiencies. After the appearance in April of an earlier systematic review that highlighted the study,…
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Another Review Mentions LP Study and Prompts More Letters
In recent weeks, I have tried to bring attention to the troubling fact that a major systematic review of pediatric CFS/ME (as the authors called the illness) cited Bristol University’s Lightning Process study as evidence that the intervention was “effective.” Now another systematic review—this one of mental health outcomes of treatments for kids diagnosed with…
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Jennie Spotila’s Latest NIH Funding Fact-Check
Note: On her blog, Occupy M.E., Jennie Spotila recently posted another one of her indispensable close readings of NIH spending figures. I am reposting this here with Jennie’s permission. ********** Another NIH Funding Fact-Check In April, NIH finally published their funding numbers for ME/CFS research in 2018. That means it is time for another fact-check…
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A Letter to Bristol about my Recent FOI Request; Update Added
UPDATE: Within an hour or two of writing to Bristol, I received a response from the university’s director of legal services. Here’s what she wrote: Dear Dr Tuller Thank you for your email. The Information Rights team is making good progress on clearing the back log, your FOI request is currently being processed and I…