ME is all in the mind according to our little friend, or is it MATTIE???

• I would say that the M.E started off quite moderately.

• I suffered with feeling as I had with the Glandular Fever, only with worsening symptoms!

• Now at 35 I’m 99% bedridden, I am paralysed down the right hand side and in both legs.

• I am incontinent and have a suprapubic catheter fitted through my stomach into my bladder and ……….

Free off-peak bus travel to anywhere in England

ME Association News:
Tuesday, 19 February 2008
From April 2008, the national bus pass will give free off-peak bus travel anywhere in England for older and disabled people…..

Belfast consultations with Dr Derek Enlander

Saturday, 16 February 2008,
ME Association News:
The Northern Ireland Campaign for ME/CFS Healthcare is arranging consultation appointments in Belfast with New York physician Dr Derek Enlander while he is in the UK for the ME Research UK/Irish ME Trust biomedical research conference in Cambridge in May.

Trapped in bed for 14 years with ME …

By GILL SWAIN, Daily Mail

• She can’t swallow.
• She can’t speak.
• She’s in constant pain.
• Yet some doctors say Lynn’s illness is all in the mind. Read her story and you’ll never be flippant about ‘yuppie flu’ again…..

Dr Mark Porter writes on ME but …

From Sainsbury’s magazine, March 2008
“Is it just ME?
Chronic fatigue syndrome is very real but often misunderstood, says Dr Mark Porter

• I may regret this.
• Every time I write about chronic fatigue syndrome, also known as ME, I am swamped with vehement missives from a small but vocal minority.
• Some from colleagues who question the very existence of the condition while the rest come from disenfranchised patients who are convinced I am part of some NHS conspiracy to prevent them getting the treatment they deserve.
• But for the majority of people who lie between these polar extremes, here are some basic facts I think everyone should know about the condition.
• It is both real and common. At least a quarter of a million people are thought to be affected in the UK at any one time, many of whom, are children. Doctors prefer to call it chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS, while patients prefer myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME); the terms are interchangeable.
• CFS/ME typically follows some form of insult, particularly viral infections such as glandular fever, although other triggers include meningitis and …..“

Just have a look and see what you think, but if you ask me Dr Porter doesn’t know it all !!!!!

Dublin radio discussion on ME – February 12

MEA medical adviser Dr Charles Shepherd expects to be taking part in a discussion about ME on the Irish radio station Dublin 98FM:

• Tuesday evening (February 12) sometime around 9.30pm.
• The interview has been arranged at the suggestion of Tom Kindlon, vice-chairman of the Irish ME/CFS Association.

Southampton conference sells out

Tickets are for next week’s ME/CFS biomedical research conference in Southampton have all sold out. The organiser told us today that the event at Southampton General Hospital next Tuesday (12 February) could have been sold twice over – because …

The Northern Ireland ME Association

ME (Myalgic Encephalomyelitis) is a potentially severely disabling and chronic illness.

• It affects all age groups, including children and young people.
• The misunderstanding and prejudice which surrounds ME has led to feelings of disbelief and added greatly to the distress and misery experienced by those with the illness.
• The Northern Ireland ME Association feels that ……

Attitudes of Mental Health Practitioners to the Hippocratic Oath …

Dr. Marzanki’s research “Attitudes of mental health practitioners to the Hippocratic Oath: tradition and modernity in psychiatry” was carried out in 2004 to determine whether psychiatrists believe that medicine should be practised according to the principles of the Hippocratic Oath.

• Via an anonymous postal questionnaire a survey was carried out at a mental health unit in Coventry.
• A modern version of the Hippocratic Oath is shown in summarised form on the right on page 68 ….
• Those psychiatrists taking part in the survey ranged from junior doctors to consultants with an age from late twenties to over 70. Eighty percent were male.
• The results showed over 80% of the psychiatrists believed that medicine should be practised according to the Hippocratic Oath. So 20% doesn’t adhere to it, that is 1 in 5, shocking……..
• However, the results showed that support for different statements derived from the Oath to be at a considerable variation.
• The questions ranged from treatment of teachers and other colleagues, the welfare of patients and the psychiatrist’s attitudes toward the patient.
• As Dr. Marzanski points out “Articulated in a contemporary form, Hippocratic values such as avoiding harm, acting in the best interest of the patient, compassion, integrity, honesty and respect for human life maintain their relevance and prove that goodness in medical practice does remain continuous across the ages.”
• The survey suggested to the author that the majority of psychiatrists agreed that medicine should be practised in accordance with the principles of the Hippocratic Oath – although the small survey might not be representative of UK psychiatrists in general.
• It would be an interesting study to assess the answers from Dr. Marzanski’s studies when directed toward psychiatrists who are involved in dealing with ME patients on a regular basis.
• Dr. Marzanski’s research paper can be found at this address….

Political breakthrough for ME in Norway

A solid political breakthrough for ME has taken place in the Norwegian Stortinget (Norwegian Parliament), March 29th 2007.

• Thanks to a firm and consequent strategy over the last 20 years, the main ME Association in Norway has succeeded in informing both the health authorities and the politicians in a way, that has resulted in a remarkable breakthrough.
• Maybe we can learn from this …..
• Details can be found at Invest in ME’s web site – and also at the Norwegian ME Association’s web site (in Norwegian).
• Source: a great DANISH ME SITE