Welcome to Phoenix Rising!
Created in 2008, Phoenix Rising is the largest and oldest forum dedicated to furthering the understanding of, and finding treatments for, complex chronic illnesses such as chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), fibromyalgia, long COVID, postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS), mast cell activation syndrome (MCAS), and allied diseases.
To become a member, simply click the Register button at the top right.
Even if they honestly failed to find a link between CFS and XMRV and such a link is later validated, it's going to make people read their earlier CFS work far less generously.
How many will contract XMRV while people play politics before someone begins working on a vaccine? Will there be any serious funding laid in for the the FY 2011 budget? Nope. The band is still playing. It's off key and sounds like hell but it's still playing.
so why design a study not able to detect xmrv?
They have had time to go back and change their testing method, they did not and published. They also had the 20 positives from the WPI. I'm not saying they are out to get us, but sometimes that is what happens. Have you ever heard of Harold Shipmen? Similar thing. Time will tell.
Instead of the broad ranging conspiracy theory to keep CFS patients down a more likely explanation for the events that have taken place is that everybody thinks they are correct.
I am not trying to defend the CDC's reputation with CFS! I just don't see how the usual conspiracy theories apply here. I think this is a different situation. The CDC has a real incentive to do the best work they can in this case.
Right now the CDC folks are outmatched. Nobody wants to lose this game
I'm sure Mr Switzer appreciates your giving him an honorary Phd, but perhaps it is a bit misleading to those reading your article.
As far as I can tell the highest degree Mr Switzer has earned is a Masters in Public Health. While he is, based on earlier work, a valued researcher, he does not have the important experience that comes with performing the research for and writing a doctoral thesis.
You might want to consider altering your article to reflect Mr Switzer's correct professional title.
Let me try all over.
I think the CDC answered a DIFFERENT question. We're trying to compare apples and carburetors.
Doing your "best work" to find XMRV in a bunch of people with very little physical disease is a complete contradiction to the Science paper. This is no more subtle matter of cohorts. If the WPI studied those patients, XMRV would still be an anomaly in prostate cancer with some lingering questions about it's role in the general population.
That’s my guess, too. My guess is that Alder et al are testing the CDC’s samples. They will naturally find a few infected with XMRV, but not anywhere near the percentages in their own study or the WPI’s.”My guess is that there are simply too many good researchers involved in studying XMRV for the truth not to come out.”
But they have no reason to believe it would damage or ruin their careers. In a post earlier today, muffin mentioned the Tuskegee Experiment (where poor African-American syphilis patients were prevented from getting treatment), which the CDC kept up for 40 years. It got me to wondering what happened to the people in charge when that came to light, so I did some research.“if you’re going to engage in an activity that, if exposed, could damage or ruin your career, you’re probably going to have a darn good motive for doing so.”
ixchelkali said:I think the CDC has drawn their line, preparing for that. Those people with XMRV? They don't have CFS, they have a "neurological disease." Who knows, maybe myalgic encephalomyelitis. The NIH, WPI, anyone using the Canadian Consensus Criteria, anyone whose patient cohort is very sick or has immune disorders, they aren't studying CFS. Because CFS is a psychogenic disease that can be cured with CBT & GET.
And where is Dr David Sencer now? Hes retired and serving on wait for itethics committees at <st1lace w:st="on"><st1laceName w:st="on">Emory</st1laceName> <st1laceType w:st="on">University</st1laceType></st1lace>, and teaching freshman medical students. Emory, where the head of the psychiatry department was recently found guilty of taking millions of dollars of dollars in bribes from pharmaceutical companies to peddle their products as CME for doctors, because, he said, the ethical guidelines werent clear.
<o> </o>
So why would anyone at the CDC be concerned about their career if their negligence of ME/CFS patients is shown to be malfeasance? They can always get a job teaching ethics to the next generation of doctors.