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Danish newspaper with large covering of ME-debate in Denmark

Kalliope

Senior Member
Messages
367
Location
Norway
One of the biggest newspapers in Denmark, Politiken, has an article today covering the ME-debate in Denmark. The title is: "Foreign professors: you are treating chronic fatigued Danes wrong"

They have interviewed professor Ola Saugstad (Norway) - "If Denmark still thinks ME is a functional disorder, this needs to change ASAP. An attitude like that is very harmful to the patients"
Professor Komaroff - "It is not primarily at psychiatric disease and it is not a disease that the patients imagine they have"
Professor Staines and Sonya Marshall-Gradisnik contributes in a mail to the newspaper that GET and CBT are harmful treatments for patients

The article also
- Sums up the IOM-report
- Introduces the Danish ME Association
- Discusses the differences between research on ME and the "official" view on the disease in Denmark as a functional disorder
- Interviews Danish Health Authority who says the diagnostic criteria for CFS fits the definition of functional disorders, as an illness with severe, but unexplained, physical symptoms.

All because today the Danish ME Association will have a meeting with Danish health authorities. They are bringing with them a 112-pages long report on ME.

Best of luck to them. Hope things will turn around in Denmark soon! :thumbsup:
 
Last edited:

Sasha

Fine, thank you
Messages
17,863
Location
UK
This article sounds great but my adblocker means I can't read it. I'm particularly interested in this:

Professor Staines and Sonya Marshall-Gradisnik contributes in a mail to the newspaper that GET and CBT are harmful treatments for patients

It's time some academics said this! I usually like to send people to the newspaper for traffic but would you mind pasting this letter here?
 

Sidereal

Senior Member
Messages
4,856
This article sounds great but my adblocker means I can't read it. I'm particularly interested in this:



It's time some academics said this! I usually like to send people to the newspaper for traffic but would you mind pasting this letter here?

Here is the Google Chrome automatic translation from Danish. Some extremely strong words there, fair play to them.

No good therapies
Two Australian researchers from Griffith University in Australia, Professor Donald Staines and Sonya Marshall Gradisnik, said in an email that attached the ME Association's report that the two therapies exactly is 'dangerous' for patients.

"The notion that chronic fatigue syndrome / ME can be treated with so-called graded exercise therapy or so-called cognitive behavioral therapy is ridiculous and dangerous. These seemingly therapies are completely out of step with the disease pathomechanism. Doctors who perform these treatments should be brought to liability for medical negligence and their practice cease immediately, "they write.

"There is no role for psychiatrists in treating chronic fatigue syndrome / ME," wrote the forward.
 

Kalliope

Senior Member
Messages
367
Location
Norway
Here is the Google Chrome automatic translation from Danish. Some extremely strong words there, fair play to them.
Oh, my misunderstanding! I thought the Australian researchers had written an email to the newspaper, but it was included in the Danish ME Association's report about ME.

Seems I'm not properly caffeinated yet..
 

Sasha

Fine, thank you
Messages
17,863
Location
UK
Thanks!

Page 3:

ME-Foreningen har indhentet udtalelser fra internationale ME-eksperter, se Bilag 8. Professor Sonya Marshall-Gradisnik og professor Donald R.Staines fra National Centre for Neuroimmunology and Emerging Diseases, Griffith University, Australia skriver: “There is no role for psychiatrists in ME/CFS. Indeed the litany of harm that has occurred by mislabelling this illness as, in any way a psychiatric disorder, is simply negligent”.Om GET g CBT skriver de “Practitioners of these interventions should be brought to account for medical negligence and these practices ceased immediately”.​

Wow, they really whack it to them in the email (reproduced as in image, in full, on pp. 83-85). Highly recommend that people read it.

Here's the link again:

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/s35jz04k...ME statusrapport version 1.0 kopi 2.pdf?dl=0

It's time we had academics saying this! Big thanks to Prof. Marshall-Gradisnik and Prof. Staines.
 

Invisible Woman

Senior Member
Messages
1,267
Thanks!

Page 3:

ME-Foreningen har indhentet udtalelser fra internationale ME-eksperter, se Bilag 8. Professor Sonya Marshall-Gradisnik og professor Donald R.Staines fra National Centre for Neuroimmunology and Emerging Diseases, Griffith University, Australia skriver: “There is no role for psychiatrists in ME/CFS. Indeed the litany of harm that has occurred by mislabelling this illness as, in any way a psychiatric disorder, is simply negligent”.Om GET g CBT skriver de “Practitioners of these interventions should be brought to account for medical negligence and these practices ceased immediately”.​

Wow, they really whack it to them in the email (reproduced as in image, in full, on pp. 83-85). Highly recommend that people read it.

Here's the link again:

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/s35jz04kkwoqlch/AADiJjh8O9DAxd_YbTqq81rxa/ME statusrapport version 1.0 kopi 2.pdf?dl=0

It's time we had academics saying this! Big thanks to Prof. Marshall-Gradisnik and Prof. Staines.

Just brilliant! I've printed off a copy of this email and I shall be sure to keep a copy about my person, so I can smack the next ignoramus who mentions PACE style CBT and GET right between the eyes with it!
 

Jo Best

Senior Member
Messages
1,032
Thanks!

Page 3:

ME-Foreningen har indhentet udtalelser fra internationale ME-eksperter, se Bilag 8. Professor Sonya Marshall-Gradisnik og professor Donald R.Staines fra National Centre for Neuroimmunology and Emerging Diseases, Griffith University, Australia skriver: “There is no role for psychiatrists in ME/CFS. Indeed the litany of harm that has occurred by mislabelling this illness as, in any way a psychiatric disorder, is simply negligent”.Om GET g CBT skriver de “Practitioners of these interventions should be brought to account for medical negligence and these practices ceased immediately”.​

Wow, they really whack it to them in the email (reproduced as in image, in full, on pp. 83-85). Highly recommend that people read it.

Here's the link again:

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/s35jz04kkwoqlch/AADiJjh8O9DAxd_YbTqq81rxa/ME statusrapport version 1.0 kopi 2.pdf?dl=0

It's time we had academics saying this! Big thanks to Prof. Marshall-Gradisnik and Prof. Staines.

Professor Donald Staines said at Invest in ME Conference in recent years words to the effect that any doctor prescribing exercise for CFS/ME should be struck off. I can check which year as it's on the conference DVD. It is very good to have this in black and white now also, as well as straight from the horse's mouth on DVD.
 

Daisymay

Senior Member
Messages
754
QUote: No good therapies
Two Australian researchers from Griffith University in Australia, Professor Donald Staines and Sonya Marshall Gradisnik, said

" These seemingly therapies are completely out of step with the disease pathomechanism. Doctors who perform these treatments should be brought to liability for medical negligence and their practice cease immediately, "they write.

"There is no role for psychiatrists in treating chronic fatigue syndrome / ME," wrote the forward. End quote

Whoopee doo! Very well said ! Thanks for speaking out.

I sincerely hope more researchers will now do the same, thus helping to speed up the demise of the psychiatric reign.
 

Snowdrop

Rebel without a biscuit
Messages
2,933
Professor Sonya Marshall-Gradisnik og professor Donald R.Staines fra National Centre for Neuroimmunology and Emerging Diseases, Griffith University, Australia skriver: “There is no role for psychiatrists in ME/CFS. Indeed the litany of harm that has occurred by mislabelling this illness as, in any way a psychiatric disorder, is simply negligent”.Om GET g CBT skriver de “Practitioners of these interventions should be brought to account for medical negligence and these practices ceased immediately”.

Professor Staines, Dr Marshall-Gradisnik :love: :love: Hearing a statement like this does my heart good.
 

mango

Senior Member
Messages
905
Screenshots from the report, p84-85:

staines%20marshall-gradisnik%20me-foreningen%20dk%20statusrapport%20sept%202016%20citat%202_zpsjxdn4yxh.png

staines%20marshall-gradisnik%20me-foreningen%20dk%20statusrapport%20sept%202016%20citat%201_zpshxnd31qz.png
 

Bob

Senior Member
Messages
16,455
Location
England (south coast)

ScottTriGuy

Stop the harm. Start the research and treatment.
Messages
1,402
Location
Toronto, Canada
Professor Donald Staines said at Invest in ME Conference in recent years words to the effect that any doctor prescribing exercise for CFS/ME should be struck off. I can check which year as it's on the conference DVD. It is very good to have this in black and white now also, as well as straight from the horse's mouth on DVD.

Yes please!

Luvin those say-it-like-it-is Aussies!
 

Kalliope

Senior Member
Messages
367
Location
Norway
The Danish newspaper Politiken yesterday also included an interview with professor Saugstad on the treatment of ME-patients in Denmark.

The title is: Norwegian professor says Danish treatment of chronic tired people (sic) is a big error

In the interview prof Saugstad says the Danish approach of ME/CFS as a psychosomatic illness creates more problems than is solves. It has contributed to a lot of harm to ME-patients. He further speaks about NIH prioritising biomedical ME-research, the IOM-report, recent research including the Norwegian research on cancer treatment and ME, surveys among ME-patients on lack of effect from CBT and GET, PACE-gate, and how pacing seems to be the best approach for now.