Countrygirl
Senior Member
- Messages
- 5,634
- Location
- UK
This is something which has caused a huge stir in the UK ME community.
Prof Paul Garner of the Liverpool School of Tropical Diseases who developed Long Covid last spring was supported and advised by the ME community and Dr Charles Shepherd of the ME Association. Prof Garner became a voice for the ME ............and then became bewitched by Live Landmark, a LP (Lightning Process) practitioner from Norway.
This week in the BMJ he wrote that he has cured himself by positive thinking and avoiding patients who remain ill while only listening to those, thanks to their positive mindset, who cure themselves of the illness.
He is now something of a poster child for the Lightning Process in Norway..............just when they are undertaking a government-funded trial.
Meanwhile, to make matters worse, a couple of days ago, Prof Garner appeared on the BBC Breakfast Show alongside Dr Clare Gerada, Professor Sir Simon Wessley's wife. Mrs Wessley told the nation that she too had had Long Covid and that as 'there is nothing that exercise cannot make better'............which she then repeated for emphasis.......she hired herself a personal trainer to enable her to recover, and so she ran herself back to full heath. Prof Garner then related his story and told the audience that it is positive thinking, avoiding patients who fail to do that (because of weakness of mind) and so chose to remain ill, that enabled him to recover.
Very conveniently, the timing is crucial as the draft NICE guidelines for ME are about to be finalised and they are likely to remove GET and the influence of PACE, and, specifically, LP. These two high profile figures are a powerful weapon for the BPS group who want to retain GET and LP. One might be forgiven for thinking that the timing of the public appearing of this duo just a little..........convenient,...........if not downright suspicious.
Does Prof Garner realise that he is just a pawn of the BPS and LP practitioners?
But all is not as it seems. The ME community have now found that Prof Garner, who claims he fulfilled the CCC definition of ME, was able to walk 5km a day by about August, was considering taking up running, and then went to the Caribbean for a prolonged(three months?) scuba-diving holiday (during lockdown, of course when we are confined to our homes) He was clearly just about recovered when he claims that he acted on the guidance of the LP practitioner.
This has stirred up great anger and a sense of betrayal in the UK ME community who, while glad he has recovered, is shocked that the person to whom they reached out to at the beginning of his illness should attack them with such hostility and team up with the Wessleys while promoting a programme of magical thinking that has harmed so many.
Here is the link to the BMJ article (and do read the comments):https://blogs.bmj.com/bmj/2021/01/25/paul-garner-on-his-recovery-from-long-covid/#comment-5242667119
https://www.virology.ws/2021/01/28/...ers-bmj-blog-post-on-his-powerful-cognitions/
Trial By Error: Professor Paul Garner’s BMJ Blog Post on His Powerful Cognitions
28 JANUARY 2021
By David Tuller, DrPH
Professor Paul Garner, an infectious disease doctor at the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, has had a rough time with long-Covid. He has written about his experiences in a series of compelling blog posts on BMJ’s site. At first, he bonded with members of the ME/CFS community and expressed shock at the shoddy treatment these patients have experienced for years. He even invited me to give a presentation to his research group on the discredited PACE trial, which I was pleased to do.
This week—around nine months after he first contracted Covid-19–he reported in a new BMJ blog that he is fully recovered. Moreover, he claims to have recovered solely through the effect of positive thinking. Once he began believing he could get better and turned off all the negative messaging from other patients, he went to a military-style training exercise and felt great—in tip-top shape. And that was it. He was recovered...............................................
Prof Paul Garner of the Liverpool School of Tropical Diseases who developed Long Covid last spring was supported and advised by the ME community and Dr Charles Shepherd of the ME Association. Prof Garner became a voice for the ME ............and then became bewitched by Live Landmark, a LP (Lightning Process) practitioner from Norway.
This week in the BMJ he wrote that he has cured himself by positive thinking and avoiding patients who remain ill while only listening to those, thanks to their positive mindset, who cure themselves of the illness.
He is now something of a poster child for the Lightning Process in Norway..............just when they are undertaking a government-funded trial.
Meanwhile, to make matters worse, a couple of days ago, Prof Garner appeared on the BBC Breakfast Show alongside Dr Clare Gerada, Professor Sir Simon Wessley's wife. Mrs Wessley told the nation that she too had had Long Covid and that as 'there is nothing that exercise cannot make better'............which she then repeated for emphasis.......she hired herself a personal trainer to enable her to recover, and so she ran herself back to full heath. Prof Garner then related his story and told the audience that it is positive thinking, avoiding patients who fail to do that (because of weakness of mind) and so chose to remain ill, that enabled him to recover.
Very conveniently, the timing is crucial as the draft NICE guidelines for ME are about to be finalised and they are likely to remove GET and the influence of PACE, and, specifically, LP. These two high profile figures are a powerful weapon for the BPS group who want to retain GET and LP. One might be forgiven for thinking that the timing of the public appearing of this duo just a little..........convenient,...........if not downright suspicious.
Does Prof Garner realise that he is just a pawn of the BPS and LP practitioners?
But all is not as it seems. The ME community have now found that Prof Garner, who claims he fulfilled the CCC definition of ME, was able to walk 5km a day by about August, was considering taking up running, and then went to the Caribbean for a prolonged(three months?) scuba-diving holiday (during lockdown, of course when we are confined to our homes) He was clearly just about recovered when he claims that he acted on the guidance of the LP practitioner.
This has stirred up great anger and a sense of betrayal in the UK ME community who, while glad he has recovered, is shocked that the person to whom they reached out to at the beginning of his illness should attack them with such hostility and team up with the Wessleys while promoting a programme of magical thinking that has harmed so many.
Here is the link to the BMJ article (and do read the comments):https://blogs.bmj.com/bmj/2021/01/25/paul-garner-on-his-recovery-from-long-covid/#comment-5242667119
https://www.virology.ws/2021/01/28/...ers-bmj-blog-post-on-his-powerful-cognitions/
Trial By Error: Professor Paul Garner’s BMJ Blog Post on His Powerful Cognitions
28 JANUARY 2021
By David Tuller, DrPH
Professor Paul Garner, an infectious disease doctor at the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, has had a rough time with long-Covid. He has written about his experiences in a series of compelling blog posts on BMJ’s site. At first, he bonded with members of the ME/CFS community and expressed shock at the shoddy treatment these patients have experienced for years. He even invited me to give a presentation to his research group on the discredited PACE trial, which I was pleased to do.
This week—around nine months after he first contracted Covid-19–he reported in a new BMJ blog that he is fully recovered. Moreover, he claims to have recovered solely through the effect of positive thinking. Once he began believing he could get better and turned off all the negative messaging from other patients, he went to a military-style training exercise and felt great—in tip-top shape. And that was it. He was recovered...............................................
Last edited: