Looking for an educational document/website to show a doctor unfamiliar with ME/CFS

[zuperhero]

Hi everyone,


I’m looking for a scientifically sound and medically credible resource (preferably a printable document or website) that I could show to a doctor in my family who has no prior knowledge of ME/CFS.


He’s a 60-year-old general practitioner, open-minded and willing to read, but like many doctors of his generation, he has never been properly educated about ME/CFS. He claims he has “never seen a case” in practice – which I suspect means he probably did, but like in many countries (especially here in Poland), patients were misdiagnosed or dismissed as having psychosomatic issues due to the lack of biomarkers or clear diagnostic criteria at the time.


I’d like to give him something concise, serious, and free of pseudoscience – something written in the language of medicine: evidence-based(or at least sounding reasonable/common sense), preferably endorsed or authored by established institutions (e.g., CDC, NICE, NIH, etc.), possibly including:

• an overview of the current understanding of ME/CFS (pathophysiology, diagnosis, impact)
• diagnostic criteria (e.g., IOM/NAM 2015, NICE 2021)
• information about post-viral onset, PEM, and why it is not psychological
• management approaches (even if limited), with an emphasis on pacing and the dangers of graded exercise

Ideally, this could be something I could translate (e.g., with AI) and print out for him to read, or a web page that is easy to follow for a medically trained reader.


Any suggestions? I'm sure this could be helpful for others trying to bridge the gap with health professionals unfamiliar with ME/CFS.


Thanks in advance!

 

[linusbert]

maybe healthrising would be a good starting point.

https://www.healthrising.org/about-chronic-fatigue-syndrome-mecfs/facts/

 

[southwestforests]

This from Mayo Clinic is directed at health providers and there is link to an 8 page PDF,

https://www.mayoclinicproceedings.org/article/s0025-6196(23)00402-0/fulltext

Mayo Clinic Proceedings

Concise review for clinicians Volume 98, Issue 10p1544-1551October 2023Open access
Diagnosis and Management of Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
Stephanie L. Grach, MD, MSa [email protected] ∙ Jaime Seltzer, MSb,c ∙ Tony Y. Chon, MDa ∙ Ravindra Ganesh, MD, MBBSa
Cover Image - Mayo Clinic Proceedings, Volume 98, Issue 10

Download PDF

Abstract
Myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) is a chronic neurologic disease often preceded by infection. There has been increased interest in ME/CFS recently because of its significant overlap with the post-COVID syndrome (long COVID or post-acute sequelae of COVID), with several studies estimating that half of patients with post-COVID syndrome fulfill ME/CFS criteria. Our concise review describes a generalist approach to ME/CFS, including diagnosis, evaluation, and management strategies.

 

[bad1080]

https://me-pedia.org/wiki/Primer_for_doctors_and_researchers

 

[kushami]

The Bateman Horne Center website and YouTube channel are very good. There is a lot of material so you would have to have a search around to identify suitable documents or lectures.

I mention the YouTube channel because there is sometimes a facility to translate the subtitles on lectures. Not sure how good it is, and of course it depends on how accurate the English subtitles are.

It occurs to me that the term “neurasthenia” was used in Europe until fairly recently. Maybe he knows that term, although best to check the connotations first!

 

[zuperhero]

Thanks, for answering my question. If someone has the same challange- I'm attaching documents that I have found during my reasearch, in my opinion those are most useful, Cheers