OLD WINE IN NEW GLASSES

One of the new recruits of the NICE guidelines BLOG, is double oo one seven, 001/7. He used to be a proper 007, one of the many going about their ways of espionage. He has worked for MI-5 and MI-6. That is until he fell ill with ME. Since then he works as an undercover guy for ME-6.

And he was the one who took this picture of the Top Dog of the CBT KINGDOM when he wasn’t playing with his sand castles, but when he came up with the famous words: “Old wine in new glasses.”

Why does everybody call him 001/7?? Because he can work one day a week, and needs the rest of the week to recover. Now the CBT KINGDOM thinks that is normal and a sign of hysteria or whatever word is fashionable these days.

But 001/7 knows that the good old days as 007 are behind him, unfortunately. He has joined our struggle as he has spent his life fighting nonsense and GOBSART problems.

Why we love the TOP DOG of the CBT KINGDOM SO VERY VERY MUCH???

I have just gathered a few of his remarks over the years. Not only is it clear that he has no clue what he is talking about, it also becomes clearer every second, that he doesn’t read any literature written by others than himself, nor has he got any idea about his own job as well. And he is supposed to be a professor.

A professor in knowing nothing else but blowing his own trumpet. And now he is complaining that we are critical of him and he can’t cope with that. We should just bow and accept everything, like medical students are supposed to do when the master speaks. Oh dear oh dear.

Bad science, bad “policy” and vested commercial interests deserve to be exposed and criticised.

In 1990, the TOP DOG wrote that “ME exists only because well-meaning doctors have not learnt to deal effectively with suggestible patients."

He is absolutely right, my GP has told me I am ill, and since that, I am ill. I have had the same experience with for example people with broken legs. They came to me because they were well, I told them that their leg was broken, and as by some miraculous whatever, they started to limp and a break appeared in their leg. Remember, this dog is a PROFESSOR.

Now why does it not surprise me that he has chosen psychiatry of all specialties????

In 1994 the same dog wrote: "These patients are generally viewed as an unavoidable, untreatable and unattractive burden" (British Journal of Hospital Medicine 1994:51:8:421-427).
Now, did he write here that he thinks he is an unavoidable and unattractive burden himself???

“Old wine in new bottles: neurasthenia and ME.” Another great remark by our dog. This time from, Psychological Medicine - 1990:20:35-53.

Basically he says here we are hysterics. We haven’t got anything better to do, than to pretend we are ill.

Now remember, this guy is not only a doctor, apparently someone made him a professor as well. A professor in writing the most utmost nonsense, and we pay him to do so. Worse, we give him ELEVEN million POUNDS as a bonus. A bit like Northern Rock, a few days before they announce they have done really well, they pay the management a BIG bonus. The corporate climate in a nutshell.

"There is no doubt that at least half of CFS patients have a disorder of mood. The management of affective disorders is an essential part of the treatment of CFS/ME. Numerous trials attest to the efficacy of tricyclic antidepressants in the treatment of fatigue states. Patients who fail to respond should be treated along similar lines to those proposed for treatment-resistant depression, especially (with) lithium".

Lithium is used for people with a bipolar disorder. They used to be called manic depressives. So one minute you are very very depressed, and the next minute you run around like there is no tomorrow, you can’t stop talking, and you are on the go all the time. A bit like you have swallowed the whole DURACELL factory. Now if you know just a teeny weeny bit about ME, than these two are REALLY the same.

Tricyclics (old antidepressants) have no effect whatsoever, even that has been proven in many trials, the only reason to use them, in a homeopathic dose, is to see if they help for the ME pains. But even for those they don’t do much in many patients.

If you read Dr Stein’s guidelines for psychiatrists, the percentage of people with a mood disorder in ME patients is the SAME as in other patients with a chronic illness.

Now I wonder, does he have a mood disorder himself, and is he so depressed and miserable, that he projects his feelings upon others???? Just a thought.

"The prognosis may depend on maladaptive coping strategies and the attitude of the medical profession". So we have completely wrong coping strategies, maybe something to do with these CBT BLOKEYS who ruin our lives even more.

And if our GP would be good, we would be cured in a minute. Now read this again, and remember that half of us have an affective disorder, or what he actually wanted to say, is a personality disorder. And what is the cure for a personality disorder??? Just ask him and you will see that even he doesn’t know.

"Validation is needed from the doctor. Once that is granted, the patient may assume the privileges of the sick role (sympathy, time off work, benefits etc)." There we go again, eighty pounds a week, I just wonder if he actually passed his maths tests in school???

"Between half and two thirds of patients with CFS have a co-morbid psychiatric disorder". So basically we are all lunatics. Now if I say he is a lunatic, his lawyers will send me a NICE letter, but if he writes that about us, who cares???

Now on a more positive note, we at the NICE Guidelines BLOG, are also in the process of contracting a London correspondent. The trouble at the moment is money. The guy, who wrote two brilliant pieces, one is still on my shelf, is asking way too much money. £ zero to be precise.

We have offered him zero Australian Dollars, as all the ME money is going to the CASTLE BUILDING TODDLERS.

As we are both professional negotiators, we are currently trying to find a solution somewhere in the middle. But that will take some time as we both hold our grounds at the moment. I’ll keep you informed.