GET and CBT HARMFUL FOR ME/CFS

A recent review of the relevant scientific literature shows that the "revalidation therapies" for patients with ME/CFS, which are monopolized by the governmental institutions for example in the UK, Belgium and the Netherlands, are not only not efficient, but also aggravate the condition of many patients.

Despite several major scientific breakthroughs, ME/CFS is still described in the popular media as a medically unexplained disorder. Psychotherapy (cognitive behavioral therapy) and graded exercise therapy (GET) are declared to be the only possible therapies.

A thorough analysis of the current medical scientific literature and international patient surveys, however, shows that CBT/GET is not only ineffective for the majority of the ME/CFS patients, but also potentially very harmful.

Scientific studies and large-scaled patient surveys have shown that treatments with CBT/GET seriously deteriorate the condition of many patients with ME/CFS.

The work capacity decreased as well!

The review also explains why GET and exercise do aggravate characteristic complaints, like “fatigue”, pain, neurocognitive problems (e.g. concentration and memory).

Pre-existing biological aberrations, e.g. inflammation, oxidative stress, and dysfunctional ion channels, will be amplified by a minor exertion, like walking or reading a book … and by “rehabilitation therapies” like CBT/GET.