"All in the head" yet banned from donating blood

Dan Harding, Newcastle Under Lyme:

As a partner to somebody with severe M.E. it disappoints me that such a crippling disease is yet again publicised within the context of depression. There is no denying that Rachel is genuinely ill and therefore has every right to raise awareness, however, please do not think that it is only people who suffer from psychological problems that are victims of M.E. In my partner's case, a flu-like viral infection almost 2 years ago was enough to trigger a range of disabling neurological symptoms that have completely changed our lives. As a result, she has had to leave her job and is entirely housebound.

Over 250,000 people sufferer from M.E. in the UK (more than HIV, breast cancer and MS combined) yet no government funding exists to determine its physical cause. Research in America by the Whitmore Peterson Institute recently discovered a new retrovirus, XMRV, amongst two thirds of its patient sample which has provoked great debate amongst medical professionals. Since then, M.E. sufferers have also been banned from donating blood in the UK.

In future, please provide a wider perspective on such topics as unfortunately, Rachel's account does not fully describe the constant battle that M.E. sufferers face thanks to those who insist it is "all in their head".

Dan Harding, Newcastle Under Lyme
commented on May 3, 2011 8:54 PM