https://meassociation.org.uk/2024/04/the-me-association-disability-benefits-system-could-be-overhauled-as-consultation-launched-on-pip/ From the ME Association website – Further to Rishi Sunak’s announcement a week ago, this afternoon the government are publishing a green paper exploring the overhaul and reform of Personal Independence Payment. The proposed scope of this reform has huge implications for how this benefit is awarded in future, as well as changing the nature of who may be eligible and whether a cash payment is awarded to successful claims. There will obviously be a lot of anxiet ..read more

https://www.meresearch.org.uk/research/increased-brain-neurochemical-levels-in-me-cfs-and-long-covid/ From the ME Research UK website – Researchers Kiran Thapaliya, Sonya Marshall-Gradisnik, Natalie Eaton-Fitch, Zeinab Eftekhari, Maira Inderyas, Leighton Barnden Institutions Griffith University and University of Queensland, Australia Publication American Journal of Medicine, 2024 April 6; Epub ahead of print Funding ME Research UK with the financial support of the Fred and Joan Davies Bequest Key findings Brain MRI scans from people with ME/CFS and long COVID were analysed to measure levels ..read more

https://www.meresearch.org.uk/blood-lactate-monitoring-a-tool-to-support-the-management-of-post-exertional-malaise/ From the ME Research UK website – Key points A review paper published on the 30th March this year took a closer look at how monitoring lactate levels in the blood may provide a tool to support the management of post exertional malaise. The exact reason PEM occurs remains unknown, it is likely to be related to be related to the “transport, delivery, and utilization of oxygen” within the muscles of the body. The body produces most of its energy through anaerobic respiration a pro ..read more

https://www.meresearch.org.uk/european-me-alliance-report-a-shocking-indictment-of-european-research-and-healthcare-policies-for-myalgic-encephalomyelitis/ The European ME Alliance (EMEA) has produced a lengthy and retailed report based on the online responses of over 11,000 individuals from across Europe (and beyond – in total 44 countries had respondees) and “stands as a first attempt by patient organisations to bring forward information that can be applied by governments in Europe, and by EU institutions, in order for them to take responsibility for addressing this high burden, under prior ..read more

http://bible.christiansunite.com/Morning_and_Evening/chme0412.shtml “The king’s garden.” Nehemiah 3:15 Mention of the king’s garden by Nehemiah brings to mind the paradise which the King of kings prepared for Adam. Sin has utterly ruined that fair abode of all delights, and driven forth the children of men to till the ground, which yields thorns and briers unto them. My soul, remember the fall, for it was thy fall. Weep much because the Lord of love was so shamefully ill-treated by the head of the human race, of which thou art a member, as undeserving as any. Behold how dragons and demons dwel ..read more

https://www.meresearch.org.uk/shortcomings-in-the-management-of-children-and-young-people-with-suspected-severe-me-cfs/ From the ME Research UK website – Severe ME/CFS is an under-researched area, and even more so in relation to children and young people. Yet it has a profound impact on quality of life, and as described in a 2021 article  by Dr Faith Newton – “Very seriously affected children are often too sick for doctor’s office visits, let alone school attendance… The severely ill receive little help from their schools, and are socially isolated.” In a recently published study, Dr Ale ..read more

https://meassociation.org.uk/2024/03/failings-in-the-care-of-patients-with-very-severe-me-by-dr-nigel-speight/ The ME Global Chronicle In the UK over recent years there have been a succession of cases of very severe ME who have been mismanaged by the medical profession, in the worst cases with fatal consequences. There is a repeated pattern of failings in these cases which I will attempt to analyse, and then use individual case reports to illustrate these patterns. Background problems For many doctors, either family doctors, paediatricians or physicians, being confronted with a case of very s ..read more

The Joy of Easter O the joy of that the first Easter morning, When Jesus rose victorious from the grave. O the gladness of the new day dawning, For those He came to save. This life with all its joys and golden hours, Passes as swiftly as a tale well told. So soon forgotten, all man’s greatest powers: Death takes both young and old. Long separated by our sin from One Whose holiness we could not stand before. We now draw near, sin’s barrier is gone; Jesus, for us, the Door. For when on Calvary’s cross the Saviour died, Bearing His people’s sin and punishment, Pardon was purchased by the Crucifie ..read more

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2024/mar/12/chronic-fatigue-syndrome-me-treatments-social-services George Monbiot From harmful ‘therapies’ to social services referrals, the notion that this illness is psychosomatic is having devastating effects It’s the greatest medical scandal of the 21st century. For decades, patients with ME/CFS (myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome) have been told they can make themselves better by changing their attitudes. This devastating condition, which afflicts about 250,000 people in the UK, was psychologised by many doctors and scientists, a ..read more

From the ME Association website – https://meassociation.org.uk/2024/03/magenta-trial-get-is-not-an-effective-treatment-for-me-cfs/ ME Association Comment The MAGENTA trial (Managed Activity Graded Exercise in Teenagers and Pre-Adolescents) investigated the safety and effectiveness of graded exercise therapy (GET) in children and teenagers with mild or moderate ME/CFS. The trial started in 2016 with a feasibility study, and compared GET with an activity management (AM) protocol. It was funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) as part of a research fellowship award for paedia ..read more