1. Sign our petition calling on Cochrane to withdraw their review of Exercise Therapy for CFS here.
    Dismiss Notice
  2. Guest, the 'News in Brief' for the week beginning 18th March 2024 is here.
    Dismiss Notice
  3. Welcome! To read the Core Purpose and Values of our forum, click here.
    Dismiss Notice

Australia: Active Health Clinic, Melbourne, Nathan Butler

Discussion in 'Other clinics and doctors' started by Hutan, Jun 25, 2018.

  1. Hutan

    Hutan Moderator Staff Member

    Messages:
    26,522
    Location:
    Aotearoa New Zealand
    Copied post

    My doctor once suggested I go to the exercise physiology clinic of Nathan Butler. Nathan Butler was involved in the PACE trial, presumably as a GET therapist, and had subsequently set up the Melbourne, Australia clinic, specialising in CFS and fibromyalgia. Back in 2015 or so he proudly proclaimed his involvement in PACE on the clinic's website which promoted recovery through exercise. At the time, I was interested to find somewhere where I could do a 2-day CPET and, while I didn't like the look of the clinic, I rang them to see if they knew. The staff there had no idea what I was talking about. (Yes, this was an exercise physiology clinic specialising in the rehabilitation of people with CFS.)

    Anyway, now I can't find any mention of PACE on the clinic's website, not even in the section about Nathan Butler's experience. The claims it makes about recovery from CFS are much more toned down and it talks about 'sustainable exercise'. It has a section about orthostatic intolerance which I'm pretty sure wasn't there before - the clinic now claims to treat this condition. And it has a section on 'Cancer and Fatigue', 'coming soon'.

    So, in answer to the question @Sasha, I think for some of them whose career, whose business had been built around the findings and reputation of PACE, it's been a pragmatic matter of adapting their offering and edging quietly away. I don't know what Nathan Butler believes now, but it would not be in his interest to loudly denounce the PACE trial. Best to pretend it never happened.

    I guess this is a success for us.
     
    Last edited: Nov 3, 2021
    Trish, Milo and Sean like this.
  2. Hutan

    Hutan Moderator Staff Member

    Messages:
    26,522
    Location:
    Aotearoa New Zealand
    Copied post - more here
    Nathan Butler, who runs a substantial exercise therapy business in Melbourne, was involved in the PACE trial, delivering GET. When I first became ill in 2013, the clinic's website proudly noted the link. When I looked some years later, there was no mention of the trial at all. :)


    Screen Shot 2021-08-12 at 4.13.56 PM.png

    (I see he's now on the Long Covid gravy train...:grumpy:)
     
    Last edited: Nov 3, 2021
    Snow Leopard, Milo and Sean like this.
  3. Hutan

    Hutan Moderator Staff Member

    Messages:
    26,522
    Location:
    Aotearoa New Zealand
  4. Art Vandelay

    Art Vandelay Senior Member (Voting Rights)

    Messages:
    584
    Location:
    Adelaide, Australia
    As I noted in another thread, Long Covid patients in Australia are being largely dismissed and referred to this clinic.

    Interestingly, there's no longer any mention of CBT and GET on their website any more. I seem to recall Butler had a long defence of PACE on his site at one stage when people had started to question it.

    So it's "gradual return to activity" rather than GET now.
     
    Trish, Sean and Hutan like this.
  5. Sean

    Sean Moderator Staff Member

    Messages:
    7,044
    Location:
    Australia
    "...we are able to slowly and confidently build your capacity, without increasing your symptoms."

    Still a bold claim, unsupported by the evidence.
     
  6. Art Vandelay

    Art Vandelay Senior Member (Voting Rights)

    Messages:
    584
    Location:
    Adelaide, Australia
    Also a very bold claim:

    I can't recall seeing any reputable studies out of the Austin showing any great success with their barbaric 'fatigue program' for adolescents.
     
    Sean, merylg, Trish and 2 others like this.

Share This Page