News from Germany

[Chandelier]

(S+) Von wegen Einbildung! So mächtig sind Placeboeffekte

Placebos können verblüffend heilsam sein. Noceboeffekte hingegen können schwer krank machen. Wie unsere Erwartung die Hirnchemie verändert und warum Pferde auf Globuli reagieren.

www.spiegel.de

Der Spiegel has an interview with Professor Bingel about Placebos

AI Summary:​

• Placebo effects are physiologically measurable and involve neurobiological mechanisms, such as the release of endogenous opioids (endorphins), particularly in pain processing. These effects can modulate peripheral nociceptive signaling.
• Nocebo effects may be equally or even more powerful than placebo effects, especially in pain contexts. Negative expectations can effectively cancel out the pharmacological effect of potent drugs, such as opioids.
• Open-label placebos (where patients are aware they are receiving a placebo) can still produce therapeutic effects, likely due to conditioning and interpretation of symptom fluctuation.
• Systemic physiological changes have been observed, including shifts in inflammatory markers, and measurable effects on the cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, and immune systems.
• "Placebo by proxy" occurs when a caregiver’s positive expectations influence the health outcomes of dependents (e.g., animals or children), relevant in veterinary medicine and pediatrics.
• Clinical communication functions as a modulator of treatment outcome: framing and verbal interaction can significantly alter therapeutic efficacy or side effect profiles.
• Nocebo effects are ethically challenging to study, as inducing negative expectations deliberately in patients conflicts with research ethics, limiting empirical data.
• COVID-19 vaccine studies show that up to 75% of systemic side effects (e.g., headache, fatigue) were due to nocebo responses, highlighting the large-scale relevance of expectation effects.
• Curricular integration is needed: Placebo and nocebo mechanisms should be part of medical training, with a focus on developing communication skills to harness positive effects and mitigate harm.

Her she refers to her study from 2011. I created a thread for it here.

In a study using the potent, short-acting opioid Remifentanil, Bingel's team investigated how expectations affect pain perception. All participants received the same dose of the drug, but were divided into three groups with different expectation settings: one was unaware treatment had begun (neutral), one was told they were receiving a powerful analgesic (positive), and one was falsely informed the medication was being stopped (negative).

The results were striking: Positive expectation nearly doubled pain relief, while negative expectation almost completely neutralized the drug’s effect — despite identical pharmacological dosing. This demonstrates that negative expectations and emotions can entirely undermine even highly effective treatments. These findings are not limited to experimental opioids but extend to everyday situations, like taking over-the-counter painkillers such as ibuprofen.

The interview ends on a note about mass-hysteria:

AI Summary:

Nocebo effects can spread epidemically when people are confronted with vague or invisible threats, such as fears of electromagnetic radiation from phones or Wi-Fi. Even in the absence of a physical cause, the symptoms experienced by affected individuals are real and distressing. Bingel is particularly interested in the mechanisms that allow negative expectations and fears to spread so rapidly in society. She believes studying these processes could help improve the way accurate and trustworthy information is communicated in the future — a responsibility that also lies with the media.

 

[Chandelier]

Post-COVID: Studie untersucht Einfluss von Ausdauertraining

Magdeburg. Die Universitätsmedizin Magdeburg sucht Probandinnen und Probanden für eine Studie über die Wirksamkeit von Ausdauertraining bei Betroffenen mit Post-COVID. Eine Studie der Universitätskliniken für Kardiologie und Angiologie sowie für Psychosomatische Medizin und Psychotherapie Magdebu

www.magdeburg-klickt.de

pwME are explicitly excluded from participating. It’s 2025 after all…

AI Translation:

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Post-COVID: Study Investigates the Impact of Endurance Training

Magdeburg. University Medicine Magdeburg is seeking participants for a study on the effectiveness of endurance training for individuals affected by post-COVID.

A study conducted by the University Clinics of Cardiology and Angiology as well as Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy in Magdeburg aims to determine whether regular endurance training benefits people with post-COVID. The study is looking for participants who have previously contracted COVID-19 and are currently suffering from fatigue. The researchers hope the study will yield new insights to improve current therapies and, in turn, enhance the quality of life for those experiencing long-term effects of COVID-19.

The research team is focusing on three specific questions: Does regular endurance training improve quality of life? Does it reduce fatigue in affected individuals? And what type of training is particularly beneficial? Sports physician Dr. Dörte Ahrens is leading the study and explains:
“So far, there is little solid evidence on effective treatment strategies for long- and post-COVID syndrome. Our goal is also to offer affected patients a sense of perspective, so they don’t feel left alone.”

Participants will be asked to carry out a self-directed training program over a period of three months and document it in a training diary. To support this, they will receive activity trackers and heart rate monitors. Comprehensive examinations will be carried out at the participating clinics before and after this period.

To be eligible for the study, participants must not have any other diagnosed condition that could explain their reduced physical capacity or symptoms. Unfortunately, individuals with a pacemaker, those who are pregnant, have atrial fibrillation, or suffer from Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) cannot take part in the study.

The study is funded by the German Heart Foundation.

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Long-/Post-COVID​

The long-COVID syndrome refers to the persistence of physical, mental, and psychological symptoms that appear more than four weeks after a COVID-19 infection and cannot be explained by other causes. The post-COVID syndrome is defined by symptoms lasting longer than three months.

Contact for those interested in participating:
Outpatient Clinic for Sports Medicine and Prevention, University Clinic for Cardiology and Angiology Magdeburg
praeventionsambulanz@med.ovgu.de

 

[rvallee]

They argue that the term "encephalomyelitis" suggests brain and spinal cord inflammation, which is usually not detectable in ME/CFS patients

Medicine's decision to only name diseases based on pathology has been massively disastrous. We keep getting bogged down in stupid details like this. It led to the invention of CFS, which is an even worse name, something that is completely misunderstood by capricious physicians who think it's smart to let millions of people go to waste in part because they pretend that things we have nothing to do with can be used to beat us down and maintain a state of criminal negligence. They keep trotting this out as if it's some valid argument, when all it does is emphasize how they are completely at fault, while insisting we are. What a disaster.

I don't know what drove that move, but a lot of medicine's failures to solve those mysteries can be traced back to it. Because problems can't be worked on before they are understood, and they can't be understood without being worked on. And clearly there is nothing we can do about it, it's all about power and we have none. It's revolting. A collective "look at what they're wearing", and it's cheered on.

 

[rvallee]

Der Spiegel has an interview with Professor Bingel about Placebos

This is the absolute peak of pseudoscience. It's pure Goop. Everything they say here is delusional and wrong. What the hell is going on with this profession? This is madness!

 

[Chandelier]

12min Nano Doku, mostly about two girls with severe ME/CFS.

ME/CFS - diese seltene Krankheit raubt jungen Menschen das Leben – und kaum jemand kennt sie

Betroffene verlieren Alltag, Freunde und Perspektiven - bislang gibt es keine Therapie gegen das Fatigue-Syndrom. Doch Familien kämpfen für Hoffnung.

www.3sat.de

 

[Chandelier]

Quarks published a 22min video documentary about a former kickboxing world champion who suffers from ME/CFS.


AI Summary:

Jenny spends about three hours daily in a hyperbaric oxygen chamber, totaling nearly 1,000 hours over her illness. Once very active, Jenny now lives with severe neuroimmunological disease ME/CFS, which began after a COVID-19 infection in 2022. At 35, she desperately wants to work, live, and be healthy again. The illness dominates her daily life, causing profound exhaustion, pain, and sensitivity to stimuli. Jenny longs to experience simple joys like inline skating again, representing freedom and normal life.
Before ME/CFS, Jenny was a five-time kickboxing world champion and professionally successful. Her symptoms started abruptly with a “crash” causing extreme fatigue, tremors, and cognitive impairment. Her diagnosis came months later after a long doctor search. ME/CFS shares some symptoms with Long COVID but is a distinct disease affecting the immune system, nervous system, blood vessels, and energy metabolism. It triggers chronic inflammation, dysregulates automatic body functions (heart rate, blood pressure, digestion), and mitochondrial dysfunction, leading to extreme, persistent fatigue.
No approved medications exist for ME/CFS; many treatments are experimental and off-label, including drugs like Mestinon and hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT). HBOT helps increase oxygen supply in the body and brain, reducing brain fog and potentially halting disease severity. Jenny credits HBOT with saving her from a worse condition.
ME/CFS patients must carefully manage energy (“pacing”) to avoid post-exertional malaise (PEM), where symptoms worsen disproportionately after minimal activity. PEM can cause crashes lasting days to weeks and even permanent disability with repeated relapses. Jenny’s attempts at rehabilitation and physical therapy illustrate how easily overexertion worsens her condition despite medical guidance. She closely monitors heart rate as an indicator of energy limits.
Financially, Jenny’s illness has depleted her savings (around €45,000), despite earlier good income and private disability insurance. She currently relies on limited insurance and support from her parents while waiting for government disability benefits. About 650,000 people in Germany suffer from ME/CFS, costing the economy billions annually.
Socially, Jenny’s condition has narrowed her relationships to only the closest friends and family. Everyday activities and social outings are difficult or impossible due to fatigue and sensory overload. Nonetheless, she treasures meaningful moments like enjoying the sun on her face, the wind while skating, and spending time with friends.
Jenny’s story highlights the profound challenges of ME/CFS — the physical, emotional, and financial toll — and the importance of understanding, research, individualized therapies, and paced living for those affected.

 

[Chandelier]

Omer Van den Bergh from the Oslo Chronic Fatigue Network wrote a guest article for the Süddeutsche Zeitung.

Es ist falsch, psychische Symptome von körperlichen zu trennen

Die Festlegung auf körperliche oder psychische Symptome ist falsch. Emotionen und Erwartungen spielen eine entscheidende Rolle.

www.sueddeutsche.de

All symptoms arise "in the head." Where else?
Guest article by Omer Van den Bergh
September 14, 2025, 3:51 PM | Reading time: 4 minutes

Are the symptoms real or merely psychological? This false dichotomy is still often invoked when dealing with ailments of unclear origin. Yet the two cannot be separated. A better approach is needed to help patients—whether they're suffering from COPD or Long Covid.

AI Summary:

The article challenges the outdated and false dichotomy between “real” (physical) and “psychological” symptoms — a mindset still prevalent in medicine and public discourse, especially around conditions like Long Covid, chronic fatigue, and fibromyalgia.

Van den Bergh argues that all symptoms arise in the brain, even those with clear physical causes, such as pain from a physical injury. The brain integrates signals from the body with emotions, memories, expectations, and context — meaning symptoms are never purely physical or purely mental.

He points out:

• Psychological factors often amplify or prolong symptoms.
• In chronic conditions, emotional and cognitive processes play a growing role over time.
• Studies show that symptoms can persist even when the underlying physical cause has resolved.
• Effective treatments, such as self-management programs and cognitive behavioral therapy, often work not by curing the physical illness, but by changing how patients perceive and cope with symptoms.

The article criticizes the medical system for clinging to a Cartesian (mind-body split) view that leads to:

• Misdiagnosis or over-medicalization
• Patient frustration
• Stigmatization
• Missed opportunities for effective psychological interventions

Van den Bergh calls for a truly biopsychosocial approach in medicine, where symptom perception is studied just as seriously as disease mechanisms, and psychological treatment is integrated into care from the beginning. This shift could improve patient outcomes and reduce societal costs.

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Key Takeaway (in a sentence):​

"Symptoms aren't either real or imagined — they are real, and they always involve the brain."

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[Utsikt]

• Studies show that symptoms can persist even when the underlying physical cause has resolved.

If the physical cause has resolved, there would be no symptoms. Unless they believe that something non-physical can cause symptoms, which would be the definition of dualism.

• Effective treatments, such as self-management programs and cognitive behavioral therapy, often work not by curing the physical illness, but by changing how patients perceive and cope with symptoms.

As always, they are proposing treatments that have been repeatedly and conclusively shown to not work.

This is just propaganda.

 

[rvallee]

Omer Van den Bergh from the Oslo Chronic Fatigue Network wrote a guest article for the Süddeutsche Zeitung.

Es ist falsch, psychische Symptome von körperlichen zu trennen

Die Festlegung auf körperliche oder psychische Symptome ist falsch. Emotionen und Erwartungen spielen eine entscheidende Rolle.

www.sueddeutsche.de

AI Summary:

A better approach is needed to help patients

Van den Bergh calls for a truly biopsychosocial approach in medicine, where symptom perception is studied just as seriously as disease mechanisms, and psychological treatment is integrated into care from the beginning

You literally have had that for decades. You have that right now! They control everything, pretend that it's working, pretend to call for something better, and that "better" thing is always exactly what they've been doing for decades!

This is just propaganda.

It's fraud, criminal. They lie and keep lying about everything they do. This is completely mad!

Plus: a bonus No True Scotsman fallacy. Could they explain what is the difference between a biopsychosocial approach that they have been doing for decades and forced into standard practice despite zero evidence of usefulness, and a "true" biopsychosocial approach? Of course not, because they are the same thing. Always the same thing, going on for over a century of failure and misery and early death for millions, and all they have is lies. Shows how humans will lie about anything and everything if they are encouraged to. Even if it leads to destroying millions of lives. Lies everywhere.

 

[OrganicChilli]

And of course this is what the big newspapers publish. Just like when the FAZ gave the DGN a platform a few weeks ago whereas Martin Rücker's other articles on ME/CFS disappear in an online magazine.