News from Scandinavia

Kalliope said:
The doctor at the Swedish Social Insurance Agency dismissed his case by saying that ME is a bit like a horoscope and that all parents of young children are tired. After six years of financial support there suddenly came a full stop. Even though his doctor says he may never be able to work again, the system deems he is fully fit for work.
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Heinous.

Google translate links to the articles above:
translate.google.com

Efter sex år med sjukpenning drogs allt in: ”Mitt batteri är ständigt på 10 procent”

Försäkringskassan borde inte använda AFU vid diagnoser som ME, anser Myndighetsjuridik som stämmer staten.
translate.google.com translate.google.com

translate.google.com

Försäkringskassan om kritiken: "Allt ska vägas in"

Myndighetsjuridik ska stämma Försäkringskassan, på grund av AFU vid ME. Men Försäkringskassan anser att de redan gör en helhetsbedömning.
translate.google.com translate.google.com
 
InitialConditions said:
I just saw on a recent Raelan Agle video the claim that the Norwegian Research Council has funded a large trial into mind–body reprocessing therapy with 900 patients. Is this documented anywhere else?
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This proposal received funding of 25M NOK, about £2M from KLINBEFORSK, The National Program for Clinical Treatment Research in the Specialist Health Service.

The recruitment target is 960 participants.

I have not seen any mention of funding from the research council, but that doesn’t mean it hasn’t happened. 25M was the cap for KLINBEFORSK so they might have applied for more funding elsewhere.
 
Utsikt said:

This proposal received funding of 25M NOK, about £2M from KLINBEFORSK, The National Program for Clinical Treatment Research in the Specialist Health Service.

The recruitment target is 960 participants.

I have not seen any mention of funding from the research council, but that doesn’t mean it hasn’t happened. 25M was the cap for KLINBEFORSK so they might have applied for more funding elsewhere.
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If it happens, and when it fails, even if they manage to recruit 800 participants, and get 600 to complete the study and fill in their questionnaire, and 500 at 6 months, and 350 at one year, they'll still call it a pilot/feasibility trial and conclude that more research is needed.

Honestly at this point we could easily train an LLM with past papers and it could write it about 90% accurate, almost word-for-word if it has enough past papers from the same authors.
 
Found via a German Bluesky account (machine translation):

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Norway: 98% more medical consultations for memory problems than expected before the pandemic; the figure is 150% higher for concentration difficulties​
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Data from the Norwegian Institute of Public Health (FHI) show that “this year we are on track for 98% more medical consultations for memory problems than would have been expected before the pandemic. For concentration difficulties, the figure is 150% higher (based on data from the current year). Such diagnoses typically increase following waves of COVID-19.​
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Consider the increase in cardiovascular disease, the existence of which is likewise disputed. Compared with pre-pandemic trends, the number of people taking cardiovascular medications in 2024 was approximately 7% higher than expected in Norway, 10% higher in Denmark, and 7% higher in Sweden. For blood-pressure medications alone, the figures were 23%, 58%, and 38% higher, respectively.​
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Three countries, the same trend, and hundreds of thousands more people than projected. A recent study by the University of Oslo involving nearly 20,000 residents of Trøndelag found that people who had been infected with COVID-19 had higher troponin levels than others—a biomarker of cardiac strain. Studies such as these provide a biological explanation for why more people are starting to take cardiovascular medications.​
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In 2025, the European Society of Cardiology concluded that COVID-19 infections have “serious effects on the heart and blood vessels” and have long-term implications for public health.”​
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Richard Aubrey White @raubreywhite.bsky.social holds a PhD in Biostatistics from Harvard University. He is a researcher at the Norwegian Institute of Public Health (FHI), but does not speak on behalf of the institute.​
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Paywall​
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Chandelier said:
Source: https://www.dagogtid.no/ordskifte/epidemien-folkehelseinstituttet-vil-gloyme/693193
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This is a response to an article where Preben Aavitsland claimed on behalf of the national institute of public health (NIPH) that if LC was an issue in Norway, we would see an increase in certain diagnoses and GP consultations. Richard White (also from NIPH but not speaking on their behalf) wrote this reply demonstrating that NIPH data actually shows an increase as expected.

The left graph is memory issues, the right is concentration issues.

The title says «The epidemic NIPH wants to forget».
 
Utsikt said:
This is a response to an article where Preben Aavitsland claimed on behalf of the national institute of public health (NIPH) that if LC was an issue in Norway, we would see an increase in certain diagnoses and GP consultations. Richard White (also from NIPH but not speaking on their behalf) wrote this reply demonstrating that NIPH data actually shows an increase as expected.

The left graph is memory issues, the right is concentration issues.

The title says «The epidemic NIPH wants to forget».
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Thank you for the explanations.

Do we know about similar trends in other countries?
I know of the NHS data that Tern presented on Twitter a few weeks ago.
No account required: https://nitter.click/1goodtern/status/2089720292524404851
Unfortunately, the headaches/migraines graph is the closest to the topic of memory & concentration issues:

Migraines.webp

It would be interesting to know if there’s data on memory & concentration issues in the UK database.
 
Utsikt said:
As in difficult to find data or as in the data doesn’t show the same trends?
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From Twitter:
Stuart Wexler @wexlerwriting
12h
Do we have memory and concentration data like that but for other countries, like Sweden.
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Staffan @kalvfond
12h
Replying to @wexlerwriting
I think the Norwegian data might be a bit unique in that they have tended to use specific diagnoses rather than the official diagnostic code for Long COVID recommended by the WHO (U09.9), which has its pros and cons. Do you know of any comparable Nordic datasets, @raubreywhite ?
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Richard A White, PhDv@raubreywhite
9h
Replying to @kalvfond @wexlerwriting
Unfortunately I don’t know of any comparable Nordic datasets. If you do find one, remember that there are different levels of care. Self reporting is more sensitive than primary care, which is again more sensitive than specialist care.
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Richard A White, PhD @raubreywhite
9h
Replying to @kalvfond @wexlerwriting
Also note that U09.9 is an ICD-10 code. In Norway, ICD-10 codes are only used for specialist healthcare (ICPC-2 for primary care). Other countries (such as Sweden) use ICD-10 for both primary and specialist care.
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Richard A White, PhD @raubreywhite
9h
@kalvfond @wexlerwriting you might find this to be interesting (a deeper dive on the Norwegian data): link.springer.com/article/10… [Excess primary healthcare consultations in Norway in 2024 compared to pre-COVID-19-pandemic baseline trends, White et al, 2026]
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Utsikt said:
This is a response to an article where Preben Aavitsland claimed on behalf of the national institute of public health (NIPH) that if LC was an issue in Norway, we would see an increase in certain diagnoses and GP consultations.
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Whoever that person is, it's simply not credible to pretend that they are not aware that most physicians are advised to and dismiss those diagnoses. Coming from someone from a national institute of health, it's even less credible.

This behavior is seriously sadistic. It's not possible to not know this. It's gloating about the misery of others from a position that has control over systemic immiseration.
 
Utsikt said:
63 BPS proponents have written an opinion piece in the journal of the Norwegian medical association:
tidsskriftet.no

Gi pasientene livet tilbake

06.08.2026: Kronikk - Vi vet nok til å kunne hjelpe langt flere pasienter med langvarige symptomer.
tidsskriftet.no tidsskriftet.no

A few highlights, machine translated:
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There is now an official version in English which may increase the impact it has:

Perspectives

Give patients their lives back​

Norwegian
Silje Endresen Reme, Live Landmark, Tarjei Asprusten, Christer Suvatne, Linn Breen Herner, Elin Drivenes, Ella Roksund Carlsson, Jonas Sharma-Bakkevig, Andreas Saxlund Pahle, Tomas Nordheim Alme, Trygve Skonnord, Randi Brendbekken, Dan-Mikael Ellingsen, Siv Elin Pignatiello, Hege Fundingsrud Novak, Hans Petter Fundingsrud, Trygve Fredrik Moe, Lene Aasdahl, Miriam Skjerven Gjærum, Vegard Bruun Bratholm Wyller, Hedda Bratholm Wyller, Nina Andresen Vinneng, Gisle Roksund, Turid Birgitte Boye, Ida Marie Laberg Aasli, Elias Myrstad Brodwall, Kjetil André Børhaug, Jonas Carsten Jeppesen, Tom Farmen Nerli, Jon Håvard Loge, Hilde Schei, Cathrine Abrahamsen, Reidar Hjermann, Ulrik Malt, Signe Agnes Flottorp, Henrik Vogt, Georg Espolin Johnson, Gunvor Launes, Anne Gunn Dahl Kirkebak, Else Rekstad, Reidar Due, Tone Skjerven, Henrik Børsting Jacobsen, Ingjerd Helene Jøssang, Anne Brækhus, Kathrine Bakke-Friedland, Geir Frivold, Ingrid Bugge, Ingrid B. Helland, Martin Skagseth, Bård Fossli Jensen, Lina Linnestad, Mathilde Myklebust, Hege Kristiansen, Charlotte Lunde, Felicia Skjerven Kristiansen, Hojjat Daniali, Torgeir Hoff Skavøy, Ståle Onsgård Sagabråten, Peter Solvoll Lyby, Marte Roa Syversen, Ingvild Gardum Damskog, Maria Pedersen
We have enough knowledge to help many more patients with persistent symptoms. Nevertheless, we are reluctant to offer hope out of fear of disappointing them. This can have a profound impact on many aspects of their life.

This article is a joint call to action from 63 researchers, clinicians and other healthcare professionals throughout Norway. We have clinical and research experience in persistent physical symptoms, including pain, fatigue, ‘brain fog’, dizziness and gastrointestinal symptoms, and have united around a shared message: new knowledge about how these symptoms develop and persist gives us much greater reason to hope for improvement than is currently conveyed to many patients.

Continues at:

tidsskriftet.no

Give patients their lives back

02.09.2026: Perspectives - We have enough knowledge to help many more patients with persistent symptoms.
tidsskriftet.no tidsskriftet.no

People can comment online on it. There are 10 comments in Norwegian there already.

FYI @dave30th
 
We have clinical and research experience in persistent physical symptoms, including pain, fatigue, ‘brain fog’, dizziness and gastrointestinal symptoms, and have united around a shared message: new knowledge about how these symptoms develop and persist gives us much greater reason to hope for improvement than is currently conveyed to many patients.​

New knowledge, my arse. You have no such thing. Only the same old failed claim with new marketing labels.

If I am wrong, show me the body of methodologically robust clinical trials confirming the validity and safety of your claim.

I won't hold my breath.
 
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