Paul Garner on Long Covid and ME/CFS - BMJ articles and other media.

They did a prerecord with Dr Shepherd and PG is rumoured to be involved too.

 

Deb Cohen did the piece on science controversy re Covid-19 with Wessely and Gerada. I think of her as connected to that sort from other interactions I've seen, but that could be a misleading impression I've got.

 

Just quickly searched twitter:

 

great. can't wait for the broadcast.

 

Anyone able to record a copy for those without the BBC?

 

I’m on it

 

From a member of Physios for ME on Twitter.

"@BBCNewsnight report on #longcovid unfortunately gave too much focus on @PaulGarnerWoof. Well done Charles @MEAssociation for flagging up the importance of #stoprestpace not #GET for people with #LongCovid developing signs of #ME. #Physios please go to longcovidphysio.com"

"1. @PaulGarnerWoof says #LongCovid 'just does not fit the biomedical model' really? What is causing all of the longcovid symptoms? As a Professor of immunology I would expect you to want to research why some people have a positive response to the vaccine. @LongCOVIDPhysio"

 

Merged thread.

Ten minute segment on Newnight looking at the 'controversy' over how to treat LC and ME/CFS, but isn't very balanced and gives the impression (by focusing on the opinion of medics, not evidence) that patients just need to exercise and tackle their fears. Starts at 31 mins.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m000tzkd/newsnight-08042021

edit: new summary

There was a good intro at the top of the programme). It did mention scientific scrap over PACE (while showing tweets on screen claiming patient harassment) and NICE recommending against exercise "for now". But it focused on clinicians whose opinion was that exercise and psychosocial treatments were the answer. No evidence to support effectiveness was presented. The reporter has worked for the BMJ in the past.

The piece started with Paul Garner and closed with him saying "it just doesn't fit the biomedical model".

 

On most days I'm able to do a 20 minute walk and have done so for the last year or two. This has no noticable positive effect on the illness. Doing more than what I can tolerate quickly leads to a worsening. It does seem to lower heart rate somewhat and maintain some fitness that would otherwise be lower but I don't count that as effect on the illness.

 

https://gofile.io/d/714kGv

 

Not sure how long it will be available
https://gofile.io/d/714kGv

 

@PhysiosforME thanks for your Tweets re Paul Garner.

I don't think he is an Immunologist. His field is more Infectious disease/epidemiology.

 

So what is all his bullshit about autonomic responses and brains doing funny things about?

I don't think the 'positive responses' to vaccines are a good argument, though. Same unreliable evidence as peddled by people like Garner and Vogt and so on. The biomedical model takes on board bias due to suggestibility - which is why we do blinded trials rather than PACE.

 

Garner part of the correspondents “Debs” support network

 

I am certain that a piece like this does not get onto the BBC without considerable networking endeavours by the BPS crowd, and exploiting their influence to the hilt. I'm sure it also fits well with various politically driven bean counters. The influence for doing such a piece, and driving its tone and content, will be very potent.

 

BBC seems very happy to go along with this narrative. How can this ever change?

 

If only they had interviewed a patient with severe ME/CFS who tried GET/CBT only to get worse afterwards. What a different episode it would have been.

 

Selective truths are the name of the game.