Sunday Times readers comments: "The ‘invisible illness’: what it feels like to live with chronic fatigue syndrome or ME"

Yes, I was surprised he called himself that in the letter Robert posted above; when I saw him his title was Consultant Physician and Endocrinologist, he specialised in endocrinology and diabetes, and the only tenuous connection with ME was that he ran the local 'fatigue clinic'. Am very surprised he describes himself in that letter as having spent 30 years seeing people with ME - he obviously didn't learn anything about the disease in all that time. But then, he is a pal of Peter White - it was White who recommended him to me.

(The story behind this was that a healthcare worker friend sent me a leaflet White produced in which he stated that 49% of people referred to CFS services turned out not to have it. I asked my GP if I could be referred to White in case he could find that I had something else, something treatable. She referred me, but White said he couldn't see me because my local NHS Trust refused, insisting that I go to their own local 'fatigue clinic' instead, which I learned doesn't do 2nd opinions or any medical examination or testing, just carries out psychological therapies on people with fatigue. So I had my one consultation with Dr Johnston, realised he was a disappointing waste of my time, and that was that.)

ETA: Duh, I forgot to mention in the above account that Dr White specifically recommended Dr Johnston, referring to him as an excellent clinician of his acquaintance, not that I was just re-referred to the local fatigue clinic.

ETA2:

Ah, so he's a member of BACME, sounds about right for someone so clueless about ME.

 

One might reasonably have expected that to run an NHS service in any condition it would be a sine qua non to have a clinical interest in the subject.

The uses of the word "interest" are clearly various and uncertain, and the ways of the NHS even more so.

 

retweeted by Michael Sharpe

not sure why.
because it's the spectator?
because it is an article written by Rod Liddle?
because of those 'americans'?
or he just doesn't like Meghan?

https://twitter.com/user/status/1173991264670429184

 

That's my bet, given @dave30th reserves the right to say whatever he damn well pleases about crap science and any dodgy promotion of it. MS just don't like it!

 

Coming rather late to this, but I believe that most public libraries in the UK have access (via their websites? - mine does) to the electronic versions of most UK newspapers, so if you're a member at least you ought to be able to access it that way.