Sweden:Maran season 2 - How did we end up here?

Dissatisfaction with the Swedish National Board of Health and Welfare's new knowledge support for post-infectious diseases such as ME and postcovid is simmering. Both healthcare professionals working with these diagnoses, researchers, and the patients themselves are raising serious concerns about the content and warning that the government report, which is meant to help healthcare providers care for patients, poses significant risks. The National Board of Health and Welfare recommends, among other things, treatments based on outdated hypotheses that lack evidence, which could harm some patients.

How did we end up here?

Season two of "Maran" begins by exploring current and historical events to seek answers to this question.

Welcome to a season about everything from witchcraft to hysteria, medically unexplained symptoms, poor research, the power of thought, angry patients, pseudoscience, a twisted version of the biopsychosocial model, and authorities that are failing miserably in their mission.

The podcast is in swedish but on my blog I publish my scripts and sources. This is also in Swedish but I will post translated links here.

 

The first episode of Maran's second season is here! It is about how bad research has played a big role in us being treated so badly by healthcare.

Podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/...rielshet-ett-hot-mot-patientskerheten-e2oaaeq

To the blog where you will find scripts and sources (Google translate):
https://mitteremitage-wordpress-com..._sl=sv&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=sv&_x_tr_pto=wapp

 

In episode 2, we take a look at the Stress Research Podcast from Stockholm University and what they say about postcovid and ME.

To Maran podcast:
https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/...den-vill-ge-forskare-en-ny-bild-av-ME-e2oac26

To the blog where you will find scripts and sources (Google translate):
https://mitteremitage-wordpress-com..._sl=sv&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=sv&_x_tr_pto=wapp

 

Episode 3. Today I follow up yesterday's episode on the Stress Research Podcast and examine the misleading image they spread about postcovid and ME.

To Maran podcast:
https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/...oversiell-och-problematisk-bild-av-ME-e2oacek

To the blog where you will find scripts and sources (Google translate):
https://mitteremitage-wordpress-com..._sl=sv&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=sv&_x_tr_pto=wapp

 

Oh, this ain't no twisted version, 'tis a normal Scotsman. There is no other kind that leads to other outcomes.

Well-intended pseudoscience usually does as much harm as the poorly-intended one, but when it has the power of law, when it's enforced by authorities, it becomes catastrophic. The problem isn't with the intentions, it's with the pseudoscience. Although the thing about the ends justifying the means is that the means always become the ends more than whatever intended ends were imagined to be possible using invalid means.

 

Episode 4. We take a step back in history to try to understand where the problematic image of postcovid and ME, which the Stress Research podcast spreads, comes from.

To Maran podcast:
https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/eremiten/episodes/S2A4-Kopplingen-till-historien-e2oadbr

To the blog where you will find scripts and sources (Google translate): https://mitteremitage-wordpress-com..._sl=sv&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=sv&_x_tr_pto=wapp

 

Episode 5. Today I tackle the myth of the angry ME patient and follow up with current examples from the Stress Research podcast.

To Maran podcast:
https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/eremiten/episodes/S2A5-Myten-om-den-arga-patienten-e2oadu6

To the blog where you will find scripts and sources (Google translate):
https://mitteremitage-wordpress-com..._sl=sv&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=sv&_x_tr_pto=wapp

 

Episode 6. In today's Maran, you get an overview of the Swedish branch of the Oslo Chronic Fatigue Consortium. We examine what they have done and are doing, and what it says about their view of ME and post-covid.

To Maran podcast:
https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/...s/S2A6-Den-svenska-grenen-av-ntverket-e2oaeu6

To the blog where you will find scripts and sources (Google translate):
https://mitteremitage-wordpress-com..._sl=sv&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=sv&_x_tr_pto=wapp

 

Episode 7. We take an even greater step back in history in today's episode and examine how prejudices about the medically unexplained throughout history have interfered with the advances of medical science.

To Maran podcast:
https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/eremiten/episodes/S2A7-Det-medicinskt-ofrklarade-e2oagno

To the blog where you will find scripts and sources (Google translate):
https://mitteremitage-wordpress-com..._sl=sv&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=sv&_x_tr_pto=wapp

 

Episode 8. In today's episode, I talk about how SBU and Socialstyrelsen (the National Board of Health and Welfare) have failed in their government mission to map and compile knowledge about post-infectious diseases.

To Maran podcast:
https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/eremiten/episodes/S2A8-Ett-kapitalt-misslyckande-e2oah92

To the blog where you will find scripts and sources (Google translate):
https://mitteremitage-wordpress-com..._sl=sv&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=sv&_x_tr_pto=wapp

 

Episode 9. Today I delve deep into SBU's knowledge compilation on post-infectious diseases - or perhaps even more into what is missing from it.

To Maran podcast:
https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/...d-myndigheterna-vljer-att-inte-bertta-e2oal0i

To the blog where you will find scripts and sources (Google translate):
https://mitteremitage-wordpress-com..._sl=sv&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=sv&_x_tr_pto=wapp

 

Episode 10. Today's episode is about SBU's pseudoscientific assumptions and the National Board of Health and Welfare's catastrophic treatment recommendations.

To Maran podcast:
https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/eremiten/episodes/S2A10-Nr-pseudovetenskap-styr-e2oalhh

To the blog where you will find scripts and sources (Google translate):
https://mitteremitage-wordpress-com..._sl=sv&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=sv&_x_tr_pto=wapp

 

Episode 11. Season Finale. In addition to me telling you about how I think we need to handle the situation that has arisen, you can follow behind the scenes in a Swedish (problematic) research study.

To Maran podcast:
https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/eremiten/episodes/S2A11-Ett-skadligt-narrativ-e2oamcl

To the blog where you will find scripts and sources (Google translate):
https://mitteremitage-wordpress-com..._sl=sv&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=sv&_x_tr_pto=wapp

 

Do you think you're reaching an audience outside our immediate bubble?

You've created a valuable resource for advocates even if it never reaches anyone else. But it would be great if journalists, politicians or public servants involved in health or support service areas also picked up on it

The podcasts/transcripts are worth a listen/look even if you're not Swedish. There's a lot of internationally relevant and referenced content about BPS tentacles reaching far and wide

 

Thank you! I find it hard to assess, but that is what I hope for. I personally do not have the capacity to dig, write, and manage the media at the same time. So I am hoping for support from others. Unfortunately, we also have a strong culture of silence in large parts of the ME community in Sweden, where critical individuals are labeled as difficult and less credible. One is ideally supposed to just be quiet and grateful. So I feel to some extent that it is also difficult to reach 'my own bubble.' However, the podcast has been shared by the Swedish Covid Association, which made me very happy. I am also grateful that it has been highlighted in S4ME's newsletter.