Humber teaching hospital service is under Adult Mental Health Services Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Service (CFS) The Team provides a multi-disciplinary service for adult patients with a diagnosis of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS). No mention of ME anywhere, nor the NICE guidelines. https://www.humber.nhs.uk/Services/chronic-fatigue-syndrome-service-cfs.htm
They keep saying it's evidence-based even after the evidence base has been debunked and invalidated as a recommendation. They are doing the equivalent of homeopaths saying "we treat cancer with homeopathic remedies", which is a true statement regardless of whether they are effective. They are using it, it's true. There is evidence for this, it's true. All of it bad and unreliable, misleading, even. So really evidence-based is more of a mantra, like a company with a slogan that says "we do quality", as if any company would ever have a slogan that says something like "we're really bad at this, we only build crap!".
It absolutely is. There's degrees of evidence, you know. The studies recommending GET are (at best) collections of anecdotes. The sources recommending against CBT/GET or claiming ME is a real illness are clinicial practice guidelines, generally accepted as the strongest form of medical evidence.
This service does not take the view that CFS is ‘all in the mind’, not do we believe that patients are mentally ill. However evidence suggests that, as with many long term physical conditions, there may be psychological or social issues which can predispose trigger or perpetuate CFS. The more things change, the more they stay the same.
Please also send these sort of things to Charles at the MEA, if he doesn't have the info already. He's good at reaching out and putting their responses into the public domain. Thanks for this. Another one to watch.
