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CDC/Medscape - Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: It's Real, and We Can Do Better Elizabeth Unger

Discussion in 'ME/CFS research news' started by Cheshire, Feb 25, 2019.

  1. Cheshire

    Cheshire Moderator Staff Member

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    4,675
    Video published today

    https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/908622?src=rss
     
    Squeezy, Keebird, ahimsa and 25 others like this.
  2. Medfeb

    Medfeb Senior Member (Voting Rights)

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    Merge thread

    CDC released a video about ME/CFS on Medscape today. The video features Dr. Beth Unger and is directed at doctors, encouraging them that they can appropriately diagnose and care for people with ME/CFS.

    IMO, its generally pretty good although I wish they would explicitly discredit CBT and GET as inappropriate
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Feb 25, 2019
    Squeezy, Keebird, ahimsa and 20 others like this.
  3. ME/CFS Skeptic

    ME/CFS Skeptic Senior Member (Voting Rights)

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    Yes I agree. Even if they didn't dare to criticize GET/CBT openly, there could have been a warning that ME/CFS patients do not tolerate standard exercise regimes, like the CDC do on their website.

    But overall, this seems like a very useful video and message.
     
    Yessica, MEMarge, Dolphin and 3 others like this.
  4. Andy

    Andy Committee Member

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    The irony being that the webpage description, that shows in previews of the page, calls it ME/CSF...
    Screen shot 2019-02-25 at 20.23.35.png
     
    Yessica, ahimsa, WillowJ and 7 others like this.
  5. Hoopoe

    Hoopoe Senior Member (Voting Rights)

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    Another positive development likely resulting from the IOM report.
     
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  6. Webdog

    Webdog Senior Member (Voting Rights)

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    Every doctor needs to understand this. The days of abandoning ME/CFS patients without care, telling them exercise more, or relegating them to psychiatry are over. Doctors must provide symptomatic relief for the worst symptoms and try to improve patient quality of life.
     
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  7. Medfeb

    Medfeb Senior Member (Voting Rights)

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    Last edited: Feb 25, 2019
    Amw66, Yessica, Hutan and 14 others like this.
  8. dave30th

    dave30th Senior Member (Voting Rights)

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    This would mean acknowledging they got it wrong and that PACE was wrong, and they have made it clear I think they won't do that. As a public health professional, I find that pretty disgraceful for the country's lead public health agency.
     
  9. WillowJ

    WillowJ Senior Member (Voting Rights)

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    For some reason I think they are afraid people won't trust them if they say they were wrong.

    What they don't seem to realize is that people will trust them more if they are honest about what went wrong. Sweeping it under the rug is not the way to gain trust.
     
  10. Snowdrop

    Snowdrop Senior Member (Voting Rights)

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    I think from their POV they believe that they can manipulate most people's trust and that they are no wrong or to put it another way I expect they believe they are mostly right.
     
  11. Sly Saint

    Sly Saint Senior Member (Voting Rights)

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    Location:
    UK
    Job advert for CDC

    Health Scientist
    Department of Health And Human Services
    Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

    Duties
    Summary
    Serve as a senior advisor on public health research, evaluation, and policy planning, including prevention, as applied to the diseases and illnesses that are under the jurisdiction of the Branch. Will serve as a subject matter expert and deputy to the branch chief guiding all programmatic activities of the branch. Major focus of the incumbent will be to develop a strategic plan encompassing myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) and human papillomavirus (HPV) programs.
    Responsibilities
    • Develop policy and objectives, appraising programs, and initiating requirements for health science studies.
    • Serve as advisor for the planning, design, implementation, and analysis of projects.
    • Plan work to be accomplished by subordinates, set and adjust short-term priorities, and prepare schedules for completion of work, when necessary.
    • Assign work to subordinates based on priorities, considering difficulty and requirements of assignments as well as the capabilities of employees
    • Give advice, counsel, or instruction to employees on both work and administrative matters.
    Open & closing dates
    • 07/30/2019 to 08/05/2019
    https://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/540690800#agency-modal-trigger
     
  12. Denise

    Denise Senior Member (Voting Rights)

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    Thanks @Sly Saint for posting this!
     
    WillowJ, Yessica and JaneL like this.
  13. Dolphin

    Dolphin Senior Member (Voting Rights)

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    How big of a job is this? Unger works on HPV and ME/CFS: could she be retiring or moving elsewhere?
     
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  14. rvallee

    rvallee Senior Member (Voting Rights)

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    This better be real and sincere. We needed that 50 years ago but now is also a good time for this.

    Aimless wandering is rarely a good strategy. Not surprising that aimless wandering has yielded diddly squat.
     
    WillowJ likes this.
  15. Denise

    Denise Senior Member (Voting Rights)

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    470

    One question is why does this posting talk about a strategic plan encompassing both ME and HPV?
    Just because (as @Dolphin says) Unger has worked on both doesn't mean there's a solid connection between them - and certainly CDC hasn't been spending a lot of time and effort looking at that. It also wouldn't have anything to do with children getting ME so even less of a connection.
    Much more is known about HPV than ME so tying the 2 together in a strategic plan is baffling to me. (Though perhaps I'm just easily baffled.)
     
    WillowJ and Sisyphus like this.
  16. WillowJ

    WillowJ Senior Member (Voting Rights)

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    my best guess is that @Dolphin made a good guess and Dr. Unger is retiring or moving on.

    If they need to replace a specific person, they might think they need someone to do all the stuff she was doing.

    Otherwise I can't think of any reason to lump ME and HPV together.
     
    Hutan likes this.
  17. rvallee

    rvallee Senior Member (Voting Rights)

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    Uh. I assume they're two different projects but CDC leadership seems to think the skills required for both align enough to benefit from being approached similarly? Maybe? The overlap between the two is otherwise not that obvious and definitely a bit baffling unless they are separate but simply assumed to benefit from a similar skillset.
     
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  18. Medfeb

    Medfeb Senior Member (Voting Rights)

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    558
    Open & closing dates
    • 07/30/2019 to 08/05/2019
    A 7 day application window. Sounds like a formality
     
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  19. wigglethemouse

    wigglethemouse Senior Member (Voting Rights)

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    954
    With $5MM per year in funding, one would think that would allow a full time person to be 100% dedicated to ME/CFS. Or is that $5MM being used to fund other things......
     
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  20. Sisyphus

    Sisyphus Senior Member (Voting Rights)

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    458
    7 days dead in the middle of summer vacation. May as well make it February 29th.
     
    Medfeb likes this.

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