Cochrane ME/CFS GET review temporarily withdrawn

Outstanding! Big thanks to all those who've done the hard yards on this front. What a milestone. BMJ must be feeling the pressure.

 

Good find!

from that article-
"Raising further questions about her objectivity as a science reporter are Kelland’s ties to the Science Media Centre..."

 

Training videos for English GP's on how to deal with CFS patients

Vignette 5
Reconstruction of a typical GP consultation

Dr Clare Gerada (Simon Wessely's wife) and Alicia Deale (playing the patient):

"...can I have a little look at
your diary?.....I think what your diary shows is again how important it is that we develop a consistent approach because what we talked about was that it's important that we break this association between activity and your symptoms .... we've talked before about the fact that you walk at the moment to the bus stop to go to work, how long extra would it be if you walk to the next bus stop?...."

"...what we're trying to do here as I've said to you is to break this association between activity and your symptoms because equally if you feel rotten I still want you to do that activity...even if you're absolutely exhausted I still want you to do your ten minute walk in the morning and the ten minute walk in the evening after work...

Alicia Deale (Patient): 'Is that going to be safe?'

Clare Gerada: it will be safe - all the evidence that we've put together and all the the research literature shows that is absolutely safe you will not do yourself any harm..."



http://www.veo h.c om/watch/v19931890Xyz2eEn7

 

https://twitter.com/user/status/1052689249756155904


this is the original tweet by Peter Tatchell there that I can't make appear here-
(aversion therapy...talk about a piece of crap...)

https://twitter.com/user/status/778256247300775936

 

I'm still thinking all this stuff through, but (not forgetting how terrible Cochrane has been for years) I think I am impressed they have been willing to take on Wessely & co by withdrawing this review, even as Cochrane has all of the other drama going on. Maybe that shows my standards are now depressingly low, as those political considerations really shouldn't be allowed to lead to patients and clinicians being left with a seriously flawed review... but in many ways this seems the time when the cost of withdrawing the review is highest for Cochrane. I bet they wish they'd dealt properly with things earlier.

Maybe all the other drama made Tovey 'fuck it, I'm retiring soon, I'll just do what's right'?

 

has anyone estimated how many millions of people were harmed by this dangerous treatment ?

this news is very welcome, but i wonder how much physical and emotional trauma was incurred, worldwide, through GET & CBT.

admitting the faults in the original 'systematic review' would leave them open to HUGE legal liabilities.

 

https://twitter.com/user/status/1052785019259736064

 

Sharpe has just tweeted the link to the article - roll on the comments!

 

No doubt fishing for militant activist quotes / evidence

 

https://twitter.com/user/status/1052744004356460544

 

https://twitter.com/user/status/1052660675972087810

 

Has anyone else read the Reuters Trust principles at the bottom of the article?

For instance:

"That the integrity, independence, and freedom from bias of Thomson Reuters shall at all times be fully preserved"

There is an email address at the bottom if you have comments, I am going to do my best to send one regarding bias towards GET proponents, lack of accurate reporting regarding current views of GET and lack of comment from the people who have criticised the review using sound scientific facts. Also that Colin Blakemore does have CoI given PACE was begun under his time at MRC.

I don't really have the energy for this but it is so important.

 

https://twitter.com/user/status/1052817774639292416

 

Seconding the thanks to all involved, especially Bob, @Tom Kindlon and @dave30th.

Now hoping that independent media and another news agency than Reuters will spread the news in a more objective manner.

And hoping to soon receive the answer "Content not available" when clicking the link to the review.

And again and again, thinking of Bob.

But this is an image that keeps cheering me up:

 

Who is Tracy King and what is it she is worried about - her job?

 

'Tracy King is a writer, producer and science populariser. Before turning to animation, she ran a successful marketing and PR company, during which time she created major science and critical-thinking events and had an early viral video success with her marketing campaign for Prof. Richard Wiseman’s book Quirkology.' From here: https://www.foundry.com/events/its-not-rocket-science

In other words, she does 'critical' pieces about popular science.

 

Most of us don't discuss that though - it is deliberate mischaracterisation of our arguments by people who haven't bothered to listen to us.

 

Surely it was a joke by Tracy King. Or am I missing the joke by stating that?

 

I wondered that. Her Twitter bio says

By the evidence of her tweet, she debunks things based on the headlines of media stories that she reads..