'I'm not looking for pity, just a cure' - NZ article

May 13 2018
"Christchurch resident Melissa Bailey shares how she copes with the debilitating disease M.E."

"I've learned a lot about the human heart and how terribly judgmental people are. Many years ago I was one of those judgmental people who on a school camp, came across a parent lying on the hard hall floor sleeping. I am ashamed to say that when she told me she had M.E and such bad fatigue that she couldn't continue, I thought to myself that she should take a concrete pill and harden up. A year later I was diagnosed with M.E."

full piece here:
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/health/103811479/I-m-not-looking-for-pity-just-a-cure

 

Not to be cruel, but sometimes life serves up a delicious slice of irony.

 

I realise that this was not the object of the post but what immediately struck me was how readily reference to the heart can be seen to be metaphorical.

In contrast the concept of mind is rarely seen in the dame way, despite the explanations of Gilbert Ryle.

 

Sadly it looks as though she (the author) has been persuaded to try the Lightning process:
"
bs1992:
Look into the Lightning Process- you wont look back once you get well again! Many others around NZ have success stories
lisso:
Thanks, my mum has very kindly offered to pay and I am booked in for September."

and someone else recommending Mickel therapy:
"
Norbit
M.E and chronic fatigue is curable. I have friends that have recovered from it, as well as going through it myself and coming out the other side. It is fixable. Promise. And you don't have to be stuck with it for years and years. Get a book called "Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, ME and Fibromyalgia - The Long awaited Cure." By Dr David Mickel. Also look up "Mickel Therapy." I had to order my book off amazon because I couldn't find any copies in NZ. Read the book - it has all the info for what you need to do to recover. Best of luck. Don't give up hope. Message me if you would like to email me. Happy to share what happened to me if that's helpful."

and so it goes on..........

 

A year or so ago there was a big push of the LP in NZ. Interviews on highly regarded programmes like Campbell Live and on RNZ. Not specifically targeting ME but all sorts. I recall a chronic pain doctor giving it the thumbs up. Gave it a lot of credibility, unfortunately.

And every single one of my friends and family seemed to have heard at least one of the interviews and I had a flood of calls and emails saying "You must try this!!!" Took an awful lot of energy to defend my decision to not try it.

 

LP:
Isn’t it odd that paying a large amount of money for something makes people take it more seriously?
For a therapy that only requires a group leader to run it (no qualifications, just trained to do it) the cost is one of the most offensive parts.
I think people would find it easier to put it into perspective (and laugh at it) if they paid the usual $25 contribution to a hobby class of this kind. So they simply charge huge $$ as a surrogate for actual value.

I can think of so many more valuable community run classes which might actually make life better (honest and enjoyable at least and your fees contribute to your community).
I’ve not done it but what about a nice neighbourly laughing-yoga group? It’s at least as effective and you can download the instructions online freely or else support someone else in figuring it out and organising it for you. (If the lightening process truly were so effective I’d be surprised that this is not already done for LP).

I very sincerely hope that the author of this article has not in fact been duped as the comments suggest.
[ETA: ...and if they are, i wonder if they’ll write about it?]