Ric Arseneau, Clinical professor of internal medicine, University of British Columbia, Canada

[Art Vandelay]

Arseneau runs the BC Centre for Long COVID, ME/CFS, & Fibromyalgia. They now enthusiastically endorse brain retraining and other quackery:

Neuroplasticity
Neuroplasticity can be viewed as a general umbrella term that refers to the brain's ability to modify, change, and adapt both structure and function throughout life and in response to experience. There is increasing evidence for the use of neuroplasticity based programs in the treatment of ME/CFS, FM, and Long COVID.

As noted elsewhere on the forum, he's also the co-author of a rapid response in the BMJ which claims:

Many of us benefited from consistent use of nervous system regulation practices—such as somatic tracking, brain retraining, biofeedback, visualization, and vagus nerve stimulation. These are not mere coping strategies, but rather tools aimed to calm the body’s stress responses and restore parasympathetic tone. Most of us reduced sources of stress, and some worked through trauma. As our nervous systems stabilized, improvements followed in sleep, digestion, and resilience to exertion.

Edit: there's more information about the clinic, its doctors and policies on this Reddit thread: BC clinic getting quacky - how bad is it? What other options are there?

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[ChronicallyOverIt]

Arseneau runs the BC Centre for Long COVID, ME/CFS, & Fibromyalgia. They now enthusiastically endorse brain retraining and other quackery:


As noted elsewhere on the forum, he's also the co-author of a rapid response in the BMJ which claims:


Edit: there's more information about the clinic, its doctors and policies on this Reddit thread: BC clinic getting quacky - how bad is it? What other options are there?

Ok so I’m a patient here I think I can give you a pretty balanced take. There is zero, I mean zero, support for people with ME/CFS outside of Dr. A’s clinic in BC. The BC women’s clinic takes you in for a year then kicks you out, not to mention it’s a 3+ year wait time to get in. So if you do get in you have a year to find out what pacing is, what medications work for you, and how to get disability all while sick, yes it is impossible and the BC women’s program is not going to help. There is a family GP shortage and even if you get one they will not help you as they can only see you for 1 issue at a time. That’s IF they believe CFS is real (my GP does not).

Everything you do in the Dr. A clinic is voluntary, yes I’m a bit disappointed that he has been providing more classes on brain training but again these are optional classes that are free to the patient, I simply don’t go to them easy as that. A lot of the courses are more therapy than brain training it seems as well.

He mostly provides a 16 week course on pacing, living with CFS, and acceptance as a “core” course. He has many other separate sessions on just medications which I have attended and find educational. I’m not big on the brain training ones so don’t go, some patients say they feel better, heck if placebo helps do it. He never recommends that as first line. Pacing and teaching you about pacing in his core group is his first line. Even medications are second line. Then if you want you can do other courses.

He fights for 100s of patients disability cases in court, and helps people get on disability. His clinic has over 5000 patients who without him patients in BC would not have access to off label medications (abilify, mestinon, LDN, propanol),support groups, and much more. Not to mention there is 1 other doctor in all of Vancouver who still sees people for POTS, so good luck getting propanol or help anywhere else.

He means well for sure and does a lot of good, I’d let the tomfoolery of optional and free brain retraining slide. I can say from the heart he means well and truly cares about his patients.

 

[Utsikt]

He means well for sure and does a lot of good, I’d let the tomfoolery of optional and free brain retraining slide. I can say from the heart he means well and truly cares about his patients.

If he provides loads of potentially dangerous drugs without any intention of ever doing a study on them, he is in clear violation with the ethical standards.

The brain retraining also clearly shows that he does not understand the burden of proof and how completely inappropriate those treatments are.

Caring is not enough for a doctor. You have to know what you’re doing as well.

 

[rvallee]

Arseneau runs the BC Centre for Long COVID, ME/CFS, & Fibromyalgia. They now enthusiastically endorse brain retraining and other quackery:

Neuroplasticity
Neuroplasticity can be viewed as a general umbrella term that refers to the brain's ability to modify, change, and adapt both structure and function throughout life and in response to experience. There is increasing evidence for the use of neuroplasticity based programs in the treatment of ME/CFS, FM, and Long COVID.

Wasn't this pretty much debunked recently? Medicine has believed for decades that the brain 'rewires' itself significantly, with examples such as phantom limbs and so on, only it turns out, no, they don't actually do that? Sure, connections change, but structure does not in the ways that were traditionally believed.

 

[ChronicallyOverIt]

If he provides loads of potentially dangerous drugs without any intention of ever doing a study on them, he is in clear violation with the ethical standards.

So you’d rather have 5000 patients with no support whatsoever? No disability? No chance at quality of life increase? No help with pacing? There is a middle ground, it’s not black and white. I’ll take a quality of life improvement while research occurs. There’s no room in the system here for studies, BC health care is abysmal and on its last legs.

Propanol, mestinon, LDN, abilify, are all drugs you can get from natropaths, people will get them other places without any supervision and even higher levels of quackery.

Again the quackery is completely optional.

 

[Utsikt]

So you’d rather have 5000 patients with no support whatsoever? No disability? No chance at quality of life increase? No help with pacing?

Have I ever said that? He would be able to do all of that without the quackery.

There is a middle ground, it’s not black and white.

No, there is not. This is not any any grey zone. His actions are clearly in breach of most reasonable standards. We can’t just keep lowering our expectations because society has abandoned us. The Stockholm syndrome has to end at some point.

 

[Trish]

I understand your perspective @ChronicallyOverIt. Thank you for sharing your experience.

It's not right that all people have available to them is someone who offers quack treatments as an option, but I can see the importance of there being someone who can diagnose and offers help with managing the illness, and who is willing to help with benefit applications. If that's all that's available, pwME in the area have no choice if they need help.

In my area in the UK, all we have is GP's who know nothing about ME/CFS, and an ME/CFS clinic that teaches pacing up and gives no help with benefit applications or practical aids.

I'm not sure which I'd prefer. The situation is dire pretty well anywhere.