"Time for Unrest": ME article by Nathalie Wright

I came onto here to join in the discussion about this article from the Independent (having previously been on PR and recognising some 'faces' around here already!)...I'm not sure why I only just saw the article floating through facebook seeing as it was published on the 6th, but as I read it I really thought wow - it must be the first time all of the essential structure to the UK based problems have been published in a mainstream media outlet? Even the insurance angles! I could barely believe it...I was expecting it to end but it just kept going deeper lol...

My only sadness was this line: "ME, like autoimmune diseases, mainly affects women and is often developed in the prime of life, though children are also affected. "

Whilst its broadly correct, lets not forget us guys out there - still 50k odd in the UK! ;)...I feel a bit reluctant to share with my friends because it sort of edits me out of the conversation...
 
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Welcome to S4ME @MESteveW
MESteveW said:
My only sadness was this line: "ME, like autoimmune diseases, mainly affects women and is often developed in the prime of life, though children are also affected. "

Whilst its broadly correct, lets not forget us guys out there - still 50k odd in the UK! ;)...I feel a bit reluctant to share with my friends because it sort of edits me out of the conversation...
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Personally, I don't have an issue with the wording and was happy to share it. After all, the quote is "mainly affects women and is often developed in the prime of life, though children are also affected.", which clearly shows that men are affected.
 
Andy said:
Welcome to S4ME @MESteveW

Personally, I don't have an issue with the wording and was happy to share it. After all, the quote is "mainly affects women and is often developed in the prime of life, though children are also affected.", which clearly shows that men are affected.
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fair enough! I've read and enjoy Nathalies other articles including the one posing the question of sexism potentially having an impact in the situation, which I agree with and have heard shocking reports of anecdotally...but still yes for me I would like the guys to also be counted in the narrative especially when there is such a good article overall. By counted that could be literally like saying 'ME affects 4:1 women to men like many other auto-immune diseases etc'...
 
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As a slight sidetone - I would suggest that in the current climate, framing the poor treatment of ME/CFS as a feminist issue is actually a good idea. Certainly I think that it's meant that more sympathetic articles have been published in women's magazines, which can only be a good thing. If someone sees it as a great injustice against one gender and acts accordingly, then both genders benefit from it anyway.
 
Dr Carrot said:
As a slight sidetone - I would suggest that in the current climate, framing the poor treatment of ME/CFS as a feminist issue is actually a good idea. Certainly I think that it's meant that more sympathetic articles have been published in women's magazines, which can only be a good thing. If someone sees it as a great injustice against one gender and acts accordingly, then both genders benefit from it anyway.
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I completely agree, that also made me wonder though if it would be possible to get some sort of article in something like Men's Health - at a guess it would perhaps need to be along the lines of "feel like you have over-trained but rest doesn't relieve it? It may just be ME", and could then go into the fact that while most sufferers are women, there is still a substantial male patient population, and how being macho about it won't help. Just a thought.
 
Andy said:
I completely agree, that also made me wonder though if it would be possible to get some sort of article in something like Men's Health - at a guess it would perhaps need to be along the lines of "feel like you have over-trained but rest doesn't relieve it? It may just be ME", and could then go into the fact that while most sufferers are women, there is still a substantial male patient population, and how being macho about it won't help. Just a thought.
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A very good one.

I read an article in a magazine about a guy who had breast cancer. How the assumptions made about all people with breast cancer being women affected him and his treatment. I read it in a magazine in a waiting room some where and it really stuck with me in a " Wow! Never thought of it that way!" kind of way.
 
That article says somewhere between 4.5:1 and 8:1 - that's quite a difference. Also very interesting that our ratios here at S4ME don't tally (unless all the unspecified are female).
I'm sure a sociologist would have fun musing on why that may be.

I couldn't work out where to find the ratio on PR or HR - anyone else know? Just wondering how we all stack up given we all have slightly differing ethos's (is that the plural of ethos? It doesn't look right).
 
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