UK - New chief medical officer/government adviser appointed, 2019

Hoopoe

Hoopoe

Senior Member (Voting Rights)
Professor Whitty is currently Chief Scientific Adviser for the Department of Health and Social Care.

He has overall responsibility for the department’s research and development, including the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) and life science strategy.

He is also the Professor of Public and International Health at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, a practising NHS Consultant Physician in acute medicine and infectious diseases at University College London Hospitals, and Gresham Professor of Physic.
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Professor Whitty will continue to lead the NIHR for the foreseeable future.
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strategist said:
Maybe this will translate into greater sensitivity towards ME/CFS as this is the place of the ME/CFS Biobank.
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I would hope so, but if he's already head of NIHR that funds most of the awful BPS ME research, it's not looking good. Universities are huge places, and one department might be completely unaware of the work of another. After all, Karl Morton and Michael Sharpe are both at Oxford. Couldn't get a greater contrast.
 
I have to say I'm not enthused by this...

Even a few minutes' exercise is good for you, new guidelines state

“Any myths about physical activity being inherently harmful for disabled people should be dispelled,” the report states.
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I did have a quick search in the actual document under the term "disabled" and found that word mentioned 23 times. All of them seemed very enthusiastic about exercise, with no suggestion it could be harmful or dangerous for anyone disabled. At least that was my reading of the bits I saw - don't have the time and patience to read a 66 page document on how fantastic exercise is for EVERYONE. :mad:
 
Physical activity guidelines: UK Chief Medical Officers' report
https://assets.publishing.service.g...cal-officers-physical-activity-guidelines.pdf

Risks of physical activity
The risk of adverse events from physical activity is relatively low, and the health benefits
accrued from such activity outweigh the risks(1).
This evidence also extends now to disabled adults, with the available evidence suggesting there are no major risks of engaging in physical activity when it is performed for an appropriate duration and at an
appropriate level of intensity for the individual.
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Fear of injury or exacerbating a health issue can be a barrier to undertaking activity,
especially for those who are not regularly active, are disabled, have a health condition, are
pregnant, or are older or frail. However, there is little evidence to suggest that physical
activity is unsafe for anyone when performed at an intensity and in a manner appropriate
to an individual’s current activity level, health status and physical function (4,
10).
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Starting at low durations and intensities and building up over time as the body adjusts is the safest way to progress from inactivity to meeting the guidelines.
As the frequency and intensity of physical activity increases, there are small increases in
health risk (e.g. accidents and injuries). However, the health benefits of activity far
outweigh the risks of being active.
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so it's GET for everyone now

eta: this was done by Dame Sally Davies, not the new CMO
 
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The Chief Medical Officers should clearly follow their own advice. they should go and take a running jump....

They seem incapable of any analysis of the concepts of "risk" and "benefit" nor of specifying to whom the these concepts should apply.

I don't suppose you get to be chief of anything by not following the "party line".
 
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