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Ramsay's Disease - Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME) and the Unfortunate Creation of 'CFS' Kindle Edition
| Nancy Blake BA CQSW (Author) See search results for this author |
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In the meantime, the name-game rages, as psychiatry fights to maintain its current hold on the definitions and treatment recommendations for very sick and potentially disabled people. Complete rest right at the start gives the best outcomes; ME is defined by the fact that physical/mental exertion makes it worse. Yet, under the wide psychiatric umbrella of 'somatoform disorders' sufferers are assured that their illness is caused by paying too much attention to normal sensations, and that changing their 'false illness beliefs' and applying Graded Exercise Therapy will make them better. Politicians and the media enthusiastically and irresponsibly wave the flag for this point of view, while people with ME suffer the consequences.
Dr. Simpson describes his years of research and the history of the re-naming, while Nancy Blake, who ascribes her virtual recovery from ME to ruthless laziness and taking the supplements Dr. Simpson recommends, puts a strong case for a reversal of current policies to do with ME and disability. Which, she asks, will save the most money - letting people who have ME rest for six months, thereby setting the scene for (albeit protracted) recovery, or forcing them to exercise themselves into permanent disability?
- LanguageEnglish
- Publication date28 May 2012
- File size524 KB
Product details
- ASIN : B00875TLB4
- Language : English
- File size : 524 KB
- Text-to-Speech : Enabled
- Screen Reader : Supported
- Enhanced typesetting : Enabled
- X-Ray : Not Enabled
- Word Wise : Enabled
- Print length : 224 pages
- Best Sellers Rank: 732,858 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- 265 in Medical Diseases
- 2,901 in Diseases & Disorders Medicine
- 5,177 in Personal Health
- Customer reviews:
About the authors

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Social worker for 25 years
Principal Officer Health for 3 years, planning mental health care.
UKCP Accredited Neurolinguistic Psychotherapist for 20 years.
Recovering from ME/CFS since 1986
As an expert in mental health issues, I know without any doubt that ME/CFS is not a mental health issue. It is a serious, disabling, multisystem illness, and current treatment recommendations make patients much more ill.
I am undertaking a Ph.D. on the conflicting ideas about ME/CFS, particularly investigating how the psychiatric concept gains influence despite medical evidence and the testimony of patients.
My 'Beginner's Guide' is based on the premise that Ramsay's definition, and treatment recommendation for complete rest from the onset is essential advice for anyone diagnosed with ME/CFS.
Everything I wrote in 'A Beginner's Guide' seems to be supported by subsequent research and patient reports. At the same time, the idea that CBT and Graded Exercise Therapy are appropriate treatments seems to be gaining influence, notably in Denmark and the U.S. For patients, this is a desperate situation.
In February, 2015, the US Institute of Medicine produced a report on ME/CFS which states unequivocally that this is a disease in which exertion of any type 'may adversely affect many organ systems in the body'. They want the name CFS to be got rid of completely, and to rename this illness 'Systemic Exertion Intolerance Disease', in recognition of its seriously debilitating nature, and the fact that exertion does serious physical harm.
This completely validates the message of 'A Beginner's Guide to ME/CFS', which is that rest, and conservation of exertion, is the essential, most effective current treatment for this illness.
'A Beginner's Guide to Lifting Depression' is another joint effort with Les Simpson, Ph.D. (now sadly deceased). He wrote a detailed account of current theories of depression and about how certain areas of the brain show blood flow problems typical of depression. He makes several suggestions about ways to improve this, including exercise and high doses of fish oil. My contribution to the book is as a psychotherapist experienced in using NLP, as well as my own techniques, to help my clients lift their depression. The book thus offers two approaches which you probably won't hear about anywhere else, as doctors aren't taught hemorheology, and most counsellors and therapists are unfamiliar with NLP.

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The author, Leslie Simpson is dedicated to sharing his research as is his co-author Nancy Blake who gives clear and useful information about dealing with other symptoms and conditions of ME. Her book, a sample of which is available on Kindle is coming out in print very soon and I've pre-ordered it.
This information deserves to be much better known. I plan to share it with CFS and ME specialists around the world.
My strength is not the science, so I can not vouch for it. But what I read here accords, at least in the broad outlines, with much of the best science and clinical advice. For example, anemia has been shown in ME and there is much theoretical and clinical support for B12, fish oil and other supplements recommended.
Far, far too few works meant to help patients explain that the supposed treatments of CBT and graded exercise, make the disease worse. I am speaking here of the type of CBT pushed by a small cabal of insurance lobbyists, trained as psychiatrists and posing as scientists. This CBT aims to convince the ME patient that she does not have a physical disease and the only way to get better is to exercise more and more and more. Since the hallmark of ME is post-exertional morbidity, ie that exercise makes the disease WORSE, this is the exact opposite of what must be done to help ME patients. Thank you to the authors for exposing this fraud.