The murder of Myalgic Encephalomyelitis


Posted by: "Jodi Bassett" jodibassett@... hummingbird_247


Wed Oct 3, 2007 1:42 am (PST)

please repost

The murder of Myalgic Encephalomyelitis by Lajla Mark

Wilkommen, Bienvenue, Welcome, Ladies and Gentlemen, smiled the compére and blew kisses to the audience. - You are now going to
witness real magic. - As an audience you are not supposed to see *how* it happens - but abracadabra .... before this show is over,
I promise you, that the medical term Myalgic Encephalomyelitis will disappear right in front of your eyes.

- We can even make thousands and thousands of people suffering from Myalgic Encephalomyelitis totally invisible. Now, watch
carefully, meine Herrschaft. This is truly magic!

* * *

A little black box turned up on the stage. The compére opened it and dragged out a long medical term. - This, Ladies and Gentlemen, is the
medical term Myalgic Encephalomyelitis - M.E. for short), he said.
- Please look at it very carefully. This disease has been known ever since 1934 and was named by one of the first scientist who described
this illness because of autopsy findings of inflammation in the basal root ganglia already back in the 1950s. It was listed in WHO's ICD in
1969 as a neurological disease. This is the facts, meine Herrschaft.

Another little black box turned up on the stage, and the compère opened it and dragged out another medical term. - Und hier, meine Damen und
Herren, is the term Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS), he said.
- Please look at it very carefully. CFS was launched by the Centre of Disease Control in the US in 1988 after some outbreaks of som M.E.-like
diseases, one of them Epstein Barr Virus, during the 1980s - all given the name Chronic fatigue Syndrome - because all patients appeared to
suffer from fatigue.

- And now I want to present The Medical Magician (representing many medical professionals). He believes that M.E. and CFS are just the
same disease, and he spreads this belief of his to the rest of the medical world. He will be part of the magic, so please give him a hand,
Ladies and Gentlemen.

- The next who now enters into this scene, continued the compére, - is not a magician. He is The Opposer (representing many opposers in the world).
He does *not* believe, that M.E. and CFS are identical diseases - and most important: he can prove it. Now, you might think he has nothing to do at
this show, but believe me, meine Herrschaft, he is necessary for this magic show, so please welcome The Opposer.

- Now, Ladies and Gentlemen, hold your breath, because you are about to meet The Magnificent Psychiatrist (representing a certain group of
psychiatrists).

The Magnificent Psychiatrist believes that "Chronic fatigue syndrome" is a WONderful term, so he is going to try to conjure psychiatric diseases out
of these "fatigue" illnesess - just in front of your very eyes. This is his opportunity of a lifetime - Chronic Fatigue falling right down in his lap.
Oh, there is a GOD after all! He is shouting with joy. - Please welcome The Magnificent Psychiatrist".

The M.E. Stage Manager (representing medical M.E. professionals and M.E. patients), standing in the background, shouted: - Uh-uh, you can't involve
M.E. in this scheme. M.E. is a neurological disease, not a psychiatric one.
Besides we were here long time before CFS ever got here - and this I can prove.

- You just watch me, The Magnificent Psychiatrist said with a big smile on his face, and then he called in three more people representing Governments,
Health Authorities (including CDC) and the psychiatric field. - These people will assist me in this show, he said, - and WE - together - will make this
magic happen. And out of his hat he dragged a new CFS 'fatigue' definition so broad, that any unmeasurable and medically unexplained disease could
easily fit in. And in front of a shocked audience he and his assistants performed the magic of conjuring up a big black box with the name "Chronic
fatigue" written on it. They put the new broad CFS definition down in this black box, and suddenly they were able to drag out the two little boxes
containing the the terms M.E. and CFS that we left over there earlier.

Now the M.E. Stage Manager got really upset. - Hey, as much as I admire your magic skills, you are violating the facts by performing this. M.E.
is a neurological disease. You cannot put M.E. in this box together with CFS and other medically unexplained illnesses. What you are doing is not
really magic - it is medically fraud!

And then The Opposer dragged out a HUGE black umbrella and placed it on the stage so that it covered all the people on the stage - except the M.E.
Stage Manager and himself. - This is what CFS is, he said. - A 'fatigue' umbrella under which all of you belong. M.E. does not belong under this
umbrella. And you know very well I can prove it.

Now The Magnificent Psychiatrist got very tired of being interrupted in his 'once in a lifetime act' so he answered in an irritated tone of voice.
- Well, who needs ME anyway - isn't it just an outworn term for CFS? I fact I would just love to get rid of it. In fact it is never proved that there is
any -itis involved, so what's all the fuzz about? His assistants nodded and said: Hear! Hear!

- Just a moment, dear performers, said the Compére, I am just told, that a new term, impatiently waiting back stage, has to be introduced, so will you
please, mein Herrschaft, allow me to present Myalgic Encephalpathy – the new name for Myalgic Encephalomyelitis since it can't be proved that any
-itis is present in Myalgic Encephalomyelitis.

- Hey, what's this again, asked the M.E. Stage Manager. - How on earth can a new name for our disease be launched without discussing it with us first?
I don't know who it is being so interested in claiming that M.E.-itis is an incorrect term - but I can tell you, that M.E. experts and M.E. patients
from all over the world certainly do disagree with you in this. We are the ones working with and suffering from this disease and believe me, we are
reminded every single day, that -itis is indeed involved. And many researchers agree with us as prove is mounting up.

The Magnificent Psychiatrist and his assistants all glanced at him for a moment, and then they ignored him. The Magnificent Psychiatrist said:
- Well, just watch .... hokus pokus - we place Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Myalgic Encephalopathy together and create a new term, ME-CFS, and
- Voila! Now they can go back in the big box of Chronic Fatigue illnesses.

See, he said to the audience, By God we did it! Exactly like we promised you! Now, what have we got here? Yes! A big box with Chronic Fatigue
conditions who swallowed op the small boxes with M.E.-opathy and CFS.
HA! we managed to get totally rid of Myalgic Encephalomyelitis .... and there is absolutely nothing anybody can do about it, dear Stage Manager,
because we stole your initials M.E. You will all soon be gone ...
abracadabra! .... Now, isn't that just magic? Please, dear audience, give us a hand!

* * *

But the audience got up from their chairs screaming: - You call this magic?
Magic, my foot! - This is plain old murder on a recognized disease and on all who suffer from it, and you can't prove any of your theories.

The Medical Magicians and The Significant Psychiatrist and his assistants just smiled from ear to ear and said. - What are you going to do about it?
We count much more people than you do. You will never be able to prove that this was plain murder. Besides, we have Governments, Health Authorities and Insurance Companies behind us. So now, go home and get a life - this show is over.

The compére appeared in the front of the stage and he bowed and blew kisses towards the performers and the audience and said: Thank you so much, Ladies and Gentlemen, Gute Nacht, Bon Soir, Goodnight. - See you all in the psychiatric ward!

Curtain!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Now, dear readers, do not get too upset by reading this little story, it's
all fiction .... OR IS IT?

Lajla Mark
www.MEsite.dk/