Karina Hansen

I'm assuming everyone reading this will already be familiar with the situation but if not here's basically what's going down.

http://xa.yimg.com/kq/groups/86982676/2146474059/name/You+are+killing+me+19-6-13.pdf

Karina has now spent months in a locked psychiatric ward against her and her families will. Again, whilst it's incredibly important to highlight the lack of evidence supporting the idea of M.E being a functional disorder that's not what I'm personally going to focus on. It's quite clear that Per Fink is not interested in hearing evidence to the contrary. What is of paramount importance right now is that Per Fink and the drones at Hammel Neuro centre understand is that there is ZERO peer reviewed evidence supporting Graded Exercise Therapy for severe sufferers. You don't need to have a background or qualifications in science to understand that this makes Fink's intervention rest on very, very shaky ground.

As I alluded to in my previous post, the science is even incredibly questionable for the efficacy of GET in moderate or mild patients. A more detailed analysis can be found within this fantastic article. Just what does he think he's going to achieve here? A recovery? What? It's not going to happen. Sorry.

http://orderedrights.files.wordpress.com/2013/06/nel340313r01_morris-maes2.pdf

There is no debate left, she is being experimented on and I am gravely concerned that this will lead to her losing her life. Sophia Mirza was sectioned in 2005 in the UK and later died. Wanting to help her is not a good enough excuse when there is a precedent for interventions such as this resulting in death of the patient. Not that I think for one second Per Fink wants to help her. From his arrogant sentiments and complete disregard for scientific evidence I don't feel as though there is any exaggeration in stating that personal ambition and ego are the primary catalysts for his actions. It seems to be a rather disconcerting theme that blights the scientific world and one we're all very familiar with suffering from M.E.

I'm at a complete loss as of how to help. I've contacted journalists, emailed Per Fink, contacted celebs, M.E charities who aren't already involved, but what else? Will he even be held accountable should her health deteriorate? Why is it ok to experiment on a patient because you can flash a qualification around?  What happened to science? What happened to the rule of law? What happened to treating patients with fucking respect? I hope Karina is released but if the worst does happen I hope we can all put every ounce of energy we have into making sure those responsible do not get away with this.

Health n dat

Yeah yeah yeah. Health, M.E. My favourite thing in the entire world.

Here's a summary:

Started pacing properly. Started taking Co-Enzyme Q10. Feeling the best I have in five years, all my mate's noticed and everyone was really happy for me. It was great, not back to normal great but holy shit I can get out and socialise great. Then I had to move house with only a few people to help me so I crashed pretty hard. This was four weeks ago, I'm still not feeling great, not really getting out of the house at all and pain is fluctuating pretty badly.

I'm off to Portugal in a week but not stressing about the travelling as I know I can do it and it's a short flight, hot weather and peaceful surroundings always make me feel much better. What I will do when I get back is produce an M.E travel guide specific to this trip. Lucky people you.

I've also just found out I've never been tested for Lymes disease. With all the extensive tests that were carried out I'm pretty unhappy about this. I've ordered a testing kit from IgeneX which are much better than the NHS ones which I hear are next to useless. It will cost me though, around $260 but for peace of mind I'm happy to do it. If it turns out I do have it, then it's something that can be treated.

I'm also going to start taking LDN (Low Dose Naltroxene) due to a large amount of anecdotal reports about it's effectiveness in M.E and indeed Lymes. With the absence of peer reviewed evidence that's all you can do, trust your instincts, analyse anecdotes thoroughly and make that decision.

Life for the last five years has been very tough. Not moaning, just stating a fact. Part of what bugs me so much is the apparently never ending amount of conflicting information surrounding M.E. It's an auto-immune disease. It's a neuro-immune disease. It's an immune system irregularity. It's actually Lymes. It's something to do with AIDS. It's a virus, it isn't a virus. It's a virus but with psychiatric components. M.E isn't CFS. CFS is M.E in Australia and the US. Some patients diagnosed with M.E don't have M.E. Many CFS patients actually have M.E unless of course they're in the U.S or Australia in which they do because CFS is M.E there. Oh yeah, it's also M.E/CFS or CFS/M.E. How are patients supposed to interpret this junk?

The psych's think it's a functional disorder, great, where's the next treatment coming from and when? What is it? More GET/CBT? Brilliant. Next to useless and in some cases dangerous. It's not dangerous you say? Patients are lying? The peer reviewed evidence says it's safe? Oh, right, the peer reviewed evidenced studied a whole host of different patients with different illnesses and the data on who got worse isn't there for us? Other evidence suggests the complete opposite? Who in their right mind would trust this!?

Other psychs think it's a physical cause exacerbated by psychiatric components. Great. Lets go with that, what are the treatme.....Ah yes, same issues as above. Brilliant. But then we have peer reviewed evidence detailing immune system abnormalities and a host of experts detailing how convincing the evidence is that it's a physical illness. Now personally, I think the evidence of this is pretty damn solid, but I'm not here to wax lyrical about what I think causes M.E, just the complete mess and conflicting messages that are sent to patients, who are given little to no support from their GPs and sometimes outright hostility and abuse.

Lets get one thing clear, nobody should ever blame a patient for their illness, whether it's psychological or physical, depression, anxiety, cancer, M.S, M.E, even hypochondria. These all need treating. How far do GPs and the medical profession think they're going to get in treating patients if they blame them? Can anyone tell me? Because I doubt it results in much success.

You are failing patients and you will be held to account, I will make sure of that.

Mensch Press

Louise Mensch likes to lift Louise Mensch likes to spot Louise Mensch likes to be lifted by Louise Mensch lifting whilst spotted by Louise Mensch.

Invest in M.E

Oh yeeaaaah. I've been growing a beard on and off for a while now but kept getting annoyed with it. I've also been thinking that I'm not really doing anything worthwhile with my time so this fundraising adventure was born.

I shall be growing a beard until Jan 1st 2014.

http://www.justgiving.com/Paul-Gadsden

I'm excited about it as much as I'm dreading looking like Happy Gilmore's caddy.

My advice to Labour

Shutup. About. Welfare.

There's no need to say anything. Ideological austerity driven economics are collapsing the economy and
you're falling for the trap set by the Tories, willing to cast hundreds of thousands into poverty to satisfy the ignorance of baying hordes.

If you had to, I guess you could actually try and promote the facts surrounding welfare and not adhere to the agenda set by the government and the tabloid media, but it looks like that's too hard for you SO JUST STOP TALKING. Look, I hate you for being neo-liberal losers, but your economics are at least a little bit more coherent than the "scribbled in the back of an Ayn Rand novel during gcse economics" drivel we're currently using. Actually, I won't even be voting for you, this is just a bit of friendly advice. But please, quit being massive arseholes and return to just being arseholes, focus of the economic failings of Osborne, it's so easy I don't know how you're missing this.

That Cher Is Dead

No, not Cher, the Queen Diva, but Thatcher, the Queen.......Shitehouse.

Awash with sanctimonious and patronising sycophancy over how to act when a public figure dies I figured what a great moment it would be to round up all my thoughts into a single blog post.

I don't like nasty people, I celebrate when they die, is basically how I 'd sum up my approach to today's wonderful news. Harsh? Inhumane? Not in the slightest, it is because I care for people and value humanity that today I celebrate. Sure, she's no longer in power and sure, her ideology lives on in today's government and that is why I am still angry, but today is cathartic, I don't just celebrate the death of a wicked person but also to signify my opposition to the continue legacy of privatisation, victimisation of the poor, removal of public services and rapidly increasing inequality and unemployment. 

Naturally, I need to explain why I think she was so wicked.

She was a homophobe. Section 28. A truly awful policy.

"Children who need to be taught to respect traditional moral values are being taught they have an inalienable right to be gay" - Thatcher

Xenophobia.

Let that comment sink in for a while, it reads like a diatribe from a delusional UKIP or EDL member.

She supported the mass murdering Pinochet. Gave him a home in the UK so he couldn't face his crimes.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/466571.stm

Covered up for the child raping Saville.

Did nothing whilst children were abused in Kendall House.




The demonisation of travellers and legislation against the freedom to roam and congregate.

Rejoicing in sinking a ship which was fleeing leading to the deaths of 200 people.

Selling off social housing. You know why we have this bedroom tax problem right?

She called Mandella a terrorist and refused to sanction Apartheid South Africa.

She refused to sanction the Khmer Rouge and there's also...


http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2000/jan/09/cambodia?CMP=twt_gu


Covered up the Hillsborough disaster.

Opposed the re-unification of Germany.

The closure of the mines was disastrously handled, with police battering political dissenters, leaving whole communities gutted. Nothing in place for those left unemployed, nothing.

She drastically reduced trade union rights, setting the template for reduced wages and inferior working conditions for employees.

Her financial privatisation ultimately led to the corrupt banking practises we see today and helped in part to create the financial crash we're still suffering from, not helped by devotion to the ideology of austerity and market privatisation left in her wake.

Privatisation of nationally owned industry for the financial benefit of the wealthy few, and Tory shareholders. Continued today.

Rising inequality and poverty as a result of the removal of public services, rise in vat (8-15%) and lowering of top taxation rate, which is still falling and leading to further inequality.

The last 30 years have been Thatcherism, continued in part by Blair and now by Cameron. Any criticism you can make of Cameron is ultimately a criticism of Thatcher. I can't understand why I'm supposed to respect this, so the next time you're sitting in an ATOS exam or reading a news article about what a scrounger you are, or how kids shouldn't be taught that being gay is ok, think about where this all came from and maybe you'll reconsider whether you really should be respecting the dead, because she sure as hell didn't respect you.

Climate Change

Ahh the joys of debating! It has led me to realise how nutty some Libertarians really are, especially when it comes to climate change. You can lead a libertarian to water, but you can't make it drink because that would violate it's personal freedom you Stalinist motherfucker.

Anyway, thought I'd collate some super duper climate change resources as a bullshit detector.



http://grist.org/series/skeptics/

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090519134843.htm

http://www.realclimate.org/index.php/archives/2007/05/start-here/

http://www.realclimate.org/index.php/archives/2012/12/online-video-lectures-on-climate-change/

http://www.newscientist.com/topic/climate-change

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=52KLGqDSAjo

Now, doesn't that feel better?

BUT WAIT! Your day is about to get worse. Just look what you could be up against!

"Peer review has been shown as corrupted again and again by eco-fascists on the journal editorials"

"You're the only one believing in a defunct religion here"

But it gets worserer! They even share James Dellingpole articles. This is a major klaxxon and should cause you to retreat immediately. Hide. Cover your face. Run. Do whatever it takes to protect your sanity.

I'd like to imagine they simply haven't heard the evidence but as you can see they probably have and brush it aside as a conspiracy. I can't think what vested interest Libertarians have in ignoring climate change, the devotion to free markets and opposition to government action? Surely not? I mean, it's not like Ayn Rand ignored scientific evidence about the dangers of smoking or anything.