Category Archives: Commentary

Reality Checking, Dr. Nath

Posted on August 24, 2016 by Jennie Spotila

This is the second of a two part series. Part One described the controversy and my fact checking. Part Two presents my analysis of the potential danger to the Clinical Care study. As part of the renewed focus on ME/CFS … Continue reading →

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Fact Checking, Dr. Nath

Posted on August 23, 2016 by Jennie Spotila

This is the first of a two part series. Part One describes the controversy and my fact checking. Part Two will present my analysis of what I found. As part of the renewed focus on ME/CFS at NIH, the National … Continue reading →

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AHRQ Evidence Review Changes Its Conclusions

Posted on August 16, 2016 by Jennie Spotila

Mary Dimmock has led the way on this issue, and is co-author of this post. In response to requests by U.S. patient organizations and advocates, the U.S. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) has issued an Addendum to its … Continue reading →

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Scandal

Posted on July 10, 2016 by Jennie Spotila

Give me 90 minutes. Whoever you are, whatever your connection to or interest in ME/CFS, take 90 minutes to listen to this discussion with academic/journalist David Tuller, DrPH (Lecturer at the School of Public Health and Graduate School of Journalism … Continue reading →

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PACE-Gate

Posted on May 12, 2016 by Jennie Spotila

It is International ME/CFS Awareness Day, and what is most on my mind is the status of PACE-Gate: the controversy over the design, conduct and results of the PACE trial. PACE is the largest clinical trial in ME/CFS, and it … Continue reading →

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Staying the Course to Where?

Posted on May 3, 2016 by Jennie Spotila

Dr. Francis Collins, Director of the National Institutes of Health, made a request of the ME/CFS community. During the March 8, 2016 NIH telebriefing, Dr. Collins said: So please take our commitment with great seriousness. Please also stay the course … Continue reading →

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Epic Eye Roll

Posted on April 2, 2016 by Jennie Spotila

I had a shocking experience at a doctor’s office yesterday. It was my first visit to his office for an issue unrelated to ME/CFS. After breezing into the room and making a sarcastic remark about the quality of doctors’ notes … Continue reading →

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We Are All Noncompliant

Posted on March 2, 2016 by Jennie Spotila

I learned something about ME/CFS advocacy from a comic book. Now wait, stay with me. I realize this sounds bizarre, especially coming from me. I haven’t read a comic book since I was eight years old. Enter Bitch Planet, a … Continue reading →

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Saying No

Posted on December 4, 2015 by Jennie Spotila

How To Live Well with Chronic Pain and Illness is Toni Bernhard’s latest book. I’ve reviewed Toni’s previous books (here, here, and here), but over the course of years, Toni has become one of my most beloved friends. So while … Continue reading →

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A Request That Should Not Be Ignored

Posted on November 13, 2015 by Jennie Spotila

Six scientists have sent a joint letter to the Editor of The Lancet asking for an independent re-analysis of the PACE trial data. The letter, published today on Virology Blog, is signed by Dr. Ron Davis (Stanford), Dr. Jonathan Edwards … Continue reading →

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