General practitioners' perceptions of chronic fatigue syndrome and beliefs about its management, compared with irritable bowel syndrome: qualitative study
"Mr Heptonstall appears to have an irrational, negative attitude to
the idea that someone might recover from CFS due to the placebo effect. I
would suggest that it is because of attitudes like his that the state of
CFS research is in such a poor state"
I can assure David that I do not have a negative attitude to the idea
of placebo 'cures' for any condition, but I do have a negative attitude to
the idea that everyone who declares themselves 'cured' of CFS achieved
their cure by placebo.
I can also inform David that about 7 or 8 years ago I put a case to
several bodies that funded 'research into ME/CFS' as my Clinic has a good
response for ME/CFS sufferers - 'cures' and 'much improveds'. However, I
was surprised to find that curing and much improving ME/CFS was not of
high priority for research funds, one had to be researching biochemical
aspects of the conditions to gain funding - ie. be lab-based and not
'successful' Clinic-based much to my surprise and that of a number of
patients, and practitioners who had agreed to assist the project designed
to cost little for the patients and for which all staff had agreed to work
for little reward and to put a great deal of time in - we are that
committed. Some of the staff had 'recovered' from ME at my Clinic and
thereafter studied with me to become practitioners.
No doubt CFS research suffers from a variety of difficulties, I
suspect my attitude to placebo interventions is not one of them , not
least that the main 'cures' appear to emanate from the alternative &
complementary field which does not feature highly for research funds,
especially as most funding is pharmaceutical company derived nowadays;
with all the tax and subsidy pleasures those companies aspire to the
government obviously thinks that's a better way to spend our taxes than
fund research into treatments that cure disease.
Regards
John H.
Competing interests:
None declared
Competing interests:
No competing interests
28 June 2004
John P Heptonstall
Director of The Morley Acupuncture Clinic and Complementary Therapy Centre
Rapid Response:
Re: Re: Re: Can't see the wood for the trees
Sir
In response to David Jameson's
"Mr Heptonstall appears to have an irrational, negative attitude to
the idea that someone might recover from CFS due to the placebo effect. I
would suggest that it is because of attitudes like his that the state of
CFS research is in such a poor state"
I can assure David that I do not have a negative attitude to the idea
of placebo 'cures' for any condition, but I do have a negative attitude to
the idea that everyone who declares themselves 'cured' of CFS achieved
their cure by placebo.
I can also inform David that about 7 or 8 years ago I put a case to
several bodies that funded 'research into ME/CFS' as my Clinic has a good
response for ME/CFS sufferers - 'cures' and 'much improveds'. However, I
was surprised to find that curing and much improving ME/CFS was not of
high priority for research funds, one had to be researching biochemical
aspects of the conditions to gain funding - ie. be lab-based and not
'successful' Clinic-based much to my surprise and that of a number of
patients, and practitioners who had agreed to assist the project designed
to cost little for the patients and for which all staff had agreed to work
for little reward and to put a great deal of time in - we are that
committed. Some of the staff had 'recovered' from ME at my Clinic and
thereafter studied with me to become practitioners.
No doubt CFS research suffers from a variety of difficulties, I
suspect my attitude to placebo interventions is not one of them , not
least that the main 'cures' appear to emanate from the alternative &
complementary field which does not feature highly for research funds,
especially as most funding is pharmaceutical company derived nowadays;
with all the tax and subsidy pleasures those companies aspire to the
government obviously thinks that's a better way to spend our taxes than
fund research into treatments that cure disease.
Regards
John H.
Competing interests:
None declared
Competing interests: No competing interests